Jump to content

xr4tic

Kugelfischer
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    694

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

  • Feedback

    0%

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by xr4tic

  1. xr4tic
    September rolled around, the car has been on jackstands for a year, and I knew if I didn't get the rust repair finished, I'd never get this car back together.
     
    So what do you do when you have no welding experience and have lots of questions?  Post to the forum!
     
    Lots of good advice here and some inspiration pictures from other members:
    https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/225875-floorpan-frame-rail-replacement-questions/
     
    Armed with knowledge, time to get this rustball rolling.
     
    Here's what I started with:

     

     

     
    The floorpan had been "patched" by a previous owner very poorly, I ripped that out.  The frame extension was completely rotted, the lower inner rocker was rotted, and the the area below the pedal box was completely gone.
     
    Removing the old rotted areas:

     

     
    Fabbing a new inner rocker patch from 16 gauge steel:

     
    Welded in:

     
    Lower firewall/below pedal box:

     
    Mocked up, using the pedal box to help locate it:

     
    Welded in + the frame rail extension in place:

     
    W&N floor pan welded in, I did screw up and left too big a gap at the rear.  I ended up filling it with weld with the help of a magnetic copper backer

     
    Seam sealer over the welds and gaps, and then covered in leftover rustoleum from the engine bay:

     
    Cleaned the entire wheel well and then coated it with Rustoleum undercoating:

  2. xr4tic
    Welp, almost 2 years since my last blog post.  High-level overview of what's happened since then:
     
    2019:
    Bought a property to build a new house (and more importantly, a bigger garage)
    Pulled the motor back out (couldn't get the 5-speed trans in no matter how much I cursed at it)
    Reinstalled motor/trans
    Fab'd a new trans mount
    Installed IE gas pedal
    Completely re-wired engine bay and fuse box
    Built battery holder and installed AntiGravity Lithium Battery in stock location
    Installed a fuel cell
    Installed a Tanks Inc fuel pump
    Installed aftermarket gas cap (3D printed an adapter)
     
    2020:
    Ran new fuel lines
    Installed adjustable FPR (3-60 psi range, good for carb and efi)
    R&R'd intake and exhaust manifolds so I could replace SEVEN leaky freeze plugs (somehow messed that up while building the motor)
    Reinstalled dash
    Finished wiring
    Got car running
    New house finished/sold old house/moved (I don't recommend doing this during a pandemic)
    Drove car to new place
    Pulled car out to do insulation/drywall in new garage
    Drove car back in
     
    2019 was a much more productive year than 2020
     
    Picture time!
     
    RHD Lightweight Flywheel

    Engine/Trans going back in


     
    Patching floorboard

     
    Home made 5 speed mount

     
    IE gas pedal

     
    AntiGravity Lithium Battery



     
    Fusebox/wiring


     
    Fuel Cell Install







    Fuel Lines



     
    Garage Done (But still messy)

     

  3. xr4tic

    2018 Wrap Up / Tally Up

    By xr4tic,

    Figured I'd throw up a post with my car status as of the end of the year, list some high-level things on my to-do list this year, and an updated "how much I've spent" listing.
     
    Wrap Up
    Shortly after I painted the engine bay, I cleared out the garage and pushed the '02 in, so I could work on it in the cold Michigan weather
     
    I removed the wiring harness from the engine bay (wish I had done that before painting, was easier than I thought it would be), installed the IE pivot bearing/sleeve for the booster, hooked up the brake master, and ran Andrew's cunifer brake line kit in the front.
     
    Got the car up on Quickjacks, pulled the driveshaft off, and ran the brake line to the rear T.
     
    Also test-fit Andrew's headlight covers

     

     
     
    Lowered the car back down and dropped the engine in:

     
     
    I then used a Harbor Freight engine bar to keep it from flopping over, and then raised it back up.
     
    Things to do for 2019 (in no particular order)
    Install RHD Engineering lightweight flywheel, new Sachs clutch, and Getrag 240 5-speed trans.
    Bleed brakes
    Install Speedhut Speedo + Tach in my instrument cluster with CF vinyl + Dash cover (Teaser pic for my next blog entry*)

    Repair passenger side floorpan + heater hole in firewall (bottom lip is rusted away)
    Make new engine bay wiring harness using a Delphi connector

    Start engine for first time
    Rebuild rear subframe/suspension/brakes
    Install Limited Slip Diff
    Gut trunk (what little remains of it), install 16 gallon aluminum fuel cell in stock location, run new fuel line, install EFI pump
    Finish interior
    Enjoy my '02 for the first time ever
     
    How much I've spent so far
     
    This has all the engine rebuild stuff, so I'll start with the total and then itemize below that.
     
    Previous total - $10,006
    Engine rebuild - $5,027
    Front Susp/Brakes/Rust Repair - $2,723
     
    Running Total - $17,756
     
    And I'm probably forgetting stuff.
     
    Engine Rebuild Costs:

     
    Front Suspension/Brakes/Rust Repair:

     
     
     
    *Blog entries are not guaranteed
  4. xr4tic
    While I was cleaning the engine compartment up in the previous entry, I kept noticing some coolant puddles on the block by the starter.  I pushed on one of the hoses and some coolant leaked out.
     
    OK, just some hoses, no big deal right?
     
    Not so much.  When I started taking the hoses off, found the water divider coming off the head was completely corroded.  It was also the wrong one for the car, this was the E21 style that doesn't have the hose coming off the back, which is why there was a big ugly red heater hose coming out the top.

     
    I was planning to take the intake manifold off at some point to clean it up, rebuild the carb, and make sure it was ported correctly for the Weber 38, so now is the time I guess.
     
    And then it gets worse:

     
    Yes, that's a hole.
     
    Also found this nipple was clogged up.  Not sure how important it is, but I pulled it off, cleaned it out, and put a fresh crush washer on it.

     
    Pulled the starter and alternator too, figured I'd give it a good cleaning

     
     
    As I was cleaning it up, noticed one of the freeze plugs was weeping.
     
    Guess which one?  The one that looks like it wasn't replaced (middle)

     
    Figured if the divider and intake manifold were corroded, I might as well replace the water pump and thermostat.
     
    Old pump:

     
    Time to order some parts:
    Water divider
    Silicone hose set from IE Motorsport (cheaper than buying a full set of OE-quality hoses)
    Water Pump
    Thermostat
    Freeze Plug
    Belt
    Gaskets
    New bolts/nuts/washers for water pump and intake manifold from Belmetric - there's a good post here that says what to order for WP bolts:
    I also ordered a bunch of extra nuts and bolts for various other things that I'm sure will pop up while working on this car.
     
    Aaaaaand, here's when scope creep comes into play.
     
    I got everything apart, might as well upgrade the starter and alternator, and why not do the radiator too?
     
    1979 320i 65amp alternator (Remy #13113)
    1990 M3 Starter (Bosch #SR440X)
    ebay Honda aluminum radiator and fan - http://www.ebay.com/itm/191123275179
     
    I removed the A/C system while I was pulling the water pump, lots of dead weight I won't need.
     
    Studs were installed for some of the WP bolts (I think) when the A/C system was originally dealer installed.  For the life of me, I could not remove one of them, and since I wasn't interested in breaking it and then having to pull the front timing cover, I just left it in.
     
    New WP installed, plus alternator and water divider mocked up

     
    Thermostat + test fitting hoses, since I won't be using the stock fan, it was removed.  Also gave the pulley a fresh coat of paint
    You'll also noticed the "speed holes" a previous owner put into the pulley for an unknown reason.  Maybe it had a WP at some point that didn't have the same bolt spacing as stock (stock is more like an X pattern rather than cross pattern)

     
    The radiator looked odd to me, almost like it was factory, but didn't look like it fit right.
    Turns out, it was a 320i radiator, larger than stock, but doesn't bolt in like stock.  It requires a bracket on the bottom and extensions on the top (check out pictures in my previous blog posts)  It also uses a 320i lower hose.
     
    Here's the radiator comparison, the honda radiator is slightly shorter and narrower.

     

     
    It also mounts completely differently, so I had to come up with a solution for that.
     
    So here it is!
     
    Vacuum cap and dipstick grommet on the bottom two posts

     

     

     
    1" aluminum bar with 4 holes drilled in it, 2 for the radiator, 2 to bolt it down (I used one of those stepped drill bits with multiple sizes on it to drill the holes, as seen in pic)

     

     
    In hindsight, I should have put that lower bar mounting bolt under the radiator instead of off to the side (which I did for the other side because of tight space)
     
    Bar mounted to car, I used the sheet metal bolts the previous owner had used for the 320i lower brackets.
    Lots of surface rust here too.

     
    Test fit

     
    Location is very important here.  I wanted to move it all the way to the right so I only had one hole to cover up in the front panel, but I couldn't use the stock-style hose if I did that, so it got mounted more in the middle.
     
    Fan mounted to the front of the radiator (blades need to be reversed, just remove the nut, flip the blades, and put the nut back on)

     
    Installing the radiator with the fan mounted is a TIGHT squeeze.  The bullet connectors were chopped off and replaced with a 2 pin Weatherpack connector.
     
    I bought some aluminum sheet from Home Depot, but in hindsight (again) I would have got some thicker stuff elsewhere, this is pretty flimsy.  A bead rolled down the middle would have been nice (also hindsight)  Those extra bolts I bought are already paying off
     
    Also hit the rusty areas with a wire brush and painted the front radiator support, lower bar, and battery tray with some Rustoleum "Rust Tough" enamel.
      Is it good?  I have no idea.
    Also note the original plastic wire holders were all broken, so I bolted in some insulated ones I got at HD, plus wrapped the wires in new electrical tape, the old stuff had fallen off.

