Wicks' E46 M3 Build. Hertz 3-Way Set from Tony D!

[Wicks]

McMaster-Carr FTW

Mmmm, love getting a big box of hardware.

Running to Lowes for a bolt here and there was getting old.

[scooter99]

HOLY SHIT MAN!! That's a lot of nuts and bolts and stuff. What are the white things, nylon bushings? Nice pick up!

[Emmet]

Damn! Nice buys.

Also another good way to get into the corners is just to get it down rough then use a high grit paper and wrap it round the end of a pencil.

Only say high grit because it tends to be a bit more flexible then the rough sand paper and wraps around the pencil better.

[Wicks]

HOLY SHIT MAN!! That's a lot of nuts and bolts and stuff. What are the white things, nylon bushings? Nice pick up!

Yessir, nylon bushings/spacers. Never know when you'll need one of those.....

I did a while ago when installing my HU and had to scrounge a couple pieces from Lowes and then try to cut to down in length and it was a pain.

Damn! Nice buys.

Also another good way to get into the corners is just to get it down rough then use a high grit paper and wrap it round the end of a pencil.

Only say high grit because it tends to be a bit more flexible then the rough sand paper and wraps around the pencil better.

Thanks

Good point, the courser sandpaper is more difficult to work with.

I'll definitely try that out. I bought a set of small grinding tips for my Dremel to knock down the rough material, but this trick should come in handy for the fine sanding.

[Wicks]

Got a couple sweet things last night....

SMD VM-1

Had me a look at the guts. Very interesting Mr D'Amore

I also had a Lowes Gift Card to burn.

I had always wanted an impact driver but never pulled the "trigger"

Well watching an episode of "AMPLIFIED" the other day and the guys mentioned how handy an impact driver was to get into tight spaces that a normal cordless drill can't.

I instantly thought of when I was dissembling my rear deck and everything I used on the screws was hitting my rear window and scratching my tint.

So I picked up one of these:

Why Hitachi you ask? Yes, it is green and a lil fugly, BUT it had the shortest working depth (bit attachment to rear of handle) of all the impact drivers I looked at. Plus it is very light weight and I'm rather impressed at how tiny the batteries are compared to my other clunky cordless drills (not Li-Ion).

Can't wait to put it to werk!

[8ight]

I almost bought that same cordless until settling on a DeWalt for the same reason (work in small spaces), so let me know how you like that Hitachi. The DeWalt has been OK but definitely on the heavy side so it fits in the tight spots but it's not always easy to guide.

[Wicks]

I almost bought that same cordless until settling on a DeWalt for the same reason (work in small spaces), so let me know how you like that Hitachi. The DeWalt has been OK but definitely on the heavy side so it fits in the tight spots but it's not always easy to guide.

Will do!

Man, I was teetering back and forth between the Hitachi and the DeWalt about 10 times.....

I somewhat like the others I was looking at (DeWalt, Porter Cable, Bosch, Kobalt) but I just drew the line and said screw it, I want the shortest driver which turned out to be Hitachi.

[8ight]

I almost bought that same cordless until settling on a DeWalt for the same reason (work in small spaces), so let me know how you like that Hitachi. The DeWalt has been OK but definitely on the heavy side so it fits in the tight spots but it's not always easy to guide.

Will do!

Man, I was teetering back and forth between the Hitachi and the DeWalt about 10 times.....

I somewhat like the others I was looking at (DeWalt, Porter Cable, Bosch, Kobalt) but I just drew the line and said screw it, I want the shortest driver which turned out to be Hitachi.

I eventually flipped a coin! haha

Did the same when deciding on subs for my last build...

[scooter99]

Nice impact. Love my impact driver. I got a Dewalt set that was on sale when I did my fences. It was an 18v with a drill also. Couldn't really beat it. Even came with a bag, how do you say no to the bag man!!??!! LMAO

[Wicks]

Here's how the amp bracket turned out with three applications of Rage body filler:

So now to paint it...hmmm...need to hang it somewhere...?

Empty paint roller handle squeeze clamped to the weatherstripping of my garage door...WTH, it works

Painted up and added some mounting holes:

Who remembers this pic from last year?

(Before the box was built. Its an aluminum bracket that's bolted to the frame rail in my trunk)

I made some much needed forward progress this weekend and I'm ready to unveil its purpose...............

I think you'll like it.