pynacl

@Rekpointsnapped a couple exhaust clips this past weekend. Sounds pretty dang good for an S54!
 

Still fighting this car as much as I can. As of yesterday, I think I can say the steering is complete. Sadly, I needed to add a secondary support bearing closer to the double D joint as it would bind under certain conditions. To do this meant I could no longer use the shaft that I had machined down and had to get yet another D shaft. Luckily I had a friend with a spare sitting in his shop that was the right size and length, and was also chrome plated. I was able to mount everything where it needed to be, and welded a new bracket to the pedal box bracket for the new support. After that I added an additional bracket to the column as well to replace the factory support under the dash cluster. This last bracket made everything much much stronger. Finally the steering "inside" the car is done.

If you look close here you can see the L bracket right at the back of the column that would make that final rigid support.
The next thing I needed to attack was getting all the bulkheads in the firewall and the braided brake lines ran. Most of these were already routed earlier, but I will need to add adel clamps so they aren't flying around. One that I did not install was the clutch line. I was waiting to do this as I wanted to hide most of the bulk heads and this one was near the steering shaft and the throttle. I had to complete these in order to prevent any more redos.
So first up I had to modify the throttle for the pedal box. The throttle beam and cam is made of aluminum, and the pivot travels behind the steering shaft and the brake pedals. The cable from factory exits just above where the clutch pedal is, and with the new pedal box, this needs to be moved. I cut the cable arm right above the factory stop to maintain the correct pedal height, and added material approximately the same height directly above the throttle pedal itself. This would allow the cable to be located closer to the center of the engine bay and directly inline with the throttle body. I was able to reduce the length of the cable by about 12" with this alteration!

What I didn't expect was that with the cable location to the cam profile on the pedal, was that I now would need about an extra 2-4" of leverage from the fulcrum to completely open and close the throttlebody. So my solution was a billet aluminum lever from a cheap hydro that I could make an adjustable extension. This worked perfect, and actually made everything much more sturdy.
Finally I ran the clutch line bulkhead right below the heater core lines beside the throttle. The angle of the picture below gives you an idea on the location, and also how tightly everything fits together. Note the cable at the top of the lever and the space on either side as it passes through when the throttle is depressed.

On the exterior of the steering issues was something I didn't mention previously. The new Wilwood rotors sat much further inward to the hub and were very close to the heatshields. So close in fact that with the factory tie rods installed, the boots pushed the shields into the rotors and would cause them to rub. I tried to get different tie rods and even shave them down, but that didn't help. I then bought an cheap angle kit like the one on my E36 to move the pivot inward and away from the rotor. The kit I bought didn't quite fit the hubs I have, so I had to mill them down on the Bridgeport. This was a fail, as even after machining them, I would need additional spacers on the brackets and special hardware. Ultimately I caved and bought a bump steer kit that uses Heim joints in place of the tie rods that allowed me the extra space. I figured these will also help with bumpsteer (duh) and the car being so low and not having power steering anyways. 
See failed E36 bracket below

And the MRT bumpsteer kit installed. Note the space between the heatshield and rotors.
Next is wiring. I started, but its nothing worth mentioning just yet. Fingered Crossed for the Picnic!

Thank you!! The cinnamon isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really like it against the steel gray's blueish tones!

@Rekpointsnapped a couple exhaust clips this past weekend. Sounds pretty dang good for an S54!
 

Thank you!! The cinnamon isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I really like it against the steel gray's blueish tones!

Took the car out for the first decent drive of the season! Cruised along the Saint Croix river for about 200 miles to a neat stone barn pizza place down in Pepin. So happy with how the car has transformed over winter!

 

That color combo 

Worked on this on Saturday and got it all back together. Cleaned most of the interior and exterior without going completely nuts. Never did an alignment which made for an exciting drive to lake mills for the last Cars & Coffee of the year. Afterwards I stopped at a friends house and I had NOOGs shoot some photos of the car. He hasnt sent me the photos yet, but here are some I took with my potato. 

