The Chronicles of 95riosnake's OCD Machine

[Rolocut]

Ahh now I know why you commenting on my aluminum polishing!! You did the same horrid job yourself today haha! I went 240 went sand to 1000 to 1500 to 2k then 3k then polish, worked like a dream, minus the 5 tedious hours of sanding all the tool marks of the brackets! Good job! I kind of thought about powdering my intake pipes for the new blower set up transparent chrome because they would look shiny and a lot less maintenance! But I think I may leave polished to match blower, brackets, intake manifold, valve covers, radiator... You get where I'm going lol..

On going project, 94 cobra, r block, tfsr225, hp efi, vortech ys

Instagram [MENTION=584]Rolocut[/MENTION]

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[Drake]

I did a motorcycle frame once by polishing the aluminum..... Never again looks great but had no use of my hand for a week lol

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[95riosnake]

I did a motorcycle frame once by polishing the aluminum..... Never again looks great but had no use of my hand for a week lol

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Yea the most important ingredient in polishing is elbow grease, haha. I guarantee I burned 1000+ calories yesterday, I had to take a break after I finished polishing because bolting the blower on means you need to hold its whole weight with your right hand while you thread the bolts through the blower bracket with the other. I knew my arms were far too dead for that lol, so after some miller time I got back to it :thumb:

[95riosnake]

Well nothing picture-worthy today, assembled the rear bags, pulled the rear wheels, tried to figure out where I want to mount the compressors, etc. I still haven't made up my mind how/where to mount the compressors but I'm sure it will come to me. I have somewhat of a virtual map of the trunk in my head and I'm constantly moving the compressors around in it trying to decide. I build everything like 100x in my head before anything happens in reality lol.

[MMR]

Everytime I see your enginebay....

[OnyxCobra]

man that plaque came out sick. great custom touch.

[Brian]

Sweet baby Jesus, Dan..... You never disappoint. That's INSANE. Your car is the definition of perfection.

[Prokiller]

Sucks about the blower being that messed up and you had to "waste" your time redoing all that polishing.

assembly bolts on the intake plaque...who would have thought?

[Schiffy]

so when you getting another magazine article? LOL... so much more win since the last, and you're still working on it!

[95riosnake]

Spent a few hours today pulling the front bumper cover off, removing all the blower/intercooler piping and cleaning it out. Oil that had been leaking into the piping from the blower had coated the inside of them and pooled in the lower areas and bottom of the intercooler. Not very exciting stuff but it needed done.

On another note, when I got the 98 console installed I kept looking at the e-brake handle and decided it needed a change because the leather had many scuffs and marks in it. So I pulled it out of the car and sent it off to be wrapped in black alcantara with light gray stitching. I also had them change to a French seam along the top of the handle rather than the stock cross-hatched style. That showed up on Friday, I installed that today but being that the console is still missing a few components I decided I'd wait to post an installed pic until it was all finished up. Here are a couple pics of the e-brake out of the car :thumb:

I also picked up a pair of Baer Eradispeed 2 piece rotors from [MENTION=584]Rolocut[/MENTION] . They are in good shape mechanically but staying true to my OCD tendencies I'm restoring them before I put them on the car.

Here's how they arrived, in overall good but used shape, with the rotor faces lightly cut by Nick before he shipped them out. As you can see the hardware is rusty and the edge of the center hat is pretty dinged up.

Blew them apart to start the process

Wire wheeled all the remaining rust off the rotor rings' holes, slots and edges

Filed and sanded the dinged up edge of the hat

I will be having the hats stripped and re-anodized, and I also ordered a new set of hardware from Baer to button everything back together.

To finish up this update, here's a pic that [MENTION=10]WildWillyWalker[/MENTION] requested a couple times of the KDezines rear seat delete. Took this with my phone and wide angle lens, had a hard time getting the lighting to cooperate so it turned out a little grainy but it at least shows how the RSD looks installed. :thumbsup:

[Schiffy]

Spent a few hours today pulling the front bumper cover off, removing all the blower/intercooler piping and cleaning it out. Oil that had been leaking into the piping from the blower had coated the inside of them and pooled in the lower areas and bottom of the intercooler. Not very exciting stuff but it needed done.

