New to 2002 world, advice & questions

[noproblemq]

Hello all,
I am brand new to the 2002 world, and I am currently awaiting trasport to bring my rust free 72' 2002, to me in Tampa, from San Fran. All original, w130k.
A few questions: first, my father in law wants to try a Holley carb of some kind on it. He said he has always had good luck with them on V8's, VW's, and older Porsche's. Anyone ever heard or tried them?

On the subject of "goodies"- car currently has Solex carb. I want to definitely increase flow and horsepower. What are the basics, and the musts?

Ignition-what kind?
Intake-what kind?
Headers-What kind? how do Tii exhaust manifolds flow.
Exhaust-what size?
Carbs-thinking of 38/38.
Cam- thinking of 292. Regrinda any good, or stay away, and fork out for schrick?
Springs for a about a 1 inch drop? who?

I will do HD Bilsteins, and eventually swaybars, on 14" Basketweaves 205/60-14's.

Previous owner said compression was 129 or higher on all cylinders, very reliable car etc etc...I have to confirm this before anything.

I want a fun street car, with some punch, and occasional autocrosser.
Anyone in Central Florida know of any 2002 clubs or get togethers?

Thanks everyone, looking forward to the fun that lies ahead.

Q :help

[SpecM]

For the kind of car you want ("with some punch, and occasional autocrosser"), I suggest using two Weber 40mm DCOE's with a Schnick 292- someone else may want to comment about regrinds-and using a tii exhaust man., like you said. I would keep the whole exhaust about stock unless you bumped up compression- and then maybe only about a 2 inch one (btw- 129psi is about 7.8:1- not that high).

[noproblemq]

Thanks SpecM.
I def. have to check compression before going forward. I have read great things about the 292 cam, just not sure if i should get "inside" the motor yet. ( may do that later with a head job) Have you had any difficulties with "twin carbs"? Some say stay away from it, but if it screams,that is what i want. What about intake manifold for dual's? Also, this will not be a daily driver.
Thanks
FQ

[Echo]

as far as the carbs go, Holley = good for domestics, and not much else. Stick with Webber. If you want to put out the big bucks i would suggest some sidedrafts, but as i stated, those are prices. A 38/38 would be your best bet for a downdraft.

I happen to have the 14" baskets you are getting and have some HD's, and i think the ride is great. I also just threw on some H&R springs, which drop the car down and IMO make a world of a difference. Oh, don't forget that you will need some 3mm spacers for the front baskets in order to clear the strut housings.

Good luck,
Jonas

[noproblemq]

Thanks Echo,
So no rubbing problems? I plan on 205/60-14's. I have heard good things about H&R, and I do like the lower stance. Know anyone selling springs?

As far as carbs, the 38/38 is my preference at the moment. Any suggestions on manifolds? I have a shot at getting a Tii exhaust manifold, cheap, is this a good breather, or just get headers?

Thanks
FQ

[Echo]

No rubbing issues however i want to roll my fenders just in case. ask on www.bmw2002faq.com for springs. Just go to the forsale forum and ask away. As far as manifolds, i currently have a 32/36 running on top with a TII exhaust manifold and its fine. I recently picked up a Supersprint header for cheap but am yet to put it on... I need to have it media blasted. In my opinion a Tii manifold would do just fine... as i said, the only reason i got mine is because i got it for SOOO cheap.

Once again, hope this helps.

Cheers,
Jonas

[Al Canuck]

Best thing you can possibly do to that car is the "fix it" mod. In other words, tune it up! Set the valves, check and replace all the ignition stuff. My setup is Bosch cap and rotor, NGK plugs, Pertronix in place of points, Beru wires from Maximillian Importing, and a stock coil. Make sure the brakes work, bushings aren't falling aprt, tires aren't rotten, etc. Don't put the cart before the horse, and start bolting on performance stuff. You'll be amazed how great an 02 drives in stock trim, as long as it's all in good nick.

