COOP

Thanks guys, this is all very helpful. I apparently misspoke in my original post in saying that no chemicals are being employed, as I'm told that kerosene is being used to soak the old glue along with the aforementioned plastic scrapers. I just can't believe how slow it's going...when I stopped by yesterday, only about an 8 X 8" area had been completed under one pad, which I was told represented over an hour of labor. At that pace I'll be broke before its all done so I took to the trusty FAQ for input. I certainly appreciate the care that's being taken to not harm my paint...just hoping for a quicker remedy for the glue removal. Kavadarci, thanks for the input re: B-Quiet. That sounds like a great idea but I'm going for total originality with this particular car. COOP

I bought some new OEM insulation pieces as the restoration shop installed it in the wrong location years ago...and we can't have that now, can we?! I'd appreciate any tips in removing the foam and underlying adhesive without damaging the paint. So far it's agonizingly slow going with heat and plastic scrapers, but no chemicals so far. Thanks, COOP PS: Save the "use the search function wisdom."

2764282, 1973 tii. M2 2.5 Evo conversion (gasp). Baltic Blue, originally Agave (double gasp). Manufactured June 27, 1973. COOP

2760754, 1972 tii with 54K + documented original miles. Manufactured January 21, 1972. Originally Sahara, now Baikal (gasp). COOP

Lol...Steve, FYI the "poor thing" ('73 tii M2 Evo) is actually Baltic Blue and not Baikal, a much greyer shade of blue. As far as the tii color change from Sahara to Baikal goes, this was a bare shell, rotisserie restoration with most sheet metal replaced...so I can't imagine the color change ever having a negative effect on the car's value (not to mention that Baikal has a broader appeal than Sahara, with no offense meant to fans of the latter hue). As someone else posted, many high-dollar cars that cross the auction block for millions are not their original color...if the job is done right and the color is changed to a desirable shade, your value won't be negatively effected (but that's one man's opinion). Bottom line, paint your car whatever color you like...although I do really like Riviera Blue... COOP

LOL, you are AWESOME!! COOP

Hi there...stock starter. COOP

My '72 Baikal tii has been invited to "The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering" on August 19th in Carmel as part of the "100th Anniversary of BMW" celebration. This is quite an honor for the car and a significant milestone for our beloved BMW 2002 when you consider the caliber of heavy iron historically showcased at this event. I am told that this is the first time a 2002 has ever been invited to The Quail, excepting a Factory Turbo which was shown in 2008... ...But the best part is that I'm flying my dear Mother out from Boston for her 80th Birthday on 8/20. I'm renting a house in Carmel and will experience the entire Monterey Car Week (8/14-8/21) for the first time ever. I can't imagine how cool it will be to celebrate these special days with my Mom and the tii. COOP

NSS

$32K...I'd go a lot higher if it had some 'o dem racy Motorsport stripes down the side. COOP

The car has needed a good color-sanding ever since the restoration many years ago (little imperfections in the clear coat which only the sanding can address). A cut/polish/buff will do nothing to get the paint perfectly "flat." The show agreed to pay for it which I didn't feel too guilty about given what I felt was pretty shoddy treatment of the car and the fact that I was paid nothing. The paint now looks better than ever... COOP

"The safety aspect" is a good point and one that I frequently think about. I should have harnesses for my SRDs but I don't. I should also have thick foam sleeves wrapping the cage tubing but I don't. COOP

In my case, the cage is purely for chassis strength & rigidity rather than for rollover protection. My car is exclusively a street car, used mostly for bombing down windy, often bumpy roads (my track jollies are attained 12-15X per year on a 370 lb, 145 HP, 2013 Triumph 676R). As far as the car is concerned, I knew that I wanted a great handling, 300 RWHP '02 and I knew that these cars were not at all rigid, even when new. For me, a cage was the only answer, and it turned out to be the right one. My cage was built tight to the body and to SCCA specs, and it only added 100 lbs to the car (which I easily lost in other areas). It is the single most positively impactful modification that I have done to the car...including the S14 Stroker. The cage also ensures the longevity of the body structure by bearing the brunt of forces that would otherwise be transferred to the shell (classic division of labor principle). So yes, a cage in a street car. COOP

The most important mod for a high-horsepower 02 (200 + at the wheels) in my opinion is a high-quality, welded-in cage that ties the chassis together. Otherwise, these cars are dangerous when combined with that type of power given the flex in their chassis and the fatigue of 40-yr old metal. My M2 2.5 was dyno'd by The Racers' Group at 258 rear wheel HP and that was before the VAC 48mm throttle bodies/air horns, cylinder head port-matching and retuning of the Split Second piggyback system. Pre-cage, it was both terrifying and not fun. When I had the cage built by Roger Hamlin at Sears Point, I could literally feel the black & white difference before leaving the parking lot. The car just felt totally tied together (because it was) and the steering & handling was immediate. The acceleration was also much more urgent because there was no longer any body flex and so the communication from right foot to rear wheels was suddenly NOW. The car feels balanced and is a blast to drive on both fast, windy roads and track. The car also has front/rear shock tower braces, a third brace at the nose of the car near the radiator and welded-in supports between the firewall, frame rails and inner fenders. I would very strongly recommend a complete, welded-in cage (tied into the firewall, front/rear shock towers, A & B pillars, etc) to anyone already spending the big dollars to attain this type of horsepower, and that goes for street and track day cars alike. The good news is that with a quality cage in place, I really don't see a problem with 300-400 HP in these cars (assuming, of course, all of the appropriate suspension/brake/diff mods and some driving ability). COOP

