Just picked up the car from Ken at Vintage BMW Racing and I am more than pleased! The car has been freshened up and is a BEAST! The power comes on almost from idle. (I thought a 292 cam wasn’t supposed to have alot of torque down low?) Then as the revs build it starts to come to life. As it approaches redline it’s screaming. How can I accurately describe the engine? Free revving. It just revs and quickly. Compared to before it feels like a lightweight flywheel is in the car. It just revs and fast! To me, THIS is how a 2002 should run.
I have to thank Ken Blasko at Vintage BMW Racing. He made this a breeze. He was very flexible when it came to his schedule. He did the work in a quick fashion. He told me he only does one job at a time so he focuses all his attention on one project. I can tell my car got his FULL attention. His shop is great. I was in awe at the shells waiting to be built, the engines on stands that were waiting to be dropped into customers cars or his race car, and the spare parts on the walls neatly marked and cataloged. This came in handy when my head came back with bad news from the machine shop. He had a head that was clean, had a valve job and just needed to be assembled. He then checked the piston clearance to make sure I had plenty of room to run the 292 cam. He went through the car, and fixed alot of little things that just make the car more reliable. Motor mount, transmission mount, axle bolts, alternator bracket, etc. He then found the carb was missing some parts and there were some parts stuck in the carb keeping the throat open. He dealt with that as well as pointing out a bent diff mount that I will address when I upgrade my diff to a 3.91 LSD. This was all in addition to fixing the oil leak from the front cover which was why the car was there in the first place. Oh and he sent LOTS of pics showing the progress of the car. What I also loved is that since he owns 2002s and races 2002s and builds 2002s, he KNOWS 2002s and how they should feel. How they should run. What to expect from certain upgrades and modifications. Then he gives great advice on what to do. Now that this engine spins up so freely, I look forward to the 5 speed and 3.91 LSD. Those will add more quickness to the car as well. Stay tuned for more upgrades to come!