DIY meet? or Mafia meet?

[sillieidiot]

Ok so I feel like we should hold a meet this year since the last one was an total fail (see thread (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16011-SoCal-ZHPMafia-Get-Together)) :rofl My car plans for this year is to do nothing. I seriously hope my tires can hold out. I still need to do the fuel filter, but lazy. So to get rid of the itch, I have found that working on other people's cars helps lol That's where you guys come in.

I've held DIY meets before on the E46fanatics side. But stopped due to missing/stolen tools. So you gotta bring your own tools now (especially jackstands/low pro jacks). I have some, but they aren't up to snuff for everything, just basic stuff and some random knick knacks that could be useful. I'll borrow a set of tools from my friend too.

As many of you guys know. I have a lift. It goes up half height which is plenty for the majority of the jobs. So you guys can have some free lift time. Obviously it's first come first serve. But we're not going to do your engine swap on it lol I have enough room to work on 3 cars at the same time (2 will have to be on jackstands). But the lift is in the back, so if you're on the lift and you're done before the others. Then sucks for you LOL

When?
I'm thinking some time in March. after 3/12 because DST. We'll figure it out after the poll i guess. Can you set a time limit on the poll? Iono how this poll shit works :scratchinghead

Edit: Poll ended and it's going to be Saturday 4/8/17

Location?
10731 Peony Cir
Fountain Valley, CA 92708



If you don't have anything you want to do to your car, just come out and help us out. Or you can just come to learn stuff, make friends etc. I need friends, so you're helping me out lol


I guess we should start by making a list of people that want to come, and if they want to get anything done. Specify if you want to use the lift.


0. sillieidiot - nothing needed
1. johnrando - FCABs, reset front springs into slot, add reinforcement plates
2. Izzy_ZHP
3. NorCalZman
4. CarbonZHP ?
5.

[sillieidiot]

hmm apparently you can vote on your own poll lol

[704sw]

Wrong coast [emoji53]I would like some time on a lift though


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[RUS_ZHP]

Wrong coast [emoji53]I would like some time on a lift though


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+1

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[johnrando]

Great idea. (Bummer that your tools when missing after some. I've always been very careful about getting people their tools back and vice versa. I know the people who would likely come from the mafia to this meet would not allow that to happen).

Dates that work (in case you can't pick multiple via the poll)
Sat 3/18, Sat 4/8. Alternate dates Sun 3/19, 4/10.

0. sillieidiot - nothing needed
1. johnrando - FCABs, reset front springs into slot, add reinforcement plates
2.
3.
4.
5.

[SoCalZman]

hmmmmmm......I would be up for coming just to hang out, but I have been wanting to put on new struts/associated supporting parts into my car to see how the ride would improve. I would just have to figure out what parts I need to buy w/112k on my suspension. Not interested in adjustability or lowering. Just want something reliable with similar to stock performance.

I do have a new steering guibo sitting in a box too, and maybe some other parts. I havent looked in my boxes in awhile.

[san]

hmmmmmm......I would be up for coming just to hang out, but I have been wanting to put on new struts/associated supporting parts into my car to see how the ride would improve. I would just have to figure out what parts I need to buy w/112k on my suspension. Not interested in adjustability or lowering. Just want something reliable with similar to stock performance.

I do have a new steering guibo sitting in a box too, and maybe some other parts. I havent looked in my boxes in awhile.

I would recommend koni yellows with stock springs...


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[BMWCurves]

I would recommend koni yellows with stock springs...


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+1

I sound like a broken record at this point, but if you want a very simple OEM+ suspension refresh, here's a link to my suspension refresh thread with all parts numbers and my opinion(s) afterwards (plus maybe end links and a few parts not listed):

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years

[ryankokesh]

+1

I sound like a broken record at this point, but if you want a very simple OEM+ suspension refresh, here's a link to my suspension refresh thread with all parts numbers and my opinion(s) afterwards (plus maybe end links and a few parts not listed):

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years

That is obscenely helpful. Thank you for documenting that...

[BMWCurves]

That is obscenely helpful. Thank you for documenting that...

My pleasure! It helps me so I can look back at what I did, and hopefully helps others that were/are in a similar situation as me back then. I figure it's a pretty mild upgrade over stock that won't break the bank, but is pretty thorough.

[Izzy_ZHP]

Can i go just to hang out?? i dont need anything at the moment, just want to meet some fellow ZHP owners and maybe take a couple pics :cool

[ELCID86]

Looking forward to pics and stories.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous E46 fanatic

[Vas]

We need an East Coast maintenance day

[ELCID86]

We need an East Coast maintenance day

Yes we do... :foottap

[704sw]

Yes we do... :foottap

VA/NC/SC? Now, who's got a lift...


