jerry

here's a shot of one of the cleanest floors i've had the pleasure to work on. sadly, this car did not survive the second owner after me. a really solid car lost...

this is a job i tackled awhile ago. i chose to do it in stages. the leading edge is actually a lap joint and i wanted to reproduce as best as possible the original construction even though a butt weld would be less prone to future rust. i had to replace my frame rail as well. i fixed my inner rocker by attacking it from the outside as shown in the later photos. ultimately, i ended up replacing the entire outer rocker. this DS floor repair was the very first project i tackled on this car and the horrible welds show that. this project has been on hold for a couple years and i've since purchased a rotisserie so i plan to clean things up a bit. hope this helps.

there are a zillion spotwelds along the wheel well. they need to be drilled out which is very doable at home. use a 1/8in cobalt drill bit for longevity and aim for the center of each spot weld. feel free to drill through both sheets. follow up with a 5/16in cobalt drill bit. buy a handful of each diameter drill bits. cobalt bits are more expensive but last longer. a sharp bit is a joy. a dull bit will cause grief. use a firm spatula to wedge the panel apart. use a wire wheel to clean the wheel arch so you can better see the small indentations of the spotwelds. mark each with a sharpie marker. you are bound to miss a couple. have your patch piece in hand to mark out the section needed to cut from you car.

sorry to hear this. he used to be a regular poster on the FAQ. hadn't seen him post in a few years. RIP.

and to think, i passed on this car when it could have been mine for $1200 (not in this current shape obviously). armond, unfortunately bought it off a flipper at a bit higher initial cost. in my own twisted mind, i went the route of getting hopeless rust buckets needing so much more attention. this subject car was/is not a rust bucket, btw, just to be clear. it was originally saved from an impound lot in the East Bay when a guy went to get his brother's car after being towed and saw it just sitting there. what a happy ending. would love to know where it ends up...

i drove this car when the PO owner finished with the engine build and A4 injection. i didn't dare take it to 3rd gear around my twisty test drive. compared to my stock carbureted thin tired 02, i couldn't get it to slide a little around turns at a speed i was comfortable with. for an amateur driver like myself, it was an education on how too much suspension goodies can actually reduce the enjoyment of tossing one of these around at a reasonable speed. this car started out with humble beginnings and it's a testament to the PO's dedication in putting it into its current condition.

best wishes esty. you cast a long shadow on this forum.

what i've noticed from commercial rigs are that the two ends are joined by a central beam that secures the two ends together. The distance between the endpieces is only limited by the length of the central beam. on cheaper units the beam is typically smaller gauge steel. the 02's are not too heavy so i wouldn't sweat the steel thickness too much. as for alignment measurements i don't think you should mix the two uses. ideally, you should have a stout jig that doesn't flex and is square and flat. if you are needing such a rig, it might be time to reconsider. the blue binders provide alignment measurements taken from the frame rail attachment locations to the rear subframe posts and the differential mounting tabs, IIRC. there are allowable tolerances. decide where your car is relative to these measurements then decide if a jig is necessary. straighten your car out first before using a rotisserie. weld cross bracing to the car before lifting it, if you are unsure or likely to remove a lot of sheetmetal.

tom, i have a bunch of material set aside for a homemade rotisserie. if that is of interest to you, you are welcome to have a look and use what you want. i just couldn't pass up this opportunity, but otherwise, i was nearly there, on my own. i have large casters, too all picked up free from work. can't wait to see your alfa. i think my own alfa desires have subsided for now, thankfully.

while idly perusing the Tools section of the local Craigslist before turning in for the night, i stumbled upon a recent post listing a car rotisserie for sale. i have been amassing steel tubing and casters over the years for this purpose; even acquiring an old gear drive hand crank in the process. the price, at $800 seemed fair, considering this particular one sells for around $2000 new. the biggest problem was that it was a 2 hour drive each way to retrieve it... that was almost a deal breaker but when i considered that it would likely take me more than 4 hrs to cut, measure and weld a funky make-do contraption, plus purchasing odds n ends; i decided this was worth getting. it's a beast. the prior owner bought it from a guy who restored 1950's cars with it so it's very strong and weighs about 800lbs assembled. i believe it's call a 'bottoms up lift' and is the 3000lb version. anyhow, i will use this to complete the rust repair on my 72tii i was working on a couple years ago and stopped due to other pending projects (like my house). this will allow me to rework the floorboard welds and actually grind and planish them to make them invisible. i had been doing all that work on my back, but no more. doing a search on this site gave me ideas on how to make brackets specific to the 02 to mount one to this rotisserie. i have three 02's that could use this thing. hopefully, this spring i can resume work on my 72. i'm getting too old for the up-down body work these cars sometimes need. now, a 4-post lift would be icing on the cake...

