Car of the Month

August 2007

Finally Keith Kreegers Stunning 2002 Tii

"Never seen before images"

How Stella Got Her Groove Back

1974 2002 tii (USA model) – "Stella" #2782355

In 1995, I purchased my first BMW, an E34 525i model. My 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo had been totaled in an accident, so I purchased something I believed was stronger and less curb appeal for the for the time being. Work changed, I needed another car and bought a 1991 E30 318is, which completely changed my ideas about BMWs – a 2 door sporty car. My research on the Internet found more about that car. It lead me to a quote – “the spiritual successor to the legendary BMW 2002tii”. That got me to thinking about my years in Germany and the autobahn.

Then as I read on, I remembered. My recollection of BMW 2002s went back to my days in Germany in the 70s as a member of the US Air Force. These cars were mostly owned by pilots who could afford them. My photographic skills took me to many Group 5 German championship races while there, and I witnessed the E21 era of racing but just missed the 2002 era so the concept of a 2002 as a race car never dawned on me until.

Fast forward a few months to December of 2000, when I was contacted by a co-worker regarding a car she had in storage. She was moving away and taking a job in another city. This car was part of things to “deal” with as they left town. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure – little did I know that my life would change in many ways soon after purchasing this car.

I had a great mechanic at the time Geoff, who assured me at nights, in his shop we could work on the car to bring it back. Back was a long way – the car had 4 flat tires, had not been started in years and had mold growing on the interior. The gas pedal was gone and a piece of rope was attached to adjust it – much like a lawn mower. The car did start and ran only on two cylinders. Several months and dollars later, the car rolled out of the garage. What I found was quite interesting and addicting. A car with 25+ year old worn out parts had a soul, and a sound that reminded me of a VW bug from my youth.

The more I drove it the more I realized I had to rebuild this car to its original shape and form. That journey turned out to be a daunting task. There were no books that showed you how, nor why. Mostly people I talked to offered opinions but nobody had done the whole rebuild route. My mechanic doubted I could do it. That was all I needed to develop a new hobby!
Two years passed and I drove the car off and on but it was not reliable or safe. The car structurally was not well. During this time I attended many 2002 gatherings. I saw what was possible. I believe I personally inspected over 200 other cars and got to know what I liked and didn’t. Other owners let me drive their cars to see what this or that did. I began formulating a plan, mostly to decide what color the car should be, and what upgrades I should do along the way.

At some point in time I contacted Rob Torres of 2002 Haus. He suggested that if I made it to California I should stop by his shop and see what he was doing with other customers cars, and his own. He stressed that rather than spend thousands of dollars piecing together this one which I was concerned would be weak in an accident, and not knowing somebody qualified to repair it, I should began to look for another shell with the best possible starting point. As luck would have it, in my own town I found a fellow 2002 addict Bruce, who had just purchased a second 2002 from Colorado but had gutted it for the mechanicals for his own near perfect 76 2002. The 1974 body with sunroof was left over with most of his old 76 running gear at the back of his mechanic’s shop. I purchased the body on inspection that it was all there and virtually no rust of any kind, just paint coming off and the clear coat was peeling after many years. So the journey, in the summer of 2002 began how to start over and make as close to a new car as I could afford and technically build.

Along the way, the more people I met with 2002s, the more I learned. Again, as luck would have it Steve Good moved to my town from Pennsylvania where he had a number of 2002s and other BMWs and was a certified Car Crazy guy like myself. Without his help and guidance, and his car for example to show me what was possible I would have not started the project in this way. His truck, his opinions, and his own blood sweat and tears were key to me finishing the project, in simple ways just as much very difficult ways like how to put the wiring harness back into the car. Steve and I found a barn with 5 more 2002s in it in rural Kansas. We began parting other cars to pay for our projects. This proved a way to continue to find all I needed. Luckily another 1974 2002tii was part of these 5 and helped in many ways to finishing my car.

In the end, thousands of hours of work were documented on my web site as a living manual to how I approached this project. Countless phone calls, emails, and UPS shipments came to my door to finish this car. I spent hours searching German eBay. I there encountered my friend Dirk, who lived in Germany and helped me shuttle many parts of my future car to the USA via Bundepost. We shared many emails, and parts of our cars and culture. None the least of which was a case of my favorite beer from the town I lived in Germany. I miss those boxes from Germany for sure!

All in all, approximately 5 different cars including the original contributed to the completion of the project. As many as 4 different sets of wheels, 4 different pairs of seats, 3 different transmissions, 3 different sets of brake disks and rotors, and 3 different sets of bumpers were all installed and changed. Paint colors were changed twice. Fortunately the engine was the easiest part, and I flew Rob Torres in to help me with the really hard stuff and to check my work. He was gracious to help and also guide me in the right direction, as well as supply me with many parts I could not find in other places, like a new old stock, zero miles 3:91 limited slip rear end. Much of the powder coating and plating was done by Rob. We ended up learning together – some obscure places with my project I went he had never gone either.

