MichaelP

Paint stripper is pretty frustrating to use on multi-layered paint. Somehow it knows where the next layer is and stops there. For large, flat areas, nothing beats a razor blade in a scraper at a low angle. Curls paint right up without damage. Seems labor intensive at first, but goes quickly. Automobile paint suppliers often carry a scaper tool for one-sided blades that works better than the Stanley/hardware store variety scaper. Careful around body filler. The blade will chew it right up. Be sure to acid-etch prime your bare steel when you call it quits for the day. For areas like tightly curved inside corners, try the stripper again in small areas with a brass pot scrubber. Otherwise, media blasting is about the only other option without getting medieval (power tools with wires or sand) on it.

It seems you have conflicting, or at least competing interests. Most of your post sounds like you want to build a hot rod, which is totally understandable. But then you say "I would like to retain maximum resale value regardless". The highest value 02s are as they left Munich or with minor, bolt-off modifications. It sounds like your ti may be a ways from that point. From what I'm reading, you'll have more fun building the hot rod, but bone-stock cars achieve "maximum resale value". Your car, your call. Edit: One more thing about resale value: given the dearth of ti's in the US, a stocker ti might fetch some real money. I say "might" since even folks who know almost nothing about 02s know what a tii is (e.g. ebay as of late). A ti is a far less known quantity by the folks out there with more money than serious interest.

The airbox is the better route to go, but if yer' a US bumper car, the ITB is a better choice over K&N, available in cone or cylinder flavors. Ample flow, better filtration and better made. Expensive tho'. There's a JC60 on our M2 that just grazes the frame rail. Coast Fabrication in Huntington Beach sell them: http://www.coastfab.com/maxremote.html

Tschus.

Some terrific vintage track footage and ads in there: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2459038788059434305&q=bmw

which is an unusual derivation of Eurostyle that is far more common. If you have access to InDesign, Quark or old Pagemaker software, Eurostyle can be stretched and kerned til' it's sorta close.

I'm not much for drag racing, but I did take an old codger in an SLK350 down a notch in a 0-60 (from a roll) stoplight drag in our M2. That Merc is supposed to do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds. Lots to be said for light weight, a 4.10:1 rear end and smaller diameter tires than the M3.

The MT part from Max is exactly the same part as you'll get from your local BMW parts desk, assuming they're willing. Once the NOS dries up for an in-demand part, BMW/MT subs the old machining equipment out to shops in various countries, so your MT muffler will say Eberspracher on it but the yellow stick-on tag says made in (for instance) Czech Republic. Some stuff is fine, some stuff isn't quite what it was.

I would strongly suggest that you do not drive the car until you replace the trunk seal. If "smoke is filling the cabin" you're ingesting heavy quantities of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde and polycyclic hydrocarbons. The carbon monoxide by itself can easily knock you unconscious at the wheel, making you a hazard to others on the road. It also builds up in your bloodstream with physiological and neurological damage: Acute hypoxic injury due to carboxyhemoglobin (CO poisoning) A sufficient exposure to carbon monoxide can reduce the amount of oxygen taken up by the brain to the point that the victim becomes unconscious, and can suffer brain damage or even death from anoxia. The brain regulates breathing based upon carbon dioxide levels in the blood, rather than oxygen, so a victim can succumb to anoxia without ever noticing anything up to the point of collapse. With chronic low-level exposure (this would be you), similar neurologic injury may occur. Carbon monoxide acts as a potent neurotoxin, creating irreversible lesions in the brain's white matter (i.e., the myelin sheath). Such lesions, which are similar to those found in multiple sclerosis, can result in severe cognitive impairment.

Ian Dickerson's website is the closest thing I've seen: http://homepage.mac.com/iandickerson/M2002/ Nick Vyse's site has a fair bit of stuff: http://www.m2bmw.com/ No real manual out there afaik, barring the Dave Varco thing (haven't seen it).

Mehrdad! Good hear from you! Amazing what you find over there. What he's not saying is he's found this in Iran. When are you headed back to the States?

Last snow was over a month ago, so C'ville pretty much salt free. They are calling for rain, tho'.

