Conserv

+1 Agreed. These started life with an e21. Admittedly, ‘02 owners, by the very late 1970’s, were mounting them on ‘02’s — with a bit of luck, depending on tire size, tire brand, camber, suspension mods, and rolled fender lips. But the offsets were perhaps ET13, rather than the ET25 to ET29 one would prefer for an ‘02. They’re generally dated, often show the offset. The part number should also take you to the parts catalogue, where the ET is usually shown, if it’s not cast into the rims. Best regards, Steve

Thanks, John, They've offered the certificates for decades. They were 100€ for the longest time. Of course, very few people purchased them because you’d get the same exact information in an email, for free! I suppose they’re making the Group Archives help pay for itself! Best regards, Steve

Say it ain’t so, John! Seriously, how much are they charging for a reply email? Or have the stopped issuing email replies and begun insisting on the “certificate”? Thanks and best regards, Steve

No, the triangular cut-outs were a 1967 feature that carried over into the earliest 1968 model year cars, but those cut-outs, like the forward-mounted rearview mirror, 2-spoke steering wheel, and chrome-trimmed dash, were gone by early November 1967. A December example, such as yours, likely bears none of those carryover features. By December 1967, BMW was finally getting ready, as Mike mentions above, to comply with the 1968 U.S. DOT requirements, with a drop-dead effective date of January 1, 1968. The flat face of the bezel, between the gauges, was also black after early November 1967-ish, although each gauge retained a silver rim. Unlike U.S. manufacturers, who adopted U.S. DOT and EPA requirements with the new model year — September generally — BMW was dragged, kicking and screaming, into each new year’s requirements! @BritshIron wrote an excellent and detailed article on the likely rationale behind the cut-outs! But a December 1967 never had them. Regards, Steve

If you email your car’s VIN to BMW Group Archives (hdz.info@bmwgroup.com), and request their data on the car, they will provide you with (a.) the precise manufacturing date of your car, along with (b.) the date that legal ownership was delivered by BMW AG to Hoffman Motors (the sole U.S. importer at the time), and (c.) the car’s original exterior color. There is no charge. Kindly share it with us, so we can populate our Registry with accurate data. With a VIN of 1561924, yours is probably a December 1967 production. I guesstimated December 14, 1967. BMW will tell you the correct date. But your question about the silver vs. black textured instrument bezel is certainly well-founded. Many of the distinctly “1967” model year features — outside rearview mirrors placed close to the leading edge of the driver’s door, two-spoke steering wheels, chrome-trimmed dashboards (I’m only talking U.S.-bound examples here), silver-painted instrument surround, and triangular cut-outs in the trunk bulkhead — continued into the early 1968 model year cars (beginning with VIN 1560001 in September 1967). I won’t pretend I can provide the exact changeover dates or VINs for these 1967 features, but most indicators suggest that most of these 1967 disappeared around or before early November 1967, which is around or before VIN 1561300. A December car is likely too late to have had any of these 1967 features. @Lucian‘s November 4, 1967 1600-2, VIN 1561224, is the latest example I see in our Registry of the silver-painted instrument surround (photo below). But note, cars are altered and few members place sufficient photos in their Registry entries to help answer such questions — I said with a bit of annoyance, but not directed at you! — and additional photos could expand or contract date and VIN ranges of many features. So, as you’ve already been informed by any number of knowledgeable members above, a December 1967-ish example started life with a black instrument surround and silver rim bezels. If built approximately a month earlier, however, the answer might have been different! Regards, Steve

Tommy, I believe that semi-gloss was the likely finish: less glossy than the car’s exterior finish. Best regards, Steve

I found an MVP tank, on eBay, that is currently in my ‘73. It’s 51 liters, like a square taillight tank, but has no cropped right rear corner. So it wouldn’t fit a U.S. square taillight tii (1974), but it’s too deep to work correctly with my ‘73’s pickup and sender. Four years in, I’m still looking for a correct 1973 tii tank (46 liters, screw-down pickup). The trend I’m seeing is that the replacement fuel tanks are all becoming 51 liters. I suppose “why not”, assuming you’re replacing your 46-liter pickup and sender with 51-liter units. Best regards, Steve

