Gedo's Z3 Progress Thread (Pic heavy)

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 04 Aug, 2012 14:49

Thought I'd better start with a couple of pictures of the car as she currently is. She's a 1998 2.8 in Arctic Silver and I'd love for someone to identify the wheels...

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 04 Aug, 2012 14:54

Here is the list of things done already or to be done...

Remove Clifford Concept 500 alarm - booked to get this done on the 13th Aug as it's beyond my auto-electrician skills and is a nightmare job by all accounts
Fit wind deflector - sourced on ebay once I established that my car already had the fixing brackets installed - Fitted and working a treat
Replace AC Schnitzer bonnect badge with std BMW badge - completed this evening
Clean driver seat and touch up worn leather - Ordered liquid leather scuff kit on Tuesday so hopefully will be here by the weekend
Aquire private plate for car - Bought G3DOS from DVLA at the weekend so just waiting on the paperwork so I can transfer to car
Repair or replace passenger wing mirror which is badly corroded at the base
Replace worn seat bushes
Detango whole car - Ordered clear indicators from Simon @ justroadster.com which is a start

This will increase no doubt once I find things wrong or other changes I want to make.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 04 Aug, 2012 15:05

1st job today was to address some of the wear marks on the drivers seat. I ordered a Scuffmaster kit from Gliptone which arrived yesterday and with the fine weather today had a go at repairing the damage. Pretty happy with the finished result and may give the treated area another coat of diluted dye in a couple of days to get it to completely blend in with the rest of the seat. Would recommend this to anyone with any wear around the seat bolster.

Here is a before & after picture:

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 04 Aug, 2012 15:15

Next job didn't go to plan - Passenger mirror removal in preparation for renovation

When I folded the mirror in to expose the hex bolts I noticed that the mirror was very stiff. I checked the drivers side and the difference was night and day. On further investigation I noticed the ominous signs of hardened silicon inside the mirror housing and when I finally managed to remove the mirror I could see that the Aluminium had broken and someone had tried to fix this with some form of adhesive. This had hardened around the spring and when I managed to remove all of this I was left with the following:

I don't think this is repairable as the remains of the mirror stalk are pretty much bonded to the base so it looks like I'm now in the market for a new mirror ! At least I have the plastic parts so no painting required (other than the base potentially). Does anyone know if BMW sell the Alu inner section as a separate item or would I need a complete mirror ? If anyone has a std mirror laying around then please let me know

Brian H · Post by **Brian H** » Sat 04 Aug, 2012 15:58

Nice looking motor, I think your wheels are Inovit DTMs, they look very similar to a set on Z3cades old 2.8. Have a look here clicky.

I am afraid the mirror base corrosion is quite a common issue, as far as I know you cannot buy just the aluminium inner part it will require a new/secondhand mirror.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 04 Aug, 2012 17:45

Brian,

I think your right. Had a look at the wheels on the other car and they pretty might look identical. Cheers

billz · Post by **billz** » Sat 04 Aug, 2012 19:41

The wheels definatly look like Inovit DTM alloys, same as mine.
bill

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Mon 06 Aug, 2012 19:10

With inspiration from other posts (and the thought of having to spend > £100 for a replacement) I thought I'd have a go at repairing the broken Alu frame of my nearside door mirror.

By the time I got all the pieces detached from the mirror base it was in 4 pieces so I set about joining these back together using a 2-part epoxy glue suitable for joining metal. I also added some thin aluminium fillets to remove the stress points at the breaks.

I was left with something like this :

I also epoxied in a washer to the inside surface to spread the pressure of the spring

As the frame would now be held in place by a nut/bolt rather than the original hollow shaft the next problem is getting the cables through the base to the motor. Using the following thread as a guideline http://zroadster.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1578 I drilled a slot in the base to pass through the cables (base rubbed down for painting, the whole reason I got in the mess in the 1st place !!)

When it's all put together it looks like this

The whole thing is held in place with a nylon threaded locknut

I had everything I needed laying around in the garage, with the exception of the epoxy, so if this works the total cost to repair would be a fiver !

