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I was under the car yesterday changing the oil and saw something that I've never noticed before that didn't make sense. Car is a 1975 non Tii. Hope I have the terminology correct, but on the lower strut mounting points as it attaches to the backing/protection plate I'm seeing a threaded hole with no bolt or stud and no corresponding hole in the backing plate to take a bold anyway. Just curious why the empty threaded hole? It's the same for both front wheels. I also noticed that I'm missing one of the lower exhaust manifold studs! I plan on replacing the original Thermo reactor manifold for something different so I will have to deal with that later. I need some reassurance, planning a 160 mile drive to visit my mom down I5 this morning and don't want to worry the wheels are going to fall off. Eric

Does anybody know if there is a place to order a new precut leather covering for the older steering wheels (specifically the 320is sport 3-spoker)? I did the whole job myself on the E36 M-sport wheel and it turned out wonderfully, but I'd be more than happy to save 70% of the effort by buying pre-cut and pre-stitched leather if available. Just curious, thanks!

Quick question -- when changing rear springs, is it required to disconnect the cv joint at the wheel? The last time I did this, the car was completely apart anyway, so it was not a question. Is there any harm to changing springs out if you do not take out the CV joint? Thanks, Andy74tii

Ciao Has anyone considered filling a seeping steering box with a grease gun and standard grease as a temporary fix until a suspension rehab? The lower seal on my steering box is leaking pretty good and gear oil is gone in a couple of weeks. It seems to me that a thicker viscosity lubrication might not leak out so quickly. Thanks for any comments or ideas. Zeffino

My shop is having difficulty installing the Front struts and the front H&R sport springs....is there a trick? Did I order the wrong springs or struts?

Working on a blog post now comparing my AlpinA CSL Racing struts with a set or AlpinA Green Dots I have. This is what I am looking for from a tii strut preferably - standard strut will do since I don't believe these measurements differ from standard to tii: Measurement of the the strut tube from either very bottom of strut (spindle) to where the spring perch attaches. (Or from the top of the spindle to the underside of the spring perch)...or both. Measurement from inside where the spring perch attaches to the top of the strut. Diameter of the strut tube. IF someone has a Bilstein Sport insert, the diameter of the damper (the chrome part, not the housing). I did a search and found some dimensions for the tii vs standard strut spindles but nothing with these measurements. Tx http://www.alpinabmw2002.com

OK I did the search but didn't find the answer I have a 74 base model with spacers under the front, and it sits about one finger above the tire The front is fine , but the back sits about 1 inch too high. No offence, but the car sits on historically what was called a Dago -- back high front low. I'm good with the front just want to lower the rear. BTW rears have KYB gas shocks that are pretty firm but I don't think the shocks are jacking up the rear I'm ready to cut the rear stock springs -- but the question is: HOW MUCH DO I CUT TO GET 1 INCH of DROP ie. 1/4 coil 1/2 coil 1 coil ?? Please don't tell me to buy new H&R springs Brillstein HD shocks and struts and maybe sway bars. Done that before and it's wonderful, but this car is not worth all of that expense at this point. Just need spring cutting advise. Thanks

Does anyone know if these guys are still in business?

Greetings Sirs and Sirettes! My 73 2002 has stock rims but larger e21 size tires (185/80) I notice that the steering is very heavy when turning even at higher speeds. Its heavy compared to my already heavy, non-power assisted E21. I'm wondering if these thicker tires affect the steering? Or maybe 2002's are like that... Also, my rims are black, but I notice many are silver/gray. Did some come in black from the factory? Thanks!

So I was installing my newly powder-coated front subframe with zinc-chromate re-plated bolts. With a touch of antiseize on each bolt. The front bolts have a lot of friction; is this normal? I tighten them with the normal ratchet wrench. The Haynes manual says torque to 55 ft.-lbs., so I start with the front bolt. It doesn't seem to want to tighten up. I'm worried, so I stop and move to the next bolt back. It doesn't seen to want to tighten up either, but as I'm pulling...BAM! Bolt has sheared off! These are 8.8 hard bolts! So I have some questions: 1) Did the replating of the bolts somehow weaken them? Or did I just have one weak bolt? 2) Is it normal for the front bolts to have so much friction, as if they were self lockers? Or are the frame threads messed up? I should mention this is most likely the first time the subframe has been off since the car was built in 1970. Certainly it hasn't been off since I've owned the car since 1980. 3) Did I over-torque, given that I was using antiseize? Right now my plan is to buy new bolts; not going to mess around. I'll drop the subframe and try to get the broken bolt out using a back-off drill bit. I assume I'll need to use my Dremel so the bit has a good surface to stay centered. Any other suggestions? Thanks, Jeff

The IE spring and sway bar kit and the Blunt street suspension kit - both with Bilstein HD shocks -- are essentially the same in price and the same components. Is there any major difference? The IE kits' rear stabilizer is adjustable, but that's about all I can see unless I am missing something. Any insights here? Thanks all!

