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mattmcginn

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Everything posted by mattmcginn

  1. I've installed dozens of winshields on these little cars-mostly Sigla's, Sekurit and the occaisonal Pilkington. What came most recently from BMW was a Nordglass-and this thing is just curved differently than the car. I am not hung up on brand but this onefeels really flexible too-so it may work but damned if I am going to try to install it only to have it break either during installation or later on...basically what I want to know if anyone has installed a "Nordglass" branded front glass and had similar concerns. The parts guy at my local dealer is looking into it, we'll see how that goes. Thanks, Matt
  2. Been off the forum for a while, what is a fair price for a good tii booster?
  3. The single most useful and accurate tool for cutting metal for restoration purposes, assuming you have an air compressor that will support it, is a 22,000 or so RPM die grinder/cut off tool. I have a Dotco that has served me well for fifteen years or so. I rebuilt it with skateboard wheel bearings (608ZZ I think) when it got to the point where it needed a kick start, and it still rules. Expensive new, but the kind of expensive where you will bring it in the house at night and covet it. Mine was used and $15 bucks, but would pay new retail if it got lost or stolen or run over. Plasma cutters=great for quick rippage of metal, e.g. cutting new plate/bar stock just to get it somewhat down to size or in the door. I have an ESAB unit, rarely use it. It is just not accurate enough for restoration work and certainly not worth the cost. You can't plasma-cut a floorpan out and then butt weld in one of those nice Walloth and Nesch panels without further work on the edges. Plasma cutters are tools for parting cars out. A sawzall is the junkyard equivalent of the plasma cutter. Though they both will Cut Metal Fast, they do it inaccurately, and to do good work, you will need to dress the edges with a die grinder/cutoff tool anyway, so plan the cuts more accurately and make one fine cut rather than one rough and one fine cut. Die Grinder/Cutoff tool tips: Almost all spin clockwise as you are looking at it from the air input end, so work the tool from left to right, don't saw back and forth and don't bury the cutoff wheel more than a third of the wheel's diameter or so. You can find the sweet spot where either the sheer RPM of the tool or torque will cut the metal the fastest. Stay there. Learn to use the tool and it will be rewarding. With practice you can cut a four-foot length of 20-gauge sheet metal along a scribed line in about two minutes with little deviation from your line. This means good panel fit up, less distortion when welding and great honor to your family of course. Things I have learned in twenty-plus years: Mine are all 1/4" arbor. Don't bend the arbor by dropping the tool or you will burn up cutoff wheels like mad and may get hurt as they spin off chunks of cutoff wheel at 22,000 rpm and waste the tool's bearings in the process. If the tool is out of balance, either the cutoff wheel is wonky or the arbor is bent. Change the offender so the tool runs true. Keep spare arbors. Inexpensive arbors are okay, but they will bend easily when the tool is dropped of if you drunkenly step on the tool while on the floor or use it as a hammer. Inexpensive cutoff tools hog air. Dotco's/Cleco/ARO's dont. Don't buy a cutoff tool off a tool truck unless it is new and less than $20. Plenty of Snap-On and Mac stuff is worth the money, their air tools are not. At that price, you are better off buying three of them at Harbor Freight, this way, you have two in the on-deck circle. I have some HF cutoff tools that have lasted mere moments, some years. A vintage composite-bodied Dotco that works is worth the $300 some dude is asking if you use it for two hours daily, year in, year out. A HF cutoff tool will do the same thing for five minutes monthly while hogging air, but will be $15 with a coupon. I worked for the first five years in my business with two Dotcos swapping various attachments. Cut metal with a die grinder. Simple. Which one is up to you.
  4. Opened today's mail and found these gems: DSC06103 by SportsCar Restoration Matt McGinn, on Flickr These are from around 1990 and I recall them being at the shop I worked at a couple years later! It was a great magazine that unfortunately did not last. Many thanks CD! Much better than the usual bills etc that the mail brings. Matt
  5. You should be able to view a number of them on Flickr.
  6. Thanks for the praise. We make fenders from scratch here at the shop. In fact, we're working on a couple of sets for customers right now. DSC03160 by SportsCar Restoration Matt McGinn, on Flickr DSC03179 by SportsCar Restoration Matt McGinn, on Flickr DSC03180 by SportsCar Restoration Matt McGinn, on Flickr
  7. Its a beaut! There is a nice 1600 in one of those pix I think. Say hi to the tree growing thru it! That car looked at this: for a long time.
