SteelBlue

Update : This car fricken rips, couldn't have had a more fun time in the mountains. Here is a photo dump from last weeks trip. 

Was this car up in Appleton? I feel like I have seen it before, but maybe I am just imagining things.

Was this car up in Appleton? I feel like I have seen it before, but maybe I am just imagining things.

We'll, this is definitely going to be a yearly event for us! The drive isn't bad and certainly part of the adventure.
The people and cars were amazing.... Even participated installing a turbo in a 2002 I the hotel parking lot the night before the show. 
 

Big update for me - I bought a house! Was lucky enough to find myself a 4 car garage. The garage needs insulation, drywall and a shit ton of love but the bones look great. Huge thank you to @Rekpointfor helping with the move!
Also got a new Husky tool chest I really dig so far. Quality is pretty good for the money, definitely no snap on, but perfect for me. Has drawer liners, soft close drawers, power etc.

Earl asked about his car last weekend again.  Must be the weather.

Last from the trip home, I've been recovering lol. I noticed this lighthouse on Google Maps and wanted to visit. Turns out its on private property but the valet at the Castle Hill Inn was happy to instruct us on how to get there and if we didn't have prior dinner arrangements we would've loved to have eaten there. Its just a short hike from their parking lot.

Thursday I made the trek from Newport to Lake Placid once again racing against a snow storm. Interstate was just starting to get bad, The wrangler unlimited I drove up with was loosing traction in 2wd. He switched over to 4wd as we got off and then it was all mountain roads for 45min after that which this handled flawlessly. This was when we got to the house we stayed at. Friday morning there ended up being a 3ft + pile of snow at the end of the driveway from the plows. 

I couldn't have picked a better day to get back into skiing though. It was around 7* windchill when we got to Whiteface at 8am but the runs were all covered in 5"+ of fresh powder. It was an incredible day. Went to the summit twice in the afternoon. The building on the left is the where the lift ends up and the start of the Men's Olympic Runs. I did end up going down Skyward at the end of the day and it was awesome except for that near vertical drop in. The rest of the run was actually easier because more trafficked runs had iced over at that point vs still being more powder. 

Saturday was more brutal at -18* windchill when we got there but still a blast. Everything was groomed overnight so better overall conditions for me still looking to gain my skills back. Same photo at the summit just before we dropped in Skyward on a way colder but clearer day. It was a lot more challenging to go down even first thing in the morning because of the ice build up hence "ice face" as the resorts nickname.
 
Managed to keep warm and didn't get my lips stuck to a beer can so win win 😂 I gained a lot of confidence and we ran another full day. This is looking up at the summit late afternoon. Skyward is the the run on the right of those 3. 

The worst thing I could've done for recovery though was spend 19 hours in a car but I did so in relatively good comfort. My hamstrings didn't want to stretch out for one of the rest breaks. It's also been a long time since I drove with good modern headlights, which were great to have driving through the woods in the dark for the first 3hrs of the trip. I ended up getting 26.45 and 26.59mpg on the 2 full tanks that I used coming back and that's with a good headwind too so I'm happy to have that as a starting base.
Made it home around 9:30pm Sunday night, threw the awaiting Weathertech seat cover and floor mats in and had the wife and dog out for a short drive. She's very happy with the purchase and figured out the controls quickly too. It was bittersweet too as our dog Maggie has been having kidney issues since before Christmas so I was so glad she was still around when I got home and she's very much been enjoying her favorite activity of going on car rides. 

Condor speed shop

Well, the biggest issue with the car(incredibly), has been resolved. I have never had a working stereo system in this car since I bought it. I’ve used a Bluetooth speaker on my dashboard, and that shit was getting old.

I went with the tried and true Continental head unit. This was my first time doing any kind of stereo work(other than the speakers in my truck). The install was pretty straight forward, but was a little confusing at first because there weren’t some of the wires that were mentioned in the install. Realized I had to peel the loom back a little to exposed them.
Was great to hear actual music come from the speakers instead of the R2D2 noises. Heard a little bit of thump coming from the rear deck speaker. Pulled it out, realized that the little rubber seal that sits on the metal frame of the speaker had come undone in one portion. Used some flexible super glue to get it set in place.

Sounds great for what it is, and really glad to no longer use a Bluetooth speaker.
 

