HipMF

Floor to ceiling kidneys

Floor to ceiling kidneys

Floor to ceiling kidneys

Floor to ceiling kidneys

I will never forget you chattering your way down copper harbor then blowing random parts off that thing! 
Good times, good times.

Looks like a good deal.
I ride a similar vintage mountain bike. I've had it since 2000 and have replaced 70-80% of the parts on it since then, so now it's basically custom built just the way I want it. It's built like a tank (30-pound hardtail). It's mostly an urban commuter now, but it's nice to know I can jump some curbs/ride down stairs/whatever and it's not gonna flinch. Plus, I don't look like some spandex-clad fitness freak on a road bike.

Looks like a reasonable asking price compared to what I've been seeing, unfortunately. I'd like to find another 318is, but anything half way decent is pricey. Been looking for a 528e manual instead...

Funds aren't an issue, it's just the logistics of getting around right now. The person I normally ask to drive me around when my car is broken is sheltering-in-place because her 80yr old father lives with her. I was on my way home from covid testing when the car blew up (been running a mild fever since Wednesday), so that's not gonna work. We have a work-van that I could borrow to go get an engine from my storage unit, but it's an M42, not an M44, should be easy enough to get running though... That's probably the best option, I just don't know if I'm passionate enough about the compact to want to do the work right now. It's never really lived up to my expectations. I got spoiled driving the e34 and the transition to the base-model-AF compact wasn't very satisfying.
Just need to find a ride to Nebraska...

https://lincoln.craigslist.org/cto/d/lincoln-2003-bmw-540i-6-speed-manual/7122073438.html

RT660s were great, drove pretty similar to an RE. Settled around 31 hot, which doesn’t mean much without using pyrometers but that’s where the car felt the best for me.
one issue I did have which was super frustrating was when the car would be super gripped up in a corner, the inside tire would spin up a bit. Almost felt like an open diff. 
the skid plate also slammed on some corners (better than the oil pan though) which is quite the shock mid corner. Shawano is quite the “roller coaster” though so I wouldn’t expect this to be normal behavior at 90% of the events we run. If it keeps happening I’ll raise the car and get it re-aligned. 
 

Today I Learned:  Lincoln, Nebraska is a city with a population of ~250k and does, indeed, have an airport.
That could be an option once I get my test results back.

Funds aren't an issue, it's just the logistics of getting around right now. The person I normally ask to drive me around when my car is broken is sheltering-in-place because her 80yr old father lives with her. I was on my way home from covid testing when the car blew up (been running a mild fever since Wednesday), so that's not gonna work. We have a work-van that I could borrow to go get an engine from my storage unit, but it's an M42, not an M44, should be easy enough to get running though... That's probably the best option, I just don't know if I'm passionate enough about the compact to want to do the work right now. It's never really lived up to my expectations. I got spoiled driving the e34 and the transition to the base-model-AF compact wasn't very satisfying.
Just need to find a ride to Nebraska...

https://lincoln.craigslist.org/cto/d/lincoln-2003-bmw-540i-6-speed-manual/7122073438.html

Compact decided to puke out it's coolant and severely overheat on the highway yesterday. Pretty sure it's toast. Currently car shopping/exploring my options...

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

Gettin' those groceries.

Now that I've got real tires on I'm no longer breaking traction every time I hit boost, which makes for a slightly less nerve-wracking commute. I'm also learning when and how much to lift when I hear the turbo spooling so that I'm not rocketing off like a boy-racer every time I leave an intersection. I was initially concerned this thing would be undrivable at autocross, but I think it will be fine once I get used to the power delivery from the turbo and adjust my throttle control accordingly. Fun times.

had a fun problem crop up recently.
I found about 2 inches of standing water in the rear passenger footwell after all this rain
turns out these cars have a common problem where the roof drain hose shrinks over time and comes dissconnected from the plastic drain above the firewall.
suspicions comfirmed:
 
you can just see where the rubber hose is out from the black plastic piece.

the offending hose:

some duct tape and zip ties to stretch it back into place temporarily. the better fix is to patch in a new section of rubber hose.

 
but on a brighter note, the Volvo has been great for our normal summer rec activities, hauling the two kayaks and associated gear with ease, leading to some great time on the water already this year. 





 
 

Something to try

Looks like the I'll be using this my daily for a minute until I find a replacement for the compact. Took it out for some tuning runs today to make sure everything is copacetic. Found a couple issues that I got corrected, but nothing too serious.
TODO list:
Catch can/resurc for crankcase ventilation: I smell like a quik-e-lube after driving 20 miles
Do something about scraping: The way I built the bash bar/oil pan protector is terrible and scrapes way too often. Entering steep driveways at 45 degrees with stiff suspension results in one rear tire just about going airborne and no traction. Not ideal.
Tune closed loop idle control: Did some work on this and it's getting better, but still oscillates/stalls when coming to a stop. Software accepts values from 1-3000 for PID parameters, but I have no idea what values are sane here.
Put summer tires on: Boost pressure and engine RPM have a strong correlation regardless of vehicle speed. Need to procure a low-profile jack.
Grind welds/fill/paint rear flares: Underground parking is humid AF, need to do this before the rust sets in.
Find wiring gremlin: Engine sometimes continues to run after key is turned off. I have a couple ideas where to look for this one, but it could be anywhere...
All of the other things: There are many.

Dragon in a downpour 

Compact decided to puke out it's coolant and severely overheat on the highway yesterday. Pretty sure it's toast. Currently car shopping/exploring my options...