The Touring Project

Finally saw the touring!

Last weekend I took a trip to Atlanta to finally see it in the flesh (or rather, in the metal and rust). It IS quite rusty, but it IS a tii, and a touring to boot. So, after assessing its condition, I have determined that I'm gonna take a shot at restoring it. Plans are to make it a nice driver, not a concours beauty. It will probably be a long and arduous (and expensive!) process, but I am sure the end result will be well worth it. There is nothing like driving a tii, and I still miss the Chamonix '73 I sold over 20 years ago.

There is a possibility that the welding and bodywork can be done in Atlanta. Alex from Carma told me that he has a good friend, Jeff Chang, who is a great welder and might be able to take it on. I do heve new doors, left frond fender and nose panel which came from the car, but I will still need to get the right front fender and the uber-pricey quarter panels. It also will need rockers and quite a bit of welding in the floor area.

I will post updates as I progress in this journey.

The touring arrives in Atlanta!

After a few hits and misses, the touring finally arrived in Atlanta last Thursday (3/5). My son sent me some pics, but I will have to wait until I go there to evaluate its condition and decide what will I do with it. I would love to restore, but it all depends on the extent of the rust.

If I decide to restore it, I will probably bring it to Puerto Rico, since the restoration would be a lot less costly here, even taking into account the transportation costs and the darn Puerto Rico Excise Tax.

It's been almost a month!

OK, I admit it. I haven't paid much attention to this blog, with the last post being almost a month ago.

Anyway, during that time I got the E30's water pump installed, the E21 got new brake pads and clutch master/slave and I bought a new Weber 38/38 kit for the Baur. Quite a spendy month...

The touring should be on its way from Bentonville, AR to Atlanta this week, where it will be stored until I figure out what to do with it.

On a more positive note, I attended two events with the Schwarz '02. On 2/15 I went to the annual big old car show at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, and on 2/22 I went to Ponce for an informal meet with (mostly) old-skool BMW owners.

Here's a pic from the San Juan show:


The white 2002 above was for sale for (GULP!) $13K!! I would've walked home if anyone had given me $10K for mine.

Here's a pic from the gathering at La Guancha. About 40 cars assisted, including 13 '02's. It was good to see so many together, and we plan to continue meeting every six to eight weeks on different places throughout the island.



The Mintgrun car used to be mine and is now owned by Luis Carlos of Patillas, who did a great job bringing it back to a very nice condition. My '02 is the second one, and the third car (also Schwarz) is in pristine condition, and is owned by a gentleman from Mayaguez.


Well, that's it for now! I will try to update this more frequently, but can't promise anything. Thanks for reading my blog!

The 1976 2002

As promised on the first post, I will be posting some details on each of my cars as time permits.

The one I've owned the longest is the '76 2002. Bought it back in 1991 for $1500, needing bodywork. The original color was Mintgrun, but in 1992 I went forward with a color change to Schwarz black and a total restoration.

After that restoration in '92 I have constantly made changes to it. The car is by no means stock, and, at this moment has the following:

• Eibach springs and Bilstein Sport shocks
• 14" BBS wheels from an E30 325is and Yokohama tires
• Weber 38/38 carb
• tii exhaust manifold
• tii brake booster and master cylinder
• Delco 100 amp alternator
  
• Five speed tranny conversion from a 320i
• Recaro seats from a 320is (upholstered in '92 and again in 2008)
• Custom-made carpet set
• Reupholstered door panels with 2002 Luxus door pockets
• BMW E24 steering wheel
• Front Kamei and rear Zender spoilers
• Rear bumper from '68-'70 2002 (no front bumper)
• Italian-market amber/clear front turn signals
• Hella 1000 driving lights
• Hella H4 headlights

Here are a few pics (the Hella 1000's had not been installed when they were taken):

Here goes nothing!

Welcome to my blog!

I will try to keep a record here of my adventures as an owner of several older BMW's. I bought my first one, a 1970 1600-2, back in 1978, and have always owned at least one since then. I currently live in Puerto Rico, but travel frequently to the US mainland, so my hobby has taken roots there also.

Our stable currently includes:

• 1976 2002 - Bought this one in sad condition back in 1991 and did a complete restoration back in '92. Still looks decent, and I continually am doing mods to it. Hope to be able to repaint it again soon. This one is in Puerto Rico.
  
• 1972 2000tii touring - I just got this one (January 2009) and it needs a total restoration. If it were a regular 2002 it might be better as a parts car, but being that it's a touring AND a tii, I will try to bring it back to life. It might be years before this happens, though. The car is currently in Arkansas.
  
• 1981 Baur 320/6 - This one lives at my daughter's in Atlanta. Bought it in June 2008 and is in decent, but not concours condition. Currently getting all the mechanical work taken care of at Carma Motorsports in Atlanta (brakes, timing belt, tune up). This is a fun car to use on my frequent trips to the ATL.
• 1982 320i - This car has been in the family for four years. Needs paint, but the mechanicals are in great condition. Used by my son as a daily driver here in Puerto Rico.
• 1986 325 - Previously used by my daughter for college here in Puerto Rico, we sold it when she moved to Atlanta, but bought it back in 2008. It is automatic and is also a daily driver.
• 1993 325i - This one is also automatic and is my daughter's daily driver.

I will provide info on each of the above rides as I go along on this blog. In the meantime, thanks for checking it out!