On another note, when I got the 98 console installed I kept looking at the e-brake handle and decided it needed a change because the leather had many scuffs and marks in it. So I pulled it out of the car and sent it off to be wrapped in black alcantara with light gray stitching. I also had them change to a French seam along the top of the handle rather than the stock cross-hatched style. That showed up on Friday, I installed that today but being that the console is still missing a few components I decided I'd wait to post an installed pic until it was all finished up. Here are a couple pics of the e-brake out of the car :thumb:

I also picked up a pair of Baer Eradispeed 2 piece rotors from [MENTION=584]Rolocut[/MENTION] . They are in good shape mechanically but staying true to my OCD tendencies I'm restoring them before I put them on the car.

Here's how they arrived, in overall good but used shape, with the rotor faces lightly cut by Nick before he shipped them out. As you can see the hardware is rusty and the edge of the center hat is pretty dinged up.

Blew them apart to start the process

Wire wheeled all the remaining rust off the rotor rings' holes, slots and edges

Filed and sanded the dinged up edge of the hat

I will be having the hats stripped and re-anodized, and I also ordered a new set of hardware from Baer to button everything back together.

To finish up this update, here's a pic that [MENTION=10]WildWillyWalker[/MENTION] requested a couple times of the KDezines rear seat delete. Took this with my phone and wide angle lens, had a hard time getting the lighting to cooperate so it turned out a little grainy but it at least shows how the RSD looks installed. :thumbsup:

That seat delete is clean as hell

[95riosnake]

That seat delete is clean as hell

Thanks man! Covering the top half in black vinyl really helped it tie into the interior panels a lot better I think. It was almost impossible to get a pic of the damn thing since the seats don't recline forward lol.

[WildWillyWalker]

Thanks man! Covering the top half in black vinyl really helped it tie into the interior panels a lot better I think. It was almost impossible to get a pic of the damn thing since the seats don't recline forward lol.

Sorry for the annoyance but thank you very much! That will help me with my ideas.

Edited September 23, 2013 by WildWillyWalker

[95riosnake]

Sorry for the annoyance but that you very much! That will help me with my ideas.

No problem man, glad to help

[Brian]

If I didn't have 03 cobra rear seats I'd rock the hell out of that RSD.

[Sleeperstang1994]

that e brake handle looks awesome. id love to wrap the whole dash in that!

[95riosnake]

that e brake handle looks awesome. id love to wrap the whole dash in that!

I'd love to do the dash, it would cost a fortune though lol. Plus then before I know it I'd be doing the door panels and everything else in the car, it would be a slippery slope

[Psychorugby]

Thanks Dan for making me spend more money! I was going to get the generic rear seat delete, but now I am going to have to see if KDezines will make one for a convertible. Where did you get the e-brake handle done? Redline?

[95riosnake]

Thanks Dan for making me spend more money! I was going to get the generic rear seat delete, but now I am going to have to see if KDezines will make one for a convertible. Where did you get the e-brake handle done? Redline?

Give him a call, I'm sure he can take care of you. :thumb:

I had the e-brake handle wrapped by Dallas Custom Steering Wheel

http://www.dallassteeringwheel.com/eb.htm

Their workmanship is awesome, I'm pulling my steering wheel to send to them next

[Psychorugby]

Give him a call, I'm sure he can take care of you. :thumb:

I had the e-brake handle wrapped by Dallas Custom Steering Wheel

http://www.dallassteeringwheel.com/eb.htm

Their workmanship is awesome, I'm pulling my steering wheel to send to them next

When the time comes I will call KDezines. Still deciding if a rear seat delete will look funny.

How pricey is the leather wrap? I want to have my steering wheel turned into a saddle version of FR500; really want a thicker steering wheel after having one in the 3 series.

[95riosnake]

When the time comes I will call KDezines. Still deciding if a rear seat delete will look funny.

