HLBlanton

I did the best thing you can possibly do with a 2002. I got it! That is, I am in SoCal, and the car ('73tii) was being upgraded a bit at a shop in San Francisco, and today, it was delivered to my doorstep. Oh, happy days...... I'm curious - I've switched over to a 9.4 compression, super light flywheel, 123 ignitions, 5 speed out of a 3 series, and a bunch of other stuff, including more aggressive suspension. My first couple of test runs showed a 0-60, averaging 7.6 seconds. Does this seem about right? I've not tuned the 123 up yet or bumped my octane up to about 93. The fun part of the drag runs was I had my wife in the car, and she couldn't believe how high I was letting it rev. At 60mph I spinning about 6200 RPM. Sweet sound and feel, but she thought it was nuts. I'm looking forward to trying again without the wife and also removing about 75 pounds of spares I have in the trunk. HLY

I have the same interior, and while the calico may be a little too bold for me, it really does look spectacular.

I just think to when I drove with cheap leather gloves, and a sheepskin coat back in the 70s and cringe just a little bit. now, if you want to talk about slippery wheels and needing gloves, – I dare you to try parallel parking a 300SL Gullwing without scuba gloves. It is so freaking heavy. My wife is a terrific driver, but when we rally together if the steering wheel needs to be muscled, we switch out seats.

Given your name, I'm guessing you have Malaga as well? I think the one you've pointed out is brown and natural and that was my first look. I'm definitely going to order some swatches.

The terra-cotta and black is definitely sty-ish while still being punchy enough to get your attention. I think the black and orange is a bit too bold. Good idea about getting some swatches. do you have any idea what was most common back in the day? I just can't get my head around what I was used to seeing, but I felt like most of the cars had something pretty similar. I don't tend to follow fads, but if they are 50 years old, I feel like I get a pass.

Back in the day, I scoffed at Coco mats (sort of like driving gloves). I find my self increasingly nostalgic and thinking about getting a set of four for my 1973 Malaga TII with a brown interior. The question is which color and which weave would seem most period appropriate and sharp. Where do your tastes land?

Hey Son of Marty what took you so long to give me the answer?😂 Seriously, thanks so much! The 2002FAQ is truly amazing and just an incredible resource for someone who is coming back to these cars after a few decades.

Both of my Sideview mirrors are “soft“ in that when I get up to 65 or 70 miles an hour the wind pushes them so that I can’t see where I want to. Is there anyway to tighten these up to make them a little bit more stiff?

yes, I did check the for sale forum. There was one engine listed and I've emailed the party. it's only one data points. I was hoping other folks have thoughts about this.

Anyone have an idea of what the current market for used motors is? I'm not looking for perfect, just something to get me over while my current tii motor is rebuilt (should take 6-8 months as planned.) I'm fine with a stock M10. The plan would be to pull the current motor, pop in an OK replacement, fix up the OG motor, swap them back, and then sell the used one I buy now. I know this is a nutty deal. But who knows how long the rebuild project actually takes, and I'd like to drive the car in the interim. HLB

Well, I'm kind of bummed🤓

Lookin' like the 9.5 is the way to go. But where to get 100 octane? I guess I can get some 5 gallon pails shipped from Sunoco (I am in SF and definitely don't want to store a 54-gallon drum here. Get 6 pails at a time I guess - 3 to fill it up, and 3 spares. Long drives will take a bit of planning to find stations that carry the good stuff. Any thoughts on what my expectations should be with the 9.5 w/ 100 octane juice should be?

Gordon - that is what I've landed on. A modest change, but it is "on our way" so not a ton of work, and hopefully a bit of a bump. I had gotten interested in putting in a Metric Mechanic engine (it looks like they do a good job and thinking about 165HP makes me feel special.) My motor is not number matching so that isn't a problem. But the price on the MM website says $10k and in fact is is now $13k. More importantly, there is more than a 12 month waitlist. Good for them I guess. 9.5# pistons for me. Thanks to everyone for their input. I"ve learned a lot.

I don't know about putting carbs in since it is a til 😂 What should expect if I upped the compression and made the camw more aggressive? I'm already doing new pistons . My suspension is very nicely tuned so mostly I want a bit more oomph below 3500 rpm

I am rebuilding the motor in my ‘73. Short of putting in a turbocharger, what is the one thing you would do to improve its performance – particularly at the low end? If it matters, I have a five speed that was transplanted from an e21

Does anyone have an idea about getting a waterproof (ok, dog slobber-proof) fabric cover for the rear seats? Weathertech makes this stuff, but they don't have it for 2002. I see a lot of them for sale, and I imagine the sizing doesn't need to be spot on, but any thoughts would be appreciated. By me and Jax the 12-month-old German Shepherd. Good dog.

Boy, quick response... I just emailed Hami. Say hi for me when you pick up my car (my actual name is Howard). I hope to bring the car by in late July for a check in /check up/check out each other (Hami and me) I can't tell you how excited I am to be in 2002 again!

Thanks Solex - Sold and sold. I have no fear of the tenderloin - I've had a Porche serviced there. Can I use your name (or handle anyway?)

I can STRONGLY recommend Cappy's. Automotive Transportation. They are California based, have competitive if not rock bottom pricing, and are easily the best company I have used. I've used them for everything from a '91 Porsche 911 to a '56 MB 300SL Gullwing. Perfection. I think they only do enclosed shipping. Great communication. For a more "mainstream" company, my favorite is Montway. Most of their rigs are company-owned, not independent operators. It gives them better control over who goes where and when. Finally, Passport is OK. You can contact Camille Davis at(417) 650-0972. They are the "official" shipper for the Gullwing Group rallies, so obviously, they know their stuff, but I have had mixed experiences with timing and communications. That said, I'd put some sort of tracker in the car. I've used this GPS Tracker - Optimus 3.0 4G LTE Bundle with Waterproof Twin Magnet Case - 1 Month Battery which is great. It only costs about $40, and last pretty long, depending on the settings, but it does require a monthly subscription. You can sign up and cancel after you ship. Alternatively, you can just stick an Apple Airtag if you use IOS, or a Tile (both about $35 on Amazon.) Neither requires a subscription. They are not as quick to report but you don't need a subscription and they last hella long. I have Airtags in all my cars - classic and contemporary- , and also on my keychains. This is both for theft protection and for finding keys and cars when I misplace them. VERY cheap insurance. I misplaced keys at this huge event and the Findmy app got me to within 10 feet of them. Optimus

I just joined, and am thrilled to be here! Also thrilled to finally have a 2002 again after many years. This time it is my dream car - a '72 tii in Malaga. My heart skipped a beat. Before posting I did a couple of searches and didn't find any queries for SF shops in over 10 years, so I hope I'm not being intrusive. I have a strong preference for a shop IN SF or as close as humanly possible. I just don't want to cross any bridges if I don't have to. Thanks in advance and looking forward to poking around this FAQ more. HLB