Quick question.. I rebuilt my steering box and all was good and then I installed it on the subframe and temporarily installed the subframe. Also attached steering shaft and guibo. I was thrilled to be able to "steer" the newly rebuilt front-end after years apart... but then I noticed that after a half dozen lock-to-lock turns, the steering box was leaking... weeping... out of the top adjustment screw. So, two things come to mind.. either I overfilled the gear oil and this is a natural purge to the right level... or.... OK, only one thing comes to mind...not sure As I recall, the top adjuster screw just sits in a brass bushed hole in the cover. Could the brash bush be worn or maybe since the box sits upright, a tight seal was never a big concern. Anyway, just wondering if there is a straight answer to yet another 2002 mystery. Thanks, as always - Randy

Hi all, I am in a middle of a subframe/suspension swap. I was wondering what is the best way to remove the 3 bolts that hold the pitman arm against the strut assembly (the ones with a safety wire going through them). I was able to remove the inner one on one side, stripped the head on the other side (will be popping the rivets off the ball joint to get to it better). But I am really wondering how to remove the ones on the outside, that are right up against the protective brake rotor shield. .. please don't tell me I have to take the wheel hub and all off to remove the shield 1st. Thanks.

Sorry for the simple nature of this question, but I am uncertain about how this is going together and it is a rather important part of the car, a '75. Lots of searching but nothing definitive found. I am simply attaching new stock discs onto the front stock hubs with the 4 hex head bolts. I ordered new bolts (M10 x 25) as spec'd and am using a lock washer as is shown on the realOEM images... But when I get the hex bolts snugged almost to torque and look at the other side, there is almost half the threads left in the hub hole. I know the ends of the hex bolts can't protrude beyond the hub surface, but seems like they should fill up more of the hub hole. When I remove the lock washer, it is better, but still a few threads left. So a couple questions... - Should I use the lock washer and Loctite and assume the depth of penetration is OK ? - Should I skip the lock washer and use Loctite ? - Should I use the lock washer and NO Loctite.. this seems the least safe in my view. Thanks all for your expertise.... Randy

Installing my rear sway bar and something just doesn't look right.....see below. I've done a few adjustments, and I keep getting one that's a bit off. Thoughhts? Also, do I need bolts on the brackets that hold it in place on the rear frame?. I don't think so, but wanted to ask. As always, thanks for the insights!

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but I cannot this information elsewhere. I am interested in learning about the variations of the Bus Type Steering wheels used on the 2002s. I know that some have the exposed black metal spokes with one indentation per spoke, and that the 1968's had the smooth horn pad. I have also seen pictures of wheels having horn buttons on each of the 3 spokes. What years were these used on? Did all wheels have the brushed-metal "cap" at the outer end of each spoke? Also, was there a difference between Bus steering wheels used on the tii, vs. non-tii? Thank you for your help!

So a good friend of mine, who has been fantastic about helping with the build of my car despite the fact that it isn't rotary powered or Japanese, has almost completely convinced me to go with a short stroke coilover setup. After discussing it with him I started my inevitable trip to the interweb to see exactly what can be done for our cars. Here is what I have found, and hoping someone can let me know if I am on the right path 1 - VW Rabbit cartridge for the fronts and sport inserts for the rear 2 - 1985 Toyota MR2 rears for the front and 1994-2000 for the rears (but have to sleeve these as the bolt is 12mm versus the 10mm found on our cars) Initially I was going to go with an IE stage 2 setup and call it good, as my track time would be fairly limited with the lack of clubs in the area but my friend travels to track his car and has room on his trailer. Is this information correct and is one of them better than the other? Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks for your input Cheers

My '74 2002tii had the original oil filled dampers in the front struts. I'm trying to replace them with new Bilstein shocks but they seem VERY tight. So tight I can't get them in! I thought removing them was supposed to be the hard part! I'm wondering if my struts are incompatible with the new shocks. Does anyone know? From my attached pics can anyone tell me if the struts are supposed to have the inner sleeve mine have? The very top of the inner sleeves seem to be messed up a little bit, but the rest of the tube is in perfect condition. I've tried pulling back the tops to allow the new struts in, but it doesn't seem to be enough. I can only get them in a couple of millimetres.

