Ryan's 1974 M2

[blazinxpk]

Hey Ryan, i check back on this thread every so often, great work on the car!!

maybe one day i can swing by a check this build out in person.

keep up the good work.

[RCM3]

Hey Ryan, i check back on this thread every so often, great work on the car!!

maybe one day i can swing by a check this build out in person.

keep up the good work.

Thanks, she is getting there. Absolutely, Ill have it down in SJ soon. I am hoping to make it out to any E30 meets that there might be also, once its done.

[RCM3]

I was able to get up and work on the 2002 a little more last week. I dont want to say that the project is on the back burner, but my priorities have had to shift a little. Anyway here is what I got done with the couple of days I had:

The goal was to get the rear of the car finished up, the brakes, drive train, etc. As a reminder, I am running the e21 3.91 LSD and using the axles from the matching late model e21 that I have. Since the differential from the e21 is slightly more narrow than the factory 2002 diff, the goal was to use the slightly longer e21 axles to make up that difference. Installed on these e21 axles will be a 2002 CV joint on one side and the e21 CV joint on the other. This allows the axle to bolt directly onto the e21 diff output shaft and also to the 2002 spindle shaft without drilling anything or having to use a spacer.

Removing all needed components from the original 2002 parts:



I took the CV joints apart and let them soak 24 hours in solvent and then reassembled them:





I had already ordered the CV boot kits for a 2002, but they work perfectly on the e21 axle with both the 2002 and the e21 CV joint. Filled them up with grease installed the clamps, glad to have the dirty job done!



And the final product, painted and ready to bolt up.



To install these onto the car, the standard 2002 bolts on one side were used, and E30 hardware on the other. E30 hardware was used as i didnt have the original hardware from the E21, but the bolt connector/ spacer things work and they are the same size and pitch (slightly longer than the original E21 bolt however).







Next up, rear wheel bearings and rear disc brakes!

Ill spare everyone the story about the rear bearings. Its a fairly straight forward job. I grabbed two BMW rear kits to do the job. One thing I did do that was a little different was have a spacer machined to install outside of the outer rear wheel bearing. My Alpina 16 x 8 rear wheels at ET28 are about 1mm too inset and want to drag on the outer part of the trailing arm. Instead of having to use a spacer on the hub to push the wheel out, I installed a 2mm spacer between the bearing and the hub. Same idea, I just prefer to not have a traditional wheel spacer behind the Alpina. The parts all came together as they should with this spacer installed. Both dust shields to cover the bearing still were functional.

I had ordered the Classic Daily brackets to use the various VW/ Audi parts for a rear 2002 disc set up. Link for these brackets and other parts needed for conversion:

http://www.classicdaily.net/products...rake-brackets/.

First up, take the rear hub off and bring it down to the machine shop with the new MK1 Jetta front rotor and have the hub turned down just enough for the new rotor to seat over it. I wasnt told how much was removed, but the hub was turned down enough that the stud bolt heads on the back of the hub were now at the very edge of the hub after it was turned. Then I got them home and painted:



Picture of the powder coated brackets installed:



Now, using your calipers and carriers pulled from the local bone yard, get to installing! I grabbed rear aluminum calipers from the MKIV Jetta wagon as I am told the piston size is a few mm's bigger. Carriers came from an earlier MKII rear disc Jetta. After playing around with a couple of spacers to get the rotor aligned in the carrier (remember I spaced the hub outwards, this translates into needed to space the rotor outwards to make everything work as it should). The VW parts fit great and the e-brake components even install right onto the new caliper. My emergency brake handle only pulls up about 2-3 clicks now to have the rear caliper activated when parking. Installed, they look small behind my 16 inch wheel, but its recommended to have at least 15s to clear the caliper.





And yes, to the observant, I painted the center hubs of my wheels black to make them appear more like the older variants of the Alpina wheels that were cap-less. I will still be using the smaller hub cap with a new Alpina or BMW decal eventually. I think the black hubs look much, much better than the all gold.


Next update will be my front big brake kit. More coming in a week or so.

[CorvallisBMW]

I love the black centers and old-school roundel caps. Very nice!

[benyen soljax]

UGH, its builds like this that make me feel like all I've done is change out the air freshener.