  8. No Good at all. Door seals awful. Might be okay if you panel fitted and body worked a car from scratch with them in place so you could compensate during the construction, but they are just trash. I also gave the glass seals a shot, and the only glass I ever broke installing was done on a new OEM glass using a URO brand seal. The seals have the right profile, I guess, but the molded in corners are not there, they are just a big loop. I even tried them on my track 911 and NG as well. (at least the door and hood seals) Not worth the effort, certainly not worth the result. Those seals have lost me hundreds in lost time and glass. Matt
  9. Hi Tom Here you go: I've posted some of this stuff before but I figure there is always a new audience every few years, kind of like Disney movies and kids! Note: pix are from different cars, different times and most are 6+years old. Note: This post assumes basic familiarity with metal working tools, safety, and that the car is taken apart enough to do the work w/o damage. This is all vintage SCR circa 2002 at our old shop: Melt body solder (lead) from mig welded rear section at top of rear window opening. A low heat blue flame is needed. Don't melt the solder, just heat it up until you see it change hue, then it will scrape off in chunks cleanly rather than running all over the place. Cut above the weld line: ID the welds using some old 80-100 grit paper. Drill or grind all welds along driprail: Don't go thru the support rail, just thru the outer skin: Note: I use Wurth spot weld bits, 8mm size. No Rotabroach, Blair, etc. They are expensive, annoying to use, skip all over the place (meaning they good potential for injury) and just don't last. The Wurth bits (or comparable non Wurth branded ones) are good. Use some cutting oil. A spare spray paint cap is a good handy small reservoir to dip into before each cut, you'll see that Dan is using an old paint cup that is cut down. Lots of pressure but low speed works well for this, so it is necessary to have a good drill. The one shown is a Snap On, but any good brand will work well (Chicago Pneumatic, an old ARO, Sioux, etc.) as they still have lots of torque at low RPM. If you don't break a sweat after drilling about 6 welds, you're not pressing hard enough. Pressure and low speed will save drill bits and at $15 each, its worth it to develop technique. You can also grind the welds with an 1/8" cutoff wheel, but that technique is best saved for another post or a Youtube tutorial. Next, pop the weld remnants free and peel off the skin in small sections: I like to use what KD sells as a "gasket scraper" to chisel the welds apart where the bit missed or I didn't drill enough. Use a light hammer to hit the chisel as what you're after is more of a sharp shock than brute force to separate the weld. The substructure is fairly weak and you don't want to distort it. My favorite hammer is my Snap-On BF 608 planishing hammer. Its customized with a longer better balanced handle than it comes with standard. Also shown is the CP 9109-28 die grinder and some of the good SAIT discs (.045 and 1/8") discs I like to use for cutting (.045) or grinding (1/8") Remove the skin: Stay tuned, I have to get to work now, I will post some more later when I get home or if I take a break during the day. Matt
  10. Rob Kinnan, editor, in his monthly column this month mentioned the 2002 as being among "foreign oddballs" that he likes. He said, the 2002 is a classic design for European car nuts like a '69 Camaro is to you and me." He also commented that, "Any domestic engine will fit." As I was sorting through about 100 pounds of hardware, brackets, linkages, that was cleaned and ready for plating, I was reflecting on the paragraph Kinnan dedicated to the 02. It occurred to me that was is so "foreign" to some, even at a macro level, such as even knowing what a 2002 is, is so familiar to us on the most micro of levels. The words "Ribe" "Verbus" "Knipping" "Eska" "Graeka", and my personal favorite, "Boesner" are so familiar to many of us. To go OT: There is also a good article on legendary metal fabricator and car constructor Ron Fournier that nicely chronicles his days with Holman & Moody as well as Penske. To risk sounding like a shill for Hot Rod, there is a lot of good content in each magazine that carries across, if not in application, in spirit to what we all do here. It was great to see an open minded perspective in HRM. Matt
  11. Sold thanks for all the interest. Shell only, no suspension, etc. basically just has wiring harness in it. Not that rusty for a northeast car, sunroof car, Agave, needs full restoration. Spare tire well shot, rockers rusty, etc. Bad replacement nose panel, floorpans are decent originals. Good frame rails, good original never repaired shock towers. Have title (which is meaningless here in CT as it is not required or issued for a car this old. Have matching VIN block, disassembled 15 yrs ago and rusty. The best use of this would be as a race car shell or as a donor shell if your car is just beyond help. It would not be economical to rebuild it as a street car. I also have tons of stuff that could be given with it to make it semi complete at no extra charge. Lots of other goodies I can't ship the car, local pickup would be best, you'd need a dolly to move it. Will help load, no problem. $400 or best offer. I can hold the car for one week if someone wants it and pays in full via paypal. Show up today, and $300 cash would take it, highly motivated seller. Will trade for old or quality new hand tools, old hardcore records, random steel plates, Lathes, Bridgeports, anything. Its worth it to scavenge the rails, floors and roof if you wanted to convert a car. Need it to leave ASAP space is more important than cash. Call 860 793 2002 ask for Matt
