IND00's First Car - 1976 BMW 2002

[IND00]

Hey guys!  So after creating a "Blog" of this, I've decided that I like this posting format more.  I'll post what I've said in the blog.

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The Beginning: 28 November 2014

 

I’ve been waiting a long time for this, but first lets start off with an introduction.

Hi, my name is Austin (I go by IND00 on practically everything). I’m 16 and a junior in high school. I’ve always loved cars and mechanics. Recently I’ve been looking for a first car. While everyone else in my school is looking to get Civics or Camrys, I’m looking for a car that I can work on and have fun with. I ended up falling for older cars - specifically the old BMWs. I started my search to find a BMW 2002 (no preference on the taillight style, in case you were wondering). I actually went through about 4 potential deals for a 2002, but either the price wasn’t right or the deal was sketchy.

Recently my dad was browsing eBay, a place that I had never really thought to look, and saw a ‘76 that wasn’t running and a was a little rough. It just so happened that it was located right next to Boston - about 20 minutes from where I live. Since I was looking for a project more than an already restored car, my dad and I decided to go check the car out. We talked with the owner (I’ll be giving him the link to this thread, so shoutout to you!), and looked the car over to see how much of a project I had. We told him that we’d go home and talk about it and text him the next day. We texted him, explaining to him that I was putting all my money from my summer job towards this car. The owner was really cool and accepted my offer on the terms that he could get a ride in it next year when it’s nice out!

P.S. I love pictures


Here's a picture from the eBay add


One of the front


I pick it up on Saturday, so more pics and such then. I hope to have it running by next week.

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Brought it Home: 29 November 2014

 

So today was the day that I got to bring the car home!

Well, not really. Since it doesn't have its new plates yet, I dropped it off at the BMW repair shop I work at so that I can work on it until the plates come in. With some help, I got the engine running! The engine was a little flooded from all the failed attempts at getting the car started. I replaced the spark plugs and away it went. It still needs a lot of tuning and tinkering, but at least it runs. Here are some pictures from picking it up today.

When we first got there.



This is how flat the front tires were - they wouldn't hold any air. We ran the front two tires to a shop down the street to get new ones on and balanced.


There's me sitting in my new car!


Loaded up and ready to go.



I think I almost had a few heart attacks while trailing it back to my town. More to come within the next few days as I start to dig in a bit more. Community input/feedback is always welcome!

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Update - The First Go-Through: 17 December 2014

 

Finally back for an update! I've been researching a lot on upgrades and what projects to tackle first. I have a box of parts, but I still need to order a whole bunch of things. So after sitting under a tarp with holes in it for a week with a few rainy days (keep in mind that all the window moldings are practically dust), I got a change to work on my car and go through it a little more. I started by just cleaning the car up using a vacuum and a whole lot of windex. I'm further assessing what needs attention first. I'll try to get some more things done soon and share it with you all. I know that I'm getting it up on a lift this Saturday so that I can make a checklist of parts to order. It's definitely going to need bushings all around, and I know that I'm upgrading the suspension to Bilstein Sport Shocks with Ireland Engineering Stage 2 Springs. Without further ado - picture time.

How it sadly sat for a week.




Warming the engine up before bringing it into the shop. (All that condensation is on the inside... )




Pulled into the shop to get a little work done.




You can still read the letters from the old plates on the mount.




How the engine looks now. Don't worry I have the air filter. You can see that the car used to be a nice Verona Red at some point, until one of the previous owners decided to poorly cover all the visible exterior in primer.




As it sits now while I try to dry out some of the water from under the carpet.




That's it for this update. Feedback is always welcome!

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Right now its tucked away in the corner of the garage keeping dry from the recent blizzard.  Once some parts I've bought come in, I'll be doing a big overhual/update.  I'll let the anticipation linger.  Thanks for reading and feedback is always welcome!

 

-Austin

 

Edited January 30, 2015 by IND00

[tedwardcairns]

If you take apart most if not all of the suspension and do a refresh, don't be surprised when you don't notice your hands are bleeding... I find it is a constant problem, not noticing when I've cut myself.. Otherwise the car is looking good and in better shape than where mine is and where it started! Can't wait to see some more progress.

 

-Ted