SteelBlue
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Posts posted by SteelBlue
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I should have just started a thread for this. But here the wheels are on the truck. 17x9 0 offset VenomRex VR601BL with 285/75R17 BFG KO2’s. Offset and sizing is just right to give it that perfect almost flush/slight poke look.
The look was exactly what I was going for and I am really glad I took a chance on the bronze, think they great on the truck. Wheel to tire to wheel well ratio is perfect IMO, no rubbing at all.
- REKIII, patsbimmer1, P_Roloff and 1 other
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7 hours ago, GunMetalGrey said:
I look forward to seeing the new wheels on!
I'd say the new decals look just fine, and I agree that they are far better than the stock blue ovals!
I enjoy that we are all here because at some point we were working on BMW's, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter what we own, because it will be getting modified.
It’s fun to try new things
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Eibach level kit was installed two weekends back. Truck rides great, the new struts and shocks really eliminated that hoppy and jumpy sensation the rear would get when going over bumps. Can’t tell a difference between this suspension and the factory stuff in terms of ride quality. Looks kind of dorky with the stock wheels and the level lol.
I had the windows tinted with 3M ceramic because I didn’t realize how much more heat comes in with the larger windows on a truck. Really like the look as well. 70% on the windshield, 20% on the front door windows, and then 70% on the rear door windows and back of the cab over the factory window tint to even out the fronts.
Two of the wheels have arrived, hoping the two others will be here tomorrow or Friday. Will get them mounted on the tires whichever day they come in and then hopefully on the truck that same night. Getting close.
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On 8/31/2021 at 10:14 AM, patsbimmer1 said:
I got my wheels hand delivered last week and promptly got them installed!
*cough*
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1 hour ago, swiper said:
A bit of a photo dump. Finally got my wheels on, and of course I went with a tried and true wheel choice for the E36. Apex ARC-8 in 17x9 et30 with a 225/45/17.
Is this the one that sold on here a few months back? Looks great
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Some other miscellaneous truck upgrades mods.
Did a mechanical decon of the paint two weekends ago and did one layer of Jescar paint sealant and then two layers of Collonite 845 wax on top. Will keep me sane until I get the truck corrected in the spring and then coat it.
Rear wheel liners. Minimize some dirt getting into places and just looks cleaner in my opinion.
Before:
After:
Front struts came in. Ceramic coated front and rears.
Bed decals removed. I was semi torn on this because I didn’t not like them, but I think with these fender badges having the red accent around them for the “sport” edition, it looked a little busy on the side. I like the way my parents truck looks with bed decals. Can always added them back if I want.
Exhaust tip was crusty, was going to repaint it black, but essentially had to destroy it to get it off because it had welded itself to the exhaust pipe. Just bought an eBay one, looks good to me. I don’t know how far out it should stick? This looks fine to me, but maybe it needs to get pushed in further.
Sold the truck cap a few days after getting the truck. Purchased a Truxedo ProX-15 bed cover. Like that it sits a lot more flush. These tonneaus are crazy expensive for some of the nicer one. This one fit the bill being about $500.
And my ricer mod. Found these emblem decals on Etsy for $20, figured for that little it was worth a chance. I didn’t dislike the blue oval, but wanted to see what it would like in this color rendition. I like it, but don’t love it. Real way to do it would be to pull them out and disassemble the badges and paint them. They’ll do for now.
Suspension installed hopefully soon. Just waiting on the wheels to come in, was approved for sponsorship on these new to market wheels. Went a little outside my normal comfort zone on the color, but I think it will come together nicely.
- P_Roloff and patsbimmer1
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On 7/29/2021 at 5:26 PM, GunMetalGrey said:
Such a solid looking rig, how many miles did you end up putting on that bad boy?
What year F150?
Details my guy!I flew to Detroit Friday night after work. My brother picked me up at the air port as he lives in Ann Arbor and stayed with him for the night. He drove me to Charlotte, Michigan, about an hour west of Ann Arbor, right away in the morning. Picked the truck up and started the 6 and a half hour drive home.
In the F30, after about an hour and a half of continuous driving, my legs and back would start to hurt, and closer to 3 hours I would not be able to drive for how uncomfortable I would be. Change of driving position in a truck makes things significantly more comfortable. When I got home I didn’t feel beat up or in pain from driving a long duration of time.