  12. We are too busy to do the job right now.
  13. All in all very clean. Correction on original post, there are two patches in floor, on on the left front pan, where your clutch foot would sit, and one near the lower front portion of the rear inner wheelarch. Also mounted some optional wheels on it, for a more period look. Differential is a 3:91 LSD. Pix here More photos here that tell the whole story. Flickr: SportsCar Restoration Matt McGinn's Photostream
  14. Yah too many 02's here. I have two of my own projects, and they never get worked on so who am I kidding? I am a glutton for punishment. I actually drove a 76 Alfetta the other day, and it was not all rotted out. Lowered, with the right wheels it might "almost" look cool (probably not though) Car is cheap, but just got me thinking...I have a GTV already, but hardly use it because it is fairly nice, and I would love a rat car to drive around in, and NOT RESTORE. This 2002 has tons of cool stuff on it, but its already stuff I have in duplicate if not triplicate already. It's kinda like that saying (paraphrasing now) "No matter how good she looks, there is some guy out there who is sick of putting up with her crap." I just figure out there, there is someone jonesing for a 2002 who has something odd who's crap he is sick of putting up with...
  15. Just a feeler I am putting out here, I have a car that I am looking to trade up/down/sideways etc for an Alfa GTV, Lancia Fulvia, or some other odd Italian car. The car is a 1972 BMW 2002 "M2" track car. VIN 2580959. Clear Connecticut title in hand. Needs head gasket. Gasket blew between cylinders 3 and 4 into water jacket. Car will still run. Mechanical Specs: Front suspension: Coil over springs mounted 2002 tii strut housings. This is advantageous because 2002tii struts have larger wheel bearings as well as the proper mounting ears for larger brake calipers. Vented brake rotors, 2.5" 400# springs. The vented rotors have cooling ducts from front air dam with a custom bracket bolted to the strut to get the air right on the rotors. Scirocco strut inserts, great match for the coilovers. Ireland Engineering adjustable camber front strut mounts. 22mm Metric Mechanic sway bar, 19mm adjustable rear bar. All ball joints/steering in good condition. Steering is tight. All of the above is in great working order. Nothing is worn or junk. Rear suspension: Bilstein sports, 350# Eibach springs (not coil over) Boxed trailing arms, 3:91 limited slip differential, polyurethane bushings and IE poly carrier bushing inserts. Adjustable toe rear subframe. Engine: 2.3L s14, running stock fuel injection. Engine was rebuilt by owner appx. 1500 miles ago, 93.5mm JE pistons, new rings, bearings (Standard main and rod bearings)etc. All new gaskets, timing chain tensioners, etc. Appx. $3000 worth of parts alone went into the engine rebuild. Head gasket failed between water jacket and cylinders 2 and 3. Gasket failed on a Saturday, we had the cooling system emptied on Monday and cylinders dried out and squirted with WD40 to prevent corrosion. Transmission: 5 speed Getrag 320i transmission, speed and reference sensor bungs welded into bellhousing. Shortened driveshaft obviously. Short shifter, shifts smoothly and linkage is nice and tight. Wheels: 14" alloys, with Hankook Ventus VSS grooved slicks. 205/55-14. Front and rear fender lips have been rolled for wheel clearance. I have other 13x6" Rial basketweave period alloy wheels with new street tires that would look great and could include. I also have a lot of other goodies. Body: 72 shell. Non sunroof car, headliner intact. Perfect original floorpans, perfect framerails-never repaired, never rusted. Spare tire well has been replaced with a factory unit, and has been done well. Right shock tower has been repaired, it is a strong repair, but not cosmetically good. Left shock tower is perfect and original. Right rear wheelarch has been repaired, someone flanged the metal and welded in a new arch. You can only tell from the inside of the car-someone bodyworked the outside well and the repair is solid, but not concours. Car appears to have never been wrecked-front shock towers are nice and straight, and rear quarter panels and rear body panel are original. Doors and lids have no rust-crimped seams are good and not bulging with rust and have never been repaired This could be a great dual purpose car as the heat, defrost work and the carpet and headliner are still intact. Door panels/cards present and uncut for speaker holes or other molestation. Front and rear fender lips have been rolled for wheel clearance. 14" wheels with grooved slicks. I have other 13x6" Rial basketweave period alloy wheels with new street tires that would look great and could include. Nose panel has no rust, and get this, its "bolt-on". This can be good or bad, depending on your attitude. It makes engine removal easy, but is obviously not original. Other Details: Autopower Bolt in roll cage. Corbeau bucket seats, G-Force 5 point Harnesses. Braided stainless lines, all other steel lines in either new or near new condition. This car is a well setup track car that will short track you to getting on the track both financially and time wise. This could be a great dual purpose car as the heat, defrost work and the carpet and headliner are still intact. Asking $6000 or will trade up or down for other interesting or odd project (Porsche 911, Alfa GTV or other odd car, Lancia, Datsun, etc) of similar value, or I could go up or down a bit money wise. I just have too many 2002's, and just want to mix things up a bit and give my GTV a little/big brother. The best number to reach me at is 860 793 2002, email at matthewmcginnATsbcglobal.net Having some trouble posting pix, but will try later. Some pix here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29110923@N05/ Note: car has pollen on it, also, I will take pix of underneath when our lift is clear. Matt
  16. Just a kid with a mig welder, body hammer, dusty garage and a head full of crazy dreams. Last count in the middle of the week was 32 2002's here (all projects, big and small (service work) parts cars, etc) Thanks for the story Bill.
