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May was a great month. There was a way to step back and look
at what I've accomplished so far and really feel good that the project will
be completed this summer. I was lucky to have Rob Torres come and pay
a visit and go over my work on his way to the Fest in Hermann. To determine
where I was wrong and right in the reassembly, he went over everything. As I
suspected I had quite a few problems, but nothing serious. Considering there
is no book on how to do a project like this in its entirety, I felt good
about that. Rob finished the brake and hydraulic systems himself and
began assembly of the engine short block. In the end, we had a great time in
Hermann, all of us. It was the most productive time I have had to date on
the car.
BIG BRAKES AND WHEEL SPACING: Below is a problem
you may encounter with big brakes. The longer studs shown are needed to
clear a spacer I put in of 5MM to make my wheels miss the 5 series calipers.
Note the before/after photo here shows the difference. You need the stud to
extend past the wheel at least 1/2" to be safe. Find them at
Ireland Engineering
and they include new lug nuts as well. Highly recommended, and remember to
use Loctite! |
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The front brakes and hubs are finally permanently done and
the new steel and braided stainless flex lines are connected. The TII script
on the caliper was my wild idea. Painting the hub portion of the rotor black
eliminates the idea of rust in the future. Next time I will use the new
plated Brembo rotors which are now available. |
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Here is how it looks when finished. These are H&R 5mm
spacers. |
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Here is a view of the steel brake lines before we attached
them. They are no fun to install!! |
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The overdrive 5 speed was a greasy mess. I started cleaning
it. Nick finished it for me, using elbow grease and Castrol Super Clean
concentrate. It looks great now! I have included these photos so you can
view how at Getrag 245 overdrive 5 speed from the E21 3 series looks if you
are considering upgrade. This view shows the need to add clearance to the
transmission tunnel due to the clutch hydraulics used. |
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View of the right side. The plate attached to the bottom of
the transmission is not needed in the 2002 setup. In a boneyard, this setup
will look like this after it's pulled from the car. |
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Cleaner... |
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Top view |
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Close up of the rear section. It's a 3 bolt unit here, which
is preferred as stronger than the other models. The arm on top is the
portion that changes gears for you. |
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Right hand side. The extra added section on the back of the
unit shows the location of the 5th gear sets for overdrive. |
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Front view, shown with all items removed. |
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HEADLIGHTS: This unit on the left is the Euro Hella
OEM version for a 74 and later 2002 and the right is the USA stock bracket
with Bosch H4 bulb and lens. Earlier cars had a grey ring to match the
chrome grill. |
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On the back there is a big difference. Three wires vs 2 on
the Euro unit. Special bulbs are needed, but are inexepensive. The Euro unit
has a second bulb in each known as city lights - note the hole above the
Euro lens mounting plate. I will adapt these to be switched on as a safety
feature like new cars in an upcoming month's articles. |
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These lights when installed extend past the plastic grills.
See a shot of a 2002 Turbo to show what I mean... |
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Here they are installed. |
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The brake booster has all the linkage established and
painted. I used POR-15 suspension paint which is semi-gloss and sprayed it
on with a PREVAL spray unit. These are disposable spray units available from
paint supply stores. |
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REAR 250MM DRUM BRAKES: I made some photos here while
Rob installed them since he was the expert. Note the locations of copper
anti-seize paste - the shoes will rub here and this blob helps that. |
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All installed. Top view - note that you will be needing 2002
Turbo rear e-brake cables to make this setup from the E21 3 series work -
they are longer. |
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Paul Cain makes an excellent upgrade for your e-brake handle. It removes
the slop from side to side by adding a precision roller bearings, washers
and strong bolt to replace BMW's parts. It is highly recommended and fits
other BMW models of similar design and need. |
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Close up view |
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Top view |
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Bottom view. |
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| Next
Section: Engine Assembly |
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