 
I have a brake dragging that I need to attend to and the heat seems to be not blowing. So minimal items to be expected. I hope to have these resolved soon as I am hoping to drive this for a few weeks until there is white flakes in the forecast!

@Rekpointsnapped a couple exhaust clips this past weekend. Sounds pretty dang good for an S54!
 

@Rekpointsnapped a couple exhaust clips this past weekend. Sounds pretty dang good for an S54!
 

Thanks Pat! The tone is absolutely perfect, exactly what I was going for. The volume on the other hand is ridiculous, I'm sure you could hear it from a mile away. With that the drone is also a bit vicious at 2-2.5k RPM. Might need to go with a different muffler, but going to just enjoy it for a bit!

Thanks Pat! The tone is absolutely perfect, exactly what I was going for. The volume on the other hand is ridiculous, I'm sure you could hear it from a mile away. With that the drone is also a bit vicious at 2-2.5k RPM. Might need to go with a different muffler, but going to just enjoy it for a bit!

Snow finally melted and we've had a few good rains in to wash all the salt away. Took the M3 out today and gave it a test drive after all the changes. Ran like a can of beans. Turns out I had crossed the two pre-cat O2 sensors when doing the header install. Finally got them swapped and it's no longer a can of beans. Tossing in a lil sound clip of the new X pipe too, sounds freakin awesome in person.
IMG_2441.mp4  

Snow finally melted and we've had a few good rains in to wash all the salt away. Took the M3 out today and gave it a test drive after all the changes. Ran like a can of beans. Turns out I had crossed the two pre-cat O2 sensors when doing the header install. Finally got them swapped and it's no longer a can of beans. Tossing in a lil sound clip of the new X pipe too, sounds freakin awesome in person.
IMG_2441.mp4  

Throaty! 

Snow finally melted and we've had a few good rains in to wash all the salt away. Took the M3 out today and gave it a test drive after all the changes. Ran like a can of beans. Turns out I had crossed the two pre-cat O2 sensors when doing the header install. Finally got them swapped and it's no longer a can of beans. Tossing in a lil sound clip of the new X pipe too, sounds freakin awesome in person.
IMG_2441.mp4  

Thanks! 
 
Did some laps around Cedarburg on Sunday and it was spectacular. 

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

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.
 

I did a thing I promised myself I wouldn't do.
BUY ANOTHER BMW.
But I did, and here it is.

Luckily, to soften the blown on my time and wallet, this was a joint purchase with a friend of mine who is also a car fanatic.
The details are as follows:
1971 early model (1970) BMW 2002 roundie in malagna over tobacco interior. The car is pretty much stock besides a dealer added AC system and an aftermarket head unit.  
The plan is simple, clean, clean some more, and fix the mechanicals that need fixing. 

I've been working on a side project for the Coupe. Knowing that you have to remove the entire interior to access the top rear strut mounts, wasn't ideal for coilovers and dampening adjustments.
Took a chance to design some 3d printed access caps that can be installed in the carpet humps that cover the strut tops. Will allow dampening adjustments for coilovers or regular access to the strut tops for replacements or repairs without the need to remove the interior. 
First go around was a little ambitious with a threaded cap into a flange set that sandwiches the carpet for mounting.


Got the opinion of a true mechanical engineer (aka Brian) who gave me the idea of making it a press fit with oring instead of threads. Made designing and printing easier. Also added a slot on the side for a flat head screwdriver to pry cap off when removing. Seems to work pretty well. 




Next up is test fitting to the carpet and if all is good, getting these printed in ABS for longevity and heat resistance. 

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. 

Shoutout to @pynaclfor supplying the photo

Dropping it out of the bottom Is the way to go

 
ABS pump is already gone, as well as all the front brake lines. Working on getting the bias adjuster mounted and remote cable ran. 
quick bend of the rear line gets the angle right for the cable to run to an already existing grommet in the firewall next to the main fuse box harness