MattL

I don't really have anything to add beyond "whatever Chris (Stone Racing) says." He's a very knowledgeable guy when it comes to these cars, and a helluva nice guy. He has taken the time to help me with mine quite a bit (he was the one who got it running, actually). In any case, good luck to you.

Does the 2002 that was parked at the Collingswood, NJ cruise night tonight belong to anybody here? I've seen it a few times and it looks like a fun car. Looks like a 75 or 76, judging by the center exhaust. Very cool Recaros, Minlites (or similar), and a great stance.

32 here.

Oh, man. Won't have my car road-worthy in time, but I'll be there in spirit and look forward to the next time. Drive safely, all.

This is awesome information, everyone. You know your stuff. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks very much! P.S. (While I have your attention.) If you happen to have any tips on how to troubleshoot a frozen brake pedal (pedal box already rebuilt), please take a look at my other thread: http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,50/page,viewtopic/t,372381/ Thanks again!

Thanks, 2Red69s. I'll take some measurements and try to to see if the Recaro rails are a match. And if not, I'll make sure to keep that list in mind...and learn to weld.

Thank you for your reply. Are you referring to the bolt that the pedal box fins fit into (the one that runs across the brake booster housing just behind the rectangular opening at the top)? If so, I did check that and it's nice and loose.

I picked up a pair of old Porsche high-back seats this weekend for a song. The "Wolfrace" seats the PO installed are deteriorated (to the point of pain on the driver's side), and although e21 Recaros would be my ideal replacement, this Porsche pair was way too cheap to pass up. So, now I'm looking through the forum and I see a few posts confirming that yes, they'll work. Does anyone have a how-to write-up, though? These are manual seats, so they seem relatively straightforward, but I expect there's more to this than meets the eye. Am I going to need to recruit a welder for this? Thank you.

This weekend I finally got my new clutch master, slave and rebuilt pedal box installed. When I got the brake linkage hooked up, though, I discovered that it won't budge an inch. It moved freely in/out of the pedal box before I installed it, so I know the problem isn't there. Any suggestions on how to find where the freeze/bind is? (BTW, I bought this car in non-driving condition, with the pedal box rotted/frozen, so I don't have any experience with it working for comparison.) Thanks in advance!

Thank goodness for this forum, or I would have lost my mind fighting this thing. Did the search and read all the tips, and I think it took absolutely all of them to get the job done. Penetrating fluid, torch, (careful) whacking, etc. Wow, what a job. Using a C-clamp was also a help, both for getting the old one off (putting some tension on the slave via the clamp while I torched the housing) and for putting the new one one (helped relieve my butterfingers when getting those circlips on). All in all, I think this was almost as much trouble as removing the pedal box. Yikes. Sincere thanks to everyone that posted tips.

Thanks for the feedback, all. I'll stick with a variation of silver/grey, as suggested.

Good idea. I've got to get crackin' then, if I'm going to get on the road in time. Rotted frame rail and rockers may keep her on the bench, though.

Good points, Dave. Thanks. I'll try to find CD's car to take a look at the wheels.

Hi Scott. I actually did see those pics in the stance thread, now that you mention it. I'll take another look. The car's up on jack stands right now, for the aforementioned surgery, but I'll get some photos taken when she's back down on solid ground. I'm in Collingswood, just outside Philadelphia. What about you?

While I prepare to torch my bell housing to free the captive slave cylinder (paroled after 38 years!), my mind is wandering to more aesthetic concerns. The car's a long way from the road, but I'm mighty sick of looking at the gnarly stock steelies every time I open the garage. They're going to need a refinish/repaint, that's for certain (rust spots, etc.), and the how-to posts I've found via the search are sure to be helpful. My question, though, is whether anybody has painted their 13" steel wheels white. If so, how'd they turn out? I'm never going anywhere near a concours event with this car. The navy blue respray over amazonas (and the copious rust) made that decision for me. And since originality is not a concern, I just think the white might give those tired rims some interest against the blue. Any and all comments welcome and appreciated.

Thanks, Richard. I've ordered a new master cylinder and a slave cylinder to match. Pull one thread and the sweater really starts to unravel!

Very sound reasoning, Toby. Better to replace it now. Thanks. Does it make sense to pay a premium for one brand over another? Or are they really pretty much the same?

Thanks, both of you. I wrapped it in a rag, gave it a few hard whacks on the concrete floor, and out the piston came. I do see some pitting in the form of a line of tiny dimples along the bottom wall of the cylinder. They're really very small. But Richard, I take it from your comment that no matter how small, they mean it's time to replace the whole show. Is that so?

