[bmw] Kudos on the 5 speed conversion/Christmas Letter..Redneck fun

["David A. Leonard" <dleonar1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brad, nice job on the 5 
speed  conversion..http://www.fatdaddybmw.com/tranny/ what a big pile of 
work, and your documentation on the website is great 
too..Congratulations.  That was a pretty major piece of wrenching..got the 
grease out from under your nails yet..???

Ah youth and ambition.(I'm 43).I have a 91 325ic and it has a slushbox.. a 
WORKING slushbox.. a very nice slushbox..

 I can't seem to get the mojo to do a conversion.. maybe its the other 
Bimmer, the truck, the speedboat, the plane, the kids, the wife's car, the 
work..its so in the 'ain't broke category'.. but if there ever was a car 
that needs a 5 speed....what with the M3 suspension..

My major projects this year to date;

 Fixed  all the rust , did the body work and repainted my 735i, (twice, 
the first metallic Luxor metallic beige  looked like an alligator skin set 
of cowboy boots..the British Racing Green came out very well.. put in a 
wiper motor, rebuilt the heater controller 'sword' , and changed the ATF 
and gasket/filter and I'm putting a new set of front Bilsteins in the 735i, 
as the 150k on them has reduced their damping..we'll see how liberal their 
'lifetime' warranty is..they charged 1/2 price deposit on the replacement 
set. said they would test the returns..


Cut out and repaired the rust on  the  1/4 panel  and door sill on the 
325ic, and resprayed the repairs (Did you know there really is only one 
color black for most black cars.. an easy match) and fixed the body hangar 
for the muffler(broke at the weld on the spare tire tub..bolted a new 
hangar on from a muffler hangar..came out slick)  and installed a battery 
master switch under the hood so I can shut of the power when it sits .  I 
think its getting the rest of the dings fixed, and a repaint in the spring, 
and maybe a new top..I need to keep painting now that I figgered it 
out..got a new HVLP gun for the first paint job and now I'm a painting fool..

Put driving lights on the  the Suburban, changed the radiator and 
alternator, pulled and adjusted the rear drums, rotated the rubber, put on 
a new water pump, intake manifold gaskets, repainted the intake manifold 
and rocker covers, replaced rocker cover gaskets and fuel injection 
gaskets, new ignition wire set ,( BTW don't buy Accel Wires, the boots 
started arcing and the warranty is only 1 year..POS stuff.. Napa Lifetimes 
they just throw another set at you..)  plugs  and belt, wired a brake 
controller and 7 pin connector for the trailer..that 9000lb dual axle 
tractor/ trailer was truly scary with no brakes.  Dug out and regraded the 
driveway with said tractor....Oh yeah, changed the oil and coolant and fuel 
and hydraulic filters..ever bleed a diesel injector..? ..in that 4wd 50hp 
Ford tractor(may need to borrow it again .)

 Repainted the front bumper cover/nose on the Roadmaster and installed a 
set of FF75 Hellas (nice set nice wiring harnessBTW)so the old lady could 
see at night.(couldn't really install driving lights on crusty clear coat 
now could I?)

Put a new gimbal bearing and drive boots on the Wellcraft stern drive, 
painted the bottom, touched up the topsides, repainted the drive ..(rebuilt 
it and a friends as well last year) rebuilt the Rochester Quadrajet ..very 
cool carb)
Rebuilt the starter on the 40hp Mercury on the whaler..(actually removed it 
and brought it to the rebuild guy)

Pulled the # six cylinder off the airplane and ground the valves and 
replaced it..only had 25lbs/80 at the compression leakdown test, got it up 
to 65/80 cold on the retest..which is cool..( punched myself in the mouth 
as hard as I've ever gotten slugged when I hit the ratchet release on the 
wrench while tightening the cylinder base bolts..

Replaced the CV boot and cutlass bearing and drive shaft seals on my 
buddies Duck tour Hydraterra amphibious tour bus/truck boat..

Put shocks, wires, ignition parts, plugs fuel, air,oil tranny filters and 
fluid, waterpump, belt and coolant flush/hoses in my buddies Ford van 
(bitch working in the doghouse..but he did give me $950.00


And built a couple of computers.

