Conserv

But I’d still want to know: 1.) was he the original owner — if not, all bets are off; and, 2.) if he was the original owner, did he accompany the car from the factory to the dealership, and while it was at the dealership — if not, all bets are off… I met a guy with a snorkeled tii maybe ten years ago. He swore the snorkel was original because he purchased the car from the “original owner”. I started asking him about the documentation that came with the car, since he was buying it from the original owner. “Oh, I don’t have any of the original purchase documents because the guy I bought from bought it when it was three years old.” His reasoning, he explained, was that little-to-nothing bad was likely to happen in a mere three years. 🙄 Since then, I suspect not every “original owner” was actually the original owner. 😉 Best regards, Steve

309 posts of experience in this one thread… Regards, Steve

+1 Thank you. The best advice I can give anyone who owns a “snorkeled” tii, is: Get rid of the snorkel as soon as is practicable! There is no future in having to argue, or even to discuss this issue with every knowledgeable ‘02 person that comes along.. You may convince 20% that your snorkel is original but the other 80% will never be convinced. I replaced the nosepiece on my ‘70 in 1973, when it had about 24,000 miles on it, I replaced the nosepiece on my ‘76 in ‘78, when it had 30,000 miles on it, my ‘73 tii got a new nosepiece in the 1980’s, but — by sheer luck, I’m certain — it got a used tii nosepiece. My point, echoing @Son of Marty, we drove these cars with reckless abandon, especially when they were brand new. And an amazing number of cars, trees, and poles made intimate contact with our nosepieces! If BMW didn’t wreck them on the trip from factory to dealership, we did soon after. I bought my first ‘02 with a wrecked nose: needed a nosepiece, hood, etc. After solving that problem, I turned around and got an education in trailing throttle oversteer… It needed much more than a nosepiece when I was done with it (below)! 🙄 That’s my take! Got snorkel? Lose it! Regards, Steve

The early OEM alloys remained available new until the last year or so. More accurately, they were manufactured, by FPS, from 1971 to ca. 1974, and then again, by FPS, from 1999 to ca. 2022. Because they were manufactured in two different periods, the latter extending 20+ years, there are actually quite a few around. You might want to place an ad in this forum’s classifieds section. There’s also a set currently for sale on eBay. Here’s the entry from the forum’s Wheels Database: Regards, Steve

Gordon, There was a discussion of the black v. silver offerings, and there applications, within the last couple years. It made sense to me. There are also a large number of silver examples that appear to have original paint, including crisply-stamped markings (photos below), too many to be explained away with “everyone has their e30 steelies media blasted and professionally repainted”. So I remain with the silver and black line of thinking. And there’s even this, from you in 2020: Best regards, Steve

The e30 steelies remained available from BMW within recent memory — okay, maybe that was already a few years ago! They were originally offered in both black and silver, depending, I believe, on the wheel cover used (or not used). I seem to recall that only one of those colors remained available — if it was black, you might be painting them. You might also be able to find a used set. Regards, Steve

Tommy, If there was a sole importer for Finland, and not simply BMW AG, perhaps the importer, or even Finnish regulatiions, mandated the upgrade to the 5” (styled steel) rims… Best regards, Steve

And reviving the 1502 rim topic — obviously the original purpose for this thread 😳 — I’ll bet that the last option on Jim’s friend’s dealer invoice, for 86,49 Deutschmarks, are the 5” styled steel rims: gestylten Stahlfelgen 5 Jx13 ! Without that option, you got 4 1/2” rims, leftover from 1973, and hub caps: Stahlfelgen mit radkappen 4 1/2 J x 13 ! The above-referenced invoice and the spec page from a factory 1502 brochure are shown below, with the relevant data highlighted in green. Best regards, Steve

And that original top one is absolutely period-correct for a 1972 model! Regards, Steve

I’ve long suspected that the 1502 photo (first photo below), appearing in a February 1976 brochure, was simply an airbrushed version of the 2002 shown in a U.S.-market 2002 brochure, dated August 1974 (second photo below). There were, indeed, 18 1502’s built in 1974, albeit in November and December. So they went back to the very same location (possible), aligned the car identically with the cafe (possible, but why go to such trouble?), and then produced a photo that has the vagueness of reflections of a quick airbrush job? Hmm… I suspect the 1502 had a “minimalist” advertising budget… 😯😉 Regards, Steve

And if Ray and I could pull it off… 😳 😋 😁 Regards, Steve

In July 1976, I bought my ‘76 and a Clardy A/C kit. I decided to install the Clardy myself to save money (the kit was $300; a Behr kit was $375; the dealer wanted $400+ in labor to install either). I enlisted my father, who had mad handyman skills but was an insurance agent — for heaven’s sake! Neither of us had done anything like an A/C install previously. The car was brand-spanking new, so it’s not like an upcoming re-paint could cure any errors. We followed the Clardy instructions carefully — they were good, not great — and the install came out beautifully. I’m certain we doubled the 10-hour estimated install “budget”, as we measured about five times before we drilled, or cut anything. But that’s the benefit of working on your own car! We took it to an A/C shop to have the system charged. My ‘76 still has that Clardy system today. Works great — OK, it’s on its third compressor, second receiver-dryer, and second expansion valve! I was young and had none of the entirely-rational fears most of us gain through experience. But this decision actually worked out well! My father, who was 100% rational by that point in his life, found the A/C self-install much less shocking than my tii clock installation, where I was cutting a hole in a brand new — and very visible — dashboard, based on my belief that the metal armature was already cut for the clock. It was! Luck prevailed… 🙌 Just a data point… Regards, Steve

I believe the 1502 used the “usual” 1.6-liter block, but with a reduced (8.0:1) compression ratio. This was intended to make the car more marketable in less-developed countries with low-octane gas. So my impression was that the 1502 was a “world” car, and not solely a low-end model for the European market. Below is the specs page from the same brochure as the photo I previously posted. Regards, Steve

I suspect this photo was airbrushed! The identical setting (or background) was used for a Sienabraun metallic 2002 in the 1975-76 U.S. brochure. I’ll find or take a photo. Best regards, Steve

+1 And here’s a photo from the factory brochure. The 1502 was built from 1974-77. As resra noted, it was never produced in a U.S. version and never imported to the U.S. by BMW N.A. Regards, Steve

VIN 2574805 Probably built in early June 1971. It’s a U.S. 1971 model year car. In BMW AG parlance, it’s a Modell 71 because it post-dates the April 1971 introduction of the Modell 71 upgrade — 12-fuse fuseholder, bumpers with rub strips, knee trim, long console, black faces on the instruments, etc. As Mike pointed out previously, looks to be a factory Granada (red) car. Originally it would have had a Black all-vinyl interior. Regards, Steve

+1 Agreed 100%, Tom! Just as the chrome strip carried the dashboard’s chrome strip around to the sides and back through both the front and rear door cards, the black vinyl top border visually carried the black dashboard around to the sides. No accident there! Simple if subtle German design of the 1960’s. Best regards, Steve