Initial tests look good but I don't want torque up the spring until i'm 100% sure that the epoxy is at full strength. Hopefully I'll get the mirror back on the car in the next couple of days for a proper test so fingers crossed.

g8jka · Post by **g8jka** » Mon 06 Aug, 2012 19:48

Nice car and great work with the mirror, it's amazing what a bit of handy work can do and how much money can be saved without just buying a new part. I find you get more enjoyment out of fixing things yourself and you get a bit of time working on the car and improving it as well as saving money in the process.

Good luck with it hope it stays together!

shantybeater · Post by **shantybeater** » Mon 06 Aug, 2012 19:59

Great looking car

good work so far!

Captain · Post by **Captain** » Wed 08 Aug, 2012 07:38

Nice work on the mirror, hope it works out.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Wed 08 Aug, 2012 18:38

I reburbished the mirror base at work today - sanded, Acid Etch Primer, 2 coats Arctic Silver & 2 coats clearcoat in preparation for re-fitting tonight. Everything went together as planned and I kept the pressure on the base of the mirror frame (via the spring) as light as possible. Enough the hold the re-assembled mirror in position but not enough to put any undue stress through it when in the folded position. End results is perfect ! I now have a fully working mirror that a few days ago was sitting in 5 pieces. Total cost of repair was £4.99 for the epoxy which is far easier to swallow that the price of a replacement mirror.

I took the car for a 15 mins blast to check that the mirror would stay in position and could handle the lumps and bumps that masquerade themselves as our roads these days; no problems. Taking the car to Skye at the weekend which will definetly be a more 'thorough' test

Based on the condition of my mirror frame (fused base & broken into 4 bits) I'd be confident to say that 90% of broken mirrors would be repairable to some degree with nothing more than a drill, bolt/nut, couple of washers, epoxy and some alu fillets for strenthening. Throw in some garden shed engineering and you're sorted !

Here are a couple of pics of the repaired mirror on the car :

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Wed 08 Aug, 2012 18:41

Clear side repeaters came today (thanks to Simon @ justroadster.com) so installed them as well. Look good !

Z3cade · Post by **Z3cade** » Wed 08 Aug, 2012 18:43

Nice!

You will find once you start modding these cars you then cant stop

Next on the list... remove the amber lenses in the front lights

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Wed 08 Aug, 2012 18:51

Thanks ! Got a set of clear rears coming and then I'll think about how to tackle the front. Lenses are a bit 'misty' at the front so I'll have to decide whether to repair or replace. Would also like to go down the Angel Eyes route but not sure whether to retrofit into existing lights (messy) or replace with new units (pricy). Will get the rear tackled first before I make any decisions...

Z3cade wrote:Nice!

You will find once you start modding these cars you then cant stop

Next on the list... remove the amber lenses in the front lights

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sun 12 Aug, 2012 16:57

Just back from a weekend in Skye and the mirror was perfect so it's officially been 'fixed' ! Well chuffed as this has saved me some cash and hopefully will inspire a few more repairs by other Z'ders.

Weather up here was fantastic...we did a total of 450 roof-down miles over 2 days and the car didn't miss a beat. Well chuffed but more than a little bit sunburned

Must remember to pack a hat + suncream next time.
The drive from Stirling to Skye through Glen Coe must be one of the top 10 drives in the world and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't experienced it to have a go. Top down in the Z with glorious sunshine all the way took it to another level

Brian H · Post by **Brian H** » Sun 12 Aug, 2012 20:05

gedo wrote:The drive from Stirling to Skye through Glen Coe must be one of the top 10 drives in the world and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't experienced it to have a go. Top down in the Z with glorious sunshine all the way took it to another level

I had to go from Killin to Spean Bridge twice this week for work, early morning, sun splitting the sky, it was beautiful. A couple of pics below (excuse the quality, taken on my iPhone).

A82 Looking back toward Bridge of Orchy

A82 Just dropping down to Glen Coe

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Mon 13 Aug, 2012 11:16

Brian, your pictures look great and no traffic which is a bonus. Lots of other selfish people in bikes and cars on the road at the weekend trying to spoil it for me

I had to detour through Killin on the way home as there had been a bike crash on the road down from Glen Ogle to Lochearnhead. Must have been a bad one as the police said it would be closed for 3 hours.

