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Old 09-06-2019, 11:03 PM   #701
blue91lx
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Originally Posted by Big_Jim View Post
I hope we do keep our 6 active members around, haha. Its a shame, but I don't see it growing from that.

More so than the vBulletin software, I'm happy to say that this site hasn't been gobbled up by one of the companies out there buying up and ruining forums (mainly Autoguide and Internet Brands)

Forum culture has come and gone, and thats a shame. We came here to make friends, learn about cars, share stories, create meets, show off your hard work and get feedback.

Around 8 or so years ago, I noticed the switch to a more social media based platform. People didnt want to learn and share, they just wanted to "show off." Seeing people calling their "build" with raceland coilovers and sportmax wheels a show car. Followers were more important than actual personal relationships. No one came looking for help, because they knew everything there was to know about everything. Opinions and feedback weren't wanted, because if you didn't like what someone did, you were a hater.

I think the most recent and most devastating blows to the forum culture was when photobucket got greedy and decided to stop hotlinking. That broke almost EVERY DIY post, step-by-step guide, and how-to out there in forum land.


Of course I remember Jon. He was a HUGE contributor to the forum. Tons of content, and very well written. You don't really have people like that on forums anymore.
The Photobucket flop was huge- so many broken links all over the internet. Also, huge resources like E30Tech have just gone down completely (or were bought out like you mentioned). I was late to the game, only started on forums around 2009, good ole corral.net. But I'm grateful for what I've learned, although it does seem that eventually they'll just exist for google search results and not much else.

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Also, about the tool chests.....

I've looked at a similar Craftsman chest, and went with the HF brand over it. The drawers on the craftsman were really really flimsy. There's no actual weight rating on the drawers themselves, or sheet metal gauge thickness. Only weight info is "100lb drawer slides" and "1500lb casters" Even in the use and care manual.

I have a version of the HF 40" tool chest. Its an OEM that a bunch of companies slap their name on. HF is one, Atlas is another, and I know Northern Tool sells the same thing under their brand. I bought mine from Gregg Smith Equipment Sales many years back. After I set up the box, just to test it, I stood in the bottom drawer. It did not bend, creak, cry, anything. At the time I was about 350lbs. Now looking them up, i see they've raised in price A LOT. I got my top and bottom for around $550, now its listed at $911, freight shipping included. Luckily there was a store in Delaware I was able to pick it up from and save some loot.

Check for used boxes in FB marketplace, or craigslist (is that still a thing?)
I've been looking for a while on FB (yes, Craigslist is all but dead or junk around me), and folks want unreasonable amounts for used tool chests, despite being in poor condition, junk models, etc.

Funny you say that about Craftsman vs HF......I took a stroll locally to check out all of my different options in person. That Craftsman box was junk, just like you said.

Ended up bringing home the new series 56" from HF. It was by FAR the nicest box I looked at, even over the much more expensive ones. I unloaded it by myself which was comical. It feels amazing to go down from 3+ boxes to one.

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Old 09-08-2019, 08:05 PM   #702
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The HF boxes are nice! I own a snap-on box from my previous life and the HF is very comparable if not better for the money. When I move I may just go HF and see what I can get for my SO box as I am just about out of space in it anyway.

Cars are also looking great!
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Old 09-09-2019, 11:35 AM   #703
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Late to the party here but we use HUsky boxes from home depot. They run some very good deals like this puppy . $498 for a 52" with chest and cabinet.
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Old 09-09-2019, 07:57 PM   #704
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The HF boxes are nice! I own a snap-on box from my previous life and the HF is very comparable if not better for the money. When I move I may just go HF and see what I can get for my SO box as I am just about out of space in it anyway.

Cars are also looking great!
You can likely get 2-3x out of that Snap On box what the HF will cost you. I'm very happy with it and glad I went with the 56". You can also add a side cabinet, a side tool chest, and a top box that all just bolts onto this unit which leaves room for cheap expansion in the future!

And thanks, man. Hopefully I'll have some fun/interesting updates soon once I start building the 3.1L for the Red iS. Big cam, standalone, stroker crank, and naturally aspirated..... aka the worst dollar per hp gain money can buy, but only the best sounds.

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Late to the party here but we use HUsky boxes from home depot. They run some very good deals like this puppy . $498 for a 52" with chest and cabinet.
That does look like a good buy! Especially with the top box included as well. It's in direct competition with that 52" Craftsman, just much cheaper. I checked out the Husky stuff and it didn't as very rigid/solid (much like the Craftsman) as the US General stuff. But if I needed a top chest as well that route would've been the a no brainer.
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Old 09-13-2019, 12:44 PM   #705
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The goods have arrived! Still waiting on the pistons, but I'm going to get the head over to the machine shop just to have a final approval now that the cam/rockers are here.

I'm dropping the headers off at my buddies shop to get vband flanges welded on (offset for clearance) so I can just drop them in with the engine and not have to worry about pulling them back off. I've also been going back and forth between using my Magnaflow cat section or just having him make the merge further back for the gainz (much like this https://flic.kr/p/2heUzJX).

I don't really know what size injectors I'll need, but I have M50 injectors I'm going to leave in for startup with the 3L SSSquid chip until I switch over to the MS2.

Ported 731 with 885 valves
IE 284/280 Billet Cam
IE HD Rockers
S52 Crank/Rods
Custom 86mm JE 4032 Pistons
Riot Racing BBTB
IE Long Tubes
Injectors TBD
MS2PNP



Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
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Old 09-13-2019, 03:56 PM   #706
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ooooo
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Old 09-21-2019, 09:12 AM   #707
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ooooo
I got more shiny stuff!

The custom 4032 slugs made for the 731 head came in. Pretty exciting, and they made them much faster than I thought they would.

The finish on the 731 head was pretty poor (machinist said "I think whoever cut this needs a new cutter"), and a few spots needed welding around the coolant jackets due to corrosion. Once all that's done it's going to get the right finish for the 86mm bore cometic HG (50RA or less).

The block is getting disassembled, cleaned, and then off to get honed, because...... the pistons are in! The last piece of the puzzle for a little while, until I get all everything back from the machine shop and can start assembling it all. I also need rod bolts, but there's no rush on that.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




And the black car has been a bear to clean up. It's running great, but doing a two stage correction on stubborn and finicky single stage has been cumbersome.

After what feels like a million different products and combinations, I'm using good ole Meguiars 105 to cut on a foam cutting pad, and Meguiars 205 to finish using a foam finishing pad.

For whatever reason, my microfiber pads did NOT work well on this paint, no matter what cutter I used.

This was before hitting it with 205. There are still scratches, but anything left is too deep to remove.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
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Old 09-21-2019, 02:36 PM   #708
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Black is always a PITA to clean up...

Going to do any coatings on the pistons or just send it with the bare aluminum? They look great!
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Old 09-21-2019, 03:12 PM   #709
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Black is always a PITA to clean up...

Going to do any coatings on the pistons or just send it with the bare aluminum? They look great!
Yes they are! I couldn’t imagine driving one daily.

And no coatings- it ballooned the cost of the pistons like crazy so I didn’t go for it.

I went with 4032 over 2618 so I can run them a little tighter and (hopefully) avoid the ole uncoated JE piston slap.
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Old 09-21-2019, 06:41 PM   #710
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Sounds perfect then. Minimize costs and shouldn't have an issue without coatings.

You *could* coat them at home, there are kits for that... If you have any concerns about it. When I did my GTI I used hypereutectic cast pistons and wasn't concerned about noise too much, but I specifically avoided forged to avoid the noise though, didn't know they had options for different materials at the time. Derp.
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Old 09-22-2019, 02:03 PM   #711
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Sounds perfect then. Minimize costs and shouldn't have an issue without coatings.

You *could* coat them at home, there are kits for that... If you have any concerns about it. When I did my GTI I used hypereutectic cast pistons and wasn't concerned about noise too much, but I specifically avoided forged to avoid the noise though, didn't know they had options for different materials at the time. Derp.
Oh yeah! I don't think I'm going to worry about it. 2618 expands a whopping 15% more than a 4032 piston, so you can run them quite a bit tighter. 4032 has a 10ish% higher silicon content. 4032 is actually lighter as well! So unless you're building a motor for big HP, 4032 is the way to go.

Worst case scenario I don't think I'll notice over the noisy single cam sewing machine that is always at work in the engine bay
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Old 09-24-2019, 09:12 AM   #712
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Yes. Engine builds get me excited. Unless there mine, then I have anxiety.

I'm interested to see how the aluminum pistons work out. Do you plan to bump the redline higher?
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Old 09-27-2019, 01:33 PM   #713
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Yes. Engine builds get me excited. Unless there mine, then I have anxiety.

I'm interested to see how the aluminum pistons work out. Do you plan to bump the redline higher?
I'm certainly excited! And yep, I have some really solid valve springs and got heavy duty rocker arms, so I should be able to spin her until she stops making power. My guess is around 7200.

Finished up the detail on Black Betty! This single stage gave my polisher and I a run for our money. It looks like a different car!

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
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Old 09-27-2019, 01:55 PM   #714
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I'm not sure how you find these straight old cars. Any car I have polished to that extent shows dings all over the place. Looks great.
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Old 09-27-2019, 03:38 PM   #715
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holy ****, that looks fantastic.
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Old 09-27-2019, 04:43 PM   #716
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Looks terrific!

Also, straight six singing at 7200 RPM-ish <3
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Old 09-27-2019, 10:09 PM   #717
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I'm not sure how you find these straight old cars. Any car I have polished to that extent shows dings all over the place. Looks great.
Thanks! They find me usually

In all seriousness, there is a certain type of old car that I seek out. One that's well optioned, has had certain maintenance done, etc. I have had so many E30s I can tell what I'm getting into most of the time by wear on random parts, whether it was washed regularly, oil changed regularly, etc. I have a convo with the fuel vent tube in the rear passenger wheel well and it tells me the secrets.

Now that E30s have gained popularity, all of the ****ty ones have popped out of the wood work, but the good ones just stand out (usually), even if they're covered in crud.

Honestly......look at German luxury cars today. There are certain models/trims that you see being driven like hell, bumpers dinged, brake dust caked so deep you couldn't dig yourself out of it, and some young person driving just beating it (think white blonde gal driving a c class or a 1 series).

And there are other trims/packages you see that are always clean, a fresh set of wheels, etc. I think the same thing rings true. I've seen some CLEAN Miatas, and they're never base model hooptys, they are some package that someone really wanted and sought out and cared for! And even in the two owners after him abuse the car, one can *usually* bring it back unless it was totally trashed.

I typically try to find the cars that someone bought intentionally, for themselves, and cared about. And I think it shows!

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holy ****, that looks fantastic.
Thanks!!

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Looks terrific!

Also, straight six singing at 7200 RPM-ish <3
Yes, the exhaust note shall be a symphony at 7200 rpms. I cannot wait for that! I bought that Yi Action cam when you all were talking about them a few years ago....I'm going to do my best to capture the sound when she's up and running!


I bonded a bit more with Betty this eve.

My central locking on this car isn't working properly. I pulled the central locking module board and soldered the tab back on the fuse. System still not working properly, although now it's trying. It'll lock the right side of the car from the trunk and passenger door, but then it immediately unlocks. Me thinks the drivers tumbler failed. BMW thought it'd be the drivers footwell would be a great place to put this module..... right by the.....sunroof drain.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr





This was a satisfying repair. the front seats are pretty nice, aside from the drivers seat bottom cushion. It was a nasty dyed, shrunken, cardinal piece held in by zip ties. A fresh panel/foam plus some hog rings did the trick.


Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr


Edit: I just realized you can see my next issue in the bottom photo, to the left of the seats..... the Forester decided it doesn’t want to keep its oil in anymore and leaves a trail wherever it goes.

Last edited by blue91lx; 09-27-2019 at 10:39 PM.
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Old 09-28-2019, 09:08 PM   #718
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Last update of the weekend. I made a bit more progress today on some things I was procrastinating on.

I wanted to fix the central locking system since it still wasn't working after soldering the fuse in the module. I pulled off the drivers door card to investigate. The actuator was fully seized. Worked that loose, still no workie, although now it was triggering the other doors. I then found that something inside the lock mechanism was frozen, so I pulled it apart and worked with it and got it to free up! Now if you pull the lock up, everything unlocks. Push the lock down, everything locks. The drivers side door and trunk tumblers are still a bit picky, but I'm not rebuilding them. It works well enough to keep your car locked up and safe!

I also took the opportunity to fix the sagging door card, which was a nice win. I stole the nice cowl vent trim and wiper arms off of the parts car, and hit the wiper arm caps and some crack free grills I had with SEM trim. I installed a nicer early model lip I've had for sale for three years that I don't think anyone is buying. The faded kidneys stick out pretty bad, so I'll refresh them next weekend.

It has been pretty satisfying bringing this thing back to life!

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
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Old 09-29-2019, 11:11 PM   #719
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Man, I love the 80s German aesthetic... besides that bumper, lol

Interior is looking sweet
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Old 10-01-2019, 09:24 AM   #720
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Man, I love the 80s German aesthetic... besides that bumper, lol

Interior is looking sweet
Thanks! Yes these early model bumpers are terrible. I wish it were in the cards to do euro bumpers one of these days, but none of the early models I get are keepers. This car is beggin for euro bumpers, though.
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