Non-BMW Stuff on a BMW Forum

[gilber33]

Other than the exhaust a few small things in the engine, the big stuff is all done. Last few to do's are remote door lock thing install, new head unit that blends in better than the cheap one I got last year, would like to attempt to peel the tint off. 

Got some bmw center stickers 

And finally put my family stick people on it. Lol. Came free in a Road and Track magazine. 

[The Full Banana]

At first, I thought your stickers depicted two wives of varying sizes. 

Engine bay is looking fantastic!

[gilber33]

The Full Banana said:

At first, I thought your stickers depicted two wives of varying sizes. 

Engine bay is looking fantastic!

I've always had a thing for wives that were my exact height and wives who are just a hair shorter. Couldn't make up my mind so I got one of each.

[Jdesign]

Make sure you are well ventilated removing that tint. I got super sick last year removing old tint.

[gilber33]

Jdesign said:

Make sure you are well ventilated removing that tint. I got super sick last year removing old tint.

Because of the glue used for the tint? 

Any tips or tricks you can recommend? I was gonna go at it with a heat gun and just start peeling.

[straight6pwr]

what size were those stickers?

[gilber33]

straight6pwr said:

what size were those stickers?

I'm assuming you mean the wheel stickers and not the people? Lol

[straight6pwr]

you got it! thanks.

[Jdesign]

gilber33 said:

Because of the glue used for the tint? 

Any tips or tricks you can recommend? I was gonna go at it with a heat gun and just start peeling. 

Steam. Use a steamer, not a heat gun and save yourself a ton of time. You can get them as cheap as $10, although a bigger one might be a better idea. the one I used was $30 and has a cloth pad which made it perfect for window tint removal. Similar to this:

[m42b32]

Jdesign said:

Steam. Use a steamer, not a heat gun and save yourself a ton of time. You can get them as cheap as $10, although a bigger one might be a better idea. the one I used was $30 and has a cloth pad which made it perfect for window tint removal. Similar to this:

This!

I had some pretty awful tint on my old M3 (turning purple, way too dark, bubbling all over the rear window). I used a handheld garment steamer since that was what was available, a larger device would definitely be recommended. Left over glue can be removed with ammonia, though make sure to do it in a VERY well ventilated area or you will end up feeling like garbage. I definitely don't want to do that job ever again...

[Bassboy3313]

sounds like having a tinting company remove it may be worth it.....

[gilber33]

Bassboy3313 said:

sounds like having a tinting company remove it may be worth it.....

There is a mobile tint guy in the cedarburg area that did one of my old cars, and he'd remove the tint for about $120. Definitely worth it. 

In the meantime, exhaust back in including new eBay cat back. 

Got a subwoofer for the trunk to fill in some bass from the old speakers. 

Got the head off the donor engine and really happy with how the cylinder walls looked. 

[straight6pwr]

pretty awesome considering that piston may have slid along that bore roughly 30 billion times.

[gilber33]

straight6pwr said:

pretty awesome considering that piston may have slid along that bore roughly 30 billion times.

I agree. Much better than I was expecting. Will move forward with rebuilding it now.

[HipMF]

straight6pwr said:

pretty awesome considering that piston may have slid along that bore roughly 30 billion times.

My quick estimation is around maybe 500 million reciprocations per 100,000 miles driven. You're either bad at math or using hyperbole.

[straight6pwr]

HipMF said:

My quick estimation is around maybe 500 million reciprocations per 100,000 miles driven. You're either bad at math or using hyperbole.

bad at maths. that's why i said 'roughly'

[YoungCR]

What eBay “brand” did you go with for the exhaust?

[gilber33]

YoungCR said:

What eBay “brand” did you go with for the exhaust?

This one:

Fitment was actually pretty good. I haven't clamped the two sections together yet and I'm a little skeptical if the provided clamps are big enough, but we'll see tonight.

[P_Roloff]

gilber33 said:

This one:

Fitment was actually pretty good. I haven't clamped the two sections together yet and I'm a little skeptical if the provided clamps are big enough, but we'll see tonight. 

Curious to see how it sounds, let us know.

[gilber33]

P_Roloff said:

Curious to see how it sounds, let us know. 

I will!

Question time: I ordered a keyless entry box and I'm trying to figure out what wiring diagram I should use. I have read the write-ups for the REC-43 keyless entry and that one is very simple with a power, ground, and an opening and closing sign wire that is spliced into the harness in the trunk. I found one on amazon for a bit cheaper with great reviews but it has more options than the REC-43, thus a more complicated wire harness. Here's the wiring options for it. There's different options for how your car is equipped; this is only showing the section of harness related to the lock/unlock signal. There is a separate 12v and ground for the box.

I think I'm going to start with splicing the white (closing signal) and white/black (opening signal) into the correct wires in the car harness, unless someone reads this differently than I do.