2. Email us your photo
3. Win and go vinyl shopping with Lake Street Dive September 5!
So, here are the two images I took and photo-shopped to get that old school look.
By: William Davison Jr.
Summer 2018
Reading about other people’s adventures sometimes reminds you of your own adventures. My adventure of course was many years ago, and after looking at old photos, talking to my wife about the year I started driving a 1968 BMW, it really rekindles some great memories. Sometimes those memories are good and other times those memories can be the struggles that taught you lessons you will never forget. Reading Ran When Park by Rob Siegel is one of those fun stories you can relate to if you ever set out on something that at the time was a “not so good choice” but did it anyhow just because of the adventure. This short story is about such a time. Having worked on BMWs since I was 15, I learned quickly the complexities of some systems, the ease of which some systems can be troubleshot and repaired and the similarities between all BMWs. Mostly the idea of having the right tool makes all the difference.
The story takes place in the spring of 2000. I just moved home to Reno Nevada from Las Vegas after separating out of the Marine Corps, losing the majority of my stuff in a divorce and went back to live and my mother’s home in Sparks. I was glad to be home and was finding my way through odd jobs, buying and selling on eBay and going to College part-time.
( read after chapter 3)
Now being at home was nice. My parents got the newspaper, and I had lots of free time to read through ads. I would find the latest garage sell that my sister and I might go rummage through, or see what the local economy would price newer used BMWs and look for the elusive old car for an unbelievable price.
It was rare to see any advertisement for late 60s BMWs and so the day I read that there was two for sell in the same ad I made my phone call to the number listed and set up a time to inspect the to good to be true treasure.
I remember finding the ad in the paper and wondering what condition these two BMWs would be in since the ad stated they both ran and that it was “buy both” deal.
Once at the car repair shop backlot, I spoke with the gentleman who was selling the cars, for about 20 minutes. I crawled under, asked way too many questions as if I knew what I was asking made me sound smarter, looking over the car I can remember asking the total price and again he said 1000 which I thought meant 1000 for one car.
Seeing one of the 2002 bimmers was a total loss as a restoration vehicle (Right front fender impact with a really bad hood), and the other in original condition from 1968 but needed a lot of love. I realized a parts car is a good choice for a 32 year old adventure to help get started into restoration adventure. He stated that for another 50 bucks he would load up both cars and drive them to my shop of choice to begin the dive into the unknown. He said again “1050.00 and the are both yours!” hearing this I made sure as to not let my excitement reach my face… I couldn’t get the money out of my pocket fast enough to pay the man. Did he not realize that these same car across the Sierra mountains in San Fran would have netted him upwards of $2K each in the same condition? Or course I was not going to be the reporter of that good news as I had just found two late 1960s BMW 2002s with the round tail lights and they both ran!
We made the deal and he made sure to note that he would tow over both cars to my mom’s house as neither were licensed or street worthy.
I can remember directing him in as he pulled one of the cars up into my mom’s lawn on the side yard. He was sitting on an upside down bucket. The other one was pulled into the driveway and I can remember thinking I had just pulled off the greatest deal of my lifetime.
Obtaining the keys, the title and the proud ownership to two BMWs that needed some love I dug in on that cold Monday morning on March 27th 2000 to see what my treasures contained.
Opening the trunk on the brown turd I discovered another surprise. A trunk filled with new old stock parts, a few used carburetors, the air filter housings, original interior panels, cool old mirrors, and parts that would take me over the next year to learn and understand why they had made their way into the trunk.
Now of course I had my critics, my sister looked them both over and saw nothing to get excited about, my dad wondered if I even knew how to change the oil in this “older than me” car and my mom was not pleased with having an orange wart of a car on the side yard for everyone to see and another brown turd rust colored clown car sitting under the carport which was reserved for the nicer parents cars. But somehow I must have overlooked it all and just kept smiling to have a bit of BMW history.
Above: I found the receipt for the purchase, the temp tags from the DMV and the receipt for the two keys I had to buy and made up a set incase I lost the original.
Above: Photos from delivery day; The orange wart on the side of the house and the Brown Turd.
Above: Photos at Bob’s Motor works, Sparks, Nevada; Photo credit: Adrienne Johnson
Many years before I, had owned an old 1978 BMW 530i (a tank of a car) with a larger inline 6 cylinder engine that was my first car. There may one day be a short story told about that car as it was also an adventure and took me on many adventures.
I had worked on that car, but really just the basics. An oil change, new belts when needed, new brake pads, fuild top offs and other odds and ends but never really dived into it. Now with the goal of getting the vintage 2002 running it was a game changer. What i knew about this car was ‘nothing’. I had bought a car with no idea of how long it had sat, who had driven it, what was maintained on it, how it was driven and more over digging into a car to find the issues meant time and money. I had time but didn’t have any money.
