Posts Tagged ‘community’
Rollin’ on the River Charity Car Show 2021
Enjoyed helping out again at a local charity car show with fellow mechanic friends from Wheels.
Read MoreWheels article
Good overview article of Wheels at which we volunteer.
Read MoreRGB 2020 Fall Drive
Rivertown Gear Busters 2020 Fall Drive included 20+ cars, an Ohio River ferry crossing, and driving in Kentucky and Indiana.
Read MoreOctober 2020 update
Recent work on the 2002 includes replacing front hydraulic components (brake and clutch master cylinders, brake calipers/hoses), finishing the steering box rebuild, and putting new tires on really old rims.
Read MoreJune 2020 project car update
On the 2002 we painted the cleaned-up steering box, tossed the old (and bent) control arms, got the subframe bits ready to paint, and wrestled with a bushing mount bolt. (Thanks to Paul Wegweiser for the HEAT suggestion to get that sorted.) Many thanks to Wil Tinker for his gift to us of painting our…
Read MoreRGB Spring 2020 Drive
Rivertown Gear Busters Spring 2020 Drive was yesterday in Hocking Hills; great fun on rollercoaster roads. Video here. Our E30 was sporting a new brake master cylinder, without which I would not have gone!
Read MoreThe Vintage 2020 postponed
This weekend would’ve been The Vintage in North Carolina, but it has been postponed to October. Here we look back at some of the cars we’ve seen and some of the people we’ve met at The Vintage since we started attending in 2016.
Read MoreRGB Off-Season Gathering 2020
At the Rivertown Gear Busters “2020 Off-Season Gathering” last night, Vintage BMW enthusiasts came from Cincinnati, Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington. Host Jim Denker (center) provided metts, brats, beer, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, and pies. Conversations were sprinkled with 02, E30, and E28.
Read MoreFountain Square tour
We were given a tour of Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati and got to go underneath the fountain and up inside; great to see this Cincinnati icon in a brand new way. Eric and Sarah inside the fountain Many thanks to our City of Cincinnati hosts Don Eckhoff, Danny Lawson, and Earl Taggart for the…
Read MoreRecap video #1
As we start a new season of work on the car, a look back on two years of fun. Video by Sarah.
Read MoreCar Show, 2018
Enjoyed helping out again at a local charity car show with our fellow mechanic friends from Crossroads Wheels (who were asked to serve as judges). Many cool cars, lots of walking, and a bonus of riding with my friend Steve in his Vanagon!
Read More“THE ICON: 50 Years of the 2002” exhibit opening
We had a great time at the BMW CCA Foundation exhibit opening in Greer, South Carolina; many cool cars and saw many friends. Video
Read MoreThe Day Our Dragon Got Its Wings
Remembering another Winter Project from three years ago—and the day our dragon got its wings. It all started the previous weekend, when Cincinnati got a dump of snow. We (myself and our three youngest) built a big snow dragon by working five hours on Saturday and three on Sunday. We named the snow “mithril snow”…
Read MoreRGB dinner
Rivertown Gear Busters Off-Season Dinner, January 2018. Lots of car knowledge–and lots of fun–in this community.
Read More2018: Vintage Prep
We’re working towards getting the car roadworthy for The Vintage in May. After a party with local 2002 experts in the Rivertown Gear Busters, we started to clean the engine bay before deciding to just drop the front subframe. Also started a Facebook page for the project.
Read MoreCar Show, 2017
We enjoyed helping out again at a local charity car show with our fellow mechanic friends from Crossroads Wheels.
Read MoreEngine Hoist & Engine Stand
A huge Thank You to Al Buchweitz for giving us an engine hoist and an engine stand. We’ll soon use both as we remove the engine and sort out items in the engine bay (while debating what to do next, engine-wise).