After removing and rebuilding my pedal box, I noticed the grommet at the clutch master cylinder fluid inlet was cracked. Rather than risk having to go through this whole unpleasant process again, I figured I should rebuild the master. I just received the rebuild kit from Rock Auto, and I'm starting the dis-assembly. The circlip is out, along with the pushrod, but I don't know how to get the piston out. I don't see any way to grip the piston to pull it out. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the input, all. I'll definitely pick up the Jesse James book, and I'll keep looking for a class at community colleges. The one closest to me only has more serious courses (i.e. classes for professional welders), but I'll widen my search area. I do think I'll start with MIG, even if it leaves me room to learn bad habits: getting to the point where I can make some progress on the car will help keep me motivated. I'll heed your advice and steer clear of flux welders. Any recommendations for a good brand or model MIG welder to buy? Matt

After getting some encouragement (and a less "holy" pedal box) from Chris Isaacson (Stone Racing), I'm thinking I'll keep my 74 rust bucket. That means that there will be quite a bit of rust repair in my future (rockers, frame rails, spare tire well: the works). So, i need to get me some welding skills. From forum searches and Youtube browsing, I take it MIG is the way to go, especially for a newbie like me. But I'm not too keen on learning from Youtube after seeing some of the nonsense that passes as how-to's. Does anyone in the Philly area know of a good how-to class in the area? Camden County has welding classes, but they're way more extensive and advanced than what I'm looking for. Any info or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, MattL

I just talked to Chris, and he's going to come take a look. Sounds like a great guy. RF, if you're interested in coming by as well, you're certainly welcome. Chris really does sound uber-knowledgeable, and I'm sure I'll learn a lot just from having him take a look at the car. He's going to try to come by on Thursday morning (I work from home), which I assume is not convenient for most people. That might be postponed to the weekend, though, depending on his schedule. Fingers crossed for an optimistic outlook. Thanks again, Matt

Thanks, guys. Rattfink81, your offer is much appreciated, and I would welcome your opinion. Even if you're new to 2002s, your experience with cars in general is way beyond mine, and is sure to be helpful. And it would be good to meet you in any case. You bought the silver tii in Center City, right? I was bummed that I lost out on that one, and I think I rushed into this one to avoid losing out again! I'll send you an email to see if we can set something up. Thanks again. Psymon, I will definitely also try to get in touch with Chris. I know I've seen some phone numbers for him in other posts. Thanks. Have a great holiday weekend, both of you!

Hello all, I'm only a few months into my 2002, and I'm already considering cutting my losses until I can find a better one. I picked up a 74 2002 early this summer. It didn't run, and the pedal box needed a rebuild (springs were corroded/frozen). I was willing to overlook those things, though, since the body seemed mostly solid. There was some rust showing on doors and panels, but the shock towers and rockers looked solid. So, I bought it, got it towed home, and have been working on it here and there, mostly on the pedal box. That job itself has been way more work than expected, due mostly to the seized bolts encountered. In the meantime, I also realized that the rockers are NOT solid: they've got a hard shell of undercoating over some foil tape stuff, but under that are at least two completely corroded spots. When I finally jacked the car up is when I started to get really discouraged, though. First of all, because of the rusty rockers, I put the jack stands under the frame rails. Bad idea (I'm sure some of you are shaking your heads, saying "no kidding"). In slow-motion, the passenger-side rail collapsed under the load, and I jacked the car back up again right away. I moved the stands over to the jack points which, despite my initial fears, held fast. I didn't want to spend much time under there, so I just took a quick look around with a flashlight. The undercoating covers much of the underside, but it's peeling off in places, and pretty much everywhere that's exposed metal is brown with rust. I can't tell how "deep" it is. I tried to take some pics, but they didn't come out well. I knew before I bought this car that learning to mig weld would probably be in my future. It's a project/hobby car, so it's not like I'm pressed for time. But I don't have a lift or any other specialized equipment. And since I'm new to this, it's hard for me to tell whether this one should be considered a lost cause. If I have to junk it or let it go as a parts car, I'd obviously rather do it sooner than later. Is there a kind soul in the Philadelphia or South Jersey area that would be willing to come to Collingswood and take a look? Any advice/prognosis from someone with more experience with 2002s would be very much appreciated. It should go without saying that lunch is on me. And a case or bottle of your poison of choice. Thanks, Matt

I don't know how to get around uploading pictures (since any potential buyer is going to want to see the car). But have you posted an ad at grassrootsmotorsports.com or classicmotorsports.net? Good luck, in any case! MattL