  17. Need a good rust free spare tire well. Need it to not be all blown out and chubbed around the tow hook. Need it shipped to us in CT... lemme know what you got. 860 793 2002 Matt
  18. http://web.archive.org/web/20010124152300/forums.roadfly.com/2002/messages/
  19. here is the link: BMW 2002 Market trends and its influence on Romanesque Architecture: http://www.collectorcarpricetracker.com/auctions/make/BMW/model/2002/years/1968-1976/ Talk amongst yourselves.
  20. Give us a jingle with needs. We have various 13" steel wheels, alloys (320 sport wheels, as well as GB-brand Alpina looking 13" alloy wheels that are NOT stock 320i alloys, the flutes are straight with no step etc) We can even blast and paint components for extra. Carburetors, weber 45 DCOE sidedrafts needing rebuilds, 38/38's, billions of good 32/36's, some body panels, misc. interior bits, used moldings, used but good factory gaskets, etc. Fuel tanks, Good dashes (one piece only) 4 speed tranny's, driveshafts, glass, etc. NOS Zender box flare kit, 5 piece (full front fenders as well as front air dam) Tons of tii bits, intakes, etc. We can also provide a U-Install-It kit of intake manifold and runners blasted cleaned and refinished bits for someone who can install themselves. You name it, we probably have it. You name it, we can do it. Need a good rust free pedal box that you want us to blast and paint so you can just install it? No problem. We're also in the process of parting two late cars so we have odd stuff from these too. Nothing too small. Need a sunroof clip sawn off? No problem. Need a non sunroof clip. No problem. Window regulators, odd brackets, etc. Specialty hardware too. Much of it cleaned and replated. Call us and say, "I need that little oddball round thing that goes in the front of the sunroof near the mount." We'll say, "No problem let us go to the box in the back of the shop that has 50 of them and pick out the shiniest one." My goal is to turn parts into cash and clear up some space here. Will ship smaller stuff, paypal accepted. Expect fair pricing and prompt shipping. Expect really fair pricing if you show up and also some free stuff. mattATsports-car-restoration.com 860 793 2002 Matt
  21. Pulled from fully functional car, includes linkage and center console and shifter. Just want to get it out of here. Worked when removed. Pickup only. Get it before it gets thrown away. Pull it apart and look at it, use it as a paperweight, whatever. mattATsports-car-restoration.com 860 793 2002
  22. You can do all the seam welding/roll cage stuff, this is fairly common practice. One place you can stiffen the car is in the rocker panels by taking them from a two-piece channel section to a four piece. We use an MG inner rocker section, which is a flat vertical piece that goes the length of the rocker panel, slightly modifed and then fabricate a channel section, which is welded to the MG piece as shown above. Then the factory outer rocker panel is installed over this, and its all tidy, hidden and S-T-R-O-N-G
  23. Count me in for one fiberglass set. I may have one of the guys at the shop interested in another fg set. Also the set Mike B is buying is going to be on the car we're building for him, so it may be possible to ship 3 sets to my shop in one shot. BTW guys, for those who do not know about the quality of these lids, here's what I would say after fitting a set of CF panels to a car last year. They were from the first group buy organized by Daniel Cooper. They are very well made and far superior to "pin on" type race parts, and well worth the cost, especially compared to new steel pieces or "used" steel lids that need stripping or straightening. However, they are not near the quality of brand new steel panels. Composite panels rarely are, especially panels of this size and complexity. Also, if you want to be able to make these fit your car perfectly, or make them nice and straight, which you can do, you are better off getting the fiberglass units. The CF can be made to fit perfectly, but you'll have to lose the CF look burying it with filler, etc. Ideally, I would like to see a lot of guys running around with sub-2000# 2002's and this is a great way to drop a lot of weight where it matters! Matt
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