Well, the biggest issue with the car(incredibly), has been resolved. I have never had a working stereo system in this car since I bought it. I’ve used a Bluetooth speaker on my dashboard, and that shit was getting old.

I went with the tried and true Continental head unit. This was my first time doing any kind of stereo work(other than the speakers in my truck). The install was pretty straight forward, but was a little confusing at first because there weren’t some of the wires that were mentioned in the install. Realized I had to peel the loom back a little to exposed them.
Was great to hear actual music come from the speakers instead of the R2D2 noises. Heard a little bit of thump coming from the rear deck speaker. Pulled it out, realized that the little rubber seal that sits on the metal frame of the speaker had come undone in one portion. Used some flexible super glue to get it set in place.

Sounds great for what it is, and really glad to no longer use a Bluetooth speaker.
 

Well, the biggest issue with the car(incredibly), has been resolved. I have never had a working stereo system in this car since I bought it. I’ve used a Bluetooth speaker on my dashboard, and that shit was getting old.

I went with the tried and true Continental head unit. This was my first time doing any kind of stereo work(other than the speakers in my truck). The install was pretty straight forward, but was a little confusing at first because there weren’t some of the wires that were mentioned in the install. Realized I had to peel the loom back a little to exposed them.
Was great to hear actual music come from the speakers instead of the R2D2 noises. Heard a little bit of thump coming from the rear deck speaker. Pulled it out, realized that the little rubber seal that sits on the metal frame of the speaker had come undone in one portion. Used some flexible super glue to get it set in place.

Sounds great for what it is, and really glad to no longer use a Bluetooth speaker.
 

Same

Interior back in the car. Almost ready to make its summer/fall residence in my garage. Which means the truck will be in the lot. Storage unit was nice to have both cars in covered storage, but saving ~$80 a month will also be nice. Car will stay in my parents storage for winter unit once they put their boat away for the season.
Carpet extraction, Leatherique, and exhaust are the first bits on the list to start the season off.
 

Interior back in the car. Almost ready to make its summer/fall residence in my garage. Which means the truck will be in the lot. Storage unit was nice to have both cars in covered storage, but saving ~$80 a month will also be nice. Car will stay in my parents storage for winter unit once they put their boat away for the season.
Carpet extraction, Leatherique, and exhaust are the first bits on the list to start the season off.
 

Same

Interior back in the car. Almost ready to make its summer/fall residence in my garage. Which means the truck will be in the lot. Storage unit was nice to have both cars in covered storage, but saving ~$80 a month will also be nice. Car will stay in my parents storage for winter unit once they put their boat away for the season.
Carpet extraction, Leatherique, and exhaust are the first bits on the list to start the season off.
 

Interior back in the car. Almost ready to make its summer/fall residence in my garage. Which means the truck will be in the lot. Storage unit was nice to have both cars in covered storage, but saving ~$80 a month will also be nice. Car will stay in my parents storage for winter unit once they put their boat away for the season.
Carpet extraction, Leatherique, and exhaust are the first bits on the list to start the season off.
 

This car fucks.
 
I'm not familiar with these cars, is like an E36 underneath and it's just a different body on top? Or is this car engineered on its own?

This car fucks.
 
I'm not familiar with these cars, is like an E36 underneath and it's just a different body on top? Or is this car engineered on its own?

+1
 
The z3m roadster and coupe are mechanically the same, basically a beefed up version of the 318ti. Front suspension is e36m, rear suspension is similar to an e30 but with e36m rear brakes, much stronger axles, and everything reinforced everywhere. 

KW coilovers, Ground Control camber/caster plates, lower control arms,  TC Kline rear shock mounts, sway bar links and bushings all installed the past week or two. Had some time to do a paint correction yesterday as well as install a paint matched rear wiper delete. Getting closer to being satisfied...for now. 

Car back from the shop. No more coolant in my footwell. 
Actual spring can't come soon enough.

Took a cruise last night and these lights do not disappoint. 
 

Exhaust was delivered. Once it's warm I'll give it a go getting it installed. Hopefully the bolts are too far gone. I don't have a ton of experience with doing exhaust related work.

Setback after setback....this is the final result! 295 rear tires and 245 fronts, fitment is great but I plan to lower it just a bit more.