Painted the inlaws' summer cottage..( got to shoot a Glock (POS gun IMHO 
much prefer the Sig Sauer...my ears are still ringing.inaccurate btw 
couldn't seem to hit a quart oil jug at 50 fet, and I'm not really that 
lame a shooter...) and a Carbon Fiber AR15 assault rifle with a Fiber optic 
special forces sight (After dark with this one..scary accurate..BIG muzzle 
blasts..) while I was up there in 'Deliverance country'.( What fun is 
Alcohol without Tobacco and Firearms .... I don't smoke..but it is The 
Bureau of ATF after all and we do smuggle Cubans in because the Canadian 
border is right over the river..)
BTW  Fear is when you see your six year old pull a .22 round out of his 
pocket and chamber a round while the rest of the crew is downrange changing 
targets.."Jake, hold still buddy..let me have that.... we'll talk about 
this a little later" ...phew...no one else saw...)

Fun is when the  bragging head rednecks' little sister kicks everyone's 
butt in the .22 pistol shooting competition...(I was second, and she likes 
me...)

Got to shoot a Chinese AK47 as well at another summer place...though once 
again there was a young lady, .. a 17 year old southern belle debutante 
type, who exploded all the target melons better than the rest of us..hope 
her future husband never is overcome by the urge to complain about her 
cooking.....or blows the "honey, does this dress make me look fat?" test...

I also got to remember how to do wheelies on a Suzuki RM 125 on the  gravel 
airstrip, after some beers, while wearing protective gear.. shorts and a 
tee shirt ..and demonstrate them to my 6 and 9 year old sons..who were 
driving a go cart at the time I passed them on the back wheel..some people 
just NEVER learn..(you still do them the same way you did when you were 
20...just pour on the gas, dump the clutch in second , spin the tire and 
pull back.. It is important to never let the front wheel touch the ground 
when you go through a puddle..style points here..don't want to set a bad 
example for the boys..we have standards to uphold here..)

Put  a new battery in my sis in laws car, and headlight and serp belt.
Put  a new battery in at the Wal Mart parking lot (20 degrees Bubba) in my 
ice skating instructors' car (those figure skaters have great a**es you 
know..what would you have done?? Getting some free 'skating lessons' for 
that one he he ..)

Changed the oil in all of these machines too a few times..

Just got done putting a head and exhaust gaskets and shear pins in the 
ancient snowblower..gonna snow tomorrow ya know..

Found an Ice cream maker at the dump, mad a bunch of coffee rum kaluaha 
cookie dough ice cream,

Brewed a bunch of beer...kegs full... he he he..

Didn't get it on with that Blonde stewardess with the boob job  that tried 
to get me back to her hotel room... ( David would you like to take me 
home?....shit that was 2 years ago, and I'm SURE I'll regret that one when 
I'm an old f*** on the porch at the retirement home..WHAT WAS I THINKING?? 
S****!!! What a numb F***) "Well Vern, I'm sure glad I didn't do that" 
....."wouldn't want to have that memory in there  now that I'm 87 and the 
Viagra and 90 year old debutantes ain't doin it.".....NOT!!   (do I sound 
bitter?)

So I guess no one could call me totally  unmotivated, but I'd still like a 
5 speed to make  cool revving noises and do power slides with in the 325ic!

I guess I need to find some hobbies..or get a life or something..You think 
I could make this stuff up?

Dave Leonard

88 735i New BRG Paint
91 325ic with recent body repairs
93 Suburban 4wd 1/2 ton Another Fuel Injected Small block V8 5.7
92 Roadmasher by Buick (the lead sled) Another Fuel Injected Small block V8 5.7
66 Boston Whaler 40hp Merc
90 Wellcraft with a 5.7 MercruiserSBC
72 Bellanca SuperViking 300HP  8.7 liters!
And a few snowmobiles, folding kayaks, pinball machines , kids and a wife, 
and various girlfriends..

I think this stuff owns me!
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