Yes. The options I ordered: Padded out 1.5mm the whole way around. Solid leather all the way around (perforations and alacantera would drive me a bit nutty w/ cleaning). red 12 o'clock marker A 'small' flat bottom (flattened, but not to an extreme) Sport grips (the thumb pads at 10 and 2) Chico, the guy who did my wheel, also does a beautiful carbon fiber thing (replacing the top and bottom sections w/ CF), but I've got too much CF wrap on my car and I didn't want to mix 2 CF materials.
Rufus in in Dragon prep mode for MOTD 2019... He's off with Sal at Kintech Motorwerks here in Charlotte, NC for a new clutch (Southbend Stage 2 - Driver clutch... recommended to me by Way for a clutch that is a bit more sporting than stock but not so heavy that it will break my left knee), a Quaife LSD and a new PS pump. Once I get Rufus back from the shop, he will get some fresh brake fluid, an oil/filter change and I'll install a VHF radio that I bought back from Jango's (my first R53) second owner... it can broadcast on GMRS frequencies at 20 watts (2-3 watts is the max for hand-held radios) and has an external antenna (the real limiting factor on the hand-held radios... lock the antenna in a big metal box and you lose a lot of signal). It isn't 100% legal, but it sure does make leading drives easier and I'm a considerate user of the airspace (usually in the middle of nowhere). The rear end of my drive groups have NO problems hearing the instructions from the front!
Well... I got a call from Kinetech Motorworks last week, the shop where Rufus has been staying for a while. New Southbend Stage 2 'driver' clutch is going in with guide tube and throw-out bearing, of course. New Quaife LSD is going in, with new bearings. New Transmission seal, differential seal and oil cooler seals. They discovered that the axle boots were decayed/torn and the axles needed replacement (went with OEM as I've heard dodgy things about the inexpensive aftermarket ones and I don't need crazy high power ones as I'm not intending to go crazy with engine mods... I'm very happy w/ my stock JCW power. Maybe I'll drop a 16% pulley on at some point (if it is convenient and I'm in there for another job), but I can't ever see going past that. I'll give 'em a call later today to check in... Friday is my drop-dead day. I need Rufus back in time to do an oil change and install my VHF radio before MOTD.
Woo! Rufus' repair work is done and he's home! Maybe an hour after posting, above, I got a message from the shop and they were ready for me to come on out to do a pick-up. The clutch needs a bit of time to break in and I need some time to adjust (it engages at a higher point than it used to). He gets an oil change, a brake fluid bleed and the VHF radio installed this weekend, then I should be ready to start packing for MOTD.
I asked a friend of mine, Alycyn Drew, to take some photos this year while at MOTD. Here are a few of my favorites: And one from 128Photos.com from when I was leading the Donut Run across the Dragon on Friday morning.
I keep looking at the ride height. I think that the coil-overs have settled in over the past year and it's looking a bit low. I might raise it up 1/2 inch or so. I like a sporting look, but not slammed.
Well, after the madness that is always right before MOTD and the long week w/ the car at MOTD, I got Rufus home and he's been hiding out in the garage. I've got him back out and on the road regularly. I got a bad tank of gas while on my way home from MOTD... loads of water I'm guessing... and it was throwing codes. I've got fresh gas in now and no codes in 50 miles! I've gotta get to the inspection station with 70 miles on the clock after clearing any codes, so one more lunch drive and I'll be set. Once that's done, I've got a short list of things to do: 1) Install the VHF radio. I bought the radio from the guy who was the second owner of Jango, my first R53. It's great for large group drives, but it's a bit of a PITA to wire up. 2) The cooling fan resistor needs to be replaced 3) I've got a few clean-up things to do... need to plug the lock hole in the glove box and setup a new ring to hold the bottom of the shifter boot. Nothing awful, but Rufus is so close to being 'complete', that I kinda want to do it. 4) Put on the coil-over damper strength extenders in the rears. It takes some drilling and I've just never gotten around to it. 5) I've acquired all of the Geyon sealant system... It's time for a deep clean, polish and sealing w/ the new system. 6) I've got dreams of doing an engine bay dress project... powder coating some bits and doing some deep cleaning and painting in there. This will probably be a winter project while the car is shelved for the cold weather.
It was time for my wife to replace her daily driver. She had a white A6 for the past 3+ years and the lease was up. The car fit what she was looking for, so we decided to think more long-term this time and bought this bit of fun... Another A6, but in a crazy sparkly dark grey. Huge flake! 3.0T engine (350-ish HP, I think... tons of torque) with a mild Hybrid system. Here's Rufus' new garage mate. A name hasn't stuck, but 'Claus' seems to be the favorite right now. 'Schwartz' is a close second.
I finished a big home project (new vent hood and tile work in the kitchen), so it was time to start Rufus' year 3 project work... parts have been ordered... I'm into the engine bay now. Some new hoses (replacing some worn coolant hoses I've had my eyes on since I drove Rufus home), got a pair of Canton tanks (coolant and power steering), some hose for the OCC that I bought and never got around to plumbing and an Airtec intercooler. I also need to get that VHF radio installed before MOTD and I've got the new relay for the radiator fan as I think mine is stuck in high. Loads of fun for my winter project list! I also need to do a light polish and get Geyon coating on the wife's new car... so looks like I've got some fun time in the garage coming soon!
I finally got the garage cleaned up last weekend from the tiling project. Parts have been arriving, but the Airtec Intercooler is taking it's sweet time getting here. I wonder if they are drop-shipping from the UK. The new Canton tanks are here and they are gorgeous. The new coolant hoses are much thicker and stiffer than the set I had on my first R53, so I'm really happy there. I need to get started on my punch-list or I won't be done in time for MOTD.