Conserv

Seth, Why would you want to deal with this seller? This is not the only automatic 2002 in the States. You will be happier in the long run taking more time and finding a car that doesn’t require you to bend over in order to purchase it! You’re buying a car that is 42 or more years old. If the price is really really cheap and you’re happy to risk a loss, that’s one thing. But I don’t get the impression that either of these pertains to you. That is my honest (grumpy old guy) opinion! Regards, Steve

Somone could add Weber carbs to any engine. But you need to know the condition of the engine and what’s in the engine, e.g,, the compression ratio, before you can judge if it’s worth adding Weber carbs to that particular engine. What are your goals with respect to this particular engine? Regards, Steve

Vince, My impression is that few shops do bright-dip re-anodization, and far fewer shops do it well.... As John says, it is not chrome plating — for which competent shops are far more plentiful. I have used the King of Trim, outside L.A., and been very pleased. Not cheap. I had them repair and re-anodize a set of shallow grilles for my ‘73. Very very nice. They also re-did the big bumpers on my ‘76. Just about perfect! Previously, I had one of the big-name, old-line chrome re-platers in Massachusetts re-anodize a pair of big bumpers. Very disappointing. Same big $’s as King of Trim later charged, but the resulting bumpers were grainy, had non of the original bumpers’ gloss, and had uneven surfaces from removing the original anodization. The original anodized aluminum trim, at least to my eye, ended up looking darned close to chrome plating — which is why most of guessed that the trim was....chrome plated. But I think chrome plating is both (a.) slightly more reflective/glossy than BMW’s bright-dip anodization, and (b.) slightly bluer in tonality than the anodization. I don’t have a photo of the ‘73’s grilles: they’re packing, pending its Big Re-Paint. But here are the ‘76’s re-anodized front and rear big bumpers that I’m convinced are friggin’ close to the originals. Regards, Steve

No, but it’s an old plastic line that is looking very gnarly by now... ? Best regards, Steve

Exide Classic 26RC. Fits perfectly in ‘72-‘73 tii’s and has “short side” ridges to catch the factory hold-down clamp at the aft end of the battery tray. Regards, Steve

Try paint. But it might not be ideal. From the introduction of the 2002 sub-model in January 1968 through, perhaps, the end of 1969 (this end date is hazy), BMW painted the 7 black slats on each side grille. This ended badly, however. It was amazing how fast the black paint chipped off. It happened to my early 1970 (VIN 1668093, manufactured September 8, 1969) and I attributed it to my aggressive driving, tailgating, and excessive speed on gravelly roads. But it was apparently happening to everyone, so BMW had to switch to the black anodized slat covers. Over sufficient time, the black anodization does fade and wear off. But it is SO much better than the paint BMW applied. Slat covers remain available from BMW. Not cheap. But neither is professional black anodization. Regards, Steve

Mitch, ”Delivery” to Hoffman was not physical delivery of the car but, rather, legal transfer of the car from BMW A.G. to Hoffman Motors Corp as the sole U.S. importer. This generally occurred before the car was shipped to the U.S., as Hoffman assumed the risk of loss and cost of insurance as the car made its way to the U.S. Shipment to the U.S. generally took 5 to 12 weeks depending on German trucking schedules, ship schedules, weather, Port of Entry (especially whether the P.O.E. was East Coast or West Coast), Panama Canal schedules (for West Coast P.O.E.’s), distances from the P.O.E.’s to the retail dealerships, U.S. truck schedules, and whatever! Thanks and regards, Steve

That is correct. Hoffman Motors ordered all their U.S.-imported cars with these options, not necessarily from the 1966 introduction of the 1600-2, but from fairly early in the production. Skai (all-vinyl) upholstery appeared to come first: most, if not all, U.S. 1966-67 1600-2’s appear to be so-equipped. The first window sticker below is from VIN 1527753 (June 6, 1967). Reclining seats seems to have come next. The second window sticker below is for VIN 1570400 (November 10, 1969). And tinted windows followed. The third window sticker below is for VIN 2760233 (December 21, 1971). These are the first appearances of these items in my tiny collection of window sticker photos. These Hoffman Motors “mandatory options” may certainly have appeared earlier than these examples. Importantly, once these items appeared on a window sticker, they were on all subsequent window stickers. Reclining seats and tinted windows eventually became standard equipment. Why these “mandatory options”? I would guess it was largely some combination of (a.) increasing Hoffman Motor Corp’s profitability, and (b.) better matching the cars’ equipment to Hoffman’s perceived assessment of U.S. market expectations. Regards, Steve

Incredibly cool and desirable...though probably not as beautiful as the coupe version! Thank for sharing! Regards, Steve

Great! But wouldn’t it be nice to confirm the precise manufacturing date — which I’d guesstimate is around January 21, 1972, as it was for VIN 2760754 (window sticker below)? In less than a minute, one can email the VIN to BMW Group Archives and request their data on the car (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com). Within two business days you will generally get a reply, at no cost. Publish that data here and/or in this forum’s terrific ‘02 Registry. Thanks and regards, Steve

All good, dq! And, since the presence or absence of a sunroof rarely appears in documentation — apart from a window sticker or equivalent — let’s not mention those roof welds and drains anymore.... ??? Keep digging! Regards, Steve

