Old Blue 2002 (1974 BMW 2002 Content)

[dnick]

looks good!!! and it just gets better ;)

[deutschman]

Went to my local metal shop today and picked up some 1/4" scrap to do some practice welds on with my Hobart 140. I am really liking this machine and am soooooo happy I did not buy a super cheap MIG welder! I had the wire speed at 40 and the power all the way up with a nice steady bizzzzzzzzzzzzzz. For the first few beads with the 140 preheating the 1/4 helped a lot, but ones I had some welds down and and the metal was nice and hot everything was kosher.
This was my favorite weld of the day. It had good penetration, was fairly clean, and flat. Not perfect but I am a beginner so it made me happy. I was using a cursive "e" movement with the bead.
Fresh weld.

Cleaned weld.

[deutschman]

Good thoughts and recommendations! I will take all this into account.
I really want this car to be my car. I am daring my self to dream, and then execute that dream. Living in a rigid self imposed reality that does not allow you to create and invent is BORING!

[LJ851]

Yes you can weld cast iron although it is very difficult. Your steering arms however are forged steel, forged into the shape they are by an enormous many tons press while the metal is "plastic", not liquid and not solid. It creates a very strong part with excellent grain structure. A cut and welded part is compromised and will never be as strong as the original part.

Can the arms be welded? Sure! Will the be as strong/durable as the original piece? No. Will it be strong enough to withstand all the hi-jinks you subject it to ? Maybe. I would find the best welder with the most experience in that area possible, though. It's only your steering arms, whats the worst that could happen?

Remember to factor in for correct ackerman angle when you shorten the arms!

Look forward to the pics.

[deutschman]

You can safely arc weld cat iron pieces. I'll just do all the cutting and fitting and bring them in to Al's Welding here in SF and have him arc weld them together.

[LJ851]

Yeah i've seen Nick's M2 with the welded (shortened) steering arms. I'm not too crazy about welding on a forged steering arm, though. The basic issue is the E21 has a lot shorter steering arms (levers) on the strut so if you put the E21 rack on a stock 2002 the road wheel turns a lot less for a given steering wheel movement (slow steering ratio)

[deutschman]

I think the steering angle can be changed by shortening the steering arms and/or the steering tie rods. There is a french guy who has done it this way and he has some good steering angle. The slower steering I dont know about. I am just going to go for it. i hate my steering box and having one rebuilt and remachined is around $500-$600. Thats still not even a close ratio box. Not worth it to me. PM about e21 rack.

[LJ851]

I've got a couple e21 racks, give me $40 plus shipping and you can have one. You do know that the E21 rack will slow your steering and reduce your maximum steering angle quite a bit, right?

[deutschman]

You could buy a right hand drive rack from England and flip that the wrong way around and it would work but the steering column would be pointing towards the front of the car :shock:

[lambo]

And be right hand drive.

lololol

[LJ851]

If you flipped the rack upside-down it would work...

And be right hand drive.

[mr2peak]

If you flipped the rack upside-down it would work...

[deutschman]

The rack is not going to work. I did not remember that on the e30/e36 the steering rack connects to the front of the strut assembly, where as on the 2002 it connects to the back of the strut assembly. How ever a e21 steering rack will work because it bolts up to the strut assemblies in the same way that the stock steering system on the 2002 does. So I need a e21 steering rack.
e30/e36

2002 w/ e30/e36 rack

[deutschman]

Yep just bought a steering column. Good times. By the time I am done this car is going to be 50/50 my two favorite BMW's lol

[deutschman]

Well I scored a few little somethings today to take care of my steering box problems. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and doing some mental drawings (I am a very visual thinker) and I think I can make this work. I picked up a steering rack from a 318ti sport (same ratio as a e36 M3), and I think i scored a e30 steering column with a key. I know what people are thinking... Isn't the e30/e36 steering rack in front of the sub frame and the 2002 steering linkage behind the sub frame, hows it going to work? Well I think with the right welding and fab skills I can get the e36 rack to mount to the back of my sub frame. Then all I need to do is fiddle around with the length of the steering arm off the bottom of the strut housings. Should be fun. if I can not get it to work I can always sell it.