In the end I bought two other 2002s for my family along the way, and another 1973 2002tii which donated a lot of parts and served in some ways as a 3d model of how things went together.
In April of 2006 we had an engine starting party and celebrated the car’s rebirth. A month later the car was on the road and has since covered approximately 15,000 exciting miles driving what has turned out to be a new car in so many ways, only better than BMW built it originally.

If it weren’t for the patience and encouragement of my wife, sons and my parents, and their own participation in this project, I doubt it would be assembled yet. For that I’m truly grateful. My wife and son Nick made two drives back from California to bring home to other 2002s we treasure as well.

When I look back, six years of the calendar have rolled off now. In the end, I could not have done it without the help of the folks mentioned above, as well as Bob Murphy of the Tii Register, with whom I now share the responsibility of information on Tii’s into the future. Bo Black’s car was a great inspiration, and Bo continues to be a great road warrior for trips along with Chris Leonard. Curtis Ingraham, Jack Fahuna, Mike Self and Sherman Martinez also provided much guidance along the way of this car’s restoration. And ultimately the thoughts, experiences and kudos provided by the virtual 02 community on the Internet helped shape the car’s ultimate completion as you see it today. If it were not for the Internet, this type of project would never take place. Those few folks who have lived through these cars when new and continue to support the community at large have helped us keep the flame of the Original Ultimate Driving Machine going for future generations.

Stella’s Build List Notes
There were no rusty bolts installed anywhere. The car used as much as possible new fasteners when available, but many were re-plated and reused which were unique to the car.

Engine – stock rebuild with internally polished intake runners, new old stock Kugelfisher pump, injectors and throttle body. OEM BMW 2002tii Eberspacher exhaust system. Head converted to E30 M10 valve guides and seals, three angle valve job using Cerdi valve machine technology.

Transmission – E21 5 Speed overdrive, with 2002 Haus five speed conversion kit, and custom drive shaft.
Suspension – all stock OEM bushings, all new parts. Eibach Pro spring kit, Bilstein Sport/HD shocks Front/Rear, Suspension Techniques sway bars. All parts were either powder coated or painted with Imron black paint or POR-15 rust preventative paints.

Wheels – Rota RB 15”x7” ET 25, Bridgestone Potenza S0-3 Pole Position, 195-50/15.
Interior – Custom leather and vinyl reconstruction, with Scheel-Mann orthopedic adjustable seats. Original BMW Sport Steering wheel. Parker Performance Custom console, Nakamichi CD400 stereo with A/D/S PQ10 amp and A/D/S speakers front and rear.

Paint – Bare metal strip with media blasting, then glass beading of entire shell. New fenders and core support. PPG epoxy primer over bare metal preparation, POR-15 in many places. Seam sealer and many rust hole sources welded up. Sunroof drain tubes rerouted in the rear. USA big bumper holes all welded up and hidden. Snorkel on new OEM euro core support removed. PPG Deltron DBU Polyurethane enamel, Inferno Red Pearlcoat custom 3 stage paint mix with extra pearl, approximately 6 coats including 3 coats of PPG Deltron 2002 clear coat. Lower trim holes in doors and sides welded up to match early model 2002 style.

Brakes – E21 hubs with vented cross drilled Brembo rotors. ATE 4 piston calipers from early BMW 6 series. Rear 225 mm drum from E21 with Turbo e-brake cables. All new hard lines and braided stainless flex lines, ATE super blue fluid.
Bumpers – replaced with 1972/1973 hardware used in euro models.

Fuel Tank and lines – tank was completely stripped inside and out, covered with sealer inside and POR-15 outside, along with 3M rubberized heavy duty undercoating. Non porous seals used throughout.
Headlights – Bosch H4 with PIAA H4 ultra white bulbs.

All external trim hardware new, with stainless steel mounting hardware throughout. New windshield and seals throughout the car. New locks and ignition switch. New seatbelts, headliner and sunroof parts. Sunroof hardware polished to chrome finish. Seat tracks stripped and re-plated.

Custom items – polished stainless rear trunk mounted battery tray with Optima battery. Keyless door lock actuators. E30 M3 rear view mirror with wired in halogen lighting. Over 60 lbs of re-plated hardware to match original OEM type finish. Many exposed areas underneath use stainless fasteners for longevity.

Major updates can be seen on Keith's site: www.my2002tii.com covering the year 2007.

Any Questions please Email Keith.

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