     
    For the upper mount, I bought some Dorman replacement bushings for a Nissan? radiator, part #924-130
    They require a 1.25" hole to mount into.  I bought some 2" wide aluminum, 1/8" thick, and used a 1 1/4" hole saw to put the bushing hole into it.
     
    My original plan was to just bend the strip in 2 places and mount it to the nose panel, only to find out that 1/8" thick aluminum doesn't like to bend 90 degrees without breaking.
     
    Plan B:  angle aluminum bolted in, then upper mount bolted to that

     

     
    And finally, the lower radiator hose solution - a universal hose - Gates #25250 - 9" long

     
    I ordered a 7" and 9" hose, thinking the 7" would be OK, but it wasn't even close.  A slightly longer one might be better yet.
     
    So that's where I sit for now.  I thought I could repair the intake manifold, measured one of the nipples and figured I could drill and tap it for 3/4 NPT and put in a brass NPT hose fitting, but it turns out that even though the nipples are the same size, they have two different size holes in the manifold, and the NPT fitting would only work for one hole.
     
    So I have to find another manifold, and since I've got this much torn apart, I also pulled the heater box, which revealed some other nasty surprises (in the next blog post)
     
    Updated numbers:
    Belts $10.00 Water Pump $28.00 Temp Sender $5.00 Water Divider $76.00 Freeze Plugs $10.00 Silicone Hose Set $120.00 Thermostat $15.00 Gaskets $10.00 Alternator $82.00 Starter $163.00 Radiator $60.00 Aluminum $25.00 Paint $12.00 Lower Hose $8.00 Radiator Bushing $5.00 Belmetric Bolts $60.00 Running Total $8,589.00  
     
  5. xr4tic

    Engine Rebuild Progress

    By xr4tic,

    My engine is slowly coming together, here's how it sits right now:

     
    And here's how the engine bay sits (taken before the snow fell this winter):

     
    Anyways, onto the important stuff.
     
    Engine Highlights:
    9.5:1 CR forged pistons
    144mm H-Beam Rods
    284 Cam
    HD Valve Springs + Retainers
    Stock size stainless valves (originals were worn/bent)
    Full head rebuild with new stock components
    Stainless Shorty Header + Downpipe (IE)
    Windage Tray
    Lightweight flywheel
    Single link timing chain setup (stock was dual)
    123Tune bluetooth distributor
    02again Crank Pulley
    Weber 38/38 (carryover from old engine)
     
    The full list is extensive and I'm at ~$5000 so far including machining and spare engine cost.  I'll throw the parts list into a google sheet to share in a future post.
     
    Before I get into the pics, I'll make a few comments on some of my decisions
     
    Forged pistons - pretty much your only option if you want higher compression with an E21 head, lighter than stock
    Longer rods - stock rods are pretty strong, but the weakness seems to be the rod bolts.  These rods come with ARP bolts and give you the benefit of a better rod/stroke ratio.  Do some googling to read up on the benefits, there are lots.  Only doable with custom pistons, also lighter
    284 cam - bought it from a FAQ member before I found out how involved a cam swap is on our cars.  In hindsight, a 292 would probably be a better choice, but I'll give this one a shot
    Stainless shorty header + downpipe - I *really* wanted to get the IE tri-Y header but couldn't justify the cost.  IE had these on sale, a great bang-for-the-buck compared to mild steel headers
    Windage tray - Free HP?  I don't see a downside and it's cheap.
    Lightweight flywheel - I've put LW flywheels on several cars, a must-have IMHO
    Single-link timing chain - my stock dual link gears were worn, a single link setup is cheaper, should have less drag, and several racers convert to this setup.  I've never heard of anyone going the other way.
    123Tune dist - bought through the group buy before I started my rebuild, with Megasquirt potentially in my future, this may not last long
    02again crank pulley - lighter than stock and one step closer to being ready for Megasquirt
     
    Weight comparisons, per cylinder
    stock vs. forged pistons:  547g - 439g
    stock vs. new piston pins:  137g - 102g
    stock vs new rods:  701g - 584g
    total stock vs. new:  1375g - 1125g (18% lighter)
     
    stock crank pulley vs 02again:  1750g - 1150g (approx, I wrote the numbers down somewhere and can't find them) (35% lighter)
     
    stock flywheel vs RHD - 17lbs vs 7 lbs (59% lighter)
     
    How much HP will it make?  No idea, should be way better than my old engine with 80% cylinder leakage though
     
    Flywheel:

     
    Piston:

     
    Rod:

     
    Engine block painted + freeze plugs installed

     
    Gapping rings:

     
    Piston assembly area, ring filer clamped to bench, various measurements/notes written on paper

     
    Pistons in, front cover on

     
    Good time to realize you have a snapped off bolt still in the block, extraction set from the local parts store actually worked, just need to use real drill bits.