Read More“Ran When Parked” Book
I designed the book “Ran When Parked” by Rob Siegel over the course of about a week. We met Rob at The Vintage 2016 and again in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this year–when he was working on the car whose story became this book. For the whole story of how the book came together, read Rob’s…
Read MoreRadiator Rebuild
We had the radiator tested and rebuilt by Jim at Price Hill Radiator. Whenever we get the engine sorted, a new cooling system awaits! Video
Read MoreGarage Nights, Week 1
An eventful first week of Garage Nights (4 down, 18 to go) as we made mechanical progress while welcoming friends. Mechanically, we 1) sorted the ignition wiring to get spark, 2) enjoyed the First Start (see video), and 3) ran into A Big Problem on Night #4. While doing a compression test, the engine locked…
Read MoreGarage Nights
We’re starting a seven-week run of work nights on our car, aiming for the high goal of The Vintage to keep us focused. Tonight we’ll kick things off by trying to get the engine started for the first time. Leading up to this, we’ve changed oil and plugs, checked and adjusted the valves, removed the…
Read MoreNew to the Garage: Phillips screwdrivers
Our friend Bill at Crossroads Wheels gave us this beautiful set of Phillips screwdrivers. Bill works for Snap-on and assembled these screwdrivers himself (!). Features include the latest in handle design, hexagon bolsters for wrench-assisted turning, and tips that are precision-cut and grooved. Thank you, Bill!
Read MoreThe Hack Mechanic
Rob Siegel is a used-car salesman in Boston. (In addition to many other things…) We met him at The Vintage (see him at the 3:45 mark here) and he (thankfully) likes my sense of humor. I made for him this “photo creation” and he included it in an article for the BMW CCA Roundel –a…
Read MoreCrossroads Wheels Celebrates 10 Years
Happy 10th anniversary to Crossroads Wheels, an organization we’ve been a part of for one year. In addition to providing a real service, it’s a great group of people. It’s also a lot of fun (mechanics’ humor is the best), and I learn something new every week.
Read MoreBMW CCA Buckeye Chapter Holiday Party
At the annual Holiday Party we enjoyed the people, the cars, and the M-logo-colored napkins. When the party host’s initials are LW:
Read MoreParts Swap, Dec. 2016
Had a great time yesterday at the Rivertown Gear Busters’ “Trunk Pop ’02 Swap,” hosted by Jason Gipson. A highlight of the day was watching a steering wheel swap performed in a few minutes in the middle of the street. I was thrilled to purchase a bunch of parts for $100 total. (Some were free;…
Read MoreJason and the Gear Busters
Jason Gipson founded the Rivertown Gear Busters, the Midwest BMW 2002 Owners Group. Jason is active in online communities, makes and sells 2002-specific products, and runs Fuel Coffee in Cincinnati. We did a photoshoot of his car, the Beer Snob, for this magazine article, “A little Moxie for the soul.” Update, May 2017: Jason finished…
Read MoreBMW CCA meeting, Oct. 2016
Attended our first BMW CCA Buckeye Chapter meeting at M Works Garage in Cincinnati. It was fun to meet people, see the garage, and talk about our project. Thanks to Brian and Kaitlin at M Works for hosting. We’re looking forward to Sarah attending a BMW CCA / Tire Rack Street Survival course.
Read MoreLance & Safet
Sarah and I got to visit with Lance White (President of the BMW CCA Foundation) and Safet Hatic (who thoroughly knows these cars). Lance’s BMW collection includes an M10 engine on a stand (which was visually helpful for us) and an ’02 whose body looks very similar to ours!
Read MoreSunroof Clip
Traveled with Dave to Jake’s in Kentucky to buy some body parts—a full sunroof clip, a front bumper and a front windshield. Not sure if we’ll ever do a sunroof transplant, but I couldn’t pass up one that was so close and cheap. Thanks to Jake for letting me do some cutting (which was great…
Read MoreCar Show, 2016
Enjoyed my first opportunity as a volunteer judge at the 2016 “Rollin’ on the River” Charity Car Show. (Crossroads Wheels volunteers were asked to be judges this year.) All of the cars were fantastic, but I had no time to photograph. One that I did get was this amazing Camaro, full of modifications both performance…
Read MoreThe Vintage 2016
Sarah and I had a great trip to The Vintage 2016, a gathering of Vintage BMWs in North Carolina. We went as spectators, but someday will go as participants! • photos • video
Read MoreGarage Party
We had a Project Launch Party after overhauling our garage. Friends and family came to check out the car, and Sarah got to sit in her first ’02. The garage overhaul took two months and involved much cleaning, six gallons of primer/sealer paint, and the installation of LED ceiling lights. Fun features include a stereo…
Read More50 Years of the ’02
We enjoyed hearing Mike Self’s “50 Years of the ’02” presentation at Reggie’s Motorworks in Noblesville, Indiana. Sarah got to see her first intact BMW 2002 in person. • photos • video of Mike telling us more about our car
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