Once all that is sorted out, a 32/36, or a 38/38 both work well. A lot of it depends on where you live, and does it need to pass emissions testing. A 38/38 will have a much harder time doing this. It will also eat more gas. 32/36 works well on a street driven 02. To run a 38, you will need a stock 2 barrel manifold, but you will have to port it to fit the throttles. tii exhaust manifold is a nice upgrade, and along with a good stock exhaust, will be happy to about 150hp. Also, that 292 cam won't be reaching it's full potential without more comression to go with it.

Favoured springs are usually Suspension Techniques, Eibach, or H&R. Shocks are Bilstein. Personally, I prefer Koni, and rum Koni Sports, with ST springs in my car. I also have E30 basketweaves,a nd run 195/60/14 Yokohama A520's. 205's are too big for an 02. The diameter is taller than stock, and will rub like mad. I don't run a spacer with my wheels, and have no troubles. A spacer will cause your wheels to hit the fenders.

Finally, the BEST thing you can do for your 02, is visit www.SeamsPerfect.ca, and buy a complete interior from that super friendly Canadian guy who runs the place :)

Al

[brave73tii]

Thanks SpecM.
I def. have to check compression before going forward. I have read great things about the 292 cam, just not sure if i should get "inside" the motor yet. ( may do that later with a head job) Have you had any difficulties with "twin carbs"? Some say stay away from it, but if it screams,that is what i want. What about intake manifold for dual's? Also, this will not be a daily driver.
Thanks
FQ
the problem with twin sidedrafts is everyday driveability...if your going to autocross your 02 and don't plan on driving it everyday you might want to consider installing twin sidedrafts eventually...Al is right however, it is important to take care of the basics first, especially the 02.

regards, jeff

[Ohtwo]

How are sidedrafts bad for everyday use? Besides needing to give the engine some throttle at idle, to keep it from stalling when cold, its fine.

[brave73tii]

How are sidedrafts bad for everyday use? Besides needing to give the engine some throttle at idle, to keep it from stalling when cold, its fine.
i am talking about everyday driveability, sitting in traffic and whatnot; that could become a little taxing, don't you think? the butterflies in the sidedrafts are not progressive like most downdraft carbs; that means the carb is sucking a lot of gas, even when the butterflies are just barely opened. the sidedrafts are designed to allow the most amount of gas the engine will allow in the most direct way: 1 barrel per cylinder directly into the head. whereas the downdraft carbs divide 2 barrels (opening progressively) over 4 cylinders, much milder effect. it's the difference between drinking from a coke bottle and a mason jar...the mason jar is a more little difficult to just take a sip out of.

regards, jeff

[Ohtwo]

I still wouldnt say its a bad daily driver. The cam and carbs make it rock and roll at stop lights. Not a problem with me. My fuel milage is 25 mpg+ in town, and a little worse on the highway because of my gears. Sitting in traffic, the only thing that bothers me a little is the rocking and vibration. Not a big deal, since the car is 29 years old, and the engine has been modified. I dont expect a car made from the late 60's to mid 70's, to give this much performance, and not be a little unrefined. Sorry no VTEC here.

[Echo]

I would have to agree that you wouldn't want side drafts for daily use. Bad gas milage, and why spend the money when a nice solid webber 32/36 would do just fine? You won't be using the advantages of the side drafts in daily use anyway, unless you drive like Michael Schumacher through town and on the freeways.

[CSBM5]

When the sidedrafts are properly jetted, choked and sync'd (asking a lot here as it takes some skill for all three), they work very well for everyday driving. I just happened onto this thread, but in the past I drove a 72 Bavaria with triple 45's on a Korman built motor (pistons, cam, Stahl headers, etc.) as my everyday driver. The only issue was hot weather idling with the A/C on where the engine needed some more ignition advance which I solved by using an MSD Ping Control unit (allows you to electronically retard ignition) and advancing the timing some.