since you only have $200 and the cost of storage into it and not the patience required to fix it yourself, the choice is made for you. i have a soft spot for the mid-year 71's as this car is. the dash should not have a fasten seat belt gizmo and the dash knobs have neat little emblems specific only to this year. there are no words above the knobs either. and chances are that it has the spaghetti seat belts which are higher quality than the retractable ones, if a bit more work to deal with. these are also the last of the lovely single barrel solex carbs. i restored one years ago to stock condition and it was a joy to drive with skinny tires and thin swaybars. i did put a 5 speed in it though. i sold it on the FAQ to a very capable caretaker who's taken it to the next level. i have 2575914 in malaga and i look forward to driving it this year, warts and all.

i've sort of thought that fjord is one of those bmw colors better suited to the squaretails, but that resprayed roundie is a looker. fjord is to roundies as agave is to squaretails IMHO...

it looks like your rocker did not deform. that is great news. this area is accessible from inside after removing the rear interior panel. what i'd do is use a screw jack to slowly push the panel outward. distribute the load by using a 2x6 or similar against the screw jack pivot face. you'll need to configure a base against the driver side to make up the distance (as most screw jacks i've dealt with are around 18-24 inches tall with the screw retracted). you probably should remove the rear seat too. you may have to use multiple placings of the screw jack to roughly push it out. as for the B-pillar, you'll probably be twisting it somewhat as you work the panel to return it to approximate location. after that, a dolly and hammer and patience will do wonders. look up 'metal bumping' on youtube. a wealth of metal working knowledge free for the taking. do the work yourself. i find it much more rewarding than wrenching. btw, in case it's not clear, the screw jack would be oriented horizontally against the panel.

very nice ultrasonic tank you have. you can save yourself a bit of money and waste disposal if you fill the tank with water and then put your part in a plastic bag that you fill with your cleanser. that way you can just empty the bag with the dirty fluid and refill it again with the expectation that the clean cycle will progressively show less and less crud in the bag. as for caustic solutions such as simple green make sure you rinse if off well with water. failing to do so and letting it dry on the bench can cause the concentration of the residual cleaner to rise as the water evaporates. we have scrapped some expensive magnesium gearbox housings, where i work, using a benign solution called 300LF which is essentially a concentrated soap solution. i've used methanol with success on carbs and such. a glass beaker filled with solution is a great way to clean small parts in a big tank.

R.I.P. 2570440 i heard that this car was totaled in September 2015

in reference to photo 1, been there, done that. it's time consuming and my example was much worse, but it is an early tii, and i'm obsessive/compulsive or stupid, or lack a life... i think the photos pretty much cover worse case scenario. i was fortunate in that i had a scrap car (local FAQ donor) to cut up prior to taking this task on. i eventually replaced the outer rocker as well among other things.

michael dubois' old car. i miss seeing him around on the FAQ...

just so you know, ti's ceased production after '71. they were all 6-fuse cars. a '73 with ti carbs, is simply that....

if you are familiar with the appearance of the standard 4-speed 2002 transmission, then a true 2002 dogleg tranny should look exactly the same with the addition of an extra section approximately 3.5 to 4 inches long between the main casting and the end piece. the clutch slave cylinder is the same configuration between the two. if your slave cylinder appears like a 320i 5 speed tranny, then you do not have a 2002 dogleg.

...just guessing from the enthusiasm of his written words, i'd say, alot... imagine if the appraiser provided a low-ball number after all the bills were added up, how the post could have been worded.

i've got a bone stock, no optioned 1966 Ford F250 pickup truck that was formerly owned by the Stockton school district. Other than the nameplate and a couple side markers, there's no extra frill on this truck. not even a radio or hubcaps. i wouldn't change a thing.

i always want to give myself a 'forehead slap' everytime i recall the time i passed on a rusted out 74tii missing the injection bits, but with an unnoticed 323i close-ratio 5 speed tranny in it. he wanted $800 for the car, including delivery to my house; i offered $600. he declined. yea, it had the tii struts and brake booster and rear trailing arms.... at the time, i already had a driveway full of POS shells. by the time i came to my senses, it was gone. to add insult to injury, shortly after missing that deal, i reaquired a stock '75 02 which would have been a great repository for those bits... i wouldn't be surprised if the eBay seller you identified wound up with it as that car was essentially in his 'stomping grounds'. i guess i just 'threadjacked', big time...