Lol, trust me Steve, that car would need a LOT more than its old motor back (which I brilliantly sold in the early Nineties) in order to be returned to your standards of acceptable "healing." Perhaps subconsciously that's why I restored my bone stock '72 tii to such a purist extreme, in order to balance out the transgressions committed on "the poor thing." I've got both polarities covered in this debate, just like a flip-flopping politician...I'm immune to the pundits! COOP

Steve, you're definitely one of my top 5 favorites on the FAQ. Your wealth of knowledge and purity of undiluted '02ness are huge assets here. Please don't change a thing!! You always keep it real...Keep on keepin' on!! PS: I love how you referred to my '73 tii M2 as "that poor thing." Classic!! COOP

Incredible!! Of course it's me Joey! I just sent you an email. BTW, the car that you remember is my Baltic Blue, M3-Powered '73 tii (see below with the Baikal '72 tii featured on CCC). Looking forward to reconnecting! COOP

Thank you! Appreciate the compliment... Yeah, they absolutely made it right, which is all that I can really ask for. Also, I have to take some of the personal accountability (admittedly, a very un-American concept) for agreeing to lend the car to a production...At least it came back without permanent scratches/dents or a smoking clutch. I sooo wish that the tii had been paired with Will Ferrell or Sebastian Manascalco (both upcoming episodes)...those guys are hilarious! I saw SM live last year and my face hurt for hours after from laughing so hard. I'd give my car's episode an "A" for car content and a "D" for comedy/character content. I think the only time that I laughed was when JS ridiculed Madigan for her ignorance about the car's country of origin. COOP

Excellent sleuth work Watson! You guys never fail to amaze and impress me! The car did indeed come back with that lower piece of trim partially detached and bent. The show paid for it to be replaced which I would of course expect. Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed. Because the car came back quite dusty and with lots of very fine, surface scratches (the obvious result of some doofus dusting without quick detail spray, grrr), the show also agreed to pay (with my, er, suggestion) for a $2,300 complete color sanding (needed anyways) and incredible detailing (including undercarriage, engine bay, fender wells, etc) by Tim McNair of GP Concours Preparation (gpconcours.com). This guy is THE BEST and prepares multi-million dollar cars for kajillionnaires at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and Villa D'este, etc. He's also a really nice guy by the way. Funny, after I got the car back, several car collectors told me that I was NUTS to have loaned my car to any type of TV/Film production without being there personally to shepherd it through the process. They also shared some alarming horror stories with me and concluded that "these people don't care about anyones' cars, as long as they get their shot." I guess I got relatively lucky... All in all, I'm still glad that I did it...Today, the car looks better than ever, post-detail and I have a great feather-in-the-cap for the '72 Baikal tii. COOP Thank you so much!! I hope to see you soon... BTW, thanks for clearing up the correct pronunciation of "Baikal!" I recall being horrified last year by a "walk-around" sales pitch video by "The Hack Mechanic" when he referred to another tii as the dreaded "Bake-All" Blue... COOP

Hi...Yeah, I'm sure the car was already warmed up (judging by how easily it started, lol). As I said, half joking. The shocks are brand new OEM and the springs are the originals. Everything is totally stock specs and I intend to keep it that way, although I'm confident that Bilsteins would be a huge improvement. Front bumper features correct, pre-73 brackets. Thanks for the nice compliment! COOP

All in all, I'm pleased with the final result and honored that JS chose my car. He seems to really like '02s which is nice to see from such a well-heeled car enthusiast. He should get one, instead of holding himself prisoner to his one-marque OCD! The car got top billing (thank God because I don't find those two comedians to be very funny, especially the backseat dude) and I thought it looked really nice on camera. I feel that they did a great job showing lots of cool angles and many of the little details that make our cars unique and special. I thought that the color looked beautiful on camera and that the car itself showed well in motion (we rarely get to see our own cars moving). Just a few little nits, mostly half-joking: 1. Um, who gets in a cold car and immediately zings it past 4,000 RPMs?! Good for the show I guess, but my dad would have smacked me upside the head growing up. 2. JS pronounces the color (Baikal) "Bake-All" which sounds like a nifty new oven concept for delighted housewives in the 50's. I've always thought it was pronounced "Bye-Call" but what do I know? 3. Please don't lean on my car JS, and watch that left hand on the hood...yeah, the one with the wedding ring on it lol. 4. The schlump in the back seat was not part of the original, presented plan and he added nothing to the show from a comedic standpoint. He did, however, cause the rear of the car to sag in an unsightly manner and the rear wheels to go to negative camber, a look that I always hated. 5. Error in the final credits referring to the car as a 1974 tii (yeech, jk). Anyways, I don't mean to sound ungrateful as I'm actually thrilled. I'm just a stickler for the details, which I guess is why the car looks a certain way. I think the show was generally terrific and can only be a positive event for the image of our cars and of course, their value (oh no, not that!). Thanks to all for your support and all the nice compliments along the way...you've been great! COOP

Much appreciated! COOP

I think Jerry is accelerating in that profile shot...The car squats quite a bit under acceleration. Actually, I REMOVED the U.S. spec spacers during the restoration. It looked even higher before. From what I've been told, the current stance is factory correct. Trust me, I'd love to bring the whole car down a bit lower, but the focus on this particular car has been to keep it OEM from every conceivable standpoint. Looking forward to seeing the episode! COOP

You're absolutely right...Although you asked us "the valuation question," the market will definitively "answer" as it always does. I hope that you get every bit of that "40K figure and more. Best of luck and keep us in the loop please! COOP