Brian H wrote:
gedo wrote:The drive from Stirling to Skye through Glen Coe must be one of the top 10 drives in the world and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't experienced it to have a go. Top down in the Z with glorious sunshine all the way took it to another level
I had to go from Killin to Spean Bridge twice this week for work, early morning, sun splitting the sky, it was beautiful. A couple of pics below (excuse the quality, taken on my iPhone).

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Mon 13 Aug, 2012 11:41

Well spotted ! The nut in the picture is indeed a std one. The pic was taken during the final mockup before everything was fitted to the car. The final nut used was one of these : http://www.screwfix.com/p/nylon-lock-nu ... tid=378923
I now have 99 spare

Zedonist wrote:Just one quick note on your fix, the nut in the picture is not a nyloc nut but a standard non locking nut. That said I think the pressure of the spring should prevent it loosening, if you get chance to remove the mirror again, I wold either double nut or use some thread locking glue, or both.

Great fix BTW

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Mon 13 Aug, 2012 11:55

Had the car at work today as the mobile alarm guy was coming to remove the Clifford alarm. Removal went without a hitch and I got him to install a Toad Central Locking kit as this functionality would be lost with the alarm. Also took the opportuity to replace the rear lights with clear ones bought from Zee3.

Have some holes in the console where the alarm gubbins used to be but I fancy adding some M-style gauges here so off to trawl the threads to see if anyone has done this and get some tips !

Here are the pics...

An ex-alarm

Thinking about installing the M gauges here...

Control unit for the Toad Central Locking kit.

Part 2 of the de-tango project complete. Just the fronts to think about now

Brian H · Post by **Brian H** » Mon 13 Aug, 2012 13:23

gedo wrote:Have some holes in the console where the alarm gubbins used to be but I fancy adding some M-style gauges here so off to trawl the threads to see if anyone has done this and get some tips !

with regards to the M-Style gauges it certainly has been done before if you search you will find the threads. The holes in the dash are in blanking plates that can be replaced for a few £££s each. I may even have a few spare that you can have, I will have a look.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Mon 13 Aug, 2012 15:45

Thanks Brian

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Thu 16 Aug, 2012 19:34

Bits have started to arrive for the console conversion...

Z3M console - to be wrapped in brushed aluminium effect 3m DI-NOC vinyl. Before wrapping I'm going to grey prime and spray with some leftover Arctic Silver from my mirror repair.
This will hopefully help avoid any 'red' peeking through around the edges.

Oil Temp and Voltmeter gauges - Oil pressure gauge on its way from the US along with distribution block & senders

('_')Z3 · Post by **('_')Z3** » Thu 16 Aug, 2012 19:57

Looking good, have you managed to source the chrome surround for gear stick gaitor? Also the plastic that supports the leather is different to the standard console so you'll need that also. When I did my ///M console conversion I had the bits covered in black alcantara. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Thu 16 Aug, 2012 22:04

I realised when looking on realoem for switch blanks that the gear stick gaitor was a separate part so I've not sourced this yet. I guess when I remove the existing console I'll find out which bits will fit into the M one and which bits won't. I'm sure with a bit of brute force, ignorance and some shed engineering I should be fine

('_')Z3 wrote:Looking good, have you managed to source the chrome surround for gear stick gaitor? Also the plastic that supports the leather is different to the standard console so you'll need that also. When I did my ///M console conversion I had the bits covered in black alcantara. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Fri 17 Aug, 2012 14:11

The plastic part of the gaitor from your standard Z can be adapted to fit the M console. You will need a lightweight gas blow torch, a small hacksaw and the M console, You will need to make a cut center top and bottom, then heat the top corners and squeeze into the M console shape and allow to cool. The overall length down the side is slightly smaller on the M so once you've done the top corners, best is to cut through the side in the center of both sides. You now have 4 pieces. Do the bottom corners by applying heat and fitting into the M console and allowing to cool into shape. Finally, trim the top, bottom and two sides to the correct length and epoxy the 4 pieces together again. - Job done. I used an epoxy called Pratleys here. But you amy have an alternative there. Alternately, you can leave about an extra 5 - 7 mm in length and place the flame of the gas torch so that it heats 2 edges at once, and as soon as they ignite, bond them together, cool and sandpaper the joint smooth.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Fri 17 Aug, 2012 14:22

Thanks for that. I plan to remove the std console from the car over the weekend and will report back with my endeavours...

