rear wing compatability and facelift '97

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jezbraker
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 09:13
