About a year ago, we unveiled Ben's 1971 BMW 2002 project on our newsletter. A spectacularly original car, Ben kept this Roundie since new- as if that isn't sentimental enough, this is the car Ben drove through college! While it had been sitting for some time, the 2002 was a fairly clean slate, and ready for restoration.
From afar, this 2002 presented well, and it was complete. Sure, the Colorado orange paint was quite a bit faded after 50 years, but it was all original and never repainted. Overall, the 2002 was tired; paint fade, interior fabrics faded and torn, mechanically needing TLC, and the undercarriage beginning to weaken. Not a problem for us- we were ready to take on the job! 2002s play at our heartstrings, so having this opportunity was quite the treat.
First things first: establish a baseline for the overall condition of the vehicle; as well as particulars, such as the engine's compression numbers. This will give us a better idea of what items may need more work than anticipated, if any. After the inspection is done comes disassembly.
As you can see, Ben’s 2002 was definitely treated to west coast weather for most of it’s life. Sure, the undercarriage could definitely use some love, but look at how clean those frame rails are! No major corrosion was found anywhere on this example- it was a very clean slate for having been his college commuter.
The body was then stripped of all components- trim, lights, grilles, doors, glass, etc. Once ready, the body was prepped for mediablasting.
Along the way of disassembly, we found an iconic artifact of Ben’s young adulthood- what teen didn’t add rear package tray speakers to their car?! Very few moments surpass the amount of bliss one has while driving their first car and listening to their favorite albums- one of the purest senses of freedom and self expression.
Once we stopped reminiscing over our very own first cars, we continued to work, and put the 2002 straight into the paint booth following media blasting. Time for primer!
After stripping down the chassis and media blasting the rest of the finish off, we had a perfect look at any small areas of corrosion to correct. Thankfully, this example was really well taken care of, so there weren't any real surprises in store for us. We also made sure to spend a little extra time than the factory would have when painting the undercarriage, to ensure our work outlasts another 50 years!
Zach and James mocked up most of the trim work while the 2002 was in primer to ensure fitment would be perfect with the final finish.
Without getting into all the details and nitty gritty, you can see the different iterations of the restoration process above. Don't be fooled- there's a whole lotta work to get to through these 4 different checkpoints! Ben also requested a little extra horsepower from the factory engine- Jim Coleman was right on the job and he delivered.
Without sacrificing street manners or driveability, Jim took power levels from the standard 2002, and upped it to 2002Tii levels, with a little extra torque to boot! Additional modifications include a stainless steel header-back system, Bilstein shocks and a lowering kit, Nardi steering wheel, etc. OEM+ was the end goal, and we definitely feel it's the perfect blend of OE looks with performance to match modern driving usability.
Those who love details will notice the intentional preservation of the original UCLA parking sticker left on the rearview mirror.
Spring cannot come soon enough for Ben and his like-new 2002!
We hope you enjoy, Ben!
