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2003 Status
2002 Status
Miscellaneous
April, 2002.
Not much to report so far this month. The car is at the body shop being worked on. I've been reading up on the boards (bmw2002faq.com and roadfly) just getting some info and stuff. In the meantime, however, I decided to have my engine professionally rebuilt instead of undertaking the task myself.
So, I decided to contact Eric Kerman in NY who is well known for rebuilding 02 engines. So, on Saturday morning ( April 6, 2002 ) I hauled my engine up to NY in my truck. Unfortunately, I don't have pics of that either as I once again forgot my camera. I plan on posting pics for the return trip however.
Due to Eric's schedule, though, I won't have my engine for well over a month which means I will never make it with my little 02 to the Carlisle Mid Atlantik event. But, with any luck maybe I will still make it to Oktoberfest!
In the meantime, I will be looking at buying the replacement parts and also trying to get rid of some of my existing stuff which I won't need. With any luck, maybe I can turn around some money to throw back into the restoration by selling some of the items to other 02fanatics who may need them such as my bumpers, etc. Anyone need parts?
April 8, 2002:
Had a long conversation with Jim Rowe the owner of Metric Mechanic about my possibilities over replacing/rebuilding the existing transmission in my car. After over an hour on the phone, I decided to thump down some money for a complete Metric Mechanic 5 speed conversion kit. In addition, I got a new clutch set, a lightened flywheel, a six bolt nylon webbing guibo and custom driveshaft. This should keep the little guy on the road for many many years without any drivetrain blues.
April 13, 2002 Update:
Spoke to my body shop guys (Bill & Charlie) of Paplosky's Speed and Custom Body shop this morning. Had a brief conversation about the status of the body. It turns out that as a result of previous paint jobs over the years, the car's current layer of old Lacquer paint will cost more for me to sand down to the metal than to just have it sand blasted. It was agreed to have my car sent to a sand blasting shop in Ephrata, Pa. The car will return to my body shop sand blasted and primered, ready for them to do the paint prep.
April 26, 2002 Update:
My 5 speed kit arrived from Metric Mechanic. This stuff is awesome! The guys did a great job packing it all together too. I'm so excited I can't wait for my car to get back and throw this stuff in!! The kit I ordered came with a rebuilt 5 speed from a 320i, a brand new sachs clutch and pressure plate, a lightened flywheel :), a nylon webbing guibo, complete shifter linkage, custom pre-cut driveshaft, new bearings, etc. Just awesome. Check out the pics below.