2018 F150 XLT “special edition”
Has the better grille and the black line headlights, as well as the “sport” cloth interior. It came with a bed cap, which I just sold last night for $900. I took all of the decals off immediately, swapped to a shorty antenna, removed the mud flaps, added a tailgate assist, replaced the license plate and cargo lights with LED bulbs, and added some WeatherTech floor mats.
I did replace the low beam, high beam, and fog light bulbs with some LED ones, but am having issues adjusting the aim of them. Either the additional wires and resistors from the LEDs tucked into the headlight housing is restricting the aiming, or my gear are stripped. Thankfully, Mr. @patsbimmer1 will be sourcing me aftermarket housings.
I have an Eibach strut and shock leveling kit on order, the struts should be here tomorrow. Going to have a coworker help me install when the other portion gets here. I have some 285/75R17 BFG KO2’s in my storage unit waiting for wheels. Might be working with a manufacture to get a new flow forged line they are coming out with on the truck, but waiting to hear details on that.
Have a Truxedo tonneau cover that I am waiting to have delivered to a local shop so they can install, should be early next week.
How it looked when I first got it
Decal and cap removal
First wash at a friends
Cargo lights
Tail gate assist (shock connecting the bed and the tail gate)
ters’
LED bulbs
- patsbimmer1 and P_Roloff
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On 7/30/2021 at 6:16 PM, KaiserRolls said:
Agreed
I should mention, I meant that in regards to their current availability right now lol They make good tires, just not the absolute top of the line. We sell more Nitto than any other brand.
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Tire availability will be an issue well through next year. Toyo and Nitto are absolute dog shit for domestic brands.
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3 hours ago, GunMetalGrey said:
Such a solid looking rig, how many miles did you end up putting on that bad boy?
What year F150?
Details my guy!I put a tick over 50K miles on it over the almost 4 years I owned it. Driving back and forth to Fond du Lac for my old job from Appleton will do that. I really don't think you can buy a better car for the money and I loved being in it every time I drove it. Car gave me almost zero trouble during the time I owned it. Sad to see it go but it went to some one who I believe will take care of it.
I will provide more details and pictures of the truck after I pick it up on Saturday, but it's a 2018 F150 XLT.
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I sold my F30. I’ll be back in a BMW as a daily some day, but it was time to try something else as I’ve driven a lowered BMW for 8 years. Going to hopefully purchase an F150 on Saturday. Will be really nice to transport mopeds and other track items to Road America and general utility.
- Rekpoint and patsbimmer1
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UUC Evo 3 SSK installed. Unfortunately, the DSSR could not be installed as the shift knuckle off the back of the trans was the wrong one, thought my car had the right one, but guess not. Poly bushings where the bitch clips inserts and Turner poly carrier bushing were also installed. Shifter feels super tight, notchy, directional. Was worried the throw was going to be too short for my liking, but this is the perfect amount for my driving style.
Only issues are that the shifter in neutral sits at maybe a 10-15 degree tilt towards the passenger side, not a huge deal, but a little annoying. Another thing, and maybe this is me only used to driving cars with factory shifters, is the 1-2 throw feels a little more difficult. If I had to rate the 1-2 throw, it would be maybe 4.5-5 out of 10 in terms of effort needed. Where as the others are more like a 3-3.5, compared to stock which I would say was like a 2-2.5. Only other thing, is that the ZHP weighted knob must not fit the profile of the shifter itself as it has maybe 5 degrees of rotational play in it. It doesn’t feel like it would come off, but it’s a little annoying that it rotates a little, and makes a little bit of clacking when going through the gears.
UUC did not include the six Allen head bolts that connect the collar to the carrier arm, so I bought some Phillips screws of the same pitch. They were a little longer than the ones that would have been included, so they had to be shimmed with some washers so the screws wouldn’t contact the ball the shifter pivots on. My only thought as to why the couple of things might be out of whack.
Overall, very pleased with it, even without the DSSR, it feels extremely tight and directional. For me, this car exceeds at the warm summer evening, back road, sunset country cruise with the radio(Bluetooth speaker in my case) playing some good tunes. Really hard to beat.
