I now have 12 second hubs thanks to Doug.
The Blue Flame was being a royal PITA, but we persevered. Doug does impeccable work and his garage has inspired me.
The trip back wasn't that bad. The rain had nearly stopped and the biggest issue was road spray from the other vehicles. So it was either drive faster or slower than the other drivers to stay out of traffic until the roads started to dry out a bit. Even then the roadway was never quite dry so it was difficult to really exercise the car to it's potential.
The 255/45-18 Nitto Extreme Performance NT555s handled extremely well and the brakes are a major improvement. Even though the tires handled well, the Nittos would not hold traction under WOT in 1st anywhere I tried and the 1-2 shift was just out of control. We'll reserve final judgement on the tires when we can catch a nice sunny day.
Meanwhile, the experience with the suspension package was very nice and the Koni shocks in the rear seemed to be perfectly adjusted. You could feel the car was more 'firm' with the new bushings in the rear without considering the ride being harsh. When the suspension lowered at speed, I would get occasional tire rub in the rear on rough roads until I pulled over and turned off the suspension switch. (I need to get the ASHAM8 module working again.)
I did use caution through the mountains hoping to not encounter any black ice or 4-legged furry creatures in the dark.
But the HIR bulbs in the high beams inspired confidence illuminating the dark mountain highway for what seemed like a mile and the outside temperature sensor never quite got to the freezing mark.
All in all, driving the car made me forgive all the trials and tribulations of the past two days.
Also, I learned Doug does not like 2 things.
Rust.
Brake fluid.