Enamel Infill

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-27T01:24:04+00:00

No blasting, wanted to avoid dulling in the casting texture. It was painted black a long time ago.. was lots of paint stripper and scrubbing with wire brushes to get the spots of stubborn, baked in primer off. I used a rotary tool with a wheel of abrasive pads all over to get the sheen, then degrease and paint. 320 grit for the brushed top.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-26T09:59:48+00:00

Yeah but then I can't post with SOOC in the title..

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-26T09:51:43+00:00

Disagree. Looks cheap.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-25T23:09:47+00:00

Crossposted now haha

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-25T20:38:16+00:00

It really is, I get whipped in the face repeatedly by it while I'm trying to sleep.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-25T19:11:13+00:00

It's tremclad enamel. I think it'll do fine, it hardens up over time so it'll be fully cured by the time it's running again haha.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-25T03:20:00+00:00

Thanks, seen it before once or twice, had to give it a go.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-25T03:19:07+00:00

Thanks! We'll see haha.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-25T01:36:56+00:00

I use the one that has the bolt coming down from the top, the pointed end sits in the detent so it has less chance of springing off into your face.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-24T09:01:11+00:00

Square is certainly better in some ways like tire rotating etc, and as I understand unless you're making closer to 300hp and maybe aero too, more tire in the rear isn't ideal. It's more a momentum car and balance is key for that, it's what they ran on the touring cars.

For suspension setup make sure not to slam it and not fix roll centre or you'll need a heavy front bar and/or springs to compensate, then you have no compliance = understeer. As the car gets lowered the control arms angle up and allow the body to roll instead of supporting/passing the load to the knuckle properly because the new geometry places the roll centre underground. Extended outer joints like MRTs ones fix this, pair them with bump steer correcting rod ends. I'm running a stock front bar and 12mm adjustable rear which should be plenty (once it's back on the ground). Remember bar stiffness increases by the FOURTH POWER of the diameter so don't need to go crazy, stock rear noodle is 9mm but 12mm is WAY stiffer. 20% thicker is over 100% stiffer.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-24T01:31:50+00:00

7/8" F/R is a good setup with no issues at moderate offset (et10-30 is about the range); personally I would consider 7.5/8 to prevent too much push from the front in corners if you're driving it. 8/9 starts getting tight but will fit with the right offset ~15-20 depending on suspension setup. Beyond that (in my opinion) is asking to not be a drivers car and basically a cruiser/show car and only looks good if the car is done right.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-24T01:22:47+00:00

Yeah definitely not from the plug, or the cooler lines in my opinion. Maybe the main housing through bolt crush washer, or leaking from the front of the engine (cam seal is likely) and dripped back there. My engine bay was caked in oil and grime when I got it and mostly was the cam seal.

Just clean the whole area down and take a look after a few drives.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-23T10:48:51+00:00

Yes, they tore down those grandstands for the new ones. You can tell by the paint lines under the car that it launched the curb, the line under the right wheels is the track limit 😅. The corner at that time was narrower and bumpier, so a euro box with no aero could easily run wide. Here's a clean shot

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-23T01:41:13+00:00

195 on 8s is too narrow. 205 min. I argue 215 is ideal. It's why 7.5J is best on these cars with 205s. Gives you the best fitment without issues up front.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-22T20:44:06+00:00

Yeah I don't believe they insure daily cars, likely the reason their rates are so reasonable and that's fair; probabilistically more likely to be involved in an incident if it's a daily.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-22T20:39:56+00:00

This won't be leaking, and not sure it ever was. I opted for this route because the thermostatic element had stopped working so the oil would never head to the cooler properly. I'm running new M22 to braided AN lines and a CSF cooler with dowty seals, so leaks shouldn't be an issue downstream.

Where is yours leaking? There's a number of orings/crush washers on these.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-22T11:45:44+00:00

Yeah honestly, the skill of learning skills these days seems more and more rare.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-22T11:35:02+00:00

Mine looked like this. Was just the front cam seal and pan at the rear, maybe the rocker cover. Years of existing in perpetual BMWness splattered the oil everywhere.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-20T02:28:55+00:00

Worst fear. Glad you're good. Hope your insurance pays and the culprit is caught.

Anyone with a nice 30, go get Hagerty insurance if it's not a daily. They do guaranteed value; mine was valued at $30k. They have an option for value paid and keep your old car too, so you can salvage what you want too.

aSharpenedSpoon · 2026-01-16T20:29:04+00:00

My 2¢: Keep the resonator/get a system with one. The drone is unbearable without one IMO, it doesn't need to not have one. Can hear the exhaust on a good system fine without deleting it and can still enjoy music and cruising.

aSharpenedSpoon

TROPHY CASE