Piece by piece I learned how much I needed. Tools, parts, cleaning supplies, books, manuals and what I really needed to learn. What I needed to learn about myself was patience.
Purchasing a 30 year old 2002 meant taking the time to learn how these cars were made. The simple tools needed to work on the car in no way suggested that the mechanics of the engine were simple.
The electronics for me was the only area of expertise I had, and the wiring and the electronic tidbits was the one thing I clearly could handle. But after digging in there luckily never seemed to be an issue with any of it! That of course was a great thing and would really be a blessing as it forced me to try my knowledge with other items.
The bulbs in the tail lights shined bright, the dashboard would light up like it should when the headlight switch was pulled, the temp gauge would come to sit perfectly when the water temp hit the perfect mark and showed true, even the oil pressure provided the normal bright yellow glow at start up and slowly would fade off as the pressure built up to the normal operating level.
Once running there was an obvious problem, the blue smoke coming out the back muffler. Blue smoke meant oil in the cylinders. Either the top end needed new seals and new valves or the pistons were worn in and the ‘blow by’ was running the old engine into the automotive grave.
Now, to most people this would mean getting the last few dollars out of the old car by taking it to a scrap yard for a few dollars o the steal. This happens all the time to old ccars that have been dumped off on the side of the road never to be driven to a A&W car hop or see the countryside of america.
With me the new proud owner of this blue smoker fireball waiting to happen I knew it was going to be no use trying to stay in the slow lane and keep the smoke from becoming a spy scene on the public roads. The engine was going to be in need of replacement and that meant I needed professional help… in more than one way.
My knuckles cheap tools and some promises to friends and family. Tearing apart an engine never is a clean job. Oil, years of grime, road dirt and old fluids that can no longer be considered fluids all adds up to a nightmare for keeping things clean.It all gets everywhere. At the level and the skill i was taking things apart, it seemed like it all could somehow break my spirit. The stuff would stick and make it impossible to get all those years of grime off.
Inspection of parts is key to a successful restoration but at the time I never considered what I was doing WAS a restoration. As I started to tear down the engine I realized there was a subtle type of meditation, zen like property. A pattern soon was followed of removing, cleaning, inspecting, determining the function of the removed part and then… try to determine the function and if the parts level of criticality. Was this part a major player in getting the Stuka on the road?
Most all mechanics, professional or not, have a special project that has captured way too much time or been issue after issue to overcome. So, they get a nickname, or a term of endearment. Stuka was mine, a German dive bomber… it stuck once I heard it started up with a few puffs of blue smokes, a clatter of the engine parts shacking to the point of almost falling off and the clickety clack of the mechanical gas pump.
Every now and then I would feel the defeat, the pressure of taking up a garage space for a hunk o junk (I should have never purchased). Buying more parts sometimes felt futile, but I stuck with it , researched more, and found hope in the idea that one day I would be one of the few proud owners of a drivable 1968 BMW 2002.
Another boost to the motivation of old car repair came in the form of a phone call to a local BMW repair shop. Cal was the professional BMW technician, and he seemed to have an understanding and insight to my troubles: a broke college student, a drive to work on things, limited tools and just not enough skills to take on the challenge in the cold winter months to make the vintage Stuka road worthy. Bob’s Motor Works in Sparks Nevada was the start of the next big adventure for the rebirth of the Stuka.
Putting as much of the engine back together, taking an inventory of the best parts of the two cars and tossing everything else I thought was important back into the little gray lined trunk . I set out with a buddy to follow me over to Bob’s and to help keep a good distance from other cars getting hit with a smoke cloud of blue gray exhaust. Down McCarran I clunked through Sparks.
Cal would be the man to break down a more professional opinion.
The Stuka was broken… but not for long.
Now, when I say “What I Fixed” it was more like what I had determined was going to be the fixed price of the amount of money i wanted to put into the repair. A small budget to try and get a second car running and street worthy. At the time I still had a very comfortable, very running, and very nice to drive BMW 1990 325i that I still had to maintain. And as for the Stuka, the news was no major shock. The engine trouble seemed minor to the long list of everything else that had worn out and seen better days.
Cal and Bob picked it up and put it on the lift. They found all the scars, breaks bumps, and swollen joints they could find. A new rebuilt engine seemed like the best choice and all the brake items would never be let out of the garage. The vintage car would be given a makeover.
With a new engine and brakes I feel in love with the drive of the little car. I began to understand the reason for the cult following and why this car changed the BMW name forever here the United States. A solid, well balanced, sporty but yet very economical. Easy to maneuver, small and nimble. Open glass all the way around with no blind spot, which is critical for a small car like this in a city of big trucks that don’t seem to see anything.
