My wife and I have always wanted a BMW 2002. Just needed to find just the right one. Then at an Amelia Auction, we looked and bid on a 2002tii touring. We fell in love with that hatchback version of the 2002 that was never sold in the USA. However, we lost the auction.
So we went on a worldwide search for one and finally found one at an Estate Sale in Vienna Austria. We bought it, imported it, and picked it up at the Port of Brunswick and took it to our St Simons house to check it out. It is great but as expected with any 50 year old car, it had some problems. There was a loose transmission mount that caused a drivetrain vibration that destroyed the Center Support Bearing of the driveshaft. The temperature gauge lied to us and the lies changed based on what ever else was being used (headlights, radio, etc...). And finally, the 4-way hazard flasher would intermittently turn on and not be able to turn back on. Not a bad list. Couldn't get mad at the previous owner because he may have been well aware of these issues and may have had a plan to address them when he passed away.
So we fixed the transmission mount, troubleshot the other issues and got the car in good enough shape for a long drive. And so late last week, we drove it the 350 miles home with no problems (although I checked the temperature of the cooling system with an infrared thermometer at every stop because I didn't trust the dashboard).
Bottom line, we have locked ourselves into the garage for the last 5 days getting the little hatchback in fine shape. Pulled the driveshaft, replaced the center support bearing, took the dash apart and grounded the temperature gauge, and finally pulled the center console apart and not only repaired the 4-way flasher, fixed the center console to be in better shape. And also fabricated an adapter for USA license plate to fit on the EU mount.
Today was the culmination of all our efforts. Since the car had been restored and engine rebuilt only 350 km before the owner passed away and we put the remaining 650 km on it learning about it and driving it home. So we finished the 1000 km break-in period. So, this morning, changed the oil, retorqued the head, and adjusted the valves. It is now ready to be a great addition to our collection and will be driven quite a lot.
Car arrives at St Simons:
Condition of Center Support Bearing:
Indicated Engine Temperature (actual temp was 175 degrees):
Drivetrain done:
Car at home ready for enjoyment:
This has been a great stretch of time in the garage getting to know our new car. And today was nice to finish up on routine items like valves, oil changes, and head torque.