Back from death- the revival of a 74 BMW 2002

[aLaFleur]

I really love this. I may have missed it, but what's your paint plans?

[karmo]

very nice ride that u got.

in Estonia there is aswell a very nice 2002. Powered with 2jz engine and got 700+bhp

looks like that:

[rhoderacer]

Completely overlooked your thread and for some reason I didn't put two and two together... but a couple of shots from Staggered. It was good talking to you at the show; can't wait to see where this goes from here, because it definitely looked awesome in person!

Hey man, it was great talking to you at staggered. Thanks for the shots, they look great. I may steal a few if you don't mind for my computer background.

[CubbyChowder]

I gotta say, I normally get irritated when I see rusted hoods, but I actually like the way you painted part of the hood and let the rest rust over. Actually looks pretty cool

[rhoderacer]

Small update- I've been driving the car around a lot lately and im in love. It cruises at 80mph no problem and handles great. The weather is getting WICKED cold lately and I have no heat in it. Tomorrow the car will go for its last drive as a 4 cylinder powered car. The motor will be pulled and the shaved bay will begin. Time for the real fun!

[Dylanhat]

Just need euro turn signals

[rhoderacer]

Its a bitter sweet day. The m10 that has been known as the most bullet proof motor made by BMW is being pulled. 468,762 miles and over 38 years of reliability and relentlessness. This motor has seen it all. Enough torque and horsepower to whip this car through the corners of racetracks and a bullet proof formula to get you home before dinner. Unfortunately it has seen its last open throttle down the freeway. I managed to get Adi up to 97 MPH before letting off the gas. The motor was screaming with excitement all the way through the rpms to redline. Smoke and gas fumes filled the cabin as my eyes began to burn. I have plans for the motor...but not in the engine bay, the m10 will live on.

[99sil-teg]

Love how this has turned out, can't wait too see what you do under the hood

[Belgian_Astra]

I love your 2002, even the rusted hood!

[rhoderacer]

The 468k mile heart was pulled from the body today. Short of a few smashed knuckles, it went great. Tomorrow I can begin to degrease the bay and pull out all the wiring and hoses. Every wire in the car is getting pulled and I plan on making my own harness.













On another note, I learned in the 1 month of driving this car that the rear fenders DONT WORK... the tire makes contact with the bottom of the fender on large bumps when im on the throttle. Back to the drawing board.

[CubbyChowder]

Nice to see progress! I had a feeling the rear fenders weren't going to work out, that shape just doesn't really seem forgiving at all. What's your plan?

[rhoderacer]

As many of you know I am a BMW addict. I don't think I'll ever buy anything other than a bimmer for the rest of my life. The thought of putting a non BMW heart into my 2002 just felt wrong. I've seen many m20 swaps and m50 swaps and although they fit well in the car and are reliable motors, I couldn't pass up the deal of a lifetime. A good friend of mine had picked up a e28 535is for a project but after seeing the rusty floors and rockers, he knew he was in over his head. Long story short, I picked up a 1988 535is with 40k on a rebuild for $550 bucks!









My plans are to shoehorn this beast into the bay as far back and low as possible. I'm going to be cutting out the radiator shroud and rain tray. The bay is getting shaved and i'm relocating as much as possible into the trunk to help distribute the weight. The m30 is already chipped with a full stainless exhaust, a cam and light weight flywheel should give this swap enough balls to make up for the weight.

As for the fenders, I'm making some overfenders to fit some meaty tires. I'm hoping to get 255/40s in the rear and 215/40s up front. I'm in the early stages of expandable foam and trying to make them similar to the e30 m3 fenders(but wider). This is my first time doing this so throw me some tips if you guys have any.

[skiierman]

wow, that will be awesome. I know IE makes some box flare style front fenders but I always thought they looked a little odd. If you end up doing the front fenders too please match the wheel well shape to the rear, the squared wells are awesome but it looks a little odd with rounded ones in the front. Good luck.

[Dylanhat]

Damn, that is going to be awesome. Other than the battery what are you going to be putting in the trunk? I like the direction you have gone with your 02. Great deal on that M30!

[rhoderacer]

Today the rear fender got some love. It still has many hours to be invested but it looks great. I also pulled the wiring harness out of the e28, tomorrow the motor can be lifted out.