and here we are. sorry if some pics are huge.
installed the BMW flex joint on the driveshaft after giving up with my shitty drill bit and having a machine shop drill press through the bushings. it's clear the driveshaft isn't all the way into the transmission, is this the difference between an ABS and non-ABS driveshaft? maybe the previous guy installed the wrong one during manual swap.
either way - 85% of the vibration in the car just disappeared after installing this, and the rest is from the carrier bearing. i'll go one-piece in the future.
after my clear tails are here, and after i start this new job i got, would like to pick up more OEM+ skirts and an Eastbear lip. KA will likely remain stock for now. over a longer period, i will definitely pull and sandblast the subframe, do new bushings and replace some of the rusty front pieces. have to also learn how to sand and repaint a couple areas. i also plan on swapping for 40 sidewall tires and lowering it a bit more to match.