The 100k Mile Marker

Yep, the '75 hit the 100k mark two weeks ago! She runs better than the day I got her too :)

Pretty simple, the car has now rolled back to 0 miles and it's brand new again.



In celebration of her mileage feat, I gave her a good wash and a mini detail.


Here is my updated list for what will happen to the car in the next few years:

*E30 sport seat swap/New black carpet ( I have the seats in the garage)
*Audio (just a deck with a 4 channel amp and some components)
*5 speed swap out of an e21
*15x8 wheels with some good rubber
*Ireland engineering race suspension upgrade (shocks, springs, sways, ect...)

Also, we have now moved to easter Washington so the car will rarely see the rain anymore!

PAINT, PARTS, PHOTOS!!!

On Thursday I got the '75 back from the paint booth. As stated in my earlier post, they pulled a dent above the grill, painted the front end with the new air dam, shaved the front side markers, sprayed the sunroof and resealed it, and finally sprayed the left side of the car since there was some rust that needed to be taken care of. I am stoked with how good the car looks! Saturday, my friend DJ and I cleaned up all of the chrome trim pieces on the car and detailed the engine bay with some heavy duty engine de-greaser. Saturday was pretty fun cleaning up the little details on the car and having some spare time to get work done :)

Onto some pics!


Picture of the chrome trim after being cleaned:


Here are the products we used:


A picture after the engine bay was degreased and cleaned with a pressure washer:



Before moving onto pictures of the paint, I want to remind you all what the car looked like when I bought it:


HERE ARE THE PICTURES OF HER NOW!!!







Here is a picture of the '75 at Cascade Cars & Coffee Saturday morning:


Here is the website for the weekly meet: http://www.carsandcoffeeportland.com/

I am very pleased with the progress I have made with the car. Later this summer I will be doing new carpet and putting in the nice e30 sport seats I picked up a few weeks ago. Then probably add some audio and lower the car :)

E30 Sport Seats!

Today I picked up some mint condition e30 sport seats for the '75. Purchased them off the same guy I bought the front air dam from yesterday. I think I'm going to pick up some new black carpet for the car and install it at the same time (if I can wait). This post is simply about the seats, since the car will be in the shop until later next week. I got an awesome deal and just couldn't pass it up. I'm very thankful that my wife has been so supportive with the car :)

Here they are all cleaned up in my garage!

Paint and Kamei Lip?

Today I got an awesome deal on the Kamei lip I had been wanting to purchase. It was going to be $235 + shipping, but I picked it up brand new off a local '02 enthusiast brand new still wrapped for much much less :)

Here she is in the garage:


I'm dropping the car off this afternoon to have some work done!

* Front end have holes welded shut/body work from the old bumper I removed, then resprayed original color
* Air dam installed
* Left side of car resprayed
* Sunroof will be repainted and resealed
* Front side markers will be deleted


I can't believe this is all happening so fast! Getting that lip for such a big discount, and after talking to the guy who will be doing the body work (filling in holes from the old bumper will require welding and bondo), I feel good about pricing and all.

I'm really looking forward to the next post when I will be able to post pictures of the car with some new paint and a new front end! Just in time for the Leavenworth drive...

She's Alive!

Today I picked up my car from Peter Salzman's Hobby Shop in Wilsonville. He ended up replacing a part inside the distributor (he said he put in "new points"). When I arrived, the owner of the shop (Peter) showed me exactly what he replaced and how to do the job myself next time it happens. His honesty and the time he always puts into teaching me about the issues my car is having is refreshing. It isn't common that you will find a mechanic that specializes in your car and is reasonable with the wallet. Salzman Motors has been working on 2002's since 1967 and has many aftermarket parts available too. Back to the maintenance; After fixing the part inside the distributor, the car underwent a minor tune up by having the carburetor cleaned and adjusted. The car runs fantastic, and much better than it has previously since I have owned it. I can't wait to take the car on another road trip in the near future when my wife and I attend the Leavenworth Drive! Information on the drive can be found here: http://www.leavenworthdrive.com/

If you are looking for a reputable bmw mechanic, I strongly recommend Salzman's Hobby Shop! I took a picture of his business card to share just in case anyone needs his contact information.



Today was a very good day. My favorite part about the shop is that they have probably six to eight 2002's on their premises at all times and the owner enjoys talking and planning future build ideas with the customers. Overall, I have spent $230 on maintenance the first month I have owned the car. Also, when I got the car home I installed some new Denso Spark plugs to give her some extra pep! Hopefully this will keep the car happy for awhile!

We shall end the day with a picture proving that life is all good and back to normal :)

Breaking Down...

As stated in my post a few days ago, I took the '75 on a long road trip. The car ran great the whole way to my destination, but it started running pretty rough when I arrived in town and it had trouble at idle when stopped (would often die). I couldn't get the car running after parking it for the evening. After calling a 2002 mechanic and asking for guidance, I was told to clean out the idle jet (valve thing? I can't remember) and the car started up. It ran very rough at lower rpm's going through town and would try to die if I took my foot off the accelerator. But, once I was out of town, I found the car ran great at highway speeds. It appears to run good at higher rpm's, and won't run, or run very rough at low rpm's.



I got the car started and then left for my venture back home to Oregon. I stopped once for gas, then the car wouldn't start for two hours :( Once it started, I got it onto the highway and it ran great until I had to come to a stop sign. I was then stranded for five hours until my wife could come with our 4Runner and a trailer to bring me home. She drove 130 miles to come get me, I was very thankful!

A pic of where the car broke down:


Here a picture of us at a gas station on the way back...



I think the issue is fuel related. The car ran really rough at low rpm's, but when the rpm's were up and I was on the highway it ran very smooth. We dropped the car off at the local BMW shop a few miles from our house, which means hopefully Tuesday when it opens back up they will have time to take a look at it. My trip back was going to be a five hour trip, putting me home around 5pm. Unfortunately, after the day was over, I arrived safely at home around 2am and in a separate place than my car :( Looks like Blue will be getting some attention and money put into her in the near future...

Road Trip

Today I drove the BMW 320 miles on a road trip (and I'm doing the same trip back home tomorrow). The car averaged about 24 mpg, which I was very happy with. The car went over three major mountain passes and it did tend to struggle on the bigger hills dropping from the 70 mph speed limit to around 60 mph a few times. But, I learned to get a run at the hills and then I would linger around the 70 mph mark ;)

Here was her top speed today! I didn't really get on it for too long though...


Overall, it was a good trip. I had to listen to my headphones since the stereo does not work, and a few springs are coming through the drivers seat making the trip a little less comfortable. But, I love the car and I'll continue to drive the car even with worn seats until I can afford some newer BMW seats!

Here is a pic of her at a gas station off the highway right after a fuel up.


The car did awesome the whole trip until I arrived at my final destination. When I entered the city, the car did not want to stay alive. She would simply quit in gear and die. The temps were not up, the oil level was great, but for some reason the car did not want to idle well. I also noticed the car would start in second or third gear it seemed which also did not help. After researching this some, there could be a few different adjustments to make, but it also was said to be pretty common after a long road trip with an automatic 2002.

On a better note, putting premium or plus in the car stopped the sputtering that was occurring when I shut the car off! From now on I will continue to use higher quality gas.