My name is Earl, and I have a Stainless Steel bolt fetish =)

[Earl]

Photobucket is blocked at work and I have been too lazy to compile updates using my phone haha

[Jdesign]

[Earl]

The blocking software at work isn't working today so I can now update this.

I threw in my OEM Bosch Projectors to get ready for my wiring simplification/extension.

I also bit the bullet and ordered my Driveshaft Specialist of Texas rebuilt driveshaft.

I saw a guy had modified a set of jack pads to keep them from falling out so I had to do it as well. 

I just drilled and tapped them in the center for an m8x1.25 countersunk bolt. It wasn't too bad of a process. Now when the pad is inserted into the rocker, you install the bolt and the clips cannot move inward enough to pop out. 

Another new thing is that I sold my 1996 328iS. This meant that I had my late bumper Racing Dynamics list sitting around with no use. Out of sheer luck a guy contacted me asking if the lips differed between late and early bumpers. He just purchased one that happened to be for an early bumper, but he needed a late one. We set up the trade and he so kindly had his shipped to me first so that I could show the differences between the two. I was super stoked to have this opportunity and now we both have the lips that we want. 

Another new thing is that since the car lays frame when aired out, the handbrake is somewhat unnecessary and it would look better without one in the console. I made a template for the hole and just need to sacrifice another console to make the filler piece. 

[patsbimmer1]

Nice progress!  Is there really no reason you would ever need your parking brake?  Even laying frame aired out I don't know how i'd feel about not having a parking brake.  I'm visualizing the car parked at Water by the Bridge and rolling backwards into the river...

[Earl]

The car has never had a working handbrake in my possession and I always park my car in gear (even though I keep getting told not to) lol

[m42b32]

Earl said:

The car has never had a working handbrake in my possession and I always park my car in gear (even though I keep getting told not to) lol

Are you not supposed to? I've always parked my cars in gear (I put the handbrake on before letting off the brake/clutch though)

It can't roll away if the wheels aren't on the ground! Just pull vacuum in the air ride and lift them up haha

[patsbimmer1]

m42b32 said:

Are you not supposed to? I've always parked my cars in gear (I put the handbrake on before letting off the brake/clutch though)

It can't roll away if the wheels aren't on the ground! Just pull vacuum in the air ride and lift them up haha 

You're supposed to put it in gear and pull the parking brake.  It can still roll away just being left in gear without a parking brake.

[Earl]

I'm sure it could. I've just never had it happen in the 9 years of driving manual cars without handbrakes haha

[patsbimmer1]

Earl said:

I'm sure it could. I've just never had it happen in the 9 years of driving manual cars without handbrakes haha

Ask me how I know they'll roll...

[Earl]

Lol

[jc43089]

I never used the handbrake previously. Then I parked my Volvo in a "Menard's" parking lot of all places (my last name is Menard) and as I walked to the door I heard a crash behind me and turned around to see it not where I left it. Super disappointing. Now I will add air ride so I can lay frame while parking to avoid such mishaps.

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

[Jdesign]

UPDATE!!! 

Its about time. Im always skeptical about not using a hand brake. I have had more than one friend fall fate to their car rolling into something solid when they weren't in the car. 

[patsbimmer1]

When I was 16 I took my dads 2001 F150 out for a drive because I wanted to practice driving stick.  When I brought it back I put it in the driveway and put it in gear but forgot the parking brake.  At some point later I walked past a window and saw my dad's truck had rolled out of the driveway, into the road and across the street and hit a curb and stopped.  Thankfully my dad didn't see it and I was able to get it back in the driveway and park it properly.

[HipMF]

bump

[Jdesign]

HipMF said:

bump

@Earl hasn't touched it because......(insert no excuse here)

[Earl]

Not really anything to update for the most part. Some undercoat was removed last December-roughly February of this year. I assembled my passenger front seat for the last time the other day so now both seats have restored bases. 

The only big news is that there is about to be a severe lack of wrinkle black...

[REKIII]

Earl said:

I assembled my passenger front seat for the last time the other day

Ha!  'For the last time'  Sure....

You do realize we've all been paying attention.  In a week, or month we'll see a new update something like this:

'So, I thought I was done with the passenger seat when I assembled it last time.  When I was in there, I noticed a pan head screw that looked just.....well, wrong.  So, in my free time between picking out Ascots and dinner flatware I researched which screws BMW really used inside the seat, you see, this screw was unique to the passenger seat in 318ti's and varied by VIN number so it wasn't something I could just get anywhere.  After extensive research and some rough translated phone calls to retired BMW assembly workers (time difference was tough to schedule calls) I found out that the screw in my seat was not factory!  The photo evidence just couldn't be denied!  I was disgusted, and couldn't sleep.  The next morning I called the dealer to order.  They said I couldn't order it......I explained who I was and what I was doing and they said they still could't get it for me.  Now what? I wasn't finished.  I decided to take the screw I had (the dirty non-factory one) and the pictures of the actual screw I had collected from my new german friends and drew up a schematic to have one made.  I had a local machine shop turn it for me, took it to the heat treating place we use at work to get it hardened to the proper spec, then sent it off to the zinc plater for the proper gold coloring.   After all this, I re-assembled the seat for the last time....again.....I think......and finally got a good nights sleep.'

[GunMetalGrey]

Hahaha, the accuracy of that is almost too good! 
Not knocking ya Earl, as your attention to detail is impressive, but it totally sounds like something you may have typed!

[SteelBlue]

REKIII said:

They said I couldn't order it......I explained who I was and what I was doing and they said they still could't get it for me.

[YoungCR]

Earl said:

The only big news is that there is about to be a severe lack of wrinkle black...

This best be a M51 swap