1972 BMW 2002....

Per Schroeder wrote: Sure, but I'm saying there's some reasoning behind the earlier cars vs the later ones--it's not just about looks.

I'd MUCH rather have a car that's closer to 1970 or 1980 than 1975/76. The middle of the decade was where the makers were required to conform to all kinds of new environmental and crash standards but hadn't really figured out how to do it yet. By 1970 the standards weren't that bad yet and by 1980 the makers had gotten better. But right in the middle is the worst of both worlds.

Per Schroeder wrote: The large bumper cars are considerably heavier than the earlier small bumper cars--and it's not just in the bumpers. They just kept adding weight through the car's production run--heck, even my 72 is 100lbs more than a 68. Per

This is true, and I'd forgotten that. There's a lot of extra metal BS on the big bumper cars, most of it to hold those bumpers. A cutoff wheel is your friend. There's a lot of weight period in most German cars that can be ditched if you're really trying to go faster. I spent hours with a wire brush removing the undercoating from the bottom of that Challenge car, and it was time well spent I assure you.

Keith wrote: Try speaking French, where 96 is literally "four twenty and sixteen".

Whoever decided this must've been having a little "four twenty" themselves...

Duke wrote:

Per Schroeder wrote: Sure, but I'm saying there's some reasoning behind the earlier cars vs the later ones--it's not just about looks.

I'd MUCH rather have a car that's closer to 1970 *or* 1980 than 1975/76. The middle of the decade was where the makers were required to conform to all kinds of new environmental and crash standards but hadn't really figured out how to do it yet. By 1970 the standards weren't that bad yet and by 1980 the makers had gotten better. But right in the middle is the worst of both worlds.

yes and no.. between 75 and 80 were pretty miserable years.. but even then, a good GRMer can take a chassis from that time period and resurrect it with a more modern drivetrain and NEVER have to worry about emissions testing again

Per Schroeder wrote: Sure, but I'm saying there's some reasoning behind the earlier cars vs the later ones--it's not just about looks.

Yeah, I was just kind of commenting on how hard "solid drivers" are getting to find.

Update: the car was delivered. I pulled the carpets, and started vacuuming rust flakes until I could see the driveway. MIG welder is coming soon..... I hope to have it plated soon, but we'll see how it goes. I found some 15x7 Panasports that should fit just right. The little guy would've been happy to sit there and make engine noises all day....

njansenv wrote: Update: the car was delivered. I pulled the carpets, and started vacuuming rust flakes until I could see the driveway.

Welcome to the world of 2002 ownership.

:) I saw a MIG welder in my future when I went to look at it. On the plus side, I figure it's easier to weld ugly structural stuff than it is to weld, sand, smooth and paint the pretty stuff.