HipMF

And then there's the uncropped, unedited candid shot, fired off at random, that turns out better than everything else you did all day:

Well I had a epic day yesterday. I discovered some roads in Wisconsin that I would never imagine existed. Im talking switchbacks, massive elevation changes, and hairpins. Black ribbons of glory. A few of the roads were not in ideal condition, but there were so many that had FRESH blacktop I was amazed. I drove through the drift-less area from Eu Claire, all the way to Sun Prairie just west of 94. It took me about 8 hours of driving as I was doubling back and taking roads that I couldn't hit. I marked a bunch of them that I felt were worthy of a future cruise. Im likely going to go back this weekend and verify I solid route as I will be staging a video for two of my friends cars in the area. 

At work replying to my own emails where I asked people questions and got no response...

Dude paddle boarding with the doggos. Fog really lingered today.

At work replying to my own emails where I asked people questions and got no response...

Took the OM-D and Sigma mini-wide along for this weekend's climbing adventure.



I scrambled up the talus on the west bluff to a boulder problem called Super Slab, explored around the base of the prospect point area, then climbed Wiessner's Chimney. The top of Wiessner Wall is one of the best views of the lake that I've found so far. I'll have to get up there with a wide-angle in the next week or two when the colors get a bit better.

Dude paddle boarding with the doggos. Fog really lingered today.

Took the OM-D and Sigma mini-wide along for this weekend's climbing adventure.



I scrambled up the talus on the west bluff to a boulder problem called Super Slab, explored around the base of the prospect point area, then climbed Wiessner's Chimney. The top of Wiessner Wall is one of the best views of the lake that I've found so far. I'll have to get up there with a wide-angle in the next week or two when the colors get a bit better.

Dude paddle boarding with the doggos. Fog really lingered today.

Took the OM-D and Sigma mini-wide along for this weekend's climbing adventure.



I scrambled up the talus on the west bluff to a boulder problem called Super Slab, explored around the base of the prospect point area, then climbed Wiessner's Chimney. The top of Wiessner Wall is one of the best views of the lake that I've found so far. I'll have to get up there with a wide-angle in the next week or two when the colors get a bit better.

I don't have anything on-topic, so here's this instead.

I also had a failing headliner so i tackled that job at the same time. very tedious project, but doable. considering the cost to DIY is like $75 compared to 600+ for a shop, it is worth it. apparently volvo used 'environmentally friendly' glues that just dont hold up over time.
I used this ebay vendor for the headliner material. it comes shipped in a roll (important), was a close match to the grey, and was the correct size to do the headliner + sunroof panel. i ended up using two cans of 3M headliner and fabric adhesive.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/280980573545?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
this diy was great for the process of gluing on the new fabric: 
 
this is how the old material looked as it was falling apart

to get the headliner board out you have to remove: visors, oh-shit handles, sunroof switch/dome light panel, cargo net clips, rear dome light, rear trim at the tailgate, A pillars, D pillars, front and rear seats, one half of the cargo area carpet/plastic covers/spare tire foam, seat belt retractor. you also have to pull all of the wiring that is glued to the top of the headliner off. its a stupid design, the harness connects somewhere inside the dash so there is no way to unplug it, you have to just leave it hanging. 

the panel will barely (not really) squeeze through the rear tailgate. you will be bending the edges pretty harshly to get it in and out.


no pictures of the process of gluing the headliner fabric on, see the youtube DIY above. it turned out 8/10, with a couple of wrinkles and the areas where the handles go are too stretched. but in reality,  no one will notice unless i mention it. 

the fabric was a good match. I think it was actually nicer stuff than the original. much better texture, better cut resistance, a slight sheen. 

probably the worst bit of this job was reattaching all the wires to the top of the headliner. after putting the headliner back in the car, you have to lay the wiring back across in its original position and hot glue it back into place. i used gaffer tape to hold it in place as the glue set. the wiring runs across the front windshield area, and also snakes backwards and across the center of the car to the two rear dome lights. a simple harness plug in the a pillar could have made this 1,000,000 times easier. 

 

headliner back in place. the four cargo net clips have bolts inside so they hold it up best while you attach everything else. 

and voila. 

More pictures and videos when I'm back in the country tommorow but in short this trip is fucking awesome!  These trucks are extremely capable and regularly run the Baja 100 and 500.  Today we did 75mph on the beach then hit speeds up to 70mph in the canyons later on after crawling up and down massive ditches and mountain switchbacks.
It's through a company called Wide Open Baja and they are for clients who want a ready made team for Baja.  People like Patrick Dempsey, Will Turner and many more have paid to drive their cars and get the support team.  The support we had following us is the same team that supports the races and these guys fucking rocked!  They also do tours like this for people who want to try the trucks out in more of an adventure setting as opposed to full race.  Here's the truck we've been driving!

