Zak

Sad to see members pass !

I forgot to add one gallon of windshield washer fluid for 99 cents. Brake fluid for 99 cents. Hand cleaner for 99 cents. Crazy Glue or Super Glue for 99 cents. 12oz smoothie in assorted flavors for 99 cents. They also sold it in 1/2 gallon for $1.99. Trail mix for 99 cents. 16 0z Energy drink for 99 cents. The last three are great for that needed extra burst of energy when there is no time to stop for lunch while changing out the transmission. And the list goes on. And to top it off, more often than not the oddest people worked and shopped at these stores.

The dollar stores are closing all over the country, succumbing to inflation. And, Yes ! I will lament their passing as they have been a convenient, cheap and great source for many things including automotive related products. These include name brand engine oil ( both standard and synthetic ) shop rags, duct tape available in an assortment of colors, glues, chrome metal tape and cleaning and detailing supplies, tools etc. Sure, there are those of you here with deep pockets who could care less, but they were a great source for those of us working class folk. I purchased my collection of BMW 2002 Hotwheels, including a 3.0CSL there, for 99 cents each, among other things. Where else can you get 4 rolls of dog poop bags for 99 cents ? An LED light bulb for 99 cents ? A torpedo level for 99 cents ? A battery operated toothbrush, battery included, for 99 cents ? A gallon of bleach for 99 cents ? A spray bottle of good and effective stain remover for 99 cents ? A box of condoms for 99 cents ? A pregnancy test kit for 99 cents ? A 12oz can of Sapporo beer for 99 cents ? A good size dustpan for 99 cents ? etc. etc. etc. Toooo Baaad ! What's happening to the dollar ?

I thought about reinstalling the original Porsche synchroed 4 speed after doing the conversion. Why ? Because I find some issues with the 245 5 speed from the 320i. The slave cylinder location is not a good fit for the transmission tunnel in an 02. You have to bang out the transmission tunnel in this area which corresponds exactly to where your foot sits on the accelerator. I have a size 15-Wide shoe size, and this decreases room for my foot-shoe where I have to slightly twist my foot while pressing on the accelerator, especially when I put the pedal to the metal. Furthermore, servicing such as bleeding the slave cylinder in place is nearly impossible. Removing and replacing it is a total pain. There just is very little room in the 02 transmission tunnel. Then there rare the newer style synchroes with teeth which result in a notchy feel when shifting. This has been the case since about 1970, when BMW switched from the smooth Porsche synchroes to the newer style Borg-Warner synchroes. The Porsche synchroes are so much smoother. The overdrive 5th gear is 20% taller than the 1:1 ratio in 4th. So, you have to cut this jump down by half by installing a lower geared diff such as a 3.90. I run my 245 with a 4.11 diff, cutting the overdrive down to about 5%,only. I might as well be running the 4 speed with 3.64 at this point. My set-up kind of mimics a close ratio 5 speed trans coupled to a 3.64 diff. I had to realign the driveshaft 2X with washers before I finally got it right. I have a complete 5 speed set-up with all the components which I prepared for my other car. But, after my experiences with the conversion on one of my cars, I doubt I will install it in my 2nd car.

I've had the opportunity to tour his cool shop in SoCal and examine his work. Workmanship is of the highest quality. He's highly motivated, enthusiastic and passionate about his work.

I'm with Toby. I think many of the new designs, including EV cars look as if they were shaped by human bowels .

That looks like an Irish themed 02 T-shirt.

I'm certainly concerned about the environment, but the way they are going about it here in California is both, wrong and hypocritical. I worked in the environmental and sustainability sector for over 10 years. And, the politicians here in California have jumped on the "Green"bandwagon while passing legislation without taking everything into consideration. For example, they have mandated low-flow water saving toilets which only work adequately in newer homes with PVC plastic plumbing, otherwise your old clay sewers will get clogged. But, most of the housing stock still has the old clay main sewers in place. Changing out the main sewer can cost in excess of $30K. And, the state doesn't cover this cost. They are just forcing you to install the newer toilets with no regard for the plumbing issues etc. The City of San Francisco was the first to pass the ordinance. And, soon after it was implemented the city's old sewers got clogged with crap. They then had to pump in toxic chemicals to dissolve it. Furthermore, big industry, which accounts for 88% of the water consumption, was not restrained while the residential sector, which consumes 12% of the water, was asked to conserve and slapped with stupid legislation. And, the same applies to solar energy. I worked for a program which provided free solar energy systems for low income households. The politicians wanted the numbers and the solar systems on the roofs to make themselves look better. But, how do you install a solar system on an old roof, well past its expected life span ? When the local municipalities refused to issue permits, the program managers still insisted that the systems be installed without disclosing the problems to the home owner. They also didn't disclose that the state would not cover the costs associated with removing the system and re-installation, as required when the roof is repaired and replaced. The process of producing electric cars, including lithium batteries and all the plastic, is responsible for more pollutants than the entire life cycle of an economical gas combustion automobile such as a Toyota.

I meant to say "Thomas Edison".