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[johnrando]

Put that sh#$ over in the East Region. :rofl

[sillieidiot]

Wrong coast [emoji53]I would like some time on a lift though


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+1

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Well you could drive over here :idea But honestly, I wouldn't even be holding a meet if I were on the east coast. You guys get too much shit done, the lift would have too much use LOL


hmmmmmm......I would be up for coming just to hang out, but I have been wanting to put on new struts/associated supporting parts into my car to see how the ride would improve. I would just have to figure out what parts I need to buy w/112k on my suspension. Not interested in adjustability or lowering. Just want something reliable with similar to stock performance.

I do have a new steering guibo sitting in a box too, and maybe some other parts. I havent looked in my boxes in awhile.


Can i go just to hang out?? i dont need anything at the moment, just want to meet some fellow ZHP owners and maybe take a couple pics :cool

Nah, you gotta come out and wrench. We can hang after jk lol Although I don't own a ZHP though. I just have a completely stock 330 :eeps

[johnrando]

Def come and hang. I went to east mafia reunions with no car and had a blast. Plus, helped wrench on other's cars.

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[SoCalZman]

I would come either way. Im not hugely confident with my wrenching skills, and Ive never done suspension work, so maybe Ill just watch other cars being worked on.

[sillieidiot]

it would be a great time to learn. I'd have to look for my spring compressors though for us to swap the front shocks. The rears would be easy though other then you having to take the trunk carpet out. I also need to look for my puller for the FCABs. I'm pretty sure I loaned it out and never saw it again though. We can just rent one though.

I just threw your names into the list. So it looks like we only need to work on John's car so far. We might have to make him do all the work on his own to make it last longer :rofl


0. sillieidiot - nothing needed
1. johnrando - FCABs, reset front springs into slot, add reinforcement plates
2. Izzy_ZHP
3. NorCalZman
4.
5.

[johnrando]

How are we doing picking a day?

[sillieidiot]

well i left the poll to close at the end of the month. but it's looking like it's 4/8. with only your car to work on LOL So we might have to find some place to eat & take pictures or something.

[SWO Daddy]

Hope to make the next one. Will be deployed until mid-June.

[sillieidiot]

Yeah I'm sure I'll hold one in the summer too. Because one car isn't going to stop my itch lol

[sillieidiot]

Like a week left until the poll closes. This is all we got? lol

[CarbonZHP]

I voted but quite honestly these days are quite similar so my exact vote doesn't matter too much. But I want to be there

[SoCalZman]

well I will have a better handle on my money situation in March (moving and bonus) so if it looks good then maybe Ill order all those nice suspension parts on BMWCurves list.

[johnrando]

Well come anyway.

[sillieidiot]

So I guess it's going to be Saturday 4/8/17. Seems so small lol This is like a get together. This site doesn't have the lurker thing does it? Where people just go and never sign on to the list? This happened once with me. I posted to a couple of people and like 30 people showed up :rofl

[johnrando]

Ha! This SoCal group is just not all that good at meets.

[sillieidiot]

Yeah i don't think this is going to cure my itch at all lol I've been going around helping other people on e46f lately to pass the time. Only what I consider a car puzzle though.

[SoCalZman]

Yeah i don't think this is going to cure my itch at all lol I've been going around helping other people on e46f lately to pass the time. Only what I consider a car puzzle though.

Do you think that working on 2 cars is not going to be enough for one day for you? I mean, if I buy all that suspension stuff won't that take a good amount of time to install?

Gee I feel bad for my car not needing more work :-P

In addition to all those suspension parts I could buy for the suspension refresh, I have a brand new steering guibo that can be installed.
I do have two new OEM tweeters that I got for free from another purchase that I would love to put in the front doors so there is that too.
My car was in for an oil change today and they told me my only 2 year old Victor Reins (ugh) valve cover gasket was starting to seep.

Im trying to think of other stuff. lol

[johnrando]

I have a ton of stuff I could do... was just wanting to preserve time for other cars work. Water pump for one...

[sillieidiot]

Do you think that working on 2 cars is not going to be enough for one day for you? I mean, if I buy all that suspension stuff won't that take a good amount of time to install?

Gee I feel bad for my car not needing more work :-P

In addition to all those suspension parts I could buy for the suspension refresh, I have a brand new steering guibo that can be installed.
I do have two new OEM tweeters that I got for free from another purchase that I would love to put in the front doors so there is that too.
My car was in for an oil change today and they told me my only 2 year old Victor Reins (ugh) valve cover gasket was starting to seep.

