CAtuned Patina 2002

CAtuned Patina 2002 Build

Igor Polishchuk

We wanted to take this 1970 BMW 2002 (Roundie) and turn it into a nice driver. Something you can hop in to and take to your local cars & coffee event or just cruise around in. But not only that we wanted something reliable and trouble free. The old M10 was no where to be found as we got the car without any of the suspension and no engine or transmission. The exterior of the car had loads of patina and begged to be left alone. It’s one thing to paint something and make it shine but you can’t create natural patina; that takes mother nature and time. We started by stripping all of the old rubber, grime and undercoating off the bottom of the car along with the inner fenders and qtr panels. Engine bay was cleaned and stripped where needed other wise we coated the rest in clear POR15 to preserve it. We repaired the floor boards as some places had rust. While leaving the outside as is and not touching the patina.

On the lift. We started to strip the underside

After applying multiple coats of POR15. We then sprayed multiple coats of 3M undercoating. This is sure to last for years and you can be sure the rust is not coming back. It was time for new parts to go in. And we didn’t skip a thing. We went with all refurbished bits, including reinforcing the subrames. We also reinforced the trailing arms and front Control arms. Also having all the hardware and arms Zinc coated.

List of all new parts (suspension & brakes):

front wheel bearings
front brake rotors
upgrade to e9 calipers (rebuilt front brake calipers)
CAtuned stainless brake lines
CAtuned street Performance Coilovers
rear brake drums, shoes and hardware
Street Poly bushings front and rear
CAtuned camber/ caster weld in kit
Steering arms, pitman arms
CAtuned steering quibo
2002 Garagewerks rebuilt steering gear
ebrake cables
OEM subframe mounts
E21 LSD differential 4.10 ratio
E21 rebuilt set of axles w/ correct spacer
ST sway bars front & rear

rebuilt driveline and new support bearing

Once the suspension was together it was time for the power plant. We decided on the BMW M42. It is a more modern engine and fits the 2002 chassis very well. The motor we used is a low miles example. This motor came out of a 91 bmw 318is. It worked without any issues just had oil leaks. We replaced all of the seals top to bottom. We also replaced the chain tensioner and did the rod bearings. It was also important to not miss the major things that make the engine run: New water pump, thermostat, new temp sensors. Upgraded to the later style bosch 4 pin injectors along with new spark plugs. Upgrading the outside covers to all Powder Coated items done for us via Renewed Finishes. The motor mount kit we used came from Classic Daily. The transmission is a 5 speed also from the same e30. We re-sealed it from front to rear. We installed a brand new clutch kit along with a throw out bearing and pilot bearing. New Clutch Master cylinder and slave cylinder were also put in with a CAtuned braided clutch line. Brand new OEM radiator was put in along with new coolant hoses. To gain a few HP we went with Spal pusher fan along with our install kit and fan relay kit.

For the wheels we wanted something rather basic while still sticking to the rugged look we were after. We went with Corsa Steel wheels (15″ x 7) and could not be more happy about it. The guys at the company were super nice and set us up with out any headaches. For tires we went with the best: TOYO Tires in size: 195/45/15 Extensa HP

We upgraded the exhaust manifold and added a V-band for easy on off servicing in the future. The rest of the exhaust was perfectly fine just needed some new hangers and it was easily installed. Interior we pretty much left alone as it all is there and works good. Installed a brand new speed gauge and wired it up. Here is the final result of the build. Please look over the details: