Conserv

Richard, I don’t have your answer, but....this is very common damage, and I’m not aware of a good fix. My ‘76’s original manifold went into “storage” on account of similar damage. Korman said that given how plentiful and relatively inexpensive stock intake manifolds are, let’s just find a better one, which we did. So I would, likewise, like to hear someone knowledgeable say, “That’s no problem at all, they can build up that nipple with new aluminum and then cut it down to the original spec.” Regards, Steve

Enjoyed that! I really like your pared-down approach, Paul. Best regards, Steve

Yes, it’s a 49-state version: no thermal reactor exhaust manifold. If you don’t want to install a tii manifold or a shortie header at this time, here’s a possible solution. That’s a relatively intact car. Most of the emissions equipment is still in the car, even if it is no longer hooked up. I see the diverter valve (a.k.a., “gulp valve”) — under the front of the intake manifold, missing a hose — the one-way valve — just in front of the head — so I wouldn’t be surprised if the air pump is still in place. It mounts at the lower left side of the front of the engine. The vacuum valves that help administer the emissions are still hanging on the firewall, as are the hoses that connect them. The car just needs a little love, as they all do! Email the VIN to BMW Group Archives (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com) and request their data. You’ll get the actual manufacturing date as well as verification of the original exterior color. Please publish their response here or, even better, record the car in this forum’s Registry, and place Archive’s response there! Regards, Steve

Yesssss! I knew I’d achieve notoriety some how, some way....? My 15 minutes of fame have arrived! Best regards, Steve

Wait! You’ve got the slowest painter? I thought I had the slowest painter! ? September 2015 to June 2018 for the ‘76’s Big Re-Paint. No mechanical work, no interior work, no rotisserie. Just a very good re-paint. Best regards, Steve

Robert, Hemmings always, under “services provided”, seems to have 2 to 6 providers of “plastic chroming”. If there’s nothing on their Web version, please PM me and I’ll look at a hardcopy of the mag! Best regards, Steve

An ICE A/C system is essentially a new and complete Clardy system (assembled by a former installer of Clardy A/C systems): you don’t have to worry whether the 40-year-old plastic is too brittle or the fan is nearing the end of its life. So I think that that’s good! When I purchased a condenser, auxiliary fan, and compressor from ICE in 2011, however — I was originally planning to convert my ‘76’s 1976 Clardy from R12 to R134a — I was frankly shocked to receive a non-parallel-flow condenser from him, no larger than my original Clardy condenser, along with an off-brand auxiliary fan, and an allegedly NOS Sanden compressor no longer in its original box. Given I was paying $1,800 for these three underwhelming components (maybe $300 worth of components), I immediately sent them back. I have heard he’s supplying a parallel-flow condenser these days, but I don’t know that from first-hand experience. Regards, Steve

So, John, they are sidemarker lights. Apart from the lens color, are they similar to U.S.-mandated sidemarker lights? I had no idea that Italian cars had these: it's really quite cool! Best regards, Steve

Just as an FYI, these are actually two independent parts for each headlight, assuming you don't count the feathery gray gasket that's generally missing or badly cracked by now. The asymmetric filler ring is a spring-fit into the front of the headlight retaining ring. All U.S. headlight buckets have the headlight retaining ring -- chromed on the earliest cars, then silver cadmium plated until the end of the round taillight era, and black powder coated for the square taillight era. The headlight retaining ring fastens to the headlight bucket with three screws. But deep grille cars -- all U.S. '02's from 1966 through mid-1972 -- also have the additional asymmetric filler to dress up an otherwise awkward gap. You just squeeze the asymmetric filler and insert it into the retaining ring: that open gap disappears. Below, the headlight retaining ring in the background, the asymmetric filler ring is in the foreground. These aren't for sale; they're merely for illustration. Regards, Steve

Photos illustrating steel rims in early brochures: The first two photos are from a German-language 1600-2 brochure, dated July 1967. The third and fourth photos are from an un-dated English-language 1600-2 brochure probably dating to early in the 1968 U.S. model year ("early" because the instrument cluster bezel is silver like a 1967 model, but a 1968 model because of the 1968-only smooth steering wheel hub and the U.S.-mandated padded dash that arrived approximately October 1967). The fifth and sixth photos are from an English-language 1600-2/2002 brochure, dated May 1968. Regards, Steve