How pricey is the leather wrap? I want to have my steering wheel turned into a saddle version of FR500; really want a thicker steering wheel after having one in the 3 series.

The e-brake wrapping was $175, and they quoted me $550 for the steering wheel wrapping with real alcantara, thicker padding, custom stitching of my design and 10th anniversary-style bumps. They said that includes any color or type of leather I choose, multiple kinds of leather, etc. (they may quote you less depending on what all you want done) Not cheap but I'm willing to pay for quality. Hell the FR500 wheels command about that much cash these days and they really aren't anything very special.

[Psychorugby]

The e-brake wrapping was $175, and they quoted me $550 for the steering wheel wrapping with real alcantara, thicker padding, custom stitching of my design and 10th anniversary-style bumps. They said that includes any color or type of leather I choose, multiple kinds of leather, etc. (they may quote you less depending on what all you want done) Not cheap but I'm willing to pay for quality. Hell the FR500 wheels command about that much cash these days and they really aren't anything very special.

Not terrible. It won't be the first thing I do, but I am definitely keeping it in the back of my head. The saddle interior, in my mind, makes it difficult to do stuff like Alcantara and contrasting stitching... might look weird.

[ttocs]

I had redline buy a wheel in Poland, wrap it with napa leather and pad it and then ship it to me I thought for less then $400 at the very most...

[95riosnake]

I had redline buy a wheel in Poland, wrap it with napa leather and pad it and then ship it to me I thought for less then $400 at the very most...

That's a pretty good price, I had some Redline stuff and they do good work. I'm gonna stick with DCS though because they did an awesome job and I had it back in a week. This is also real alcantara and italian leather, not faux, so the price point is a bit higher than if I would have them use faux alcantara. Leather work isn't cheap and the $550 price for what I'm looking to have them do is very reasonable.

[Brian]

Hell the FR500 wheels command about that much cash these days and they really aren't anything very special.

I picked mine up for $350 shipped from Cali and it's in mint condition. Same price that @Det_Riot just paid to have his steering wheel built by Redline Goods. I think I made out fairly well on that deal and I'm sure another will come up like mine. I would say that it would be easier to send yours out to be built than it would finding a FR500 for that price / condition.

Although I will disagree with your last comment that I quoted but to each their own.

[Psychorugby]

I picked mine up for $350 shipped from Cali and it's in mint condition. Same price that @Det_Riot just paid to have his steering wheel built by Redline Goods. I think I made out fairly well on that deal and I'm sure another will come up like mine. I would say that it would be easier to send yours out to be built than it would finding a FR500 for that price / condition.

Although I will disagree with your last comment that I quoted but to each their own.

I have to have one made... saddle interior LOL.

[95riosnake]

Although I will disagree with your last comment that I quoted but to each their own.

Poor choice of words I suppose. What I mean is that what you get is a wheel that many others bought off the shelf, not something custom wrapped in the colors and leather types you choose. I should have said "custom" rather than "special" ...did not mean to offend sir

And a FR500 wheel for $350 these days is a rare find IMO. Then you also have the issue of trying to find a black one rather than charcoal. You have terminator seats in your car though, which ties in the charcoal color. A charcoal steering wheel would stick out like a sore thumb in my car because everything is black black black lol.

Edited September 17, 2013 by 95riosnake

[Brian]

Poor choice of words I suppose. What I mean is that what you get is a wheel that many others bought off the shelf, not something custom wrapped in the colors and leather types you choose. I should have said "custom" rather than "special" ...did not mean to offend sir

And a FR500 wheel for $350 these days is a rare find IMO. Then you also have the issue of trying to find a black one rather than charcoal. You have terminator seats in your car though, which ties in the charcoal color. A charcoal steering wheel would stick out like a sore thumb in my car because everything is black black black lol.

Yeah, I figured that's what you were going for but I just wanted to throw it out there that it is still a contender and can be had for a not so crushing price if you hunt for one. Mine kind of fell into my lap so to speak. If I hadn't of found it I would go a similar route to you or Bryan.