     
    Test fitting the head and realized I didn't get the tensioner in place, had to buy a new front cover gasket

     
    Test fitting windage tray

     
    What's more fun than lining up a cork oil pan gasket?  Lining up TWO cork oil pan gaskets!
     
    Short block ready for the head assembly

     
    I painted the front upper and lower covers, oil filter housing, and dist. housing.  The head was cleaned up by the machine shop and the water pump wasn't that old, so I just cleaned it up a bit.
     
    More to come (eventually)
  6. xr4tic
    After I pulled the engine last year, I started stripping the engine bay.
     
    As usual, I went to the forum for advice:
    https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/205378-engine-bay-rustpaintcleanup-questions-lots/
     
    My original plan was to epoxy primer it all and then paint back to factory color.  Then it got too cold to paint, and the car sat over winter.
     
    And then the engine bay rusted up...again.
     
    How the engine bay looked after pulling the engine last year:

     

     
    Inka + unknown orange + overspray + black paint + grease + dirt + rust
     
    I stripped most of it off, then let it sit over winter.  This year, it was like this:

     
    After some wire wheeling:

     
    Fot the nooks/crannies, I got a harbor freight gravity feed blaster gun, filled it with baking soda (several times), and blasted those areas.
     
    Since the weather was starting to get cold again, I went with the quickie option, Rustoleum rattle can primer and paint.  It's nowhere near the color the car is currently painted, which isn't Inka, but looks waaaaaay better than it did.

     
    Got the subframe and suspension back in, and applied some Hushmat to the firewall:

     
    I didn't take any more pictures after this, but the car is offically OFF THE JACKSTANDS again.  Calipers/Rotors/Brake Lines were installed, Rims mounted, and it's now a roller again.
     
    More to come!
  7. xr4tic
    I pulled the engine out of my car in the fall of 2017.  Shortly after I started stripping the engine bay, pulled the subframe and suspension, planning to paint everything.
     
    Fast forward a year later to September, the engine bay is still not painted, the floorpan/frame rail is still not repaired, and the car has been on jackstands for a year.
     
    However, during the summer, I did rebuild the front suspension:
    IE Engine Mount Brace welded in
    Subframe powdercoated
    IE Urethane Bushings
    Volvo Calipers
    E21 Hubs + Rotors
    Bilstein Shocks
    H&R Springs (came with car)
    IE Offset Roll Center Spacer
    IE Fixed Front Camber Plates
    New Ball Joints/Tie-Rods/Center Link
    Rebuilt Steering Box
    All parts Epoxy coated + Eastwood Chassis Black
     
    Picture time!
     
    Welding in the IE engine mount brace (excuse the crappy looking welds, 2nd time welding ever)

     
    Sandblasting the original parts/cleanup (Harbor freight bench cabinet)


     
    Eastwood epoxy primer applied

     
    Realized it wasn't fun painting these on the ground, so I built a frame out of PVC to hang them up

     
    Installing idler arm bushings in the powdercoated subframe

     
    Subframe with bushings installed and control arms

     
    Struts assembled, test fitting calipers

     
    Fast forward to the fall, and here's the subframe back in the car with the suspension:

     
     
     
  8. xr4tic

    Chocolate Milk

    By xr4tic,

    In keeping with my timely blog updates, I'll now post something that happened several months ago.
     
    Shortly after my last post, I took the car out for a spin.  The engine ran, the brakes worked, the clutch was funky, but it was driveable.
     
    I got back after a very short spirited drive and checked to make sure the fluids were all still there.
     
    Oil - chocolate milk
    Water - empty
    Cursing - lots of it
     
    I put some water in the radiator, and it came pouring out of the passenger side of the block.
     
    I did a leakdown test to see if I could tell what the issue was, but every cylinder was ~80% leakage (extremely bad) so there was no way to know without pulling it apart.
     
    I pulled the head off and found a crack between a valve and coolant passage, the cylinders were extremely worn, and there was a large rusted hole in the passenger side freeze plug.
     
    The initial plan was to find another motor, do a quick refresh on it, drop it in, and then get the rest of the car fixed up before dropping a bunch of money into the motor.
     
    I found a motor on the forum here, shipped, for a decent price.  I got it apart and found several issues:
    It had been rebuilt, but done poorly, one of the rods was backwards and all of the rod nuts were upside down
    It had E12 pistons for an E21 head with signs of contact on the head
    The cylinder walls still had the cross hatch on them, but after measuring them, I determined someone had bored them too big.  There was way too much clearance, which would explain the signs of excessive oil burning (pistons/combustion chamber/valves/ports all full of carbon)
    One of the rod journals had a nick on it that gouged the rod bearing.
     