Im trying to think of other stuff. lol

Well it would take me the whole day if I did it by myself for 2 cars. But I have you guys lol We could do your tweeters. That doesn't even require a lift. You could bring stuff, and if we finish John's in time, then we can start on yours lol And whatever we don't get to, is for the next meet.


I have a ton of stuff I could do... was just wanting to preserve time for other cars work. Water pump for one...

Yeah just the water pump by itself would be easy too. Especially now that you have the manual fan.


Maybe I should have made it so that every month until the end of the year, we just work on one car for the whole day lol That seems like a better plan now that I think about it. But we don't even have like 8 cars to complete the year lol

[SoCalZman]

Well it would take me the whole day if I did it by myself for 2 cars. But I have you guys lol We could do your tweeters. That doesn't even require a lift. You could bring stuff, and if we finish John's in time, then we can start on yours lol And whatever we don't get to, is for the next meet.

Maybe I should have made it so that every month until the end of the year, we just work on one car for the whole day lol That seems like a better plan now that I think about it. But we don't even have like 8 cars to complete the year lol

Good point. Yes I will help however I can (keeping in mind I am very much an amateur wrencher) on whoever car is being worked on this day, my car or not. I definitely don't want to start my suspension work unless we can finish it in the same session, because I need to get the car aligned after right? I don't want to drive around with bad alignment or have to get one twice.

If nothing else I will pack my tweeters and steering guibo and see what else I come across in my garage.

As an aside, I got my pay/bonus info and was pleasantly surprised. I could start purchasing suspension stuff whenever I suppose. I know a few people have pointed out I should get Koni Yellows, but I am not sure I want to deal with adjustable stuff: from what I am reading you have to experiment and adjust those to your liking. I kind of just wanted something similar to the stock ride and handling (maybe a smidge less roll in corners would be nice but thats springs, and Im staying stock there).

[sillieidiot]

Good point. Yes I will help however I can (keeping in mind I am very much an amateur wrencher) on whoever car is being worked on this day, my car or not. I definitely don't want to start my suspension work unless we can finish it in the same session, because I need to get the car aligned after right? I don't want to drive around with bad alignment or have to get one twice.

If nothing else I will pack my tweeters and steering guibo and see what else I come across in my garage.

As an aside, I got my pay/bonus info and was pleasantly surprised. I could start purchasing suspension stuff whenever I suppose. I know a few people have pointed out I should get Koni Yellows, but I am not sure I want to deal with adjustable stuff: from what I am reading you have to experiment and adjust those to your liking. I kind of just wanted something similar to the stock ride and handling (maybe a smidge less roll in corners would be nice but thats springs, and Im staying stock there).

Yeah I'm sure you'll be fine. You don't need to get an alignment right away. It depends on what we put on first though. What suspension stuff are you planning to do? I never read the BMWCurve's list. It was too long.

You can get them and just leave them in the middle setting. A lot of people never adjust it and it's fine. You're mainly in the Irvine area right? The roads there are like perfect except for the sewers lol I love driving around there. My suspension is set up incorrectly, and it drives perfect there lol

[SoCalZman]

Yeah I'm sure you'll be fine. You don't need to get an alignment right away. It depends on what we put on first though. What suspension stuff are you planning to do? I never read the BMWCurve's list. It was too long.

You can get them and just leave them in the middle setting. A lot of people never adjust it and it's fine. You're mainly in the Irvine area right? The roads there are like perfect except for the sewers lol I love driving around there. My suspension is set up incorrectly, and it drives perfect there lol

well just to start:
shocks/struts
mounts
any supporting items related to them
Control arm bushings (mechanic said they looked ok but were starting to crack)

I need to look at his list in more detail and see what else is on it that should be replaced. Any joints/bushings/rods I'm not thinking about, etc. Everything on there is 115k old now. What have you replaced on your car? Do you use Konis?


yes I am in Irvine. Might move to Long Beach where the roads are a bit worse. and I drove up to LA last night and my poor car. I tried to avoid as many potholes as I could but I fell right into a few big ones. ugh.

[sillieidiot]

well just to start:
shocks/struts
mounts
any supporting items related to them
Control arm bushings (mechanic said they looked ok but were starting to crack)

I need to look at his list in more detail and see what else is on it that should be replaced. Any joints/bushings/rods I'm not thinking about, etc. Everything on there is 115k old now. What have you replaced on your car? Do you use Konis?


yes I am in Irvine. Might move to Long Beach where the roads are a bit worse. and I drove up to LA last night and my poor car. I tried to avoid as many potholes as I could but I fell right into a few big ones. ugh.

oh so like a whole suspension refresh? so like tie rods, endlinks, etc. Hmm well if we have enough people, would could technically do both cars at the same time. It would be easier to have your car on the lift because there's more stuff to be done. and do JR's on the ground.