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21 minutes ago, KaiserRolls said:
Those hypertracs, from what I can find, are like a 500tw tire, the conti ECS is like a 340tw. I wouldn’t expect too much from them for your autox needs.
Tried to get him the Vorti’s which are the UHP tire but they didn’t have them in stock.
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1 hour ago, YoungCR said:
Wheels turned out great, what paint did you use? I wish the style 7’s came in 16” as well.
Would run these on my car if they did.
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Sweet chicken coop
- patsbimmer1 and m42b32
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Pitching it as an investment instead of selling the car just feels wrong. But, that's where were at these days.
Surprised this didn't got straight to BaT. Probably just wants to avoid the commission on it before it does.
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2 hours ago, B C said:
Cool story!
explain the steam cleaned undercarriage? Is it particularly oily? Or are you about to park it over some mirrors at a car show?
Trans is pretty grimey, but it’s honestly just something that I’ve wanted to do and even more so want to do after being introduced to dry ice blasting. Just having things cleaned, and knowing that they are really cleaned, makes me feel better. It also makes things much more enjoyable to work on when they are clean.
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Drove the car to Elkhart Lake Saturday as a scouting run for the up coming season. Couldn’t be more excited for RA to be 100% back this year.
While I was on my way down, I was passing through Chilton and saw a woman waving me down just past the Kwik Trip. Wasn’t sure if it was a wave for the car or if I was doing something wrong, or something wrong with the car. Turned out it was the lady that I bought the car from. She texted me and we agreed to meet into New Holstein which is only 10 mins past Chilton.
She was thrilled with the condition of the car and loved that it was with someone who cared about. It was really nice to catch-up and show the status of the car. Also, the odds of seeing her in Chilton on a Saturday morning...
Looking into a getting a steam cleaner to do undercarriage and engine bag detailing. Dry ice blasting is the future, but I will settle for steam for the time being.
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Really looking forward to how this one works out. Hope the hounds tooth interior finds its way into this car. Feel like this one is going to deserve a nice set of wheels.
Also, if you need someone to take that M20 off your hands and you happen to drive back to Appleton one of these days...
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Saw you cruising the ave last night. Car looked good.
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Just now, B C said:
The F30 looks so good.
Is the electric steering as much of a buzzkill as the automotive journalists make it out to be?
Does the car seem near impossible to work on? Probably not so much with the 4cyl
I think the electric steering rack numbness feeling is overblown, but I'm not exactly an authority of steering feel. But when I drive it I never get the feeling that it feels numb or "off".
I haven't done really any mechanical maintenance on this car yet, but under the hood reminds me of my TJ wrangler that had a 4 cylinder. There's a mile between the front of the motor and the radiator. I would imagine basic maintenance is not a terrible experience to complete.
In terms of the front bumper and headlight install. Really wasn't anything difficult, good amount of room to maneuver if you pull the wheel well guards out. Only trouble point I had was unbolting the bottom of the headlights on one side. It uses a "nut" that is self contained. Square nut on one side that has an enclosure to prevent it from spinning, that sometimes fails and will just spin so you have to use a vice grip to pinch it.
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Daily mods continue.
M Sport front bumper and projector angel eye headlights. Bumper was needed regardless with how chewed up my original one was. Body shop lost my headlight washer covers, so waiting for those to be painted and then will throw those on. Really like the changed it made to the front of the car. Went with piano black M style double ribbed grilles.
Headlights were probably more of a drastic change. Not only do they look significantly better, and shave some years off the age of the car, they perform SIGNIFICANTLY better than the OEM halogens. Having fresh lenses also helps the overall appearance and some performance I'm sure.
I have the M sport side skirts, but I am having problems with the clips on the top of the skirt engaging into the car which is not allowing me to install them. Not sure if this is due to the mold of the skirt themselves, or if I am just approaching the install incorrectly. Might bring them over to my buddy who works at BMW to have him give them a go.
Next on the list will be to change the shocks and struts out as mine are probably blown or very close to it. Next mods will be probably next spring and will be the M sport rear bumper and the GTS style tail lights.
Diaries of a Daily Driver
in Members BMWs
Posted
I think you have to keep the white E30 now with having this. Think of the Instagram likes!