My mistake. I meant to say "Thomas Edison".

It was the Serbian - American inventor and scientist, Nikola Tesla who came up with alternating current (AC) to enable the long distance transfer of electricity. Thomas Edison opposed AC, stubbornly clinging to DC and sparking the "War of the Currents" as he incited mobs to burn down Tesla's laboratory and electrocuted elephants, other animals and eventually people in prisons to illustrate the dangers associated with AC. Tesla advocated free electrical power for all. Unfortunately, electrical power isn't cheap, nor is the Tesla car, named after Tesla, but not in the spirit of Tesla. Electric cars are not affordable, and in their current configuration can never replace internal combustion engines despite the best efforts of the Green Nazis here in California.

I took this photo on Interstate 5 near the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Thanks for putting together this very thorough and informative article, Mr. "R". It's a topic which really needed addressing. And, Yes, the badge and script is often the first thing one observes. It's part of the emotional first impressions. As I rummaged the salvage yards I always got fixated on the trim and badges. I just don't understand why I didn't remove them all. I gave a lot away as well. The "1600" badge for 1967 and very early 68 cars mounted alongside the BMW roundel on the top right corner of the of the rear panel is thicker and more solid vs. the later 1600 and 1602 and 2002 badges mounted on the lower portion, which are not thinner and not as solid. I'll provide pics when I get to my desk which is littered with these badges. And, now that we are exploring this very interesting topic in detail, how about the "NK" badging ? There are a lot of interesting things going on there. I'll provide a little detail on this as well. I'll also provide detail on the early "BMW 16oo" dash badge.

That's one of the first things I did to my car back in 1982.

I learned the hard way. It took me a while to master the process, including the adjustments. I commend you for putting it all together. Great job. It will save a lot of grief for many people, Unfortunately, there was no such guide when I embarked on the crusade to learn the process. And, it took a toll on me. I became fixated on the window regulator. The first time I saw it I realized that I was a Knight in my previous life. It looks like a menacing medieval weapon, great for cracking skulls. All I need is a squire to run behind me and hit two coconut halves against each other to mimik the horse hoofs on my imaginary horse.

175/70 x 13 Tires work great on 5 1/2" x 13" wheels with ET 19 offset. The 175/70 x 13 are about 2% smaller in diameter than the 185/70. So, you'll reduce your gearing and top speed by 2%, which is negligible. I run the much fatter 205/60 x 13 tires on 5 1/2" x 13" ET 19 wheels. the 205/60 x13 tires have the same overall diameter as the 175/70 x13 tires. I have shorter and slightly stiffer ST springs with Bilstein shocks. I also have -1/2 degree camber plates in the front which help to tuck the wheels under the fenders. At the rear my fender lips are rolled, but these tires and wheels may have cleared with the stock fender lip. I rolled the lips when I was using the same tires and rim size, but with an ET 12 offset. I have no rubbing issues up front except when tires are turned and I'm backing out of a driveway. I also used 185/70 x13s with the same set up.But they rubbed on the inner fender at full turn. This was due to the extra negative camber. When I removed negative camber plates, there was no rubbing. The 175/70s are a great and economical option. You will have no rubbing problems with them , and they feel Snappy and precise on that size wheel. It's the maximum width wheel recommended for those tires.

Check the idle jets. Some or all may be clogged from crud in the fuel. They are easy to remove and clean with carb cleaner and a single wire from a braided bicycle brake cable or something similar.

The seller lost about $10K at least since he purchased the car in 2020 for $21,500. And, that doesn't include the shipping from Europe, where the car was located, to Las Vegas. Some people have been really trying to capitalize on the high prices, but now things are coming down. And, the "Flippers" will move on to something else, which is a good thing in my opinion. Take your snake oil and move on out of this town. You're no longer welcome here. Recently a clean "Retro Rod" 1600-2 bid on BAT to $32,500, but didn't meet reserve. The seller didn't know much about these cars while presenting it with the typical sales pitch; "Only the highest quality parts etc". And, then all hell broke loose when one of the responders confronted the seller, noting the chrome tape fix on the door panels and the use of a later E21 or E30 cast vs. original forged crank in the engine build. The builder chimed in, grudgingly acknowledging these observations, but also turned on the respondent even though the respondent thought the car was still worth $30K-$40K. Evidently the builder and seller were expecting to get well in excess of the highest bid for the car, which, in my opinion, didn't really meet the "Retro Rod" criteria all that well either. Some builders, mechanics and flippers were getting spoiled. So what now ? They may move onto the 3.0 Coupe market where partially restored cars are fetching in excess of $100K. It's a no-brainer as the prices of parts for coupes and 02s are about equal. And, maybe this is for the better, as the 3.0 coupes always attracted the higher income earners and Hollywood Patricians etc. But, please leave the 2.0 coupes alone so some of us poorer folks can tinker with a coupe of our own. And, a slump in the prices may attract more people here, although things will never be the same as they were 20 - 30 years ago when these cars cost almost nothing and parts and supply were abundant.

This is heading somewhere ???