Most of my suspension has been replaced with performance stuff already. Only the bushings are left to be replaced. That will get done whenever I do my rear end reinforcement. I don't use Konis, I have AST coilovers.

I've ridden in a car with Koni's they feel fine. Slightly stiffer than stock, but not too bad. It does lower the car like barely. Not noticeable. I think you would be cool with it, especially if your current suspension is already blown.

edit:
I looked at BMWCurve's list. He didn't do what I consider a full suspension refresh. He basically only did the shocks & mounts, fcab, and rtab. That doesn't take that long. But replacing those 2 bushings will mess up your alignment for sure lol. We just need a 3 jaw puller tool and an RTAB tool.

[sillieidiot]

Anyone know what size puller we need for the FCAB? I might as well buy one since I can't find it. I'll need one when I do mines later down the line.

[johnrando]

What time this Saturday?

[CarbonZHP]

Guess I'll need to wash then. Car too


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[sillieidiot]

What time this Saturday?

iono lol in the morning? gives us time to look for tools if we don't have it. like the puller, i still never bought it lol figure out the rest as we go along i guess.

[CarbonZHP]

Who's going? I've met sillie before once

[johnrando]

Me.

[sillieidiot]

No clue, whoever remembers that was on the list lol

[CarbonZHP]

I'm staying in costa mesa tonight. I need to add washers to the connection of my headers to exhaust. What time tomorrow guys


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[sillieidiot]

In the morning. All day pretty much so come whenever.

[sillieidiot]

Um...why did it rain? WTF lol

[SoCalZman]

Turns out I can't make it today. I'll try to be at the next one.


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[sillieidiot]

That's cool, no worries

[sillieidiot]

It's just carbonzhp and JR here so far. Maybe jko_zhp might drop by later

[PdZHP]

I'm in north oc but couldn't make it, hope to meet some peeps next time the opportunity shows.

[johnrando]

Will update with some pics later. Got good stuff done.

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[CarbonZHP]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170410/5c07e091beccd5059ddb37e533543dc7.jpg


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[Izzy_ZHP]

i tried to get out from work on saturday.. Sorry guys. Hope it was fun

[WOLFN8TR]

John is that your "Cool Guy" pose? :cigar

[sillieidiot]

I only have 2 pictures lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/sillieidiot/diy%20stuff/DIY-Meets/20170408_165826_zpsq4ogtcb5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/sillieidiot/diy%20stuff/DIY-Meets/20170408_170357_zpsdpswq2dv.jpg

The work definitely took way longer than it should have though. But it was all good nonetheless.

[CarbonZHP]

Taking off metal on metal contacts never goes as planned, specially without extractor tools. But yeah we should do it again sometime.

[johnrando]

Back in town after spring break family vacation. I will add some pics later. Definitely a good, productive day. Cool drone shots! And, lol Gary.

[SoCalZman]

Sorry I missed it. Would have been fun. Sounds like a full day though so not like we could've gotten to my car anyway. Definitely would like to as I'm itching to find out how much better my car would ride with a fresh suspension

The reason why I got so busy suddenly was that I have been shopping for my first piece of property to buy and now I am currently in escrow. Fingers crossed it goes well right?


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[sillieidiot]

Sorry I missed it. Would have been fun. Sounds like a full day though so not like we could've gotten to my car anyway. Definitely would like to as I'm itching to find out how much better my car would ride with a fresh suspension

The reason why I got so busy suddenly was that I have been shopping for my first piece of property to buy and now I am currently in escrow. Fingers crossed it goes well right?


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No worries. I'll hold another one in the summer. I think I have to make the thread like way closer to the date though lol If I didn't put it in my calendar, I totally would have forgotten about it.

Yeah it took longer than it should have. I didn't have the puller needed. Also it's because "someone" here didn't lick it when putting the bushings back on. :rofl

[CarbonZHP]

#justzhpthings


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[johnrando]

Lol

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[sillieidiot]

So....another one? :rofl

[johnrando]

Sure!!! Let's figure that out.

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[sillieidiot]

Sure!!! Let's figure that out.

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Problem is iono when I'm free lol I know i'm booked until 5/11 for sure. We should do 2 locations. In case I don't make it to my own meet lol Maybe John, you can make a new thread?

[papa_g]

wish there were more mafiosos in the PNW...with lifts

[danewilson77]

wish there were more mafiosos in the PNW...with liftsBe the first! Forge new paths!

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[papa_g]

Be the first! Forge new paths!

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don't have the money or the space to forge this kind of path rn lol

[johnrando]

I'll see what I can do. William and I do impromptu work every so often.

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