2mAns Daily Driver Thread - who knows what it is today...

[roguetoaster]

Could've had an E46, unclipped the covers, and replaced them.

[Staszek]

Huge difference, so worth it!

[2mAn]

Alright MrBurgundy Staszek does it look 1000x better?

[Staszek]

Damn, that looks pretty sweet.

If you polished up those headlights, that might bump it from shitbox to turd

I was thinking the same thing, the wheels came out great, the car looks good, the headlights would make it 1000 times better.

[MrBurgundy]

Damn, that looks pretty sweet.

If you polished up those headlights, that might bump it from shitbox to turd

[2mAn]

Well, none of the attempts to make the wheels nice was working. Reminded myself it was a sh!tbox and deserved to be treated like a shi!box.

Primer spray bombed, followed by Rustoleum Metallic Silver spray bombed. Once that was dry, I went and installed the BRZ take-off 215/40 Michelin Pilot Sport 4s




Solid 10-footer now.





Was messing around and made a quick 20 second video. Hopefully the link works

Untitled by Simon Tuman, on Flickr

"Done" ... if it survives a year I will address the drop of oil it leaves when I park it, during the turbo and clutch upgrade. But thats a 2025 problem.

[roguetoaster]

Not worth doing for one socket, and they might not go for it, but Lowes and Ace sometimes honor the old Craftsman warranties. I would suggest, go in to the store, locate the comparable item on their shelves (maybe look online first) and then take both to customer service. I have had success doing that, and failure just taking the item to the service desk. I've only bothered for ratchet wrenches and the like, and doing it classic Sears style with a pile of broken stuff probably won't go down well.

[2mAn]

Alright. "done" again... just need to get the wheels/tires on it and replace the last set of bushings I got. Then its just polishing this turd and seeing if it turns into a diamond (it wont)

Working from home today meant a double shift.


Hmmm, I dont think they are supposed to split like that haha


All new hardware, not sure if these bolts are actually better than the OEM ones, but went ahead and replaced them anyways. Stuffed her with all the grease she could take and slapped it in.


Finished with just one casualty. Luckily its a Craftsmen with a lifetime warranty. I think I've had these for ~20 years, at least. Just have to find a Sears


I think I'm going to just paint the 'BBS' wheels so I can get them on...

[2mAn]

Be sure to give us a B4 and B4 after comparison...

I will!... as soon as I replace the driverside axle which has decided 1000 miles of me is enough. It knows that what the driving will be like now that it can shift and handle LOL

[roguetoaster]

Be sure to give us a B4 and B4 after comparison...

[2mAn]

Well, suspension is ~99% done. I had to buy a "Strut Spreading Tool" and worked a little here and there in between the freaking monsoon weather that happened this weekend.


Only pic I took of the suspension, H&R Lowering Springs & Bilstein B4. Suspension that came out was original to the car and very tired, so Im excited to drive this thing. Especially when I get the wheels and tires on the car.


Almost "done"

[2mAn]

Those parts could be straight out of an A2, amazing how slowly designs change.

I think you mean A3 / Mk3 because that cable shifter mechanism is probably exactly the same. A2 / Mk2 was still a rod linkage ...

Im disappointed that none of you has yet suggested a Ute conversion
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rbP...ute-conversion

[roguetoaster]

Those parts could be straight out of an A2, amazing how slowly designs change.

[2mAn]

Alright, so after installing the RCD head unit I was motivated to get the diesel geek shifter rebuild as my shifter has been pretty vague. A bunch of before and afters incoming:


Old bushings










New bushings installed






And finally the “super slider” which was the easiest install, but exposed what might be the final piece of the puzzle.




The center plastic bushing on the bell crank has a ton of slop, so hopefully I can get it somewhere




Final look inside.



I had bought a new shift boot and knob from eBay searching for a vendor that didn’t have red stitching as they all seemed to be coming from the same source, but sadly this one did too. It’s annoying but life goes on. I also took the opportunity to clean up the parts. Wifey wasn’t home so I used the sink and overall I feel the car is slightly better. A step in the right direction

[BlackbirdM3]

Sand lightly mask tire, paint wheels. Done.