2002's. what to look for

[gareth]

i'm having deviant thoughts about a nice L reg 2002 i've spotted. it's been tinkered with at some stage (4 branch etc) and looks fairly solid.

where are the 'nasty' areas to look for on these old tanks? essentially, i'm after a solid base for a nice retro track weapon and the one i've seen seems very solid, though left hand drive.

does anyone know if it's just a case of swapping the dash and rack over to convert to RHD? or is it more involved?
are any parts from other (newer) BMW's compatible? (E21, E30 etc)

the plan is for a stripped, caged steel wheel shot retro chariot with decent suspension (hoping my Leda coilovers could fit... ) to play with on track, the ring and the occasional show. primarily as i need another real old car in my life as my E30 is simply too new and practical!

[pacerpete]

O2s are nasty horrid rusty festering turds but if self harm is your thing go for it !
O2s have a steering box not a rack, major brake and engine cross member /steering aggro to RHD one. Leave it LHD or if you can't get on with LHD, buy a RHD drive turd. Ebay and the classic mags are full of sad corpses on stretchers for little more than scrap money (sounds like a fair price for an 02 to me ! )

[gareth]

[quote="pacerpete"]O2s are nasty horrid rusty festering turds but if self harm is your thing go for it ! [quote]
aren't all old cool cars the same?!!!!

the LHD element may be the killer for this particular weapon then. as an intended track car, i'd like to be on the correct side of the car when thrashing it to death! i just looked up some exploded diagrams on realoem.com... nasty! steering box mounted on the LHD specific subframe i guess the brakes end up with a linkage like the E30? i noticed the pedals all pivot on the floor.. uber wierd!

pete, do i guess you're not a fan of the '02?!

[old_skool]

I have a spare complete RHD 02 with full running gear if you need any parts. Pete loves 02's really dont'cha Pete

[gareth]

ahaa, a comment from a slightly more sensible and slightly less deviant man!

i'm waiting to hear back from the owner regarding if he really wants to sell it and if someone else who wanted it is having it...

in my experience of old cars (mk1/2 escorts, 105E anglias, minis etc), the most important thing to look out for is a decent shell and under initial inspection, this seems good. we'll have to see how it fares under closer scrutiny, if the owner decides to sell...

[dips346]

i have 2 as well 1 being a touring ,cool motors

[SPADGE]

Got to agree with Pete they are awful things!
Check its got a boot floor as most havn't. In fact check it has a floor and the bits that attach it to the upper body panels as most havn't
Horrible things to drive imo but whatever floats you boat Gareth

[bilun777]

Rust.Sound familiar? E30 but 15 years older ,so lots more rust.Sorry all you 02 haters but a tight 02 was much nicer to drive than an e 30 with its ridiculous steering lock,don't start me on the e21

[gareth]

well, it's been decided... the chap has taken a deposit already so it will not be mine shame as i had another look round and the floors, sills, boot, pillars etc are all solid. it's brilliantly quirky too, i love the backwards pedals, the knob that opens the quarterlights (so unecessary!).

ho hum... best give my mate £250 for his E21 316 then. 1.8 M10, big valve head, 323 brakes, brand new spax adjustables, buckets, harnesses, 15" MIM's.... a worthy weapon! fairly solid, though not as good as the '02.

neither would be track animals but a car to have a laugh in and tinker with, and for my baby bro to leard RWD on track (never driven RWD yet at all) before we move onto something faster (or stick a M52B28 in )

[e21Jason]

Hi

My mate as one stripped and all the body work done inc. turbo body kit, just needs paint putting back together and something better then the m10 1.6 and 4 speed box.

I can pm the detials if you want.

Jason

[gareth]

ooh, pm me the details out of morbid curiosity

[Jhonno]

the LHD element may be the killer for this particular weapon then. as an intended track car, i'd like to be on the correct side of the car when thrashing it to death!

how can there be a 'correct side' when on a track?!

[gareth]

my right hand is used to steering while my left hand does the gears. reverse that and it feels unnatural and takes some getting used to. for a track car, i'd rather have it that bit closer to what i'm used to. wouldn't you?
if i drove a E30 M3 daily however, LHD in a second track weapon would obviously not be a problem.