ratty1602

The car has had many "creative" solutions that I've found (A+ for creative use of zip-ties to hold the rear brakes together) so you're probably right. It looks like an 02 grille, just has the weird shape at the top that seems too smooth of a curve to have been a result of an impact.

In for a penny, in for a pound. The never-ending story of my ratty/frankenstein 1602 continues. Been a while since I posted anything but the car is slowly coming along.... don't think there's anything that I haven't touched. Sorry for the picture intensive post, I'll split this into multiple parts. If there is any task anyone is interested in in detail just let me know. Brakes; New brake lines all around, and rebuilt the rear 1602 (200mm) brakes... Had to find a brake place that would re-line the old 200mm shoes. Found a place that does it for large trucks, and usually those shoes measure diameter in tens of inches. They laughed at the size of these shoes. Got it back together with new hardware, brake cylinders, re-lined shoes, new cables, etc. Like-new tiny stopping power! Found a cup of fluid in the booster and also swapped out the master cylinder before bleeding and bleeding and bleeding. Suspension: Rebuilt/replaced the suspension. Some sort of eBay shocks (Stagg?) with Vogtland lowering springs. Removed the US headlights spacers, as well as replaced all the rear springs seats/pads, and threw in IE fixed camber plates up front. Everything (particularly the front strut inserts) put up a fight. The PO had bro-stanced the car by cutting the springs.... quite a bit. Also threw on new ball joints. Interior: Picked up a set of E30 sport seats and need to figure out a way to mount these... intend to adapt the few ways people have done this in the past, but including cutting out the stock seat supports and making some custom mounts. Also managed to find an old Raid in 360mm on which I liked the patina so that's going in to replace the OMP travesty currently in the car. Electrical: The biggest nightmare job has been re-wiring the whole car with an universal harness. I decided to go with Speedway's 22-circuit harness to replace the 40 years of previous owner hacks, electrical tape, bro-tastic stereo installs, and cut out the whole rat's nest. In addition to modern (and fused) wiring replacing the old 6-fuse setup, the goal was to add support for accessories, a stereo, electrical fan, and driving lights, etc. without setting the car on fire.... Found this quite a good value for the price, with excellent instructions. It's aimed at a GM-based street-rod, but easily adaptable to our cars. Cleaned all the switches. Super cloth tape! I also took apart and fixed the used (later 70s) cluster.... bit of soldering and fixing and adapting and we have a working cluster with the new harness! Some other stuff... also picked up a set of nicely patina'd Carello driving lights, and an E21 radiator that I intend to wire up with an electrical fan. Finally, does anyone know whether the curve on the right kidney grille is stock on an 02 at all? Not sure that's from a different BMW or just bent into that shape, but pretty sure the stock-ish grille looks like the one on the left? In terms of exterior... she's still a massive disaster, but that's for another post.

Actually looking at that cluster that came with the car it might be a '76 cluster? If that's the date stamp.

The cluster I took out was actually identical to this one from what I can tell, but with an aftermarket tach. Not sure if that's to replace a clock or not, but the whole cluster wasn't worth saving. Then again no idea if that was the original cluster since I have little history on the car. This cluster I'm told is from a '69, my 1602 is a '70... I don't see a separate wire behind the cluster (the black wire?) Just the round plug and the various switches and cig lighter. The tach on this new cluster is connected to the three prong plug on the back of the cluster. I'll take pics when I get a chance to pull it again.

Making slow and steady progress on the very scruffy 1602 project. I reinstalled the shifter plate but not really happy with the shifter at all, I'm considering other options like an upgrade to the later style and switching over the whole mechanical clutch setup to hydraulic master/slave. (Knowing modifications to pedal box will be required) Pedal Box - removed and in the process of rebuilding. Will likely convert this to a newer style pedal box and hydraulic clutch. Exhaust - got rid of the DIY exhaust that was just a resonator ending about mid-way down the length of the car. IE isn't too far from me so I picked up their SS exhaust. I did remove the OEM flange to clamp it to my (looks home made) downpipe. Eventually I'll have someone weld all this up but for now clamps it is. (Don't mind the HF jack stands backed up by ramps (also backed up by jack).... Safety Third!) Instrument cluster - I picked up an instrument cluster from a 69 '02, which is in my better shape than the original... it did not seem salvageable and had been 'modified' with an aftermarket tach. The tach does not work, which is not surprising as the car had previously been on Pertronix and has been returned to points. I'm trying to figure out what's happening in the engine bay with the coil wiring.... Maybe someone has seen this setup? I'm not sure I see a black wire for the tach in the engine bay, but I don't know what has been hacked apart or removed. Questions: What is #1? #2 and #3 come out of the harness, nothing is plugged into these connectors #4 goes to a terminal on the white insulator looking thing on the picture below (there marked #3). It comes out of the main harness. Any comments or insight are appreciated.... the Haynes wiring diagram is only getting me so far....

Haaaaay! Great car! Love the patina as well.

Leaks? Everything. More 'seepage' than leak, the oil pan is covered in crud. Nothing leaking enough to warranty concern yet, but I haven't really been driving it. As to the clutch, actually this is the 1600 early mechanical clutch linkage, no air in the lines because there are no lines. There is a spring near the clutch fork that I have to see whether it is still there, it may aid in the return of the pedal. I intend to source a pedal box rebuild kit locally along with a bunch of other goodies and tackle the whole box rebuild. I think everything is just very very tired. Rust has perforated the left rear outer rocker panel, the right lower door edge, and the rear tow hook wants to depart as well. Perfect time to learn welding!

Carl, I'm up in NELA - Eagle Rock specifically. Progress so far is trying to lift it (working in the street) to put it on stands resulted in noticing that my old trusty HF jack no longer holds and so after jacking up the front I gave up for the day. I may push it into the garage to work on a more level surface come next weekend... First, if anyone knows the mysteries of the old school 1600-02 pedal box, I have many questions. The clutch pedal falls forward, and lays on the floor. The mechanical linkage actually engages the clutch once you depress the pedal, but when you let it go the crescent shaped thing attached to the top of the pedal box via a spring (which looks not original) just pulls the pedal forward and it falls to the floor.... I rigged the spring to the pedal so that it would stay upright, not that I can select a gear just yet. Second, does anyone know of a place that knows how to work on these in the Northeast LA area? (Glendale, Pasadena, NELA, etc would work) I'm specifically looking I think to have someone tune it, sync the carbs, check timing, etc.

Well I've always wanted one of these and have been looking for one that could be the next project/wrenching car since moving to CA. She followed me home today... by which I mean a flatbed dropped her off. 1970 1600-02, e21 head, IE manifold with dual Weber 45s. The base is there for a fun driver once you look past the crappy dual-tone primer "paint job," surface rust, and shall we say.... heavy patina. Lots of projects ahead. Good news is that it runs! Poorly. And soon will drive again, once I reconnect the shifter plate to the transmission and can select a gear.