first of all - appreciate the words of advice from everyone. i'll put it this way, winter will be "decision time", at which point there will either be a big teardown for paint/coating on several different areas, to preserve the surfaces of this car long-term, or i will go a different direction. but really, i sincerely appreciate everyone's help with this. trying not to end up in the "ur doing it wrong" thread.
but after the origin story of this thing....i don't think i'll be ever selling it. first time ever towing a trailer, through 223 miles of pouring rain, sacrificing a bunch of time and money, 100% of which can be seen in the way this car is now? think i'll keep it.
and so, i swapped out the dome lights, map lights and trunk lights for LEDs...specifically, 6000K T10 wedge bulbs from Amazon. I would do the same to my footwell lights - but I like the cool and warm color contrast
i also have a PROPER shift boot now, with a shift knob on the way.
i do NOT have HVAC unit lights anymore though. i took the bulbs out to swap them for red LEDs i
bought off ebay and they stopped working. the bulbs didn't work when i put em back in either. i think i scratched the metal contacts too much and now they don't work.
roommate bought a drift car too. 6cyl swapped 318ti. does he know how to drift? nope. so we both are "learning through project cars".
either way...this car is doing great right now. smaller tires and more low is up next. need less sidewall. get a sawzall and tuck the wires. install the clear tails coming next month. drive it around more, save up for winter, do a bunch of big suspension/paint work, and see if i want to do overfenders and a body kit? as far as mechanicals are concerned, i'd consider the build complete til something breaks. now i can focus on how it looks.
