1973 2002 Project Journal Part II: Car Jockeying

A beautiful day today in SE Conn, if a little cool.   Temp was about 41, but a bright sunny day.  A good day to do a little prep work for the upcoming projects.  Here is a summary of the situation:  I have a 1989 325ix (AWD) in the garage, with the tranny partly disassembled.   I have a replacement tranny scheduled to go in.... but that has been on a long delay.  This bimmer is up on high blocks (steel ramps and homemade wood blocks), probably high enough to do the tranny replacement.  But I haven't gotten around to doing it.   C'est la vie.  The good news is..... I've got a guy.  I will have him do the tranny swap.... just need to get it to his shop.  That should happen in the next week or so.  

In the meantime, I need to button up that tranny, get it down off the blocks (no mean feat, btw), and pull it out of the garage to make indoor space for the 2002.  This is complicated by the fact that the 325ix cannot be driven.... the tranny is bad, and has been completely drained of fluid, the pan and filter have been removed, (it is an auto tranny, btw).... and the exhaust has been completely removed.  

The thing that is driving today's efforts:  bad weather is forecast for Tuesday.  The new-to-me 1973 2002 has no seals at all around the driver's door and driver's side passenger windows.  Any precipitation will enter the car unobstructed... which it has probably already been doing for God knows how long at the previous owner's place!  No more!  This car needs to be inside,and..... it WILL be inside today, come hell or high water!!  ;)

The problem, of course, is that neither the 1989 325ix, nor the 1973 2002 are running cars!  So all the jockeying around of cars is going to have to be done..... ingeniously!  My backup plan is..... I know that my son, Brian, who lives in town, has a few friends visiting this weekend.  And I know these guys:   they are all muscle guys who would love to help out the Old Man by pushing a few cars around.  If I get stuck, I know they would love nothing better that to pitch in.  But I think I can do it myself.    ;)

Well, me and Mr. Natural, that is.  "Get the right tool for the job!"

First things first:  I make myself a cup of coffee to have at hand as I contemplate the work to be done.  Very important.  ;)   Did I mention that I am a coffee fiend?  I redesigned my kitchen a couple of years ago, and the focal point is my coffee bar, with its own sink, etc.  I have several espresso machines (real espresso machines, not those little toys), and I make all varieties of espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, etc.  But I digress.

So, the first thing I need to do is to button  up that tranny, and then figure out a way to safely lower the ix from its high perch.  I have it way up in the air on car ramps (front)) and homemade wood blocks (rear).  It is very solid and very safe (I am a safety nut, as you may know), but it is so high that it requires some thought to bring it down safely.  Jack stands, for example, cant reach it.  It is that high!

So, after a bit of maneuvering, and bit of sweating it out..... the 325ix is down on the ground safely.  Whew.    This is a pic of the block that one of the rear wheels sat on.  I don't mess around.  ;)

Ok, so the 325ix is now on the ground.... let the jockeying begin!  ;0

Here is the set up: the 2002 that is seen under cover needs to go inside the garage, which is currently occupied by a non running 1989 325ix.  A GREAT car, btw.   But, since the 2002 is not running, I am going to have to pull it out of the way, so that I can then pull the non-running 325ix out of the garage, and out of the way of the non-running 2002, so that I can then push the non-running 2002 into the garage!  And then push the non-running 325ix back up to the door of the garage, to await a tow truck to take it for its tranny transplant.  Simple, right?  ;)

Here is how I did it.  I attached a tow cable from my 1977 320i to the non-running 2002.  Both cars had built-in tow hooks, so I just ran the tow cable between them.  The 320i easily pulled the 2002 back up the driveway about 50-75 feet so that it was out of the way.  

Here is a pic of the 325ix still up on the ramps/blocks, but the 2002 is now out of the way.  

I screwed the tow hook into its assigned place.

Here you can see that I have attached my poly engine strap from the tow hook on my 1991 325ix to the tow hook on the 1989 325ix.  That 1991 325 5 speed AWD ix is a BEAST!  Amazing how easily it pulled the other 325!

As you can see, the 91ix easily pulled the 89 ix out of the garage and off to the side of the driveway, allowing space for the 2002 to head to safety inside the garage.  

I have started to push the 2002 down the driveway toward the garage, going slowly to ensure clearance between the rear end of the 1989 325ix on the left and the white fence on the right.  Surprisingly close quarters.

I have pushed the two ix'es up against each other to maximize the clearance for the 2002.

The 2002 easily clears the rear of the 1989 325ix.  Lucky for me, the driveway here is a just a slight downward incline.  Pushing the 2002 by myself was a piece of cake.

Success!  The 2002 is safely ensconced in its new digs, safe from the vagaries of wind and weather!  Now I can take my time to do whatever needs to be done, with no worries!  Well..... no worries about the weather, anyway!  ;)

The 325ix is now pushed back in front of the garage, where it can be easily accessed by AAA for its trip to the tranny shop.  A perfect resolution of the dilemma!  

Overall, a very successful day today!  I was able to get the 2002 inside out of the weather for the duration, and also able to get the 1989 325ix buttoned up and in position for its journey to the tranny shop for its transplant.   Perfect!

Once that 325ix has the tranny transplant completed, it becomes expendable.  I need to downsize my fleet, although I love them all!  

My plan is to either give this 325ix to one of my sons, or, if they decline it, to sell it outright.   Cosmetically, it is certainly not perfect but.... it is just an incredible car in the snow!  Ask me how I know!  Unstoppable!  The Ultimate Snowmobile.  

Stay tuned!


See full project journal here:
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/p/1973-2002-project-journal.html