Very interesting. And it is a beautiful shell, indeed! Sunroof car no less. Alpina was founded in 1965 by Burkhard Bovensiepen in Buchloe, Germany. In 1971, they were a BMW dealership and BMW tuner. Known widely today as Alpina, the firm is now registered as a car manufacturer. So they do, indeed, still exist, and might have some records regarding your car. In 1971, you would buy a new BMW through them and customize it to your needs. Your Alpina options — suspension, brakes, engine, rims, seats, whatever you wanted and could afford — would be installed on your new BMW in Buchloe, and the car would then be shipped to you. U.S. deliveries were rare. It is conceivable, but also purely speculative at this point, that some of the parts borrowed from your car were borrowed because they were Alpina parts. Stated differently: “Hot!” ? Due to U.S. emissions standards, it was difficult to import Alpina-modified engines without extensive testing. Thus, most U.S.-bound cars may have received suspensions, brakes, rims, etc., but not engine modifications. A 2000tii touring sold on Bring a Trailer a few years ago is a beautifully-documented example of one of these rare Alpina imports. Check out the documents that accompanied this car. A BMW treated to the Alpina experience was expensive! https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-bmw-2000tii-touring-alpina/ I guess I would start by contacting Alpina, leading off with the information from BMW Group Archives. This is very exciting! Regards, Steve

Maybe “classic Chrysler Motors Corp”?...? Best regards, Steve

Lee, Agreed, 100%! But sometimes you can’t break down an engine unless you buy it! My “1.6-liter heads on 2.0-liter blocks” language was simply emphasizing that 40-year-old engines are not always factory-intact after 40 years, and people sometimes knowingly and sometimes unwittingly make bad decisions...but I don’t think this is a 1.6-liter block.? Regards, Steve

Yes, assuming this injection and top end left the factory with this block — and that is certainly possible. But, by now, I’ve also seen 1.6-liter heads on 2.0-liter blocks, 2.0-liter heads on 1.6-liter blocks, etc. When I put “1232992” into RealOEM.com, I get a June 1986 e30, a Euro-spec 325e, and thus an M20. So what does the number on this engine, 01232992, indicate? http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select?vin=1232992 Regards, Steve

Thank you! Wait...what? ? And I do mean, what as in Holy sh*t? ? VIN 2760173, a U.S. 1972 model, and the 173rd U.S.-spec tii manufactured, was delivered to Alpina? Does the car still exist? Do you own it? Do you know what modifications were made to the car by Alpina? In short, can you tell us more? Can you show us more? U.S.-spec cars that received bona fide Alpina parts during the ‘02 era are relatively rare. Most of these parts, however, were installed in the U.S. But U.S.-spec cars that actually passed through Buchloe, for the Alpina “spa treatment,” are extremely rare. We’re going to need more details. ? VIN 2761923, a U.S. 1972 model, was a 121-head, plastic-intake-runner, no-notch car produced just before the first changeover, at VIN 2761944, to E12 heads, aluminum intake runners, and firewall notches. And VIN 2762643, a U.S. 1973 model, was the 14th 1973 tii manufactured, the 1973 model year having commenced with VIN 2762630. Great colors on all three! Regards, Steve

What sub-model is your car? Is it, per chance, a Euro-spec touring model? Can you provide photos of your car’s VIN numbers: 1.) “chassis number” stamped into the outer edge of the right inner fender, 2.) metal VIN tag riveted onto the right inner fender, 3.) metal VIN tag riveted onto the top of the steering column, near the instrument cluster, 4.) paper VIN tag on the rear panel of the left-side (driver’s) door, and 5.) engine number, stamped into a flat boss at the rear of the block’s left side, just above the starter? 6-fuse fuse boxes were last used in April 1971, being replaced by the re-vamped Modell 71, with a twelve-fuse fuse box, at that time. The last round taillight conventional ‘02’s were manufactured in July 1973, but touring models continued to use round taillights into the square taillight era. Regards, Steve

A seven-digit engine number below 150xxxx reminds me of an NK VIN. But I’ll freely admit I’m not particularly familiar with NK VIN’s and I’m not at all familiar with the convention of a “0” placed ahead of the engine number. The block and the head will have casting dates, however, that might shed some light on the engine’s origins. The block’s casting date will be on the right side of the block, approximately in the vicinity of the number one and two freeze plugs, as described more fully here: The head’s casting date and type designation are generally on the left side of the head, approximately in the vicinity of the number three and four intake ports, at least during the 1970’s. My ‘76 was manufactured on April 23, 1976. Below, its block was cast on March 26, 1976 (“26C76” in an oval frame) and its E21, 2-liter, head (“E21 2,0”) was cast in April 1976 (4 “nubs” surrounding “76”). That is the number three intake port at the center of the head photo. Regards, Steve

Thanks, Tom, That’s very helpful. So the November 1971 Service Information bulletin is, thus far, consistent with real live examples! And kudos to your father, who upgraded the car into a “five-placer” with shoulder harnesses at the four corners, back in the eighties, no less! Best regards, Steve

I never get tired of seeing very early examples, Tom, whether they be 1966 1600-2’s, or the first U.S.-spec tii’s! While we have your attention, how about indulging us to see if a real-life car, in this case a U.S. tii before VIN 2760049, reflects what is published in a 1971 service bulletin? The upper mounts of the front seat shoulder harnesses on your parents’ tii should be just below the rear vent windows, and NOT on the B pillars. Here’s the bulletin. Thanks and best regards, Steve

How about that, Jimmy! So, upon discovering how defect-prone the early design was, they re-designed the molds but stuck with the same casting number! Not what I expected! ? Thanks and regards, Steve

I think no. Tii manifolds have no drilling for air injection at their aft ends. There is a cast boss, but it’s simply blank. And, accordingly, they have no air injection nozzles in the four tubes. Yours has both the tail-end input and the injection nozzles. Below are two tii manifolds. They appear to bear casting number: 121 142 01 80 1 I don’t know what casting number appeared on those early tii manifolds with the crack-prone webbing. Regards, Steve

Not a Facebook guy. Sorry I missed that obnoxiously-long description.... ?? Best regards, Steve