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Were the Sports just too much, and these a bit softer?

Note that the difference between HD and Sport Bilstein shocks is the distance the shock will extend.  HD shocks are for OEM or somewhat shorter springs while Sport shocks go with the short springs for a track suspension.

Larry

Hi Greg--

Sometimes the problem is the bulb and sometimes an apparently fine lamp connection is poor.  As mentioned, a poor connection is often from the auxiliary lamp mount to chassis ground but may also be within the lamp (the problem with my H2 bulbs in a pair of Cibie 95 foglamps; when I asked a Cibie engineer about the problem he simply said to get a new bulb holder).  If I were in your shoes, I would check a bare bulb by connecting it to a battery or power supply.  If you use an alligator clip lead (or some other means) to hook the bulb wire lead to battery+, and your test light clip to battery-, then if you hold the bulb base and VERY momentarily touch the test light probe to the bulb base, a quick flash will show that you need not discard the bulb.

A failed bulb could be a poorly connected wire lead (for the H3 bulb) or could be a secretly broken filament.  The filament wire is sturdy and may hold a broken part together so it looks good but does not complete an electric circuit.  Also, the filament wire may have a break where it is welded to the molybdenum pad that allows a bulb seal around the electric wires.

 

Larry

Hi Greg--

I'm glad you found the problem and your lamps are working!  But a little clarification: a halogen bulb IS an incandescent bulb.  The key differences to halogen and regular incandescent are adding some halogen gas to the bulb interior and using a high-temperature glass, like quartz (or Vycor or aluminosilicate), to allow the glass to get close enough to the filament so the halogen cycle works without softening the envelope.  And as you probably know, touching a quartz bulb can make it fail from the oils on your skin (it can devitrify, weakening and diffusing the bulb; it could explode from the 30 or more PSI inside).

Now that you know more about halogen bulbs, I STRONGLY suggest you replace your amber-colored "fog" lamps.  Amber is a proper color for signalling or marking lamps such as turn signal, parking or daytime running lamps.  True foglamps are either white or selective yellow (like older French or Japanese headlamps).  See [Daniel Stern on foglamps and lamp colors].  I will note that the Cibie lamps sold by Daniel Stern are good, but I'm not a fan of the H2 bulbs (well, the H2 bulb holders that corrode excessively from the very hot bulb contacts) Cibie has in many of their smaller lamps.

 

Larry

Beck, have you even encountered" Dirt Alley" in your hometown?  Look West of 23rd on Judah.

 

Larry

Hey Beck--

 

Do you have any Swap & Show-19 photos to post?  You can do so at [S&S-19 images in BayArea 02 Regional Group].  Thanks!

 

I don't think you will ever loose the touch from your former profession!

 

Larry

Hi--

 

Rumor has it that the landlord dramatically increased the lease rate for Double02 Salvage to about a current level for warehouse space in Hayward.  I imagine the "Green Revolution" may have had a distinct influence on that rate.  The new rate is incompatible with an auto parts salvage business.  I have heard nothing firm about the final disposition of the Double02 parts inventory.  I agree with you, Dean and Marshall always offered their best solutions to parts needs for our BMWs, often at a better-than-typical price.

 

Larry

3 hours ago, Spyke said:

VERY important question:





Will the taco truck be there again?

Hi Spyke--

 

" Hi Lary,

(end quote).

 

I hope you're hungry!

Bill Arnold has a chain Vice-grip plier/wrench to give more leverage on the propeller shaft to allow fastener removal and tightening.  He told me that was the only thing he used them for.

Lots of us remember Beck as a former rallymeister for Not the 49-MileDrive.  And as a San Francisco native, he showed us a number of unique routes (sometimes a trail...) and vistas.

Hi--

 

Another potential problem with LED wedge-based bulbs (like the T-3.25_2821/194 bulb)

: many have their wire contact leads wrapped from one side of the base to the other, maintaining an end-to-end polarity difference.  But on our cars, the polarity difference is from one side of the base to the other.  An incandescent bulb has it's contact wire on one side of one end with the other wire on the other side of the other end.