Talk with Blunttech. If there is a problem, it’s probably easier to handle it within the U.S. rather than with overseas shipping. Here’s what happened with my Walloth und Nesch tank, which arrived with a defect. First, the complicated ground of U.S. tii fuel tanks. From an earlier thread of mine, a summary of the tii tanks: “Type I. VIN’s 2760001 through 2761963 (most 1972 models): tank (46 liters) = 16111107596; pickup (twist-in) = 16121107413; pickup seal = 16121105332; fuel sender = 62161354267; fuel sender seal = 62168782015 Type II. VIN’s 2761964 through 2764369 (some 1972 and all 1973 models): tank (46 liters) = 16111110614; pickup (screw-down) = 16121110621; pickup seal = 16121110598; fuel sender = 62161354267; fuel sender seal = 62168782015 Type III. VIN’s 2780001 through 2782927 (all 1974 models): tank (51 liters) = 16111111604; pickup (screw-down) = 16121111607; pickup seal = 16121110598; fuel sender = 62161358096; fuel sender seal = 62168782015 Type I. is used on 1972 models through VIN 2761963, which was built in early June 1972, just twenty cars after the initial switch to E12 heads and aluminum intake runners. Thus, a majority of 1972 tii’s have Type I tanks, with their twist-in fuel pickup. Later 1972 models, VIN’s 2761964 through 2762629, and all 1973 models received Type II tanks, with screw-down fuel pickups. Lastly, all 1974 tii’s, VIN’s 2780001 through 2782927, received Type III tanks, with screw-down fuel pickups and a cropped right rear corner, but having an additional 5 liters of fuel capacity (51 liters versus 46).” No one seems to have the correct Type II tank I needed for my ‘73 so I bought the Walloth und Nesch tank they sell for 1974 U.S.-spec tii’s, among other possible models. It’s 51 liters, like original square taillight tanks and has a cropped right rear corner, so it fits with a U.S. square taillight — or most anything, since a square taillight tank is the “universal donor”. But, the filler neck on my example was attached wrong: it was clocked about 15 degrees too far clockwise. Thus, you couldn’t, even with the late rubber filler neck, get the filler neck to align with the filler aperture in the right rear quarter panel. The tank went back. I never got an explanation whether my tank was a one-off boo-boo or whether they were making all that model tank with the badly-aligned filler neck. I found a new tank without the cropped corner — more round taillight in style — but it’s 51 liters, so my round taillight pickup and sender are too shallow in it. Finally, here are photos of the Walloth und Nesch tank with the bad filler neck. Tii fuel tanks: sheesh! 🙄 Regards, Steve

Adding nothing new, the U.S. square taillights (1975-76 model years), because of the mandated body reinforcements, required a cropped right rear corner for their fuel tanks. As Gordon mentioned, capacity went from 46 liters to 51 liters, by increasing the depth of the tank. I don’t know what Euro square taillight cars required — cropped corner or “not-cropped” corner — I only know U.S. models. The first photo below shows the original fuel tank in my ‘73 tii (VIN 2762757). It is, of course, not cropped. Surely someone here has a good photo of a cropped square taillight tank, in place — tii or carbed. The closest photo I have shows the cropped corner, but not well (second photo)! Regards, Steve

Yes, the ‘72 model year U.S.-spec airbox has the vapor recovery nipple. 1972 and 1973 U.S.-spec airboxes are identical. Below, circled in green, is the U.S.-only vapor recovery nipple. Regards, Steve

+1 Here’s another view of the “hose accommodation dent” on 1974 U.S. tii’s. I believe Euro-spec tii’s for 1974 and 1975 share this feature. Attached below, shown at left, is a pre-1974 front snorkel; right is the front snorkel for 1974 and 1975, the latter model year only available outside the U.S. While there’s generally not lots of tii airboxes listed for sale simultaneously, I don’t consider them particularly rare. I, for instance, probably wouldn’t jump at the first airbox I saw… Regards, Steve