    Change of plans - rebuild the original motor.  Ordered some 9.5:1 pistons and 144mm rods from IE, along with a bunch of other stuff.  I'll post the complete list + costs in another entry.
     
    Chocolate Milk                        $0.00
    Used M10                           $440.00
    Running Total                $10,006.00
  9. xr4tic
    In addition to rebuilding the carb, I also installed an electric fuel pump and regulator.  The Weber carbs are picky when it comes to fuel pressure and the mechanical pump was providing too much pressure.
     
    I started a post about trying to use a regulator with a mechanical pump, and it just wasn't feasible without having to run fuel hose all over the engine bay.  It also details some of the part I bought
    Carb reinstalled with fuel pump block off plate and new inline filter (Mr. Gasket universal filter)
     
    The fuel pump block off is Empi 31-3011 as used on air-cooled VWs.  You can find them all over ebay for cheap, or pay more for the same item from a BMW aftermarket supplier
     

     
    You can also see the cooling system is finished and electric fan wired up with a coolant temp switch in the coolant housing.  The heater core lines are just plugged at this time because the heater box hasn't been put back in.
    Fan relay and distribution block - https://www.bluesea.com/products/5045/ST_Blade_Compact_Fuse_Blocks_-_4_Circuits

     
    Holley 12-804 Fuel Regulator installed:

     
    I wanted to mount a fuel pressure gauge, but had issues finding a good one.  The oil filled ones weren't accurate unless you vented them every time you wanted to check them and they could only be mounted with the vent straight up.  The non-oil gauge just bounced too much.  I ended up adding a fuel schrader valve so I could hook up a typical fuel pressure gauge tester:  http://www.dieselorings.com/schrader-valve-fuel-injection-rated-1-8-mnpt.html
     
    Fuel pump in trunk, Carter P60504 inline pump, includes a filter.

     
    I replaced the leaky Ansa center resonator with another Ansa (non-sport)




     
    While I was at it, pulled the rear bumper off in prep for a tuck:

     
    And pulled the diamond plate out of the trunk to see how bad it was:

     
    Yep, it's bad:

     
    While I was doing the cooling system, I got rid off the overspray in the headlight area and painted the grill.  Also mounted some new Hella lights - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G72SKQ/



     
     
    And also painted the wiper motor cover and arms to get rid of the orange overspray:


     
    No pictures, but replaced a leaky rear wheel brake cylinder and installed a new ST front sway bar to match the rear ST bar.  I thought the one I had was stock, turns out it was an old ST bar, but was a bit rusty and the bushings were shot.
     
    Head Lights                         $70.00
    Front Swaybar                   $165.00
    rear wheel cylinder              $20.00
    fuel pump                             $39.00
    fuel hose                              $21.00
    regulator                              $30.00
    block off plate                      $14.00
    fuel filter                               $10.00
    schrader valve                     $15.00
    Center Exhaust Pipe            $70.00
    Temp Switch                         $20.00
    Power Distribution Block      $25.00
    Running Total                  $9,566.00
     
  10. xr4tic
    Now that winter is over and the weather is nice again, it's time to do some more work on the '02.
     
    But first, I'm long overdue for a catch-up post, so here it is.
     
    With all the cooling hoses off, I pulled the heater box out.  The fan didn't work and the heater valve cable was broke.
     
    Pulled the box:

     
    The heater valve and broken cable:

     
    Inside of the old valve:

     
    Lots of WD-40 to break free up the lever/cable clamp:

     
    I used the rebuild kit from Blunt for the Heater Valve, bought a new fan motor off Amazon, and a new Bowden cable from Rogers tii
     
    I needed a solution to mount the old fan to the new motor, this is what I came up with:


     
    I bought some aluminum collars off Amazon and brazed them to the fan.  Be very careful, too much heat will warp the fan.  I spent a lot of time getting it straight again.
    Collars:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063KT4LW
     
    Cleaned up the overspray on the cover and gave it a fresh coat of paint:

     
    I took the heater core to a radiator shop, they cleaned it and checked it for leaks, didn't even charge me.
    The heater box is all assembled and ready to go back in.
     
    Unfortunately, I discovered the source of the water leak in my car:

     
    The bottom lip is almost completely rusted away.  I'm not sure if I should just cover it up with an epoxy paint and seal it real good, or have a new piece welded in.  I'll save that decision for later.
     
    While the heater core was out, I figured I might as well clean up the wiper box, it had lots of overspray on it too:

     

     
    I got another intake manifold, but didn't like the carb spacer the PO had used, it looks like it was for a 32/36, so I bought a 1/4" thick phenolic sheet and made my own
     
    Who says adults can't play with crayons?  Made a rubbing of the bottom of the carb

     
    Used my dremel to cut out the spacer, here compared to what was on there:

     
    Overlay comparison:

     
    The intake holes had to be opened up:




     
    Fresh coat of cast aluminum engine paint and mounted:

     
    Can't put the old carb on it without a rebuild, right?
     