 

If you try an LED bulb with a contact wire on both sides of the base it will simply blow your fuse.  For the ones I used, from Superbright, I needed to bend each contact wire so it was on just one side of the base (and, of course, the other wire was on just the other side of the base).  Now they work fine.

 

I will also comment that for the colored indicator lights, 5 Lumens is ample light output (or a colored bulb that has 5 lumens for it's white companion's output).  35 Lumens is ample for the instrument backlighting bulbs.  Note, too, that if you have a red oil pressure indicator light and you want it to be amber, just purchase an amber LED bulb (it produces no red light so only amber will shine through the lens).

Finally, the "T-3.25" is actually the bulb diameter, expressed as "3.25_1/8th's of an inch".  This is also 1CM or 10mm, the common European size.  If a "194-equivalent" LED bulb is 10.1mm in diameter or larger it will not fit everywhere in your instrument panel, especially near the speedometer and tach.  Since Superbright has bulb dimensional drawings (look carefully for photos or links in the specifications), you can tell what will fit or which may fit if you file away some of the plastic supporting the internal LED mounting board.

 

Good luck; I like my LED's!

 

Larry
 

Hi--

 

Before you get too far along, check to see if the splines in the rear wheel hubs are OK. I had one hub fail about 2 decades ago in my late '73.  The symptom was similar: no power to the wheels with my open diff (but I was able to coast down the Caldecott Tunnel and pulled to the right shoulder on the loop to SR-13 South).  After the tow home, I found the nut holding the hub together very loose and, of course, the wheel spun.

 

A trip in the other car to Double-02 Salvage and Dean had a good used hub to sell (and let me borrow a new hub just in case).  Bill Arnold declared the used hub fine and I never had more spline problems in the next decade my '73 survived.

 

Good luck!

 

Larry
 

Hi GeigerSpeed--

 

A fellow in the East Bay has his Chamonix 2002 registered with historic plates.  See [https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/219984-brisbane-2018-swap-and-show-pictures/] and scroll down to Bob Yee's (Yeewiz) "...and just a few more..." post; the photo is #7.

 

As I recall from chatting with the owner there are some restrictions on annual miles driven but he was OK with that distance and did not need an odometer inspection.  But do check the registration requirements and see how they fit your planned use (including, of course, NT49MD and Swap & Show).

 

Larry

Red Turn Signals-- Or White Or Amber

 

I recall when I was a kid, front turn signals were white and rear turn signals were red.  That's the American specifications for the Peugeot my parents bought in Europe in 1963, although I vaguely recall seeing some amber turn signals that year (I do not remember if they were front, rear or both).  But by the end of that decade, American specifications were changed to allow amber turn signals, I think at first rear and then front. By 1990, turn signals could be amber or white in front and amber or red in the rear.  According to the 2018 version of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 571.108, turn signals now need to be amber in front but can be either red or amber in the rear.

 

I will remind everyone that if you want to change the color of your turn signal, the easy way is to use an LED bulb that is the color you want: the color emitted may be attenuated but will not change if your lens is a different color.  But of course, the lens color will NOT change so an unlit lens will look as before.  And for Lisa's information, there are some 6-Volt LEDs out there that might fit in her rear taillights, if she so chooses.   An alternative, however, could be 12-Volt LEDs that run very underpowered on 6-Volts but still provide ample light; trial and error is the only good way to check (and also check for proper intensity distribution from all bulbs you plan to change; maintaining the proper intensity at all angles is important for safe conspicuity!).

 

Larry

Event Title: BayArea 02 Swap & Show 2019 on 4 May
Event Author: layers
Event Date: 05/04/2019 12:00 AM

BayArea 02 Swap & Show, 4 May 2019, Marina at Brisbane, California. The address is:

500 Sierra Point Parkway--

along the Bay on the North side of Sierra Point. Preregister on Motorsportreg (see below).  Preregistration is $25 while the on-site fee on 4 May will be $30.  Graphic artist Kile Brekke has again added his art to our T-shirts and printed materials; we think you will be delighted with his design!  Please preregister early to help us plan for the best number of each shirt size.  We will have a named bag for each preregistrant so our closing date is slightly earlier than some years to help us organize the bags.