The center section, at minimum, is from a 1974 U.S.-spec tii: it has a bracket for the vacuum limiter valve only found on 1974 U.S. models (see first photo below, with the bracket circled in red). There are two separate brackets that attach the housing to the two brackets that have been welded onto a tii’s left inner fender. Finding those two brackets, on a stand-alone basis, can be a challenge. Optimally, but rarely, you can find a tii airbox complete with those brackets (second photo below shows a 1972/73 tii airbox, with the two separate brackets). Regards, Steve

Another view… Regards, Steve

10 years ago, there was at least one U.S. firm and one U.K. firm that restored headlight reflectors — properly. The U.S. one, I seem to recall, was in some place such as Michigan or Minnesota (I apologize Mid-Westerners, for not being able to distinguish among states west of Pennsylvania and east of Oregon…🙄). I was looking at this issue because I wondered whether it might be worthwhile having a set of Amplilux restored. I stopped that investigation when I discovered that restoration costs began at $500 (?) for a pair of lights — at a time when I could still find an NOS pair of Amplilux for less than $500. Somewhere in this forum, I’ve discussed this topic previously, probably naming names. I don’t know how to find it. “Amplilux re-silver”? “Amplilux reflector”? Regards, Steve

Meanwhile, the ‘02 VIN decoder provided by the BMW 2002 Car Club of Columbia is accurate, without being date-specific. Servicios :: BMW Club Clásicos Colombia WWW.BMWCLASICOS.COM Adquiere Merchandising del BMW Club Clásicos Colombia Decodificador de la serie BMW '02 Servicios y almacenes de partes BMW en Colombia. And for Archives, I assume you’re using the newest email address: hdz.info@bmwgroup.com Have you checked out VIN’s close to your car’s in the forum’s Registry? Have you checked manufacturing dates on some of the many dated components, e.g., engine block, head, trans, diff, rims, instruments, lights? Are your front seat headrest supports 10mm or 12mm in diameter — the switchover occurred in late January 1973, with VIN 2763352? Regards, Steve

Dollars to donuts, E12 A/C on a bad day beats ‘02 A/C on a good day! Good luck with your refinements! Best, Steve

Those 1/4” spacers (1/4” = 6.4mm) convert your 30mm offset to 23.6mm. But what was hitting that you needed the spacers? Are your rims’ center bores possibly too small for an ‘02? An ‘02 requires a center bore of at least 57.1mm. Regards, Steve

And if JQ’s August 1969 head (8 nubs surrounding “69”) has 44mm valves, I’d bet that Jim’s 121ti head (February 1969 car? so pre-February 1969 head) also has 44mm. valves. Guessing, once again, a 121ti head cast in August 1969 probably began its life in an early 1970 model year 2002, likely manufactured in September or October 1969, like my early 1970 model, manufactured September 8th, 1969 (below). WTF: who did that to my beautiful 1970!? 😳🙄 Thanks for posting. Regards, Steve

OMG. Fabulous. This is truly a great article! And the photos! Perfect! What subject will you guys take on next? Bravo! Best regards, Steve C.

If flat tops and standard bore, then probably (a.) original to the block, and (b.) evidence of a 49-state version, originally with an E21 head. What is your current block and piston plan? Regards, Steve

As @Son of Marty says, very few ‘76 models ever received the speedometer overlay. It was a dealer installed “fix” for speedometers that were marked 1.39 by the factory but actually contained 1.297 gears. My ‘76 (VIN 2742541, April 19, 1976) has a speedometer marked 1.39, but with 1.297 gears. After reading about the problem in two consecutive issues of the Roundel, I asked my dealer if the problem might apply to my car. They replied, “Of course not, that problem was fixed long before your car was built!” 🙄 The truth was that no one knew how many mis-marked speedometers were produced. And, before GPS, there was no easy way to verify your speedometer’s accuracy short of getting a ticket. After GPS, I discovered my speedometer was off by nearly 10%, crushing my belief that my bone-stock ‘02 had cruised between 116 and 120 mph on the New York Thruway from Rochester to Syracuse… 😟 Regards, Steve

And the new-fangled VIN-stamping machine was working like a champ… that day at least! Thanks, Jim. Best, Steve

The short rear bumpers certainly suggest this car is pre-Modell 71 (introduced April 1971). Assuming that is the case, it did not have knee trim from the factory. Knee trim arrived with the Modell 71 in April 1971. Regards, Steve