[RCM3]

Another small update!

I received some packages from Le at 2002 Garage Werks that finished off the parts needed checklist I had going for the last year or so.

First up , some roll center spacers to correct the suspension geometry from lowering the car. These are the 22mm non-offset spacers. I also spent some time cleaning and recoating with a 3M product the front wheel wells. I used a paint on version in the back, and a spray on in the front. I think the rear came out better, but the fronts look just fine.



With those installed under the struts, I got to installing my junkyard e21 hubs and new front bearing kit.



After I pressed the races in, I got a proper lesson from my grandfather on how to correctly pack a roller bearing. He had been a mechanic in the Navy many years ago and even though it was an easy task, its always cool to learn whatever I can from him.

Finally, the rest of the goodies in the delivery where installed onto the new hubs.



I went with the 15"+ wheel big brake kit offered by Le and Ireland Engineering for the fronts. I am running the 750iL master cylinder on the factory 2002 brake booster. Also, as a side note, my front spring is lowered down just to make installation of the front struts easier. The lower perch sits much higher up than what is pictured before the wheels went on.

A matching shot of the front fitment compared to the rear wheel and brake set up above:



And how its left now. Finally the car can roll, steer, and brake, which means its ready to now head out to a shop where Ill have the wiring triple checked and fire it up for the first time. This picture is the car at ride height. Ill probably have the fenders rolled just to have that little bit of extra space, but it all clears now both under load and not.

Im very happy with the final ride height, slight rake, and lack of excessive camber.




One final pic of my recent parts delivery from Scott at Renown.



That is it for now, small stuff but necessary stuff.

[stanhayward]

Love the final look it's sensible, classy and still looks great. Awesome outcome!

[lukeADE335i]

Great work - the black centres on the wheels look good & the car should be a hoot once all done.

[mlytle]

when actually driving, i think you may find the front is an inch too low. if you turn the steering wheel at all, the tire is going to hit the wheel well. if you turn the wheel and hit a bump...even worse.

[2mAn]

What do I know though? I'm just a peckerwood who lives out in the hills with too many BMWs.

where in South San Jose are you? We should go drive Hicks Rd next time Im in San Jose. I grew up in Almaden Valley, parents still live out there

-Simon

[RCM3]

when actually driving, i think you may find the front is an inch too low. if you turn the steering wheel at all, the tire is going to hit the wheel well. if you turn the wheel and hit a bump...even worse.

I might bring it up a little if the rake is too great. However the picture is slightly deceiving as there is more space than there looks. With that roll i referred to I think I'll have the space needed. You are the guru though, and I might add a 3mm spacer up front which would make a lift there mandatory. With the e21 hubs I lost a few mm's between the inner wheel lip and the outer tie rod ball joint rubber boot. This was probably due to the old 2002 hubs not being properly re installed when parts went back on just to roll the car around temporarily. I was happy to gain the mm's at the fender arch, but alas, the wheel will need to be pushed back out a bit to make me happy with the inner clearance.

where in South San Jose are you? We should go drive Hicks Rd next time Im in San Jose. I grew up in Almaden Valley, parents still live out there

-Simon

Simon, I recall this as I think I sold a family member of yours parts for your e30 a while back? They picked it up and mailed it or held it for you. I'm roughly at highway 85/87. And yes, a spirited hicks drive would be much fun! Once she's on the road...

[2mAn]

Simon, I recall this as I think I sold a family member of yours parts for your e30 a while back? They picked it up and mailed it or held it for you. I'm roughly at highway 85/87. And yes, a spirited hicks drive would be much fun! Once she's on the road...

that was my brother! I'll be watching and when its done, we'll go!

[blazinxpk]

^^^hey guys dont forget about me. i live right here too!!

[Mo Brighta]

Ryan- keep up the good work, my friend.

I'm sending lots of square tail folks over to this thread (page nine especially) to see what the lights look like.

When you get it out for a test drive, be sure to get a side by side with headlights and tail lights in comparison to any other square tail at night will be fine. I'm curious what they look like, and how they light up the road, compared to their stock brethren.

Keep on keepin' on, Ryan!

[AbsorbantNut]

Man I love Prototipos! They look great in almost any car, such a timeless design.