Hi all,
A very good friend of mine has had a few 2002's. When I worked in his shop I spent some time on it, cleaning contacts, and helping him fill the transmission, driving cars in tow back and forth and generally being around them. I discovered a few weeks a ago that this good friend of mine will be passing his '76 2002 on to me, of all people, and I'm very proud to take on its ownership when he signs it over.
It is a '76 2002 and a little rough around the edges, but seems very good mechanically. I do not know much about it yet, but so far I've been told it has a few things that are not OEM from speaking with its current owner:
-318 head.
-aluminum pipe header.
-38/38 webber.
-more agressive cam.
-K&N filter.
-distributor seems to be rotated 180 degrees, but have yet to verify that.
-Ireland engineering springs w/ billsteins.
-13" ATS wheels that look cool as hell!
I'm not sure how the above translates into performance or reliability, but what i do know is this: from 40 -80mph, it goes like stink...gets up there fast and willingly. The motor is rough at starting, the shifting gets really smooth once the trans warms up, no knocking noises over bumps.
Cosmetically, it needs a little love: the interior is mostly there, there are a few paint bubbles around the sunroof aperture, shock towers look good, but I'm told there is rot in the spare tire well...as I mentioned, it needs 'love' (quality paint work).
At the moment I am organizing myself to store it over the winter so in the spring I can start messing with it and getting it on its way to being a nice, clean reliable little car. Some pictures are atached for your viewing pleasure.
So there you have it: the story. Hopefully you guys can help me source parts and share information on adjustments, and procedures. I completed a rejuvenation project on my '89 325i about 5 years ago and kept referring to a few forums for information, and my trusty Bentley manual and that got me though the thick and thin of putting the car back together from a rolling chassis, I'm hoping to have the same support here. ...And that 325 has yet to let me down with 200,000+ miles on the clock 76,000 of which are miles I put on the car.
I also have a vintage Vespa to test my patience and make me smile and an older Japanese Motorcycle that is currently trying to find it's identity.
Good to be here, and looking forward to meet you all.
Thanks