Charles in PA

The husband of the previous owner of my 74tii was an airplane mechanic and kept meticulous care of the car. In the maintenance log he kept he noted that he sprayed the car's drains, crevices and underbody every two years with ACF-50, a military spec corrosion inhibitor.  It is available on Amazon.  For what it is worth.  

1 hour ago, visionaut said:

It says there was only a single pre-71 1971 2002 Automatic.

Interesting.  Another production run quirk, to me anyways, is last tii, 2782928, that is listed in the production numbers, albeit with question marks, as made in 1975. Did they shut the factory down in December 74 only and reopen in 75 to make one last tii? 

Reminds me of the movie Money Pit and the stock laugh line throughout that things will be done in two weeks!  Learning that getting anything done on these old cars tends to take a lot more time than you think.  Looking forward to more updates. Cheers

Another source for 74-only style seats is Steven Sperling at zoomzoomzooming.  He is the only one I could find that has the 74-style in leather which is what I need for my 74tii to replace the original leather covers.  A few of the members of this forum has used his covers with great results.  For what it is worth.  You can find his eBay store here:  

zoomzoomzoom-ing | eBay Stores

WWW.EBAY.COM

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We sell Currie Electric Scooters, a variety of car parts, primarily for the more valuable "older" cars and clothing! We also sell tickets to sporting events. It is a strange combination but it is a mixture of both our businesses!

@Mike Self, yes, my car (74 tii, 2781801, it's in the FAQ directory) came from the factory with leather seats. The car came with service records dating back to 1976.  Using the records, I was able to track down Tom Bass of Myerstown, PA.  Bass was the former sales manager at Manheim BMW from 1972 to 1982 and was actually the person who sold the car to then second owner, a dentist in Lebanon, PA, Byron Clark, back in 1976.  The sales receipt with Bass' signature was the first record in the stack.

In any case, Bass told me that the car was special ordered by the owner of Manheim BMW, HA Boyd.  Boyd at that time was a BMW distributor servicing PA, MD, and DE.  Bass said Boyd ordered the car for himself, picked it up from the factory, and then drove it around Germany for a month or so in lieu of using a rental, a practice he did more than once.  When his vacation was over, Boyd had the car shipped back to PA and sold it at his dealership.  The shipping invoice in my records shows the car was delivered directly to Boyd.  Also in the records is an estimate of the car's value that Boyd generated for Clark at one point in time and it specifically mentions leather seats.  The car also has a sunroof, AC, wooden shift knob, a passenger side mirror and came in black, so it seems to have come fully loaded and in a rare color as well.  

Bass had some great stories.  He said he got his start in 1968 selling Volkswagons and BMWs at Boyd's Volkswagon dealership in Lebanon, PA.  Bass said one year (he thinks 1970), Boyd held out a free trip to Europe to any salesman that sold a dozen BMWs or more.  Bass sold 15.  Bass said Boyd took he and his wife Janet to Europe for five weeks, paid for everything.  During his time working for Boyd,  Bass recalled meeting Max Hoffman several times, including lunching with him and Boyd in Munich and going to Hoffman's house in Germany.  Tom said he also saw Hoffman in New York City when Hoffman would host functions for BMW dealers and salespeople.

As you can see from the pictures I have attached, the leather seats are in pretty sad shape. My plan is to (eventually) buy new leather covers and seat pads and to put the seats back in the car.  

Thanks, my bad, I added an "s" to the end of "seat." Wasn't fully caffeinated yet this morning! 

Looks great, came out really nice.  My 74 tii originally came with leather seats.  I have the seats but they need new pads and covers.  The lseat.com domain is not active.  What is the correct web address for where you purchased the covers? thanks

Just a thought, but if you go with the OEM panels, I would recommend covering the backside of the panel with a clear coat of polyurethane to keep the board stable even if it gets wet.  I had this done to my original door cards when I had them redone last year, came out great. 

My 74tii, built in May 74, has a trapezoid mirror. 

Wow, really impressive work! I can barely sew a button back on my shirt, I'd be in way over my head on something like this.  Nice job!

Took the longest road trip to date in my tii to visit my dad for Father’s Day weekend. He’s 85 and still going strong. My two boys drove up as well in my son’s X5. They both try to outdo each other with their ZHP’s and M3’s. Happy Father’s Day to the FAQ fathers out there. Have a great day!

DM incoming

Goop works awesome.  Here's a before and after shot of my rear driver side door card.  Smeared Goop on it, let is sit for just a bit and then wiped it off with a damp cloth.  Thought it did a pretty amazing job cleaning them.  Good luck!

On 2/8/2024 at 10:57 AM, Mike Self said:

This is particularly important on squarelight cars with those big bumpers, and also US 73's with their extended bumpers.  If for no other reason than to keep the exhaust from staining/deteriorating the bumper finish, but also getting the exhaust well away from the car.

Is there an exhaust tip available that extends beyond the diving boards?  I have a 74tii.  The tips available at Rogers and Wallothnesch do not look like they'd extend beyond the diving boards.  Thanks

My son gave me these framed old ads and photos years ago but they only recently got hung up.  My old 76 is among the photos in the collage.  

Looking for 74 style seat covers, you may want to check out Steven Sperling at zoomzoomzooming@gmail.com.  I have not pulled the trigger yet -  I need leather seat covers front and back to match my originals -- but I have seen other members here use his covers @BarneyT and they look like a good fit.  Just a suggestion.  Cheers

2 hours ago, scabzzzz said:

What are people doing about the NLA right side body to lamp gasket?

I have not personally done this but in the maintenance log that came with my 74tii, the previous owner who had installed LED tail lights noted that "rear taillight lens seals were NLA when the LEDs were installed.  Silicone sealant was used." For what it is worth.  

I did not see the one-time-only 74 pattern available on Lseats. Did I miss them?

Picked up the original door cards for my 74tii that went to the upholsterer a little over a year ago for cleaning and repair.  'Very pleased with the result, a pretty amazing transformation and well worth the wait.  Picked up the tip here on FAQ of using the Mylar tape to replace the "chrome" finish on the door card strip.  The upholsterer also sealed the back side of the cards to protect from any moisture.  

@wegweiser is a couple of hours away but might know someone closer.  Paul is the best in the West!

Seconding @John76's question on the bumpers.  They look amazing. What exactly did you do? thanks

Here you go: 

No Reserve: 1974 BMW 2002tii Project for sale on BaT Auctions - ending October 9 (Lot #123,264) | Bring a Trailer

BRINGATRAILER.COM

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Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1974 BMW 2002tii Project at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #123,264.

My 74tii has a snorkel.  I know the nose piece is not original.  The service records that came with the car when I bought it in 2021 (they stretch back to the car's purchase by the then second owner in 1976) detail extensive body work in 1992, including a new nose piece -- with a snorkel.  Soon after I bought the car, I connected with the owner of the body shop that did the job.  He recalled the tii and even gave me a bunch of pictures he had taken of the car when it was in his shop.  He also shared that he didn't know that a tii nose piece should not have had a snorkel or that the seams at the top where the nose piece joins the quarter panels should have been sealed.  So not only is my tii snorkeled it has unsealed seams as well! 

3 hours ago, NickVyse said:

They made 72,000 of them, pretty impressive. 

 

That's a big number.  Maybe I am not looking in the right places, but you sure don't see many around today with that many made.