 

Note— Swap & Show visitors are welcome!  There is no fee for entry if you do not show your car or swap parts.  However, we encourage anyone with a BMW of our vintage to bring your car to display, no matter how mundane your daily driver (dirt, rust and all) or how beautiful your restoration.  Swap & Show does not judge your car so there will be no points for extra dirt, missing dirt, matching luggage or concours glow.  We smile at all BMW's and photographs or videos are welcome (but NO drones over cars)!

 

Preregistration is now open, until Tuesday, 30 April. Go to [Preregister for Swap & Show 2019].

 

Larry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BayArea 02 Swap & Show 2019 on 4 May

 

Hi--

 

I purchased my tii less than 10 years ago from a fellow near St. Louis.  Registration in California was straightforward and fairly prompt at DMV.

 

I carefully read the DMV instructions on their website so I obtained a signed bill of sale when I collected the car in Missouri along with the Missouri registration.  As I recall, no one at DMV even looked at the car before handing over license plates.  I do not think the car's previous registration in California made any difference.  CoupeKing apparently found the car unregistered in Southern California in about 2004 and performed a basic restoration, including a '73 engine so it is registered as a '73 in spite of a manufacture date of May 1974.  They also deleted some safety features such as bumper shocks (to move the now-chromed bumpers closer to the fenders).  The side markers were removed before repaint (so I added retro-reflective tape inside the front and rear parking light lenses and some red LEDs inside the rear lens; side markers could prevent an unfortunate accident).  Clearly, DMV did not care about these changes.

 

I recall when I brought my late '73 back to California (from New York; I registered it in California when I bought it new), I needed to get a smog check.  DMV inspected that car but seemed primarily interested in seeing the smog sticker and chided me for a few missing spots in the 20-year-old sticker; they registered the car anyway.  But now there is no requirement for a smog check for any car 1975 and earlier so that should not be a problem.

 

If your car looks highly modified, I have no idea what kind of inspection DMV might require.

Hi Everyone--

 

Thank you for participating in Not the 49-Mile Drive this year.  I had fun and from your comments, you did too!  Please add your photos to the Not the 49-Mile Drive 2018 album in the image gallery to help us remember the fun.

 

Here are the route instructions, as you received at Ocean Beach and also the photo key so you can verify the proper order of when you saw these images.  While some locations are straightforward a few are discrete.  Photo-2 is at the corner of 30th and Cabrillo as you turn onto Cabrillo. Photo-3 is at the Legion of Honor.  Photo-7 is at Geary and Polk.  Photo-8 is on 16th St. just before Van Ness.  Photo-9 is on the Dandelion Chocolate building on 16th at Harrison.  Photo-10 is at the corner of Chanel and El Dorado.

 

All of us should give Rallymeister Pete Petras a thank you! for a great rally!

NT49MD-18 FINAL route & photos 181201.doc

NT49MD-18 FINAL photo KEY 181201.pdf

Now re-opened-- MotorsportReg "registration" page that allows you to buy a T-shirt from this year's rally.  See original page at [Order T-shirt for NT49MD-18 at MotorsportReg] and note final instructions at bottom.  We will close this final shirt purchase at end-of-day Saturday, 15 December 2018.

 

Thank you everyone, especially Rallymeister Pete Petras for a fun event!

Hi Everyone--

 

Here is the latest art revision, the one the shirt printer now has with a little more color.

Hi Carl--

 

I found the image also on the Getty Image website.  The caption says:

"Deadliest Wildfires In California History As Death Toll Rises
Burned-out homes and vehicles stand during the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. The Camp Fire north of Sacramento has now killed at least 42 people, injured three firefighters and destroyed 6,500 homes, CalFire said Tuesday morning. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images".  Other associated photos look similar to the ones I see on the news about the "Camp" fire.