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Fri 17 Aug, 2012 15:47

Anyone got a good source for switch blanking plates ? Will break my heart having to buy these from BMW and they are a bit scarce on Ebay...

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Fri 17 Aug, 2012 15:51

Use "old switches" even if they don't work...

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Fri 17 Aug, 2012 16:01

I wish I could but knowing that they didn't 'work' would eat away at me

Southernboy wrote:Use "old switches" even if they don't work...

Southernboy · Post by **Southernboy** » Fri 17 Aug, 2012 16:08

You might try PCSAM on this site...I've just shipped some swithches that work to him..he may want to sell them to you??

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 18 Aug, 2012 12:19

Started to work on the console project whilst I wait on the final bits 'n' bobs arriving (packages on the way from the US & Poland)

Removed the console, which is a bit of a 10 day camel ride. Good opportunity to give under there a good clean after 14 years of crumbs and god knows what else

Checked that the M console fits, seems ok with only some minor tweaks when screws holes don't quite match. All of my switches seem to fit as expected. I might need to trim a small amount of plastic (just visible behind the gauge holes) but nothing major

I was warned that the standard gearstick gator won't fit in the M console and sure enough, it don't !

I removed the leather from the frame and started the process of 'tweaking' to make this round peg fit into its square hole

Will finish this tomorrow as I'm off to the Edinburgh Fringe for some beer, food and comedy !

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Fri 24 Aug, 2012 18:38

Latest console pics...I've now realised that this would have been a good project for the winter as it has kept me off the road whilst I wait on the bits coming. Still waiting on the Oil Pressure Gauge and Oil Distribution Block which have cleared customs and from the tracking info it looks like I've got a charge to pay so waiting to see what happens next. More annoyed by the extended delay than the impending taxes !

1st pic shows the M Console which I had to fill to take care of the slots and holes designed to hold the chrome gearstick gaitor. Thought that the vinyl would have covered these but when heat is applied it goes quite soft and these would have stood out like a whippet's baws !!

This pic shows both parts of the console after covering with the 3M DI-NOC Vinyl and fitted back into the main console. The brushed Aluminium effect is very good and looks identical to the finish in my A7 so very happy with this. I need to source some blanks for the switch slots as I only have the ASC switch to go back in.

I finally got round to putting the plate on the car as well

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sun 02 Sep, 2012 14:56

Other than a slight niggle with the Oil Temperature Gauge my Center Console project is now officially completed and I'm happy with the results

Captain · Post by **Captain** » Sun 02 Sep, 2012 15:34

Looks great, nice mod.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sun 09 Dec, 2012 12:37

Not been on here for a while due to being very busy at work and more or less finishing all of the work to the car that I had planned for this year. Car is now off the road for the winter and I'm looking for some advice on a trickle charger for the battery ? What do people recommend for over winter ?

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Sun 09 Dec, 2012 12:51

gedo wrote:Not been on here for a while due to being very busy at work and more or less finishing all of the work to the car that I had planned for this year. Car is now off the road for the winter and I'm looking for some advice on a trickle charger for the battery ? What do people recommend for over winter ?

Hi gedo,

Regarding a charger there's only one I would consider and thats the CTEK

http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk/ctek-mxs-3.6.php

I have the previous model to this one and have used it on the Zed the past 4 winters with no probs whatsoever. I bought the additional adapter so I can plug it in via the cigarette lighter socket, just made sure yours is live with the ignition off. I'm using it on the Z4 this winter. Great little charger and fuss free.

You can buy cheaper but I like this one as it only charges when required so no danger of over charging the battery.

Tim.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Mon 10 Dec, 2012 18:23

Thanks Tim, I'll take a look at this one...