Those minivan-rated Yokos are light years ahead of the Michelin XZXs (or XWXs or whatever they were) that originally shod these cars in just about every way. They may not pass for race-grade, but there's a heckuva lot more stick to them than these cars hit the showroom with. If it's any help, the V-rated version of this tire (150mph sustained rating) get pushed pretty hard on our 535is and while they get a little greasy in the twisties on long trips on really hot days, they're ok otherwise. They're quiet, long-wearing, great in rain, don't tramline and don't sqeal until the tires are cut loose. They're biggest fault is that the sidewalls are flexier than I'd like sometimes. Would I buy them for that car again? No. I bought them on Cape Cod after one of our Z-rated Yokos was badly punctured and that was all that was available - it's a long, boring story, but in the end the Avids were better than I expected. The T-rated versions are rated for a sustained 118mph. Not so bad. Do you drive 118mph? I've done a fair amount digging on what's available in 185/70-13. Brands not available thru Tire Rack include Toyo and Falken. The only thing in those brand seems to be the Toyo Spectrum. Doesn't sound promising. See http://www.edgeracing.com/ If you're willing to go to to 205/60-13, Toyo has Proxes RA-1's available. Now that's a sticky tire, as long as you don't mind driving on plastic when the temp falls below 45 degrees... Do tell if you find anything in the smaller size.

I have a similar dilemma. I think I'm going to go with the Yokahama Avid T4's. They seem to be the only thing in that size resembling a "performance" tire. We have Avid V4's on our 535is and they're not too bad. If you have 5.5" (or larger) wide rims, The Sumitomos are available in 205/60-13s, but there's a lot more steering effort involved. Other sizes offered by Sumitomo in 13's are too small in overall diameter.

Yes. It's an S14 conversion. Kinda stupid place for it, but it works for now.

Brackets are bent aluminum bar stock from the hardware store and are fastened by the old bumper bolts thru an aluminum tube spreader.

Solex produced a variety of 40mm carburetors. The usual sidedrafts on BMWs (NKs, ti's and 121 coupes) were PHH, but a quick Google search shows that the Glas 1700 used Solex RH : http://www.glasclub.org/glas/historie/typen/gt/glasgt.htm that look like this?: http://www.ruddies.business.t-online.de/35rh.htm Finding a set of 2 liter specific manifolds might be a better idea than hogging. Try posting a WTB for them on the for sale board - shouldn't be too hard to find.

There's one headed here pretty soon. Not sure what I'm gonna do with it. The M2 is gone, btw. To CT. Brother Greg decided he wants a turn with it. Blew up the guibo (again) on the way home in Baltimore. Made it home using 3rd and 5th

Awesome ride! Love the color. For leather, Lexol produce a staggering array of products. I've kept our 270k light beige interior crack free with them on a 3 to six month schedule. If it's really dried out, Griot's make a leather replenisher that actually works. Suggestions: Buy the E28 repair manual by Robert Bentley Publishers. Best out there. Mye28.com is an excellent, if cliquey, resource. To turn that sled into a real rocket, the best go-for-the-bucks modifications you can make are a 3.73:1 differential and an E.A.T. chip in the ECU (http://www.dsylva-tech.ca/).

This one looks pretty sweet, though that third shot looks like she got hit in the driver's side at some point. That door bondo'd or just warbly bodywork? The crease ahead of the wheel arch makes you wonder, too. Be sure to follow it with another set of eyes to see if she tracks straight. The carpet, well.. has some heavy patina and the seats look like they're about to split. Otherwise, she looks like a keeper. If you haven't driven a 1600 before be ready for a real surprise. The 1.6 revs more smoothly than the 2.0 and with the top of the torque curve closer to redline, prefers to be wound out. Good fun. Check to see if the original long-neck diff is still there - they don't lead long lives. Manual choke rules!

Dave, I live in VA but keep a 02 or 2 at the in-laws near Kittanning and drive them down to the PGVP when we can. The local BMW_CCA chapter hosts a corral on a good spot along the track. We didn't make it last year but hope to this July. You should bring your lovely ride along.

Our M2 has one and it has no discernable effect below 130 mph. Do you go 130 mph? Also, the rubber oxidizes and discolors pretty quickly from UVs and has to be re-blacked every time you turn around. Looks better without it, too. It's just so... 1980s.

Matte black.

I have yet to find a good jack to carry around on a daily basis in the M2. The car sits pretty low, and as much as a bottle jack might make sense, I haven't found one short enough, and I have yet to see a small scissor jack that was worth a darn. The one legged Bilstien horror that came with the car is not an option. Suggestions?

Leaks caused by using synthetics usually happen to motors that (a) were not designed to run with synthetics and ( have been run with dino oils for 100k miles and then switched. The S14 was designed for use with synthetics and was most likely run with it for most of its life. As for the amount of oil added, many S14 owners (myself included) run the motor with the oil over the max fill line, so that shouldn't be an issue. So no, the synthetic oil is 'prolly not causing weeping around the pan. I'm curious about that oil pan. Is it a shortened S14 pan or an 02 pan? If it's the latter, maybe it's not sitting dead flat against the block. If it's the former, it may have been twisted by the heat during rewelding.