A new carpet kit was next on my to do list and the car became a good daily driver. Seats off of ebay gave a newer look (instead of the 1968 seats with no head rest, a set of 1974 BMW 2002Tii seats dropped in with no modification).
I went ahead during the summer and stripped down the paint and got it to Earl Shieb shop in reno for a gun metal gray paint job. Of course I took my stuka to them with all the trim removed certain areas taped over, and all grills and lighting modules removed….I ALMOST got a fair paint job from the place. It looked great and since it didn’t sit out all the time in the wether, it was a air paint job for the four hundred dollar price!
A small radio and some speakers cut into the back panels (Only thing I never should have cut) and I had a great ‘vintage’ 2002.
Looking back I had been tricked into a great car, with a the idea I could have done it myself, and in a way I did. I still drive on the weekends and in the fall season to the tunes of the mechanical gas pump and the hum of a great little engine.
I have had a few offers but always tell the interested party that the car will never be for sale and will be a fixture in the garage, and a friendly wave to all when I am out on the road.
Thanksgiving Morning 2017, Photo credit: Dan Sweeney
Now that I have been riding for over 5 Years, I have been able to really understand the enjoyment of riding a vintage motorcycle.
Stopping to enjoy a cup of coffee in a park. Taking the back roads and slowing down to see the world around me. I often think about how life is going, what do I really need to be doing, how should one’s life be lived. It always seems to be answered “as simple as possible”… Rounding the corner, hearing the scooters mechanical clickety clak like a sewing machine gone crazy.
I always get the same few questions when we stop into a little town, “What year is that?” or “What kind of bike is that?”
After fixing the 1956 R50 up and really running the scooter, I understand more about it and my real amazement when I think that I am riding on a 62 year old motorcycle.
Taking off the Schorsch Meier Denfeld Bench seat and putting on a Denfeld solo seat made rides a it more stiffer and keeping me a bit more higher above the handle bars, the solo seat didn’t stay on the bike very long.
I have now been drawn to reading books that talk about long distance rides, where the rider talks about what is in his head, planning, discussing the complexities of life and how the ride somehow allows these rider/writers an escape to solve life’s problems.
The first book :
Conversations With A Motorcycle by Jack Riepe
He has now written a sequel I just ordered: Motorcycles Speak Louder Than Words
I just finished recently :
Pilgrimage on a Steel Ride by Gary Paulsen
And this one I have started:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
So far, all of the books have the main character telling the stories/adventures from their point of view (first person), and they all seem to have some burning desire to fix something in their life.
It don’t get any simpler than this… a summer day, the motor sewing away on a back road with much to do but it is easier to just ride.
Each half of the horn sections are 3-D printed in three sections… at over 12 inches in height and hollow, each section took about 4 hours to print.
Left and right halves… I used plastic glue for regular models to glue the sections together.
Not perfect but I was able to create my largest print to date from my 3D printer.
Using the plastic molds I was able to use a casting material with the feel of a cast to set a bone break. I found a small package of it at Hobbie Lobby for around 10 bucks. Stiff and ridged when dry, but I was able to get all of the contours of the horn.
You can see the seem in the center where the two halves came together to make the full horn.
Using a full range 5 inch speaker, MDF board cutting a cube of 7 inch by 7 inch by 7 inch the speaker box was completed… the Pair then had a small 1 1/4 inch hole cut into the center top of the speaker box…. this allows the frequencies to transfer to the horn, amplifing the voice and mid range frequencies nicely.
Side view of the left speaker… and detail.
The Right speaker box.
Front view… I will try and post a link to a Youtube recording once I get the final mount for the horn completed and get a good recording of a voice or a horn section.
Trying my hand at paint less dent removal after my wife’s BMW was caught in a bad hail storm.
In red are the two dents I would like to remove.
These are the two dents… I am going to try and pull out.
No circles… but you can still see the dents.
I add the posts using a hot glue gun. and slowly using the hand puller I work the metal a few pulls and then “pop” the post off. the one is gone… and the other will require one more pull.
Once I clean the glue off and wipe clean, you can barely see the dents.
This one I will pull one more time, but don’t over due it… you can put it up and then you have another problem.
So far I have done approximately 30 to 40 pulls, and about 75% are done in the first pull. Some large ones will take multiple tries and some will not work with out a slide hammer puller. But I have not tried that tool yet. That will be for the big roof dents. and More later if I take photos of the process.
Yesterday was June 6th, D-Day… I was at work and wanted to post the pictures I took of the trip out to Normandy, on April sorry these are a day late.
