April 2003 - Moving again, suspension started

Moving to a new location within the same building sheds "new light" on the project

The first relocation of the car project got me moved in a hurry during cold weather. However, weather had taken it's toll on the roof above my space. The landlord allowed us to move again to a place which was more like working outside than in a cave. This space is the same 40' x 40', but has heated office space, lots of florescent lighting and daylight and a much better layout for the task at hand.

My dad built this bench to my specs. It's got two 4'x8' plywood tops and wheels. I can put the hood, doors, deck lid and sunroof on it and work on them. I have a vise to mount to the top as we work on the bigger things.

The front suspension... this was as we started with a donor setup from a 74tii. Much of what you see is mud that is just welded on. If you're not used to seeing the sub frame in this way, you're looking at it as though you wood if the dash was removed. The round black disk with 4 bolts in it supports the steering column, and it's fastened to the steering gear box. I'm undertaking the cleaning of this low mileage steering box, as well as adding some new parts and plated bolts to the finished assembly.

The side view... shows the locations where the struts mount, the sway bars attach and the control arms connect to the ball joints. The idler arm is the part that runs parallel to the steering gear box. You need a wide, padded table to work on this part.

And on the opposite table lies the rear suspension. This 74tii unit has the boxed in trailing arms as shown. This cancer is typical of salty roads and 28 years worth of never looking under the car. "Hey, was I supposed to wash under the car too?". The arched shaped parts with two bolts in them on the far ends of the rear subframe are the notorious carrier bushings. These are the ones your car probably needs replacing as they are the hardest to get to. We have lots of new replacement parts here, including the brake lines and sway bars from Suspension Techniques.

A look up front... These two arrows show two strips of metal that must be removed from a new core support. I neglected to notice this until it was too late. A sharp hacksaw removed them where BMW gives you cut marks to take them out. I'm sure this is part of the manufacturer's stamping process to stiffen the cowling areas of the grill. There are lots of little things up front I've found out! Remember to pull all 8 of your nylon plastic screw inserts to support mounting the front grills.

I have a good heater core and heater box. Needs cleaning, however works great. I will cover the guts of this baby in another update. The foam, of course, is shot. Find newer closed cell foam. Computer boxes have this awesome grey anti-static foam that works great for this replacement.

A view of the back. I have test mounted parts of the rear bumpers... cool eh? Those license plate lights must be worth a fortune if Ebay is any indicator!

Working on the pedal box and brake booster. I found this good nearly new used part in somebody's collection doing a restoration. I think that orange sticker is cool - it was from Germany and was on the booster when I got it. No rust on this unit - just presentation quality paint!

The bottom photo confirms what I said - NO RUST.

Ok, working on spiffing up the intake also. These will be powder coated silver soon. They are Euro 74tii intake log manifold parts - no smog holes on these units to plug up! That shaft coming down via the throttle body is notorious for wear. Also note the throttle spring here. If yours is not like this - get the new one, they're cheap and work great. Many aftermarket ones are way too stiff. I have a NOS throttle body to work with so this thing should start and run as new with the new Kugelfisher pump.

After cleaning and prep, the restored front subframe is taking on parts. This is the back view of the steering gearbox. The frame is painted with black Imron for resistance to all things thrown at it!

The front view - ready to accept the rest of the new suspension parts and struts.

The doors, where the mysterious, NLA door brakes go. I was very lucky to get 2 new ones since they are very scarce these days. This part keeps your door from coming out too far and putting a crease in the door from the edge of the fender. A must if you have a nice paint job.

This is a door brake in all its glory, lined up where the flat part is to the back of the flat of the door. Note there are 2 recycled, gold cad plated bolts for this setup being used from the original tear down of the car.

I'm using Lubro Moly 508 anti seize on the bolts. This is good practice anywhere you think you will take the bolts out again. You need a solder brush or similar to apply it to the threads.

The holes for the bolts are slotted. Keep them slightly snug until you've mounted the doors to allow correct alignment with the door when closed.

I hope this helps you with your installation!

Ok, some close ups of the frame rail. This is the area as it enters the nose and core support. These bolts are holding the 1972 style 2002 bumper iron brackets.

A view looking up at the left side frame rail where the fuel line runs.

A view looking down from the drivers side headlight area.

Another view showing the finished setup with the two bolts installed. For sealing purposes, use clear silicon if you fear water entering the frame rails here.

Side view showing a look at the position through the front grills.

A view looking down the bumper... More next month!