Discussion
Unfortunately not. The dyno was tied up with some big power Nissan GTR thing and it made better sense to just get the engine out and stripped for a refresh. It took bloody ages to get the original water pump out as it had calcified in place and just wouldn't budge. It took some real brute force in the end! Whilst at it we opted to fit new bearings and all new gaskets throughout. The servo, master cylinder etc also all got a fresh coat of paint and there's only the fuse panel left to sort. I'm undecided whether to just try and find a NOS fuse cover or find a replacement panel with blade fuses to replace the bullet type?
scottos said:
I'm happy enough with the standard type to be honest, I have just replaced all mine and unplugged/ plugged back in the relays and lots of small gremlins have disappeared haha think it's just part and parcel of an 02!
It's all BMW of that era and the bullet type fuses. Unfortunately they simply corrode and the connection can break. It's not a big deal, although losing wipers or turn signals mid torrential downpour can be a pain. You know those little moisture trap bags you get amongst the wrapping of some stuff? Well sticking one of those under the fuse cover slows the process. Also, the OE ceramic bodied fuses are way better than the plastic ones. They're getting harder to find nowadays but they are out there.Edited by 1602Mark on Saturday 11th July 20:20
Thanks. 
I know it's not to everyones taste but it's about as close to my 'perfect 02' as I can get on my budget. Although the base car wasn't the cheapest round tail light car I could find, I specifically wanted LHD and no corrosion to deal with. It'll be 48 years old in just a few weeks and it's remarkably solid when you consider that fact. Yes, I could have bought a UK car a bit cheaper but I don't have the patience or skills needed to remedy the kind of rot these cars usually suffer. I would have wanted it done to the sort of level that Gary71 has done his 911 and work like that costs.
This has been one of the threads that keeps me coming back to PH and his work and patience is up there with TonyBMW for me.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
As with my E30 M3 though, as much as I enjoy the build process, I want a car that I'm not afraid to use. Living here in Cornwall we are miles from everywhere and it's 100 miles to the nearest motorway! Now I have 5 gears those long journeys should be a little less frenetic. That said, it'll still be set up with country lanes in mind. Hopefully though, I intend on making one of the first trips a run up to Wales and JFi Classics. James has a similarly specced 1602, albeit with the added bonus of an Eaton supercharger, so the plan is to spend a weekend racking up some miles around the Brecon Beacons to iron out any gremlins.
As it stands today though, the M44 is stripped and all the parts are off at powder coat. This includes the engine mounts and custom front subframe etc. The M20 flywheel is also in the machine shop and I opted for a new Helix clutch. I did think about an uprated version but there's really no point. Once everything is back from coat it should be a relatively quick process building it all back up again. I hope anyway...
I know it's not to everyones taste but it's about as close to my 'perfect 02' as I can get on my budget. Although the base car wasn't the cheapest round tail light car I could find, I specifically wanted LHD and no corrosion to deal with. It'll be 48 years old in just a few weeks and it's remarkably solid when you consider that fact. Yes, I could have bought a UK car a bit cheaper but I don't have the patience or skills needed to remedy the kind of rot these cars usually suffer. I would have wanted it done to the sort of level that Gary71 has done his 911 and work like that costs. This has been one of the threads that keeps me coming back to PH and his work and patience is up there with TonyBMW for me.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
As with my E30 M3 though, as much as I enjoy the build process, I want a car that I'm not afraid to use. Living here in Cornwall we are miles from everywhere and it's 100 miles to the nearest motorway! Now I have 5 gears those long journeys should be a little less frenetic. That said, it'll still be set up with country lanes in mind. Hopefully though, I intend on making one of the first trips a run up to Wales and JFi Classics. James has a similarly specced 1602, albeit with the added bonus of an Eaton supercharger, so the plan is to spend a weekend racking up some miles around the Brecon Beacons to iron out any gremlins.
As it stands today though, the M44 is stripped and all the parts are off at powder coat. This includes the engine mounts and custom front subframe etc. The M20 flywheel is also in the machine shop and I opted for a new Helix clutch. I did think about an uprated version but there's really no point. Once everything is back from coat it should be a relatively quick process building it all back up again. I hope anyway...
Sf_Manta said:
Certainly looking tidy there Mark, is the M42 engine getting a bit of a lick of paint before it goes back in?
Thanks. It is, yes. In fact it out again and being done as I write. I opted to just have the block done black, along with bits like the subframe and engine mounts, but the cam cover and timing chain covers are going gold. I was in two minds but I'd like it to try and look a bit like the old Schnitzer M12 twin cams in period. I did suggest maybe doing the ITB's too but that might be more difficult and interfere with the butterflies etc I guess? One of the problems with my having someone else try and carry out my ideas is that I don't always appreciate the knock on effects and potential costs involved. The creep has been pretty significant already but I would have liked to add cams, up compression and open up the inlet ports a bit but that's added cash I just don't have right now. Really I just want it running and driving in time to rack up some miles before the summer ends. 
Had a chat to Joe at ARM BMW and once I’ve settled the engine install, go from there. The hardest task will be tubbing the rear end and I’d like the fit E21 rear trailing arms so that the track is a little wider and I can fit 323i rear discs, along with E30 callipers. It’s going to happen but just unsure when?
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff