JB Weld epoxy is another option but it takes a long time to setup, The end result is really strong and over time and with hear may be better than Liquid Nails.

 

I've been using a lot Q-Bond at work. It's basically super glue with a powder you can add to it to bulk up your repair. I'm sure my wife won't mind swapping Grumpy for my e46 for a day, she asked to drive the e46 yesterday. Lol!

The liquid nails actually works really well for some things. I glued a broken ceramic fountain back together with it and it's really solid. Just need to have the 24+ hour dry time.

 

Today Grumpy got a good hand wash. I also worked on some areas of the paint that are salvageable, tryinging to figure out a system. I don't have a machine polisher, but the rubbing compound I used today seems a bit too aggressive and it leaves behind some scratches. Maybe I just need something in between that and the cleaner wax. I haven't tried theclay bar, yet, but these spots seem almost like rust particles from metal deposits. I also shined up all the plastic trim. He is a pretty decent 15-20 footer cleaned up.

 

Oh, and interior upgrade has arrived. Hopefully I will get time tomorrow to install it.

 

Turtle Wax makes a clear coat safe polishing compound that I use. It works well on light issues and may clean up the scratches you got from the compound you already used.

 

👍 Thanks for the tip. I believe I was using a Turtle Wax product, but it's pretty old and needed some moisture added to bring it back to useable. May be time to pitch this particular tub in the circular outgoing file.

 

I look for the words “clear coat safe” or the like on what I use, even on the higher end stuff as some of it is aimed at body shops and intermediate steps they take and those wouldn’t be appropriate for the finish coat. Turtle Wax does make some products that are like 100 grit sand paper. From experience, those will do a tune on a clear coat...

 

Interior upgrade complete! Early Mother's Day present to my wife, new shift ****, shift boot, and e-brake boot! Something she had requested as the **** was a little rough with the leather gone and the boots were just tatty. The **** is new genuine BMW/MINI ordered off Ebay from Latvia. Arrived in 2 weeks, best price I found anywhere, have no regrets! Boots came from a British company called JFBoots, also from Ebay. Arrived from the UK in 1.5 weeks and are great quality and installed easily. I'll be doing a more in depth write up of them over in the interior/exterior forum.

 

Nice!

Say is that the Harden-Karden (hope I spelled that right) audio system in the car? If it is, that is quite an upgrade.

 

More specifically it used to be the Harmon Kardon sound system. Some numb-skull installed an aftermarket head unit and hacked out the HK amp, and the system is only running the horribly underpowered HK front speakers and it sounds like dog crap. I wish it hadn't been tampered with as the HK system in my e46 is spectacular. The cheapest method to correct the sound issues at this point is to simply replace the HK speakers with aftermarket units and run new wires. The cost of replacing the head unit and the amplifier is dreadfully cost prohibitive. But, given the choice between new speakers and a new **** and boots, the wife actually chose the latter, as it was more tactile to the driving experience! I can't express how much I love this woman!

 

That does suck! But, it does follow with the other bonehead things that happened to that wonderful car. Glad it is now in the hands of 2 people who appreciate the smiles it puts on their faces.

A suggestion is to keep an eye in the NAM Marketplace. The H-K units show up periodically. They also show up as part of people parting out cars. It would be a great to return the car to its former self. Usually the price is reasonable. Also, there are some H-K specific threads on NAM that may provide some insight into the system.

It is wonderful when the Fates line up 2 people who “complement” each other. I, too, have a wife who appreciates my enthusiasm for cars. After she got her MINI, she suggested that I should get one too; but the S model.

 

I have looked around a little bit, and I did discover that the amp plug isn't completely gone, but I haven't checked how hacked things are behind the dash.

 

This may make looking for that sort of thing easier:


I have that one and really like it. I haven’t used it much but the little I have used it, it has worked well. The price is right too. I know this one is for the Apple stuff, but they also have some for Android.

 

Updates coming soon! BBS wheel #4 is enroute via FedEx and the Valeo single mass clutch set and fresh lube for the trans should arrive later this week. The wheels will go on as is for this season, but will get a refresh over the next winter season. Looking forward to getting the clutch setup installed and broken in to remember how much fun these cars are when they can put all their boost to the ground!

 

Clutch set and gear lube are on hand. BBS #4 (well, technically #5) arrived today. It is the anthracite from the MC40, but the barrel is what we need, so I'll swap over the silver face from the cracked wheel. Now to find the time to do it all!

 

This thread is just awesome! Aside from having the best name ever! It gives me an indescribable pleasure to see a little beauty like this being cared for and saved from the part-out scrap heap! I have a feeling that something like this is what my son will get into when he buys his Mini.
Of course dear old dad will be doing most of the restoration, lol.
What he doesn’t realize is that something like this is a dream of mine already, lol.
I already have a tuned R60 for my daily, but I want a project as well!

 

Thanks for the kind words! This is my favorite form of recycling, and Grumpy was far to solid a contender to let him slip away. He is getting very close to being back up to snuff mechanically, so then maybe we can focus a little more on the aesthetics.

 

Sharp looking wheels!
I know, there was an earlier post with these. But they are sharp.

 

I'm stoked to have found these and to have snatched them up. Total we're into the set right now, with tires, is $405! This coming winter I'll break them down and work on refinishing them. She likes the the black on yellow, so I think I'll go gloss black on the centers and probably try for a brushed finish on the lips. Not sure if I'll clear coat the lips or just try a wax to protect them.

 

That is a great find!

I got a set of new wheels for my Wrangler. They came painted black and I figured that wouldn’t last long especially with the winters and salt we have. So I had them clear coated on a whim. One of the best whims I have had... After this winter they still look new. I doubt the thin coat of paint they had on them would not have lasted that well.

I’d clear coat both the centers and the lips. In the long run they should be easier to care for.

Wax on those wheels will be a pain, especially all of those spokes.

Another option would be to powder coat them. It just money. Right? I know, budget...

 

Dove into a wheel today for a short bit. 15 bolts zipped out pretty easily with an 8mm triple square bit and my 3/8" cordless impact. The wheel center knocked out easily with a few taps from a dead blow hammer. Worked on cleaning up the center a bit, especially around the mating surface. Also tried some 320 grit sand paper on the lip of the bent/cracked barrel. I like the brushes look the 320 leaves, but I don't think it's quite aggressive enough to take out all of the corrosion marks. This may be an exercise in overcoming my OCD when it comes to projects of this nature. As I get older I'm starting to learn better how to balance time vs result. Grumpy is no show car, and time is always the most valuable resource. I also did some research and determined torque spec on the bolts to be 12-15 ft/lbs. Bolts all seem in good shape with no damage. Will probably throw a dab of blue thread locker on them when they go back together.

 

Fun project. Since Grumpy lead a rough & tumble life, I'm anticipating a horror shot of the cabin air filter.

 

Ready to go on! Driveway is full of yard sale stuff today, goal is the get them on tomorrow.

 

Wow, those look really good!

The finish is great on them. What did you finally do to finish them?

 

Nothing other than a good cleaning, all factory finish. The lips are pretty rough when you get close to them, but so is the rest of the car, so they're a good fit. And I did end up getting them on the car today!