TitanTim wrote:
gedo wrote:Not been on here for a while due to being very busy at work and more or less finishing all of the work to the car that I had planned for this year. Car is now off the road for the winter and I'm looking for some advice on a trickle charger for the battery ? What do people recommend for over winter ?
Hi gedo,

Regarding a charger there's only one I would consider and thats the CTEK

http://www.ctekchargers.co.uk/ctek-mxs-3.6.php

I have the previous model to this one and have used it on the Zed the past 4 winters with no probs whatsoever. I bought the additional adapter so I can plug it in via the cigarette lighter socket, just made sure yours is live with the ignition off. I'm using it on the Z4 this winter. Great little charger and fuss free.

You can buy cheaper but I like this one as it only charges when required so no danger of over charging the battery.

Tim.

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Fri 01 Feb, 2013 19:06

Job for the winter is to tidy up the spare wheel carrier and replace the wheel which has rusted away to nothing. Was wondering if this size wheel is common to other BMW models which might make finding a replacement easier ? Z3 one on Ebay at the moment but £90, inc postage, seems a bit steep - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Z3-SPACE- ... 3cce1ad6db

Thoughts ?

PCSAM · Post by **PCSAM** » Fri 01 Feb, 2013 19:57

look for e36 and e46 space savers mate , I'm sure they will fit OK . as standard alloys for them fit the z3

Jamezee · Post by **Jamezee** » Fri 01 Feb, 2013 20:53

Brian H wrote:
gedo wrote:The drive from Stirling to Skye through Glen Coe must be one of the top 10 drives in the world and I'd encourage anyone who hasn't experienced it to have a go. Top down in the Z with glorious sunshine all the way took it to another level
I had to go from Killin to Spean Bridge twice this week for work, early morning, sun splitting the sky, it was beautiful. A couple of pics below (excuse the quality, taken on my iPhone).

A82 Looking back toward Bridge of Orchy

A82 Just dropping down to Glen Coe

Great photos, great place, I love glencoe was up there last november

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 02 Feb, 2013 11:31

PCSAM wrote:look for e36 and e46 space savers mate , I'm sure they will fit OK . as standard alloys for them fit the z3

Cheers. Will get on the hunt today. Hope to remove the carrier later today as sun has finally decided to make it's first appearance in 2013 !!

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Thu 16 May, 2013 18:28

Thanks to J_K on these forums I have this little lot to fit as my next project...

Roll hoop retrofit has been covered in the forums already but I may take a few snaps along the way to document my experience, which may help other thinking about the same project.

Brian H · Post by **Brian H** » Thu 16 May, 2013 20:06

Should be a nice job, not too difficult if you can get the top down and the weather stays dry. Are you planning on using the HK sub?

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Fri 17 May, 2013 08:00

Not sure about using the sub...will depend on whether my car is pre-wired for this. Any idea if this is part of the standard loom ?

LookinFoolish · Post by **LookinFoolish** » Sun 19 May, 2013 08:25

gedo wrote:Thanks to J_K on these forums I have this little lot to fit as my next project...

Roll hoop retrofit has been covered in the forums already but I may take a few snaps along the way to document my experience, which may help other thinking about the same project.

Going to do exactly the same job (hopefully today!)

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sun 19 May, 2013 09:49

I'm also planning to do it today ! My thoughts will be with you...

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sun 19 May, 2013 19:24

Only took 3 hrs and most of that was faffing about with the Centre Console ! Happy with the finished results and now have some bits'n'bobs to sell.
Got the original net windbreak including brackets and turrent tops and the HK Subwoofer which I didn't use. Will be appearing in the Stock Exchange soon

LookinFoolish · Post by **LookinFoolish** » Sun 19 May, 2013 19:53

Very nice - did mine today. Took me around 2.5-3hrs. Not bad times! Pics in my progress thread!

gedo · Post by **gedo** » Sat 10 May, 2014 20:38

Well, I'm sad to say that my Z3 was sold yesterday and I've moved on to a Z4. We've had great fun over the past couple of years with the Z3 which was fantastic for a 16 yr old car. I'm sure the new owner will be more than happy with her and our 'Z' experience convinced us that we'd always want some form of roadster for days when the sun shines...

Here's a pic of the new steed - Z4 3.0i with a nice list of factory options & subtle mods from the previous owner.

Time to update the signature