what would you pay for a 74 2002?

[xwill112x]

do a s14 swap. or turbo m42 swap. nothing in between.

[Norwegiandane]

You need to be either a great fabricator or have a fat ass wallet to do an M42 swap in the 02. The M20 is a better deal and has been done enough you can find step by step guides to completing it.
The best swap I have ever seen was an S14 though. 1970 2002 with a fairly well stripped interior, roll bar and a few other suspension upgrades. That thing screamed like a bitch. Easy swap, but will take a ton of dough to source a good engine.

[Turf1600]

Uhh, sitting for 5 years? Start at $500. Don't rush into the situation offering $1500 thinking it's an awesome deal. It's probably not.

Evaluate the below items:
Frame rails - driver's side often rusts
rocker panels - they rust under the fenders and near the rear if it's a sunfoor car
shock towers - they rust in general
spare tire well - guess!
Look for rust around the gas tank. The foam gaskets hold water.
floor pans - especially around the drain plugs and pedal box
Door cards - expensive! look out for shitty speaker mounting.
Seats - Expensive! Check for horse hair under the driver's seat
Dash - crack free 2002 dashes are like leather wrapped e30 dashes.
Check for rust under the front bumper on the nose panel
Check for rust around the windshield (front and rear) gasket
Check for rust ar the pop out window seals
Check for rust wherever sheet metal is folded over (underneath the lip of the hood, trunk and door bottoms)

A non hacked wiring harness is a huge plus
Stock stereo is a huge plus
Sunroof is a plus but has it's cons (rust!)
Check the carb. If it's a weber, it's been replaced. I consider the orig. solex to be a plus!
A working heater blower motor is like a glass moonroof

The rest of the mechanical stuff isn't a huge deal as it's not rare and is generally pretty cheap. Keeping a stock 2002 running is much easier than keeping an e30 running.

Also, the m42 swap is not that hard. Honestly, finding the transmission for a m20 swap is nearly impossible. You need the 5 speed out of a e21 323i. Jakeb here on r3v has a 72 2002 with an m42. His project blog made it look easy - but you probably want to ask him about it. the other thing - an m20 in a 2002 is like a m30 in an e30. It doesn't really fit. You have to cut up the core support to make it work.

[tcheb]

I think it might be a roundie if it's early '74.

If not, I wouldn't pay for it more than 500$.

$1500 for a sitting square taillight 02, max.

[Turf1600]

I think it might be a roundie if it's early '74.

If not, I wouldn't pay for it more than 500$.

Not correct. All 74s are facelift 2002s.

OP, limiting yourself to $500 max is a bad idea. If the car is awesome - like a turkis, mintgrun or inka 4 speed with a nice interior and crack free dash - it could be worth a lot. I could see myself paying 5k for the right non running 74. (bone stock mintgrun over black 4 speed with some factory alloys and recaros)

However, if it's your run of the mill 74 with a little rust, faded verona paint, some dents and a crusty interior - $500 is still probably fair.

[rede30]

I think I will be able to tell if this car has worth or not, I have never done anything pre e21 but I have a general idea of cars and 02's. Turf, thanks for the rust spot hints. I have never even seen this car, I just know it is there and will make a point to see in soon and take some things learned in this thread with me.

[ben71]

im currently doing an m20 swap in my 71. the s14 is ideal-200 hp and bolts to 320i 5 speed but way to expensive for me and you dont see the power till you rev the crap out of it. m42 only has 138ish? and upgrades dont do that much. little more work than m20 from what i hear. would seem worth it if you had diesel crank or turbo. m20 is cheap, upgrades easily to 200 hp, sounds great, and doesnt affect handling like you would think especially if you put battery in trunk. plus, dan williams on bmw2002faq.com makes excellent conversion mounts to make the engine bolt right in. there are a few trans options. i went with a 318is trans. bolts to m20 block, more robust than e21 323i trans and cheaper. downside is you have to get the cable driven 02 speedo to work with the newer trans. you do have to cut the front out a little but there is plenty of room in the nose. more people have done the m20 swap than m42 so you would be able to get more info on it or find someones old swap parts.

[Nic01101011]

doesnt the s14 need to be mounted up higher than the m10, thus compromising handling?

[jakeb]

Fitting an m42 is actually fairly easy. I did my swap in about 30 days and most of it was waiting for parts. The mounting of the engine and trans were not hard. Now you do need to be able to fab a few things and weld but all in all its not that hard. You also need to run an electronic speedo...again something that is not a big deal.

I also have been thinking about offering a kit or at least motor mounts to swap a m42 into a 2002. It would be later in the summer as I have A LOT of projects that are before that but it is something in the works.

Send me a PM if you are interested in some mounts.

[Pinepig]

do a s14 swap. or turbo m42 swap. nothing in between.

And my 2002 with an M10 will make both of those seem awfully slow.

[rede30]

I went to go take a look at this car today. Has sat since 2000, doesnt really look like it has though. All tires still have decent air. No real rust, has been in southern CA its whole life. Paint is pretty faded but who cares, straight with no rust. Interior is pretty rough but not too bad.

I don't know how it would logically fit into my life, that does not really mean anything, I still might pick it up. The owner does not want to just give it away but he would also love to see it go to someone who would love it since his family has owned it since 77. He kept trying to get me to mention a price and I kept trying to get him to mention a price and since I know him well enough, it is tricky to drop a $bomb.