I posted a "rejoining the community" thread, but figured I should create a thread to track my chapter with the car. I also put up a little YouTube channel (apologies for the low-quality) since the car started the last chapter on YT, it's good way to literally see what's going and it seemed like fun. This thread will probably be significantly more regular, and will probably be where I ask a lot of questions, etc. I don't have a ton of mechanical knowledge, but a lot of good tools and a willingness to try. As we'll see in just a sec, I often wind up a little over my head and/or create issues for myself.
As I said in the Rejoining thread, the trip home with the car was absolutely awesome - the car ate up miles, was tons of fun and gave me and my son unique memories for a lifetime. I'm so grateful for that experience, and if you'll excuse the preachy diversion, I'll say this: Do anything you can to make memories with your people. I've learned the hard way that no-one is promised tomorrow, but still have to remind myself. Ya get one run - make it fun.
Anyway, a few things since the car came home. (there's a few questions in there - appreciate any input
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(FWIW this pic looks worse than it is)
Future Stuff:
So that's where the car is now - updates as I go along! (and thanks for any info/advice!)
As I said in the Rejoining thread, the trip home with the car was absolutely awesome - the car ate up miles, was tons of fun and gave me and my son unique memories for a lifetime. I'm so grateful for that experience, and if you'll excuse the preachy diversion, I'll say this: Do anything you can to make memories with your people. I've learned the hard way that no-one is promised tomorrow, but still have to remind myself. Ya get one run - make it fun.
Anyway, a few things since the car came home. (there's a few questions in there - appreciate any input
)- As much as I love the stance (I mean, the thing is a StanceWorks creation), even at the requested "old man cool" height Mike set it at, it's still catching the exhaust on the small rise at the entry to my driveway. I took the wheels off to raise it a bit, but I think I'll likely just take it to my guys at the tires/alignment shop I've used for years and ask them to do it along with tuning the alignment post-adjustment at the same time. I know it isn't difficult, but seems easier since I doubt they'll charge me much if anything for raising the car, and they do a ton of business with the local car clubs and prepping folks for VIR, which is only seventy miles from me.
- The brake light switch (which looks original, but definitely not young in any case) died on the trip. I grabbed a Dorman on eBay for eight bucks, and it's working fine for now. I'll probably toss an OE one in there at some point.
- I almost immediately broke the cigarette-lighter frame, which aint' great since I will run the new V1G2 and my Garmin GPS for a while. This thing is so effortless to run fast, and the tire diameter has the speedo at least 5MPH fast - knowing the speed limit, my actual speed and the presence of any friends in blue is a good idea in the short-to-medium term. A replacement from eBay is on the way.
- I'm replacing the turn-signal. These went inop about two-thirds of the way home. I'm one of those guys to signals lanes and the whole thing, and I think the old switch took offense - lol. Got a nice one on eBay with restored graphics:
- Unfortunately, I'm an idiot. I didn't disconnect the battery while I was working, and when I tried to test if the new switch worked, the car went dark. The hi-beam switch was pushed forward, and they came on, but after cycling the key there was no power/etc. I'm guessing I disturbed a ground or something, so I'll go back through a see what's in there that might need tightening or reconnection. I'm guessing since the car was swapped, the wiring in there is a bit of a jumble, so easy to miss something I disturbed. I'm going to eyeball it tomorrow and see what I can see.
- After the experience above, I decided to disconnect the battery. While I was doing that I noticed the battery box was pretty dusty/dirty, so I decided to pull the battery and clean it. I discovered that the clamp post was bent and the tray had lost it's threading, so I got new replacements for those from FCP Euro. Those probably go in tomorrow too.
- The only rust on the car is in the typical spot at the battery vent. I'm going to do something to seal all that up and keep it from spreading, but there's something long-term to do as well - I'm just not sure what it is. If I go AGM (which I understand to be ventless, so doesn't require the hole), can I seal it up/eliminate it? As an S52-swapped car, I'd think the alternator should be fine, but I have no idea about batteries/electrical (clearly...)
(FWIW this pic looks worse than it is)
- The dash bulb behind the tach also went out. It was a little intermittent late in the trip, but is finally dead. I've got a whole set of new bulbs/etc. also coming from FCP, so when it's all here I'll pull the cluster and replace all the bubs. The E30 cluster is a LOT easier to pull than my M635, but it's the kind of job I hate, and why not do them all while it's right in front of me?
Future Stuff:
- I need floor mats. Probably going CocoMats wool just for the front. They have a spring sale coming up...
- I need to solve for a decent cupholder.
- I have a good dash reserved for me with a buddy . That will be this summer or later, but nice to know it's there. I might replace the center console at the same time.
- I don't mind the door panels, but the back seat doesn't match the Scheel-Mann seats very well. The same friend has both leather and vinyl black rear benches I could drop in (I know, he's an incredibly-handy friend. I'm not sure why he likes me, but he's awesome).
- I literally haven't touched the radio, and Mike wasn't really confident in it. I'm going to eventually put an original one in there, a Blaupunkt or something period-correct-ish (i.e. glows orange - lol)
- When I do the dash, I have some new AC hoses and other AC stuff Mike included that I'll do while I have access. Recommendations welcome!
- The door seals are pretty beat up on the car, so Mike threw in a full OEM set (this was something he did after the whole deal was done, and very awesome). Not sure when I'll get to that, but it's on the Medium-Term list.
- The passenger window is finicky about rolling up (knew this before buying the car). I've seen a vid on YouTube where the guy had a very-similar issue and was able to clean it up to function fine.
- I need a more-manly horn.
(I'm not talking about a train-whistle, but something more than the current perky 'Beep!"
So that's where the car is now - updates as I go along! (and thanks for any info/advice!)
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