I have a 1967 BMW 2000tilux that needs new strut mounts. Does anyone have any for sale? I can't seem to find any online anywhere. I did manage to order the front shocks out of Germany through bilstien. Also, I've read some posts indicating that it's a good idea to swap out the front sub frame with a 2002 subframe. Do the 2002 motor mounts not work on the 2000? I just started taking this car apart and am slowly realizing that parts are not as easy to come by as the 2002's

Does anyone have a UUC sway bar on his or her 2002? Any complaints. The e36 guys don't seem to like them at all. I'm trying to decide between an ST or UUC. Thanks, WillO

All, today i started tearing down a 70 and found these struts. I've taken a few apart but all have had after market kyb or billy's. is this strut rod (diameter 33mm) the normal stock strut rod diameter for boge struts? any info appreciated Thanks Gale H

FYI, Walloth and Nnesch has some really good pricing on front steering parts: 1 ea. 32 21 1 103 077 Center steering rod fits for all models and years 1 1 62,98 62,98euros 2 ea. 32 21 1 114 844 Inner balljoint fits for all models and years of m 2 1 17,61 35,22 euros 3 32 21 1 114 842 Outer steering balljoint fits for all models and y 2 ea. 1 14,24 28,48euros 4 32 21 1 103 076 Outer tie rod complete fits for all models and yea 2 ea. 1 35,92 71,84 euros 5 VEX003 DHL International EXPRESS DAP 1 1 45,00 45,00 total for all 7 parts with shipping comes to about $275, if you go through US sources for all of this, the parts alone are about $535 Ernest

So here's my dilemma. When I added camber plates it raised the front by 1/2" or so. To balance out the rake, a shim was added to the rear. The problem is, it's changed the handling for whatever reason. It's not as comfortable to drive at speed, especially turn in. I would like to lower the car back to where it was. I'm looking for options, the simpler the better. Here's my current setup: Eibach springs (no other info available, installed in '86) Koni shocks (fronts are adjustable) Turbo front bar Dinan adjustable rear bar (mid of 3 settings) Ireland front camber plates Ireland front strut bar E21 5 speed and LSD Bridgestone S03 195/50/15 Panasport 15x6 ET29 Like I said, car was much better before camber plates were installed which raised the ride height a noticeable amount. A slight amount of camber was added to the fronts, but the plates were added mainly to be able to equalize camber left and right. I have a track day coming up at Mosport on August 1st. where I'll be driving people around at speed all day so I really want to get this sorted before then. At the moment it's going to be a real handful. Would lower springs be a easy/viable option? First pic is after camber plates, third is before...

I've got a unique opportunity to purchase a stacked-logo Momo Prototipo and 2002 Hub combo, but it's a 32cm wheel... I've driven a 350 wheel and I can tolerate the amount of force input needed for a street car, but I don't have any experience with smaller. What's ya'lls thought? Spring for it or pass? What would you feel a fair price?

so this happened: I was running some homespun GC coilovers with rabbit inserts, IE fixed camber plates and IE roll center spacers with the extra camber. It looks like one of the bolts holding the control arm to the bottom of the strut backed out and the other two sheared. It happened when i hit the brakes at a stop sign in the neighborhood, so damage was minimal but still just about crapped my pants Definitely learned my lesson about not checking those bolts as regularly as i should. Anyway, other than the fender there was no visible damage: the strut bearing was way bent out of shape and i think that saved most everything else. I got it towed, took everything off, replaced the bearing and the hardware, and threw on stock struts with bilstein sports and IE sport springs (i think, whatever their milder lowering option is). Im still running the camber plates and roll center spacers (which now that i write this seem unnecessary i guess). The setup is great. Rides comfortable, no rubbing, which i had a bit of before. BUT im getting some noise i dont like. When i come down from something, like into a pothole or the other side of a speed bump, i get a clicking noise. It only happens at slow speeds, and only on the downward travel, like something is becoming unseated when the full weight of the car isnt on it. So i lifted the car back up, checked those three bolts between the strut and the control arm, and everything seemed ok. There was some vertical movement, though, of the spring between the seat on the strut and the wheel well where the spring sits. I also get some noise when i have the wheels fully turned in either direction, like the spring is catching - spinning a little - catching - spinning. The steering was also feeling a little loosey goosey, like i needed to tighten the steering box. So im hoping to get your opinions on what is going on. I guess the plan now is to replace all the bushings up front, and see if anything i didnt get a good look at is damaged as well. I know blunt has the refresh kit, i may go with that just to rule everything out that i can. Honestly, it feels a little like a death trap as is so shes not getting driven much lately, which is sad. Hopefully i can figure this out sooner than later! Thanks for any input!