PersonalIy I don't think it would look too bad. @Steve-Oh has the FR500 wheel with OEM black leather seats and it doesn't stick out much. His car is what drove me to want one of these steering wheels, lol.

[Det_Riot]

I had redline buy a wheel in Poland, wrap it with napa leather and pad it and then ship it to me I thought for less then $400 at the very most...

I picked mine up for $350 shipped from Cali and it's in mint condition. Same price that @Det_Riot just paid to have his steering wheel built by Redline Goods. I think I made out fairly well on that deal and I'm sure another will come up like mine. I would say that it would be easier to send yours out to be built than it would finding a FR500 for that price / condition.

Although I will disagree with your last comment that I quoted but to each their own.

Yupp I paid 200 in materials for mine. 10th anniversary grips, Italian nappa leather, real alcantara and teal stitching. Then they bought a steering wheel in Poland and wrapped it for another 150 for me

[Psychorugby]

@95riosnake what custom stitching design are you doing?

Thoughts on tan (saddle) alcantara, tan stitching (red might be funny), thicker padding, thumb grips, red/white/blue center stripe?

Edited September 17, 2013 by Psychorugby

[ttocs]

Yupp I paid 200 in materials for mine. 10th anniversary grips, Italian nappa leather, real alcantara and teal stitching. Then they bought a steering wheel in Poland and wrapped it for another 150 for me

I got napa as well and soooo glad I did. I wanted to do some alancantra but I don't want to wear gloves to drive.

[95riosnake]

I'll be doing the alcantara somewhat similar to how Bryan did, so the sweaty hands issue shouldn't be a problem.

As far as the price difference, Eastern European labor is much cheaper than American labor so that fills in the blank on that issue, Redline's owner is very up front with that being the reason he can hit the price points that he does (he said he is physically located in Poland also). Nothing against Redline, I actually have a brand new alcantara shift boot from them that I haven't yet installed.

[Tony]

lol, price out a billet specialties wheel, hub adapter, horn and half wrap $550 for a custom wheel aint too bad at all. i'm dreading that purchase for sure. luckily the sn steering wheel looks decent already vs. a 1st gen s10 wheel haha! fuckin ugly!

- - - Updated - - -

big pic to show all that is sexy :shiftyeyes:

[95riosnake]

I just wish we didn't have that big mini van-style balloon shaped airbag... Can't even wrap the damn thing.

[Tony]

^lol. you're not in to the momo style wheels?

[95riosnake]

^lol. you're not in to the momo style wheels?

I do but I don't. They always look out of place in sn's to me. I also don't really want to ditch the airbag...I just wish it wasn't so ugly.

[Tony]

yea not a whole lot of options in the steering wheel dept. on an sn. the tuner looking wheels are out of place...i agree with ya on that. sounds like you're going the best route with having yours made over.

[OnyxCobra]

they only made the FR500 wheel in one color, and I must say it goes perfectly fine in the true black interiors as well as tan interiors. The custom wheels look great though.

[95riosnake]

they only made the FR500 wheel in one color, and I must say it goes perfectly fine in the true black interiors as well as tan interiors. The custom wheels look great though.

If you remember back on sn95forums when I started a thread trying to gather interest in a group buy for Ford Racing to produce another run of them (which failed because of Ford being greedy), the guy I was in contact with informed me that they made them in black and charcoal. You just never see black ones because they sold mostly charcoal ones. This makes a black FR500 wheel about as rare as a unicorn to come across for sale lol.

[OnyxCobra]

man idk. I remember back when they used to be for sale and I never remember being able to choose the color, unless maybe when they first started making them they made them in black and then when the interiors switched over they went to making them in charcoal, so you didn't actually choose what color you just got what they were making at the time. either way mine is charcoal I believe and you'd never look at it twice as far as fitting in with the black interior.

I kinda have to agree though, I was lucky enough to get mine as a gift back when they were still making them but honestly with the price of these custom wheels I can't see spending 3-5 hundred for the FR500 now. I mean I didn't even want to spend the $180 or whatever they were back before they were discontinued, hence the gift lol.