Walloth & Nesch sells the plugs! Welcome home! Regards, Steve

Wurth’s Wheel Silver or Krylon’s Dull Aluminum are some of the best approximations of the original wheel color. There are threads that discuss these as well as other paint and powder coat options, including satin clear coat, etc., to mimic the original appearance. Your use of “Smokey” gives me a slight pause. One person might use that term for the original color, another might use that term for a darker-than-original re-paint. Below is a February 1967 (“2” over “67”) Lemmerz rim with fair-to-good original paint. This is the spare tire rim from the ‘67 1600-2 I owned from 1974 to 1976. I was the second owner; it had 54,000 to 8?,000 miles on it during my ownership tenure. Your ‘67 rims should be similar. Note: Lemmerz, one of the most common steel rim suppliers for the ‘02, painted most of their rims entirely black after production and then painted the front faces silver for BMW, leaving solely silver overspray on the reverse and barrel. On the rim below, you can see some of the black under-paint bleeding through the thinned original silver. I wonder if this is some of the smokiness you’re seeing in your rims. Lastly, BMW did not sweat the details on their steel rims. Paint was sloppily and unevenly applied. Runs were fairly common. Colors varied slightly from batch to batch. Recall, most of a ‘67’s rim’s face was soon-to-be covered by (standard) hub caps and (optional) trim rings. Regards, Steve

Thanks. It’s the carbon cannister for the fuel recovery system. Fumes from the gas tank are piped from an expansion tank in the trunk, to the carbon cannister, and from there into the air filter. With the installation of the Weber — and removal of the stock air filter housing, they probably removed the cannister and, possibly, plugged the lines. I’d expect your car has already been partially or completely de-smogged by now. Regards, Steve

+1 I use info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com. I don’t know if that initial “info.” makes a difference. Oh, yeah, then please post your car in this forum’s Registry! Regards, Steve

One note regarding Mark’s excellent de-smogging instructions: unless your ‘76 was delivered new in California, it will not have a Thermal Reactor exhaust manifold. The “outside-California” ‘76’s, known as “49-state versions”, have a more benign manifold: not as free-flowing as a tii exhaust manifold or a shorty header, but not nearly as awful as the dreaded Thermal Reactor manifold. Welding a 49-state exhaust manifold, as a temporary solution to getting your car into regular use, is a good idea, as long as it’s cheaper than a good un-cracked replacement. If you provide some photos of the engine compartment, we can probably confirm whether your ‘76 is a 49-state or a California version. Below are some photos of my 49-state ‘76, especially showing the non-Thermal Reactor exhaust manifold. On other matters, all ‘02 A/C is post-factory, installed at dealerships or later. The three most common brands are Frigiking, Behr (most “OEM” in appearance), and Clardy. So even the Behr unit — Behr manufactured the ‘02’s original radiators, heaters, heater valves — would qualify as “aftermarket”. Lots of threads, as well as Rob Siegel’s book on the subject, discuss ‘02 A/C in detail. Compared to modern cars, or even to U.S. domestic cars of the ‘02 era, ‘02 A/C generally sucks. But, it also expands the driving season, and often the willingness of a spouse to agree to taking “your old car”... ? Regards, Steve

Sorry to wander off topic, AJ! I’d swear that never happened before...? Our German colleague, Henning, is hoping to inherit my one-owner ‘76, and, thus, keeps close tabs on my use and modification of the car.... ? Regards, Steve

+1 Yes, that’s precisely it! When you’re cruising at 70 mph, near 4,000 rpm’s (with a stock camshaft), the engine is so....”on cam” and responds instantaneously with a healthy surge to additional accelerator pedal: no shifting, just more pedal. And that surge is wonderful from 4,000 to just past 5,500 rpm’s (remember, stock camshaft and original Solex!). Best regards, Steve

I’m glad you’re paying attention, Hen! ☺️ I guess I need to manage your expectations! Don’t expect to get more than 23 mpg out of my ‘76. Its fuel mileage range, from Day One, has been 17-23 mpg. The balanced and blueprinted engine, and the shift from 3.90 to 3.64 differential, haven’t changed the fuel mileage one iota — I suspect I rev it even more since the rebuild! As it happens, it was 93-94 degrees F when I took the photo and the A/C was on continuously. I hope you don’t mind. Covered 600 miles that day! Best regards, Steve

And, if that happens, I’d take it as a sign that the “performance M10” is meant to happen now! ? Regards, Steve

A slight clarification on the above: The 49-state version of the U.S. 1976 model used the E21 head, shared with the then-new e21 series — I’m fairly confident the the name of the E21 head, introduced in the spring of 1975 on the new e21 series cars, is not a coincidence. These 49-state versions, of course, were the only ‘02’s to receive the 3.90 differentials: California versions of the U.S. 1976 model used the E12 head, and the more common 3.64 differential. After 40+ years with my ‘76’s 3.90 gearing, when I recently swapped in an LSD, I chose a 3.64 unit. That wasn’t an accident. The former gearing may have well-suited my 20’s, but the latter better suits my 60’s....? Below, cruising south through Fancy Gap, VA in my ‘76 last August. The indicated 72 mph was very close to the actual speed according to my GPS. Given that the car already had the 3.64 LSD at the time, I’d guess that my tach has some error, and the rpm’s were closer to 3,750 than to the indicated 4,000 (stock 165HR13 Michelin XAS tires). Regards, Steve

My ‘76 (49-state version) retains an E21 head. It has custom aftermarket pistons one might describe as “quasi-piano-top” to achieve a compression ratio of approximately 9.3 to 9.4. My ‘76’s head has not been shaved. Regards, Steve