I am not really a car club kind of guy. I do not, nor have I ever, owned a BMW. But for some reason, I have always held this club in high regard. I have always believed that if you were looking for a used BMW, you could probably do worse than to buy one from, or through, a BMWCCA member.
Time to put up or shut up, and check this club out. I'm not actively shopping, but one can only put off this kind of thing for so many years...
I've been meaning to try their autocrosses out for some time, hoping that they'll be less crowded and time-consuming than the ATL SCCA.
I've been contemplating re-upping... Looks like the Hack Mechanic still has a column in the Roundel; I always enjoyed his pieces...
I have always like the roundel magazine that comes with membership. When i first joined they had roadside assistance as well. I like that ads in the back, and the tech articles are very good. I'd love to have 2002 like above. I passed on one for my first car. I wound up with an austin healy 3000 so i think i did alright anyway.
Chris
I'm also a member that has never owned a BMW. I joined because it makes it cheaper to autocross with the local BMWCCA chapter. They're really nice guys and the events are run very very well. I even like Roundel better than Sportscar.
mazdeuce wrote: I even like Roundel better than Sportscar.
A sharp stick in the eye is better than Sportscar...
I'll have to reup as well.....they were a good bunch of guys to autox with, although slow. 
Woody wrote:mazdeuce wrote: I even like Roundel better than Sportscar.A sharp stick in the eye is better than Sportscar...
QFT. I think SCCA knows it, so they've started sending out "Racer", too.
I just joined BMWCCA a couple of months ago myself. Mostly for parts discounts and better prices at their track days.
I used to be a member so I would get a better rate at their drivers schools at mid-ohio. They were really well run, but the BMW guys didn't like being passed by a CRX....
You'll like the Roundel magazine, assuming they still have it and call it that. Good stuff in their, even if you don't own a BMW.
The Roundel magazine just underwent a style change and they canned some of the regular columnists....there's one discussion about it here: BMW2002faq and another one here: Mye28
A lot of us longtime members aren't too happy with the direction the magazine is going.
edited to fix links.
Well, crap. They kept Rob Siegel, but apparently only every other issue with Calabrese...
I'm suddenly markedly less wound up about renewing...
I have never really been a fan of the Roundel magazine. It is pretty and the pics are nice but I always feel like it is written by a group of people who are old before their time. I keep waiting for the "Best car for that broken hip" article. Motorsports make up an almost insignificant number of their readership so... it's just not aimed at me. I still rifle thru to the Club Racing section though because I am a megalomaniac and I keep waiting for them to have a pic of my car in action. Mostly I just clip out the results and paste them into my logbook. Ugly cars never make the page unless they win... and I'm not quite that far up the finishing order.
Seriously though... the reason it is worth the $45 every year is... I've been an instructor for their HPDE program for almost a decade and hold a comp license that I exercise as often as I can. I have had so many good times with like-minded lunatics at track events hosted by the BMWCCA (and NASA and PCA... ). I have camped with a slowly growing group of people over the last 13 years - it's like a 2nd family that only meets at race tracks. I can't imagine dropping the membership whether I own a BMW or not because it would mean missing campfires and cold beer with a large percentage of the only people in the world that understand my disease.
Woody, you don't need a BMW, but you have to come out and participate in whatever car you run around in to really make the most of the club. Car washes and picnics are for the general membership. All the cool kids are are pretending to be race car drivers 
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Woody, you don't need a BMW, but you have to come out and participate in whatever car you run around in to really make the most of the club. Car washes and picnics are for the general membership. All the cool kids are are pretending to be race car drivers
Quoted for words of truth.
They didn't lose Mike Miller, did they?
Matt B wrote: I've been meaning to try their autocrosses out for some time, hoping that they'll be less crowded and time-consuming than the ATL SCCA.
We looked into it, they have decent turnout too, but nothing like SCCA, the other is Porsche Club - they have trouble getting enough turnout and end up with lots of extra runs, but because of it it's $$$...
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Woody, you don't need a BMW, but you have to come out and participate in whatever car you run around in to really make the most of the club. Car washes and picnics are for the general membership. All the cool kids are are pretending to be race car drivers
Ahh, I'm not a cool kid. I don't race, but I have fun with the social events... Note the BMW CCA license plate:
What I love is the listing for fellow club members if you are travelling, along with accomodations for people and cars (like if they have a garage and tools), as well as the discounts on parts at local dealers (the discount at my local dealer makes OEM parts as cheap as online pricing, and I can usually have the part in my hand same day). My membership saved me many times its cost in parts and service alone. 
I met lots of cool 2002 people in Atl through the CCA down here. Lots of people with parts connections too.
Good luck with it and if you have questions about 2002's let me know, I've taken apart and put together my old 76 several times.
I do, in fact, have a question and it pertain specifically to '76s.
Do I recall correctly that 76's were the only ones that used thermal reactors and are thereby more difficult to deal with?
Or is that just a moot point 35+ years later?
Woody wrote: I do, in fact, have a question and it pertain specifically to '76s. Do I recall correctly that 76's were the only ones that used thermal reactors and are thereby more difficult to deal with? Or is that just a moot point 35+ years later?
It was no big deal. I welded up the exhaust manifold with it on the car and you are good to go. Moot point unless in California or some place like that. You can see it on the passenger manifold welded up on the far right. Easy.
Can I just drop in the engine and transmission from a 318Ti?
Woody wrote: Can I just drop in the engine and transmission from a 318Ti?
320i swaps were common, e30 m3 swaps happened as well but are expensive.
You can drop it in but it isn't just a perfect fit. You'll need to fab up some things for sure.
Woody wrote: Can I just drop in the engine and transmission from a 318Ti?
The forum's own jakeb has done a few M42 swaps: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/bmw-2002-w-m42/25714/page1/
EDIT: I'm not sure whether the Ti is M42 or M44; mostly going to be the same concerns, though I want to say the late-M42/M44 intake (all E36?) won't fit in the 2002...
I autocross with them it's a good bunch out here in San Diego with nice long usually about 90-100 second long course and 11-12 runs a day
If only my local chapter wasn't a bunch of lame stock portfolio, wine and chesse types. 
Good club, good magazine, and good track events and instruction (so I've been told). I can't do all the NASA weekends that exist as it is, so I haven't delved into that aspect.
crankwalk wrote:Woody wrote: Can I just drop in the engine and transmission from a 318Ti?320i swaps were common, e30 m3 swaps happened as well but are expensive. You can drop it in but it isn't just a perfect fit. You'll need to fab up some things for sure.
So, what's the best swap candidate then? Or, is the stock engine the best choice?
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