    So apart it comes, crud inside:

     
    Crud in the filter:

     
    Had to make my own gaskets:

     
     
    And that's where I'll leave it.  More to post for the catch up later.
     
    Updated numbers:
    Heater valve repair  $92.00
    Blower Motor           $70.00
    Collar                        $8.00
    Bowden Cable         $45.00
    intake manifold      $100.00
    Phenolic                  $13.00
    Carb Rebuild Kit    $100.00
    Weber Jets              $50.00
    Running Total     $9,067.00
     
  11. xr4tic
    Shortly after I did the LEDs, I picked up some front Euro turn signals.  Spent WAY too much, but they're worth it.


     
    First up, I replaced the brake fluid reservoir, master cylinder hoses and grommets, and bled the whole system.  Still have poor braking, but that should be fixed by replacing the power booster
     
    Second up, replaced some of the shifter components, at least the ones I could reach while the trans was still in the car.  When I had it apart, I compared the stock shifter to the one from my E39 M5, overall same length but slightly longer below the pivot should give slightly shorter shifts.  Plus it's one piece and not worn out like the 2002 shifter.

     
    Took the strut bar off, cleaned all the overspray off of it, and tried to polish it up a bit.  Still rough, but way better than before.  Also found out it's made by BMP design and NLA.

     
    Installed a Crane XR3000 ignition box and Fireball PS50 coil (same coil as PS60, just black instead of chrome)
    The XR3000 does not need a ballast line, so I pulled out that wiring, as well as some other leftover emissions wiring, and ran new wires to the unit and coil.
     

     

     

     
    Popped the valve cover off, cleaned it up with a wire brush, and then painted it with some krinkle paint, left it out in the sun to bake

     
    Also new spark plugs, cap, rotor, and made some plug wires using Accel universal 8mm wires  I need to figure out a good way to tie them up still.
    Scraped off the raised areas of the valve cover as well and hit them with some fine sandpaper.

     
    It lasted a whole 5 minutes until I nicked it
     
    I had an exhaust leak I attempted to tackle, found it all black at the header connector and figured it was just a bad exhaust donut, nope, the Ansa intermediate pipe is broken.  I couldn't find a small pipe with a flare on the end to try and fix it, so I just reinstalled it as-is and will fix later.

     
    Updated totals:
    XR3000 $96.00 Coil $34.00 Wire Separators $15.00 Spark Plug Wires $27.00 Spark Plugs $7.00 Coil Mount $10.00 Cap/Rotor $17.00 Spray Paint $8.00 Nuts/Bolts $10.00 Wiring/Misc $50.00 Gaskets $18.00 Euro Turn Signals $270.00 Running Total $7,900.00  
     
  12. xr4tic
    Something had to be done about those bumpers and once I saw CAtuned's S2000 swap project thread, I knew that's the direction I was going.
     
    Lots of pics in that thread, bumper tuck is about 2/3 way down:

     
    I started by compressing the shocks as much as possible, I forget the measurements, but I think I needed to shorten the shocks by ~7" and the compression alone was only 3"

     
    So I cut them apart, you know, for science.
     
    Here's the what they look like on the inside:

     
    I trimmed the bumper with a cutoff wheel, then I put the shocks together, and tacked them up to the point the bolt head was just touching the nose piece. 
     

     
    Hmmm, still not as much tuck as CAtuned:

     
    I need more, but that bolt wont go any further back.
     
    But the bracket will:

     
    I actually put the new bolt hole too close to the front, the piece wouldn't angle properly.  I had to grind the nose piece of the shock to allow it to angle enough.
     
    I also shortened it too much with the new hole, had to cut the tacks off, pull the shock out a tad, and re-tack it.
     
    Test fit:

     
    The shock bushing needs to be trimmed a bit:

     
    I cut the bumper up some more, had to trim a little bit off the bottom, but not much, and here's the finished result:


     
    I really like it.  The rear will need to wait, because of the trunk floor rot, the rear shock bolts have been covered up in aluminum plate, I have to pull it out in order to get the shocks out.
     
    As for cost, I think I went through 6 or 7 cutoff disks, so about $20.
     
    Running Total $7,161.00
  13. xr4tic
    Now that the car was running, driving, and looking good with a bumper tuck, it was time to tackle the lights.
     
    The turn signals, parking lights, license plate lights, and one brake light didn't work.  I essentially had headlights and one brake light.
     
    I started with the license plate lights, picked up a set of cheap LED license plate bolt lights:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/252359694688

     
    They really suck to put in though.  If your current lights are in good shape, just consider putting LEDs in them.  Mine were in really bad shape, so this is the route I went.
     
