Diaries of a Daily Driver

[GunMetalGrey]

I replaced the hood cables (all) this weekend and cleaned the latches so that they actually hold the hood.
Threw the other wheels on now that I bought the lug tool ($5 on Amazon). 
I replaced a handful of bulbs in the tail lights so those work properly now, added some new buttons back onto the HVAC controls (they were missing), just some general stuff!

Next thing is to put fresh oil in it and replace the brakes, then drive it for a bit and re-scan codes to see what stayed!

[GunMetalGrey]

I now own more wheels for this 540 than any other car I have had.
Picked up a set of 5 of these bad boys last night, they're a bit dirty but they are overall in good shape. The clear is starting to flake on one so I'm thinking about disassembly and polishing the lips and cleaning up the hardware. 
 

Current wheel list:
16" Style 48's
17" Style 5's
17" Voxx Maglia's
18" Style 32's

[straight6pwr]

GunMetalGrey said:

 The clear is starting to flake on one so I'm thinking about disassembly and polishing the lips and cleaning up the hardware.

[GunMetalGrey]

straight6pwr said:

Haha, it's a bit of work for sure.

I think I'm going to build them for my future E30 build, and then if I need the cash I will just sell them. 
I dunno, I had no real reason to buy them.

[straight6pwr]

GunMetalGrey said:

Haha, it's a bit of work for sure.

getting the clear off is the worst, its tough as nails. aircraft stripper/power washer required.

keeping the polished lips clean is the 2nd worst. something with that alloy attracts pitting/dirt in a hurry.

personally, i wouldn't do it with that method again. I would, however, get the lips blasted/powdered to match the faces. they are a fantastic looking wheel.

FYI theres a reputable guy on R3v doing 4x100 fill & drill on style 5 faces now. good deal, too.

[GunMetalGrey]

straight6pwr said:

getting the clear off is the worst, its tough as nails.

I've got some really nasty shit that pulls paint off 5 layers at a time lol, don't know its origins, but I'm sure you cant buy it anymore.

Cleaning lips is something I'm used to, the wheels on my red e30 loved to pull dirt and brake dust. 

Coating the barrels is something that I would do, but at that point I would likely do something silly like black chrome with gold hardware or something else scene. 

Couldn't find the fill n' drill thread on R3v

[straight6pwr]

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=386547&highlight=fill+drill

[YoungCR]

Chrome imitation powder coat doesn’t last more than a year either and plan on just buying new hardware.

[Jdesign]

You can reuse hardware, you just need to stick it in a tumbler for a few days.

Before

After

The lips, in fact, are a whole notha battle though. 

[GunMetalGrey]

Jdesign said:

You can reuse hardware, you just need to stick it in a tumbler for a few days.

Before

After

The lips, in fact, are a whole notha battle though. 

What did you use for an abrasive?

[YoungCR]

Or plan on buying used hardware on eBay when a few break. We got all the originals zinc coated when we built @BMWben‘s wheels. A few bolts ended up needing replacement, nuts wouldn’t thread etc. for not much more we could’ve just replaced everything with all new.

[Jdesign]

YoungCR said:

Or plan on buying used hardware on eBay when a few break. We got all the originals zinc coated when we built @BMWben‘s wheels. A few bolts ended up needing replacement, nuts wouldn’t thread etc. for not much more we could’ve just replaced everything with all new. 

This is very true, and almost worth it. I will probably go this route on my next set. 

GunMetalGrey said:

What did you use for an abrasive?

If you don't have a tumbler, I suggest new hardware vs. buying a machine unless you plan on doing a lot of parts/hardware. I used plastic media, a silica substrate, along with walnut shells and a wax/polishing additive.

[SteelBlue]

GunMetalGrey said:

Haha, it's a bit of work for sure.

I think I'm going to build them for my future E30 build, and then if I need the cash I will just sell them. 
I dunno, I had no real reason to buy them. 

5 lug hub swap or adapters?

I thought fill and drill was kind of taboo?

[GunMetalGrey]

Did a few things with the 540 now that I've got a bit more space.

Brought it in, changed the oil, threw the snow tires on, replaced the tiny battery with a massive H8 AGM battery, and started swapping the headlights out.

The car had either a bad battery or a decent electrical drain. I am going to test the current draw for about 20 min with the car off to see if it is going to "sleep".

I found broken wires behind the headlights and went to the junkyard and grabbed a bit of the headlight loom to replace those wires with.

It's been starting well in the cold, and the idle has been pretty good lately, and I feel like it's been improving every time I start it.
It still makes glorious V8 noises and slides quite nicely. 

The biggest things holding me back from daily duty are the stuck drivers window (window slightly open) and not having titled it yet. 

Updates today lack pictures, which is lame, but it's on the brain.

[GunMetalGrey]

I still enjoy this view

New headlights in and wiring for them fixed!

Did an amp draw test and it settled down to drawing about 10mA, so there is no drain and that is exciting!

Reverse lights don't work though, and the bulbs are fine, so I gotta dig into that next!

[GunMetalGrey]

Title and plates obtained. 
Fix the window and it's time to make obnoxious V8 noises everywhere, and get just as bad of gas mileage as my truck!

[GunMetalGrey]

Well it didn't last long!
Got rid of the 540 earlier in the week. It was one problem after the next and wasn't worth any real money. I can use the money to keep the E36 on track as well.

I did do some upgrades to the current daily to improve its usefulness in snow.
I said bye to the bro truck wheels and hello to stock wheels with BFG All Terrain KO2's.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the way it looked before! But, I should see increased MPG's, the ride is nicer, the tires are quieter, and man do they grip! I look forward to more snow to see what they do.

[jc43089]

Stock wheels look better IMO...  Looks good.  You could always use some small spacers if you want it to look more aggressive.  Those are 6x5.5 wheels right?  What kind of offset?  I have some Taco steelies that I used on my cruiser for a while that would be good winter wheels.

[GunMetalGrey]

jc43089 said:

Stock wheels look better IMO...  Looks good.  You could always use some small spacers if you want it to look more aggressive.  Those are 6x5.5 wheels right?  What kind of offset?  I have some Taco steelies that I used on my cruiser for a while that would be good winter wheels.

Wheels are indeed 6x5.5, and I'll be running these tires year round. It'll be nice to have the ability to air down in summer on trail without worrying about smashing a wheel on a rock lol.

This is becoming my maintenance thread....
208k miles (on the dot) front left wheel bearing was howling quite loudly. Got that replaced.
"Bolt in bearings" .... yeah okay. 

I got to run it in a small amount of snow this weekend and man is it a different feeling now. It actually hooks up and I can slide it without fearing for my life. Stopping is massively improved, but not the same as a car with snow tires. Overall I'm very satisfied by the tire swap. 

Now to see what it does tomorrow in 3-5" of snow

[GunMetalGrey]

208700 miles
Starter solenoid clicked on me a couple times the other day when trying to start it. It was fine since, but bought a new starter to not have to fear its failure.
After buying the starter I looked up how to replace it, then ordered intake manifold gaskets because that needs to come off to get at it. Neat...

Horrible ergonomics for replacing that. My knees hurt from pressing into the bumper while standing on a 5gal pail for extra height. 
Threw new manifold gaskets in and also replaced the spark plugs (also not that fun for the rear cylinders).

Good news, it runs better, feels like it has more power back, and also cranks twice as fast.