Christmas Comes to the Wheel Hub

I have to say I never much liked the brown vinyl of the steering wheel hub, especially since figuring out that the hub color had originally been black. Actually, a lot of the car's black vinyl had been placed with brown.

So I bought some acrylic paint and a small brush and set to rights this particular item.

I also discovered that the plastic pins which secure the hub in place can be removed and re-inserted, in order to more firmly hold the hub (it had been loose) to the wheel. So now the hub is more solidly secured than before, an unexpectd bonus.

New Windshield Gasket, Decoratively Framed

I've had these lying around for ages - a new windshield gakset and the solid chrome decorative frame that fits inside it. First item on the list was to remove the old gasket. I believe it came originally from a different car, as it had been cut down the middle, presumably to aid in fitment.

We found no rust on the frame, unlike the horrors that other people have been known to encounter there. However the many faults of the dash top became easier to see.

The new gasket and the chrome insert went on without a hitch. The car sits quietly, much happier with its lot in life.

One Down, Four to Go

Krylon Dull Aluminum paint gave the spare tire a rejuvenated look but I'm not sure I want to repeat the process for the other four tires on the car.

Stripping a Wheel by Hand

My wheels are painted black, miniature black hole approximations:

In a fit of experimental play I thought, why not take the spare tire and strip the paint off it. How hard could that be. Well, it appears that the tire was originally painted silver before it was black, and as a result I had to spray the paint stripper three times in total, an hour for each application, to remove the layers. Here's the first attempt, followed by the second. Someone mentioned I may have the rare factory silver paint on my wheels but I don't see any way to save it.

Now what? I suppose I have to buy some spray paint. Good thing no one ever sees this wheel. I wouldn't want to spend five or six hours on a project that's publicly visible. Looks kind of cool, at least.

Finally, for the moment, here's how it looks with a couple of coats of Krylon gray primer. The camera seems to give the color a bluish tint, not that it matters since I still have to paint it.

Never Mind the Windshield. What About the Container?

I finally got around to degreasing the windshield fluid container. Again, the miracle of brake cleaner fluid.

A Dubious Gas Cap

A couple years ago, as previously recounted, I purchased an "original" BMW locking gas cap for the car. In fact, this item is still for sale here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-BMW-E3-E9-Chrome-Tankdeckel-gas-cap-2-key-2000CS-CA-2-8-3-0-CS-CSi-CSL-/150927852942?pt=DE_Autoteile&hash=item232400458e. (The price is now considerably higher.) It seemed fine but as time went by the cap became more difficult to remove from the filler hole. Not a good sign, since I could imagine getting to a gas station and being unable to remove the device and having to resort to drastic measures to get fuel into the tank. I also went as far as to polish the old, stock cap, with thoughts of using it once more. It looked good when re-installed on the car. However, since I had gone to the trouble and expense of buying the locking cap I did prefer to keep using that version. Finally a squirt of graphite in the lock did the trick and freed the mechanism. So once again the locking cap is on the car and the tank is protected from the predations of vandalizing strangers.

More Cleaning

When the mood strikes I get a rag, spray some brake cleaner on it and wipe yet another part of the engine bay, slowly relieving it of accumulated oil and grime. The process is time-consuming but rewarding. Then, naturally, the camera shows areas I've missed.

More Bumper Bling

Some time ago I went to look at a 1969 NK 2000 because, well, I'd never seen one in person. One of the interesting yet subtle features I noticed on the car were small protective rubber bits on the bumper over-riders. Mine, naturally, didn't have these, lost to the winds like so many other small pieces of a forty-six year old car. I was pleasantly surprised to find they only cost three Euros in Germany. I ordered them and quickly got to putting the strips on the bumpers after getting the envelope in the mail. Pearl of wisdom, they don't go on easily when cold.

The story of getting the rear bumper off, in order to remove the over-riders, I will save for another day.

But Does It Really Look Better?

I've never liked the way the driver's window crank looks. The crank sticks out in an unbecoming way, despite the the metal "teethed" ring that sits against the vinyl. I found a $4 "stop disc" that goes with the window crank on the later 2002s. Despite the item not being stock to the 2000, as far as I know, I thought it would better the look of the door panel. The question now is, "Does it really improve the appearance?" I'm still pondering...

Rechromed / Regrooved

It occured to me the other day that something was amiss with my door panels. I checked with the Euro Original Polizei, who told me the current look was unacceptable.

The two horizontal strips that border the textured vinyl, shown here colored black, are supposed to be chromed. Clearly, my doors had been stripped of the requirement. So I got some mylar strips courtesy of Dan Pecsok, who I found on bmw2002faq.com. He sent them promptly. Too bad he's leaving the country in March and so will soon be unavailable to help other owners with the same problem. I applied two pieces to one door as an initial test. The interior looks much better; shimmering mylar is our friend.

And now two more doors done!

The last and most important door, which probably turned out the best.

Idle Thougts

The car began to idle rather fast this week, perhaps at 2k RPMs. At first I thought an adjustment to the carburator would be required and so I did a search on the BMW 2002 forum to see if I could learn what to do. I was suprised to read that leaves, pine needles, and other junk can collect behind the gas pedal and prevent it from releasing properly, a scenario that would make the car seem to idle too high. Naturally, when I checked behind the pedal I observed plenty of lawn trimmings. Even a small screw had lodged in the crevice. I got out the vacummn cleaner and cleaned everything. In the photo a few remnants of debris are visible but now the car idles perfectly, back at 800 RPMs.