    I cut the old lights off the license plate bracket, drilled out the upper bolt holes so these would fit through, hit the bracket with a fresh coat of paint, then mounted it all up:

     
    Then I went see if they worked, and......nothing.  Check for voltage - nothing.
     
    Check the fuse, it's blown.  Put in another fuse and it pops when I try again.
     
    Start checking the wiring in the trunk, and I find that a genius previous owner had connected the unused side marker light connections TOGETHER (the marker lights were removed from the car)
     
    Unplugged them on both sides, new fuse, and they worked.  Now onto the tail lights.
     
    One side was unplugged, there was speaker wire running from one taillight to the other and a bad attempt at trying to wire in some led strips as lights in place of the burned out sockets.
     
    I pulled the housings out, and they were in bad shape.  Melted sockets, cracks, and poor contacts.  Decided some rewiring was in order, as well as some LED bulbs.
     
    Bought some 1157 sockets:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZE8QQM/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    I originally tried some Dorman sockets, but after mounting, found they were way too deep and couldn't fit the back on the housings.
     
    The sockets I bought were a TIGHT fit when mounted on the top.
     
    The 1157 is a dual filament bulb, so it allows a dual function - one filament for normal parking/tail light, other filament for brake lights.  So now instead of one brake light on each side, I now have two, and they are much brighter than stock bulbs.
     
    I bought the following from Superbrightleds.com:
    2x 1157-R18-T: Red dual filament tail/brake light
    2x 1156-A18-T: Amber single filament turn signal
    2x 1156-R18-T: Red single Filament Brake lights
     
    I used a dremel to cut up the top socket to fit these, sanded the housing, painted them white, soldered in the wires (one to original tail light wire, one to brake light)
     
    Why white and not silver?  White is more reflective than silver, and I also happened to have a can of white spray paint already.
     



     
    Tail lights only:

     
    Brake lights on:

     
    I installed a new EL13 flasher and my turn signals were working again.  I also needed a new hazard switch.
     
    The headlights will be upgraded in a future post
     
    Updated totals:
    Fuses $20.00 LED Plate Lights $7.00 LEDs $80.00 Flasher $13.00 Brake light sockets $10.00 Hazard switch $47.00 Running Total $7,338.00  
  14. xr4tic
    Now that the car is running, it's time to check it out, see what I've got.
     
    On initial inspection, I spot the following things:
    Weber 38 carb
    Eibach springs in the rear (stock in front?  can't tell)
    KYB rear shocks (can't tell in front)
    Aftermarket front and rear swaybars (ST Suspension)
    Mechanical advance distributor (no vacuum)
    Unknown brand header
    Full Ansa exhaust (that leaks)
    Trim rings on the gauges, were these stock?
    3- gauge pod on the dash with VDO gauges
     
    I removed the carpeting so I could wash it, as well as look at the sheetmetal:
    Trunk is completely gone, which I knew from the ebay add
    Front floorpans have holes, driver side was "fixed" at a previous point
    Driver side frame extension is rotted, not attached to floorpan, probably because of previous repair
    Rockers/lower rear fenders have bulging/rusty areas, probably full of bondo
    Looks structurally sound otherwise
    Taillights/Blinkers/Brake Lights don't work
    The gas pedal isn't attached
     
    Floorpan shots (look at all that money!)



     
    And some rust under the heater box, probably a leak:

     
    I got it running fairly decent, so I go to take it on it's maiden voyage.
    I start the car, push the clutch in, can't get it into gear.  Broken shifter doesn't help, but that's not the full problem.
    Shut off the car, put it into gear, push in clutch, start it, and the car starts moving (clutch is in)
     
    OK, maybe the clutch is a bit rusty from sitting so long, so I figured I would pressure bleed the clutch cylinders.
    I hook up my power bleeder, and then fluid starts seeping out of the rubber grommets, but I was still able to bleed the clutch cylinder.
    It still did it, but after a couple of start/stops, it got better.  It's still hard to get into gear sometimes, but I think that will clear up with use.
     
    So now that it moves, will it stop?
     
    Short answer:  No.
     
    The idle raises when you push on the brake, indicating a leak and no power assist.  I have to stand on the brakes HARD to get it to stop, and it's very slow to do so.
    Also, the shifter is so bad, I can't get it into second or fourth while moving, the shifter hits the driveshaft.
     
    Time to order some parts.  Most of these I buy through getbmwparts.com, the reservoir from ebay and shift plate mounts from FCP.  Some of the more expensive parts I don't buy.
     
    Here's the list:
    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=2215-USA-11-1975-114-BMW-2002&diagId=23_0776
    01    Circlip            3    07119932863
    02    Shim            2    25111220199
    03    Gearshift rod joint    1    25117503525
    04    Dowel pin        1    23411466134
    05    TENSION BUSH        1    25111203682
    06    Plastic washer        1    25111434194
    07    STRAIGHT SELECTOR ROD    1    25111204357
    09    Lock Ring        1    23411466112
    12    Cap                    1    25111205441
    13    Circlip            1    07119932881
    14    Rubber Ring        1    23411666133
    15    Washer            1    34301163613
    16    Spring washer        1    23411666122
    17    Spacer sleeve        1    23411200844
    18    Compression spring    1    23411200845
    19    BALL CUP UPPER        2    23411466110

    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=2215-USA-11-1975-114-BMW-2002&diagId=23_0774
    10     Fillister-head screw    2    07119919669
    11     Supporting bracket    2    25111208580
    12    SOUND ABSORBER        1    23411200937
    14    Rubber boot        1    25111100582
    19    ROD            1    25111201238

    Brake/Clutch Reservoir
    master cylinder grommet        2    34311103205
    grommet washer            2    34314650172
    90 bend                2    34321102282
    Hose                1    21521163714
    reservoir            1    34321112399
     
    I also place an order for Left/Right front floorpans from W&N, and purchase a welder (finally an excuse to buy one, now I need to learn how to weld)
     
    Shifter/Brake Parts $179.00 Floorpans $150.00 Total $329.00 Running Total $7,141.00
  15. xr4tic
    What do you do after you've bought a car and are waiting for it to arrive?
     
    Buy some rims for it of course!
     
    Bought some BBS RS rims off ebay, 15x7 ET25, 4x108, and had them re-drilled to 4x100

     
    Car finally arrived, had to push it two blocks to my house because the truck couldn't go down my street.

     
    Rims installed:

     
    Charged the battery up, gave it a couple shots of starting fluid, car started right up.
    Next time I tried, battery was dead.  I pulled it out and had it tested, it was toast.
     
    Time for a new battery, lots of details on the board about this, but I first tried the original battery type - Group 42.  Picked one up from Advance Auto Parts, only to find out it wouldn't fit.  The flange on the bottom was too thick and wouldn't fit into the lip on the battery tray.
    New vs. old battery lip:

     
    So I took it back and got a Group 47, same size as what was in the car before.  It fit with no problems.
     
    Went to fire it up - Nothing.
     
    Time to tear into the wiring.  Noticed lots of extra wires on the car running into and out of the cabin, to the lights, and all over the engine bay.  Pulled out everything that was attached to the positive battery terminal and wasn't original to the car:

     
    With the wiring cleaned up and a new battery terminal, car fired right up like it's supposed to.
     
    I'll be attempting to keep track of what I've spent on this car, so for this entry:
    Car Purchase $3,650.00 Shipping $1,200.00 BBS RS Rims $1,320.00 Tires $360.00 Redrill $60.00 Mounting $15.00 Lug Nuts $24.00 Locks $13.00 Battery $130.00 Misc Wiring/Fluids $40.00 Total $6,812.00  
  16. xr4tic

    The Ebay Ad

    By xr4tic,

    Here's the original ad text:
     *Relisting* I am the third owner of this beauty. Bought her in 2013 but I had a motorcycle accident last year that left me handicapped and was not able to even start the car for some time. (She turns over, just fine and probably needs some cleaning of the carb) Now I can't even drive her or work on her sadly, so this is the reason for the sale. She was a daily driver, a runner, a friend. Never left me stranded nor did she lack the power, comfort, or reliability for 30+ mile round trips. I bought her from a man who would drive her to the Florida Keys (from Miami) to go fishing for fun. Problem with that was that the trunk eventually rusted out due to him leaving wet gear in the trunk (or so was told to me) he replaced the trunk with a diamond plate. Still has the jack and some tools though. Odometer stopped working, replaced oil religiously every 6 months. I replaced the tail lights with newer ones. The yellow fog lights are for show, though I'm sure you can wire them up. I put an ooga horn, but never got around to wiring it up. Had the front seats done up prior to my accident as I was planning on continuing to daily her and wanted to be comfortable in bolstered seats. The black trim that is missing from the bumper is included and intact, just needs to be fastened. She had a respray years ago according to previous owner. She has rust as is typical for a car this age, but is a looker still. (no rust on or near strut towers and none that you can see from 10 feet away) but there is rust on the body. This is a perfect car for someone looking to get into a good example of a 2002 in need of some restoration. Note: My intention was to rebuild engine and transmission to have a 2002 for life, but in my current situation I cannot do this with this car. My intent is that it goes to a good home, to someone who will appreciate it as much as I did when I first laid eyes on her. 
    Ansi Exhaust , Weber Carb, Sport Suspension, Cd player ( missing speaker someone ripped it out) 
    I will also be including a newer license plate holder with the lights intact. 
    Vehicle is ensured for over $11K with reputable collectors insurance.
    I had a newer gas tank added last year. I will include some spare parts that I've accumulated over the years. Newer door windows included, newer fuse box, spare wiper washer motor
     
    And Pics















×
×
  • Create New...