At the same time, I also had an E21 with a Korman Stage 2+ motor, Schrick 304 (I think, although that may have been the Bav's cam), Weber dual sidedraft 45's, large dia Stahl headers, etc., and it was just fine in everyday driving. This was my beater car when I put the Bavaria up for garage queen duty. :)

Both of those cars "surprised" plenty of folks back then (sold the Bav in 1994 and have regretted it since, sold the 320 in 1989).

Cheers,
Chuck

[WTA123]

Ah damn it, why did I have to look at this post again :devillook:? NOw I want sidedrafts instead of a 38/38(Or possibly a rare discontinued 40 downdraft :eyecrazy) :alright

[brave73tii]

if you're goung to use the the car for autocrossing and whatnot i would definetly go for the sidedrafts.
regards, jeff

p.s. i have nothing against sidedrafts per say; i actually have a set of triple webers and alpina manifolds that i plan on installing in my bavaria...i'm just playing devil's advocate...we all know the advantages, but...

regards, jeff

[WTA123]

I have a few questions for those of u that use sidedrafts as a normal use driver. When does power build up? Do you have to change cams to get better all round performance for daily driving? And what does having duals sound like?( I heard they are loud). Thats all I can think of for now, but I know I will come up with others.

[CSBM5]

if you're goung to use the the car for autocrossing and whatnot i would definetly go for the sidedrafts.
regards, jeff

p.s. i have nothing against sidedrafts per say; i actually have a set of triple webers and alpina manifolds that i plan on installing in my bavaria...i'm just playing devil's advocate...we all know the advantages, but...

regards, jeff

Truth be known, I always drove those cars pretty hard. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't enjoy the music of wide open triple Webers driving the Bavaria -- it was just too intoxicating. I also drove the car in many track events. In both cases, the engines were built to a level where they required the breathing capacity of the Webers. Given what I'm used to now, I don't think I would ever put up with a carb motor again for an everyday driver however...modern fuel injection sure is nice. In the old days, it was the first thing to go when you wanted performance (ala my E21 with K-jetronic).

What's the story on your Bavaria Jeff? How long have you had it, and what have you done to it? I've got some links to pictures of my Bavaria and 320i if you're interested. I really wish I could find my Bav I sold in 1994. :(

[Ohtwo]

I have a few questions for those of u that use sidedrafts as a normal use driver. When does power build up? Do you have to change cams to get better all round performance for daily driving? And what does having duals sound like?( I heard they are loud). Thats all I can think of for now, but I know I will come up with others.

I have 40 DCOEs and a 292 cam. Theres good power at 3k, and it really wakes up at 3500. After that, it pulls to redline. I havent had it past 6000-6300 so I dont know what it does past that. Not even sure how high these engines can rev. Not sure about the cams, but theres alot of info on them. Alot of sources say the 292 and 40 DCOEs are the ultimate street setup. Anymore cam, and its a little crazy for the street. Duals make the car sound like a boat, but with a sweeter tone. Yes they are loud. I have an ANSA exhaust, and all I can really hear is the carbs. Very responsive.

[Pimpride]

What would a big downdraft carb setup do? I've heard of weber 40/40s. Then I saw a post of BMW2002faq.com, where a guy found a company in Romania who makes weber 42/42 carbs. I was wondering what this type of carb setup would do to a stock 69 2002, compared to the weber 32/36 thats on it now. I figure i would have to port the manifold to work correctly, but a 42/42 downdraft would probably increase the power output.

Thanks

[Milkman III]

I am running a 304 cam w/ dual 40 dcoe's, header, ect. I drive the car on the street and the driveabilty if fine. The car shakes a bit at idle but not bad.
Plus the fun/cool factor really make it worth while. I must admit I rarly drive the car with out dipping into it hard. This set up is so fun and it really makes the car an absolute blast to drive. I love the sound of the carbs.

The only down side with this set up ( to me ) is when that car is cold it can be a bit grumpy, but it is fine once at running temp.

M