Taken out on the Beach in front of the Musée du Débarquement , an Indoor & outdoor museum commemorating WWII’s Normandy campaign & D-Day landings. Place du 6 Juin 1944, 14117 Arromanches-les-Bains, France
The pill boxes on the hills of Longues-sur-Mer battery, Batterie allemande de Longues sur Mer, Huge, preserved WWII gun installations, built by the Germans to defend France from sea invasion.
Check out the cliffs in front of these guns, on google maps you can also see how far back they are from the beach.
Normandy cemetery; The Garden of the Missing
The Garden of the Missing, reflecting pool
Up by the statue was the ceremony they had for the visiting Americans and veterans in our group.
Time capsule to be opened June 6th, 2044… 100 years.
Omaha Beach: One of 5 beaches used in the D-Day Normandy landings, with visitor center & cliff-top US cemetery.
Adrienne and I wanted to take some similar photos from our last trip in Paris and recreate as best as we could (some locations are not accessible) and from what we remembered… here are a few fun shots!
2-2010
9-2012
4-2018
I am still trying to figure out how Adrienne hasn’t aged a day?
Smoky William….. and look at that! No Smoky William!
The One photo is the only photo an old lady took of us on our first day in Paris, Feb 2010
Just a new photo someone else took of us 4-2018!
Claude Monet’s house & ornate gardens was one of our first stops on the river cruise. I was very happy to see that spring had arrived and that the gardens were full of flowers.
The map below shows our walking path and what we went to see and photo.
The main street was narrow and many walking paths between old stone walls made a nice walking tour with out traffic… The tour was a short time and lots of groups were visiting this day so I didn’t go into the house. I wanted to go see the town and Monet’s grave. While we were walking in the town a nice rain came down and cooled the air. Adrienne and I found what I can only describe as a bus stop and spent a few quiet moments as we waited for the the rain to let up.
The flowers lining the the street going to the gardens were even impressive.
Museum had their gardens blooming as well…
Gardens of the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, France.
Adrienne was prepared with her rain coat…
Main town street… 
Narrow walking path.
Touring the gardens.
Too early for water lillies.
Claude Monet’s house & ornate gardens.
Out the front door of Claude’s home a garden of flowers. Claude Monet’s house & ornate gardens, with the artist’s studio/sitting room & Japanese prints.
This guy was near the bus stop we took shelter in… Adrienne said if i let my beard go this is what it would look like!
The twon was full of these narrow little walk ways.
Another of the towns bus stops.
Église Sainte-Radegonde church… a 10 minute walk from the gardens where Monet is buried.
Monet’s tomb is at the middle of the ascent.
the cemetery behind the church.
View out from church front.
A park in town.
Town and Church photos from Vérnon, France, April 3rd,2018:
Start of the walking tour… Above the Le Pavillon Bourbon-Penthièvre
Collégiale Notre-Dame
Funny how something change and some things remain the same…
City square above…
I like the detail, the stone work, the gargoyles… the way the water runs down old stone and makes the soot and dirt stick in streaks.
Collégiale Notre-Dame
Cool ad on the side of a brick building in Vernon.
I didn’t catch the name of the tower… sorry.
I thought it was cool that on the 14 and 15th of April (just missed it by a week! ) was going to be a car and motorcycle show… the motorcycle on the flier is just like my 1956 BMW R50 sans side bags.
The movie Big was released on June 3rd, 1988… 30 years ago almost! Tom Hanks (the main character) goes from being a kid and wishing to become an adult. Of course he still has the mind of a kid and the adventure begins. If you haven’t seen the movie I suggest it as a throwback movie night with a loved one. It was one of my favorite movies that inspired me to always be a kid at heart, play with toys and enjoy building LEGO at any age.
I really liked that movie… the Zoltar Arcade game grants him his wish after a coin is strategically shot into Zoltars mouth. Changing him from a kid into “Big” adult over night!
Inspired by the movie, the Zoltar Boardwalk game and after I searched and searched and never found a Zoltar made with LEGO bricks. I decided I would make the first LEGO Zoltar… so Introducing the LEGO “Zoltar the Magnificent!”
Please feel free to share and repost! Trying to get this to be on Jimmy Fallon… in June!
More programming to do, so i will post more photos and video as I get him done.
Design and photos by William Davison, Jr. #LegoZoltar
Working on getting the Face Just Right.
Mouth closed. and detail of the necklace.
I worked on this build over four months, and just finish up the head, mouth and movements this past weekend.
Just the frame.
Side detail and the coin shoot details (Yellow far side).
Other side detail.
Wheel on the left moves the coin ramp up or down, the red button center starts the mouth moving, the music and the eyes light up.
Video can be seen here. https://youtu.be/4IXOawez6OE
I will be programming the RCX controller and making the small paper cards that “Grant your wish!” in the next few days. I will be sure to post a better video showing the coin ramp and how the
Turns out... I am Crazy! 