I needed to follow up on this lol.
just got back from the tail of the dragon, I was driving the evo on NT555G2s. Was honestly surprised with that tire. Have been on that road many times in the evo on firehawks/conti ECS and honestly the nitto was pretty good. 
 
brooke was on neogens (Came on the car) and I still hate that tire. Absolute crap on damp asphalt. 
 

 
another miatas at the gap trip in the books and I think there were like 5-6 cars that got totaled this year lol

Content no one asked for. AKA, the fossil fuel bubble, AKA, the ultimate hockey-stick graph. AKA, even the greeks didn't see this on coming.

I got stuck on a detour on the way to Devil's Lake on Saturday. Cruising down highway 12 at 65. Couldn't decide whether or not it was my turn coming up. It was. Decided I could still make it and jammed on the brakes hard. Let off and chucked the e34 hard into the right-hander. The rear end dutifully followed the front around the corner, despite my continued provocation. Pretty boring.
Did my first day of real climbing outdoors. The people I was with were better climbers than I am, so I didn't get the relaxing day of easy climbs that I was hoping for. I managed to get up a few climbs. Fell a few times. Pretty minor when you're top-roping. Drank almost a gallon of water. Legs are sore. Lots of bug bites. Overall a good day.

Haven't been paying much attention to car news, but heard that Hyundai was coming out with a new "mini truck". So disappointed:

The bed fit's half a mountain bike... at an angle... I looked it up and the bed of a Subaru Brat was 2 inches wider and 8 inches longer. This is not a truck, it's a hatchback with part of the roof missing.

Found a climbing spot right in Madison, about 4 miles from the capitol. Unlike the gym, there was no one here and no masks required. Very nice.

Mostly just did some traversing since I don't have any ropes or actual climbing gear. I might have to do something about that so I can give this crack a try.

Tossed the battery back in this. Fired up and idled like I'd just driven it yesterday, even though it's been sitting in underground parking since October. Then, as one does, I decided to take it out for a beat run around the neighborhood on old gas and expired plates.
Someday I will learn to act right and behave like an adult. Today was not that day.
Other than that, no progress. Maybe bumping this thread will help get me motivated to do something with this. Unfortunately, there are other things higher on my priority list at the moment. Notably, fixing the compact and possibly moving, but in the meantime my work-life is about to become an unholy shitstorm as our 6-person engineering team has a half-million dollar project that the customer thinks should be done in two months. Goddam first-world problems.

Found a climbing spot right in Madison, about 4 miles from the capitol. Unlike the gym, there was no one here and no masks required. Very nice.

Mostly just did some traversing since I don't have any ropes or actual climbing gear. I might have to do something about that so I can give this crack a try.

Tossed the battery back in this. Fired up and idled like I'd just driven it yesterday, even though it's been sitting in underground parking since October. Then, as one does, I decided to take it out for a beat run around the neighborhood on old gas and expired plates.
Someday I will learn to act right and behave like an adult. Today was not that day.
Other than that, no progress. Maybe bumping this thread will help get me motivated to do something with this. Unfortunately, there are other things higher on my priority list at the moment. Notably, fixing the compact and possibly moving, but in the meantime my work-life is about to become an unholy shitstorm as our 6-person engineering team has a half-million dollar project that the customer thinks should be done in two months. Goddam first-world problems.

Tossed the battery back in this. Fired up and idled like I'd just driven it yesterday, even though it's been sitting in underground parking since October. Then, as one does, I decided to take it out for a beat run around the neighborhood on old gas and expired plates.
Someday I will learn to act right and behave like an adult. Today was not that day.
Other than that, no progress. Maybe bumping this thread will help get me motivated to do something with this. Unfortunately, there are other things higher on my priority list at the moment. Notably, fixing the compact and possibly moving, but in the meantime my work-life is about to become an unholy shitstorm as our 6-person engineering team has a half-million dollar project that the customer thinks should be done in two months. Goddam first-world problems.

Damn its been almost  two months since the last update.
 
i got distracted  building my welding/shop table. 1/4" top 2x3x1/8" tube. Nice and solid. Good enough for some light duty welding
 
Helmut and welding table by w grync, on Flickr
Helmut and welding table by w grync, on Flickr
 
I pulled the second fender, finished front coilovers and welded the lolipop mounts. i put some contours in and my car looks like crap. Waaaaaay too big
 
Untitled by w grync, on Flickr
 
I am changing plans and will roll on 15x7s with some skinny 205s this season (if it ever comes out of the garage this season).
 
Since my car is wider front and back by roughly 30mm per side the standard e21 offsets do not work anymore. and finding high offset 8-9" wheels with 5x120 pattern is almost impossible. I could build some splits but it would probably  cost more than my car is worth.
 
I got set of these for $40. Just need some paint. 15x7et20
Untitled by w grync, on Flickr
 
 
Oh and i just ordered a nice an light flywheel (6-7lbs) to accept my 7.25" tilton clutch. I suspect some terrible clutch engagement characteristics. It will be chirp the tires or stall and nothing in between.
 
 
Lastly i had to shorten e36 tie rods to get the toe in check. 
I cut, welded and added some sleeves to prevent shopping cart mode in the future.
Helmut and welding table by w grync, on Flickr