At Least Measure Once!
You’ve heard the adage, “Measure twice. Cut once!” Well, I learned the hard way, “At least measure once!” Here’s the story.
The Adventures of the GMW
Why do some cars grab our hearts? I don’t know! Yesterday I talked with a younger guy whose JDM dream car is an Acura Integra Type R. He told me, “The only problem is the more I make, the more they cost.” I feel his pain. The hobby is not kind to all our affections. Speaking of affections, as a high school kid in the 70’s, I can remember a friend who had a BMW 2002. Now, I’m an American muscle guy, but something about the lines of that boxy little baby grabbed my heart and never let go.
Last summer, while perusing Bring A Trailer (Warning: Peruse at your own risk!), I saw this 1975 BMW 2002 “project car” on auction. I decided to follow along. As the auction reached the final day and the bids were still relatively low, I jumped in and with “just two bids it was mine.” Sure, it had a little rust here and there (and there and there and there), but I love fabrication and body work and besides it was the cheapest of the fifty-plus 2002s that have sold since that time (justification!)
After a few challenges attempting to ship the car from the other side of the country, the BMW arrived at our home in Arkansas. I tucked it in next to it’s new best friends and began to dream about what it could be.
The old Beamer was pushing 50. It’s M10 engine was fine for motoring along in the 70’s, but it needed a rebuild. I’m a hot rodder and enjoy the odd and unique so I began to think “engine swap.” Hmmm . . . V-8, BMW M20 or M30, maybe a Honda s2000 engine. I had enjoyed the power and dependability of our Ecotec LSJ, a 2.0 liter with some serious ponies, and knew the LNFs of the same family were even more powerful, especially when turbo charged. My mind was made up. I began to search the web.
The Hunt For The LNF
The LNF of my dreams would come from a Pontiac Solstice GXP or Saturn Sky Redline; at 260 HP out of the box, that represented a 61% gain in horsepower over the BMW power plant. I figured the LNF, being an aluminum engine, would be a relative match in weight, but the horse power per cubic inch and the increasing power-to-weight would turn the tame little 2002 into a feisty and fun daily driver.
I searched, scouted, and sourced my new powertrain from Heritage Auto Parts in Mobile, Alabama. I could not have been happier. They showed me the car the engine came from, gave me video, pictures, and packaged and shipped it in a way Santa would be proud.
I had the engine and tranny shipped to Louis, friend and owner of Louie’s Hot Rod Garage. Working on another project and under serious time constraints I asked Louis if he could fabricate the motor mounts and set the engine. “I’ll take it from there,” I told him. As he has done for me before, Louis outlined a few of the technical challenges I would face and began the work.
A few days later, I got a text, “Houston we have a problem!” The engine bay from firewall to core support is 26 1/2 inches and the engine is 26 inches. That’s like trying to stuff a rhino into skinny jeans. Of course, for a hot rod builder, it’s never really impossible, it is simply how many billable hours it will take. When I got that estimate, I put my dreams of the GMW on hold . . . for now. Of course, dreams die hard and Annie continues to sing, “tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow.” I had the car flat-bedded back to my shop. The engine will stand at attention with a few others on the floor, ready for service when duty calls . . . which will not be anytime soon as the Green Machine has shop priority.
Lesson learned! At least measure once!
In my excitement to turn a BMW into a GMW, I made a crucial mistake, one that set me back more than $1500 bucks. And while I had worked diligently to do weight comparisons, I failed to do the obvious, take basic measurements of the engine bay and my engine to be swapped. Yeah, I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again.
The Adventures of the GMW are not over, they are just getting started, though that starting line is a couple of months away. Stay tuned!