 

Larry

Here is a photo from Bloomberg news I saw on the SF Chronicle website.  The car does have a Roundel and the proper body shape.  If it is Fran's car, maybe the photographer (David Paul Morris) has more that could fit in Fran's scrapbook.

 

I agree with the above comments, the "Camp Fire" situation is horrible for everyone, especially those like Fran who lived through this devastation. At least neighbors and friends are showing love and help.

Hi--

 

Thanks for posting the link!  I planned to do that late Friday, since orders start on Saturday.

 

Larry

Here is the full image from Rallymeister Pete Petras (more than just the top that shows in the event and MorotsoprtReg ordering posts).  You can order a white, long-sleeve T-shirt with this image on the front.  We'll bring your pre-ordered shirt to the rally.  See you then!

 

Hey, we just extended the last day to "register" (that is order and pay $20 for a shirt) to Tuesday, 27 Nov.; see MotorsprotReg [Not the 49 Mile Drive-2018 T-shirt ordering] for more details.

 

Larry

 

Hi Scott--

 

I like a single, centered foglamp although I understand why others may like a symmetrical pair.  I made a mount from aluminum angle, (but the 3/4" wide sections are not as rigid as I prefer so I'll try 1" next time).  My bumper has no shocks and is closer to my grill than stock.  For better foglamp output I use a smaller filament 55-Watt bulb (+50%, +100%, etc.).  This type of lamp is useful in actual dense fog to allow driving but not FAST driving (better than when my grandfather, sometimes driving to work at the Post Office in Los Angeles, had to stick his head out the side window to follow the white line). It's also helpful on very twisty roads when headlamps do not show enough road surface to the sides.  I still like a passing lamp for mid-range visibility but I have not yet concluded I want to mount one properly on my '74 (inside of the left headlamp and very slightly above it; see below on '73).

 

I have had absolutely NO rock damage to the Hella-550 foglamp while using a clear shield (it does reduce output by about 10%, but more powerful bulbs are easy to find).  This clear shield can also work for above-bumper mounts to prevent rock damage (but not bolder damage or back-up camera failure by Chevy Surburbans).

 

Have fun deciding how you want to proceed and getting it wired-up!

 

Hi Adam--

 

On a related topic, if you contemplate repainting your car sometime (my 1973 paint wore out after 20 years...), you might save quite a bit of money by having Roger paint the entire car during the repair.  While insurance will usually not cover that part of the repair (that is, they do not want to pay for it), there will be little more expense than the extra prep and paint.  Yes, it could be thousands of $ more but not many thousands of $ more as a good total paint project would cost.  If you're interested, Roger would be the key person to discuss this possibility with.

 

I will comment that modern paint can look good for decades, much better than 20-year-old 1973 German paint that gets thin enough (after removing the dull oxidized part) to let primer-gray show through.

 

Larry
 

Hi Adam--

 

Having an accident is always sad and I had a few in my late '73 during it's 36-year life, so I appreciate your mood, frustration and concern.

 

Based on my last experience with a crash, when my '73 gave it's all to keep me safe (July, 2009), I have some suggestions.  First of all, your insurance company is apt to find an appraiser who will call your car a total loss and try to appraise it well below actual value.  I found NADA price estimates more valid than any others, although Hagerty (not available in 2009) may be good, too [https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1973-BMW-2002].

 

I like your patient attitude, as I understand that insurance companies prefer to get everything completed quickly so they can put your claim to bed and move on to others.  However my previous insurer, Safeco, felt secure hiring select "professional appraisers" who specialized in providing less than true appraisals or trying to negotiate with my appraiser for a lower agreed value.  While it's fine to learn what your insurer will initially pay for your repair, it's highly probable you will benefit and come out ahead with an honest appraiser working for you.

 

I will PM my evaluation of the Bay Area appraisers I encountered in 2009-2010 to give you some ratings and choices.

I'm confident that Sean and Tom steered you to a good body shop (maybe Roger Elle) so your car should be in good hands.

 

Good luck!

 

Larry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larry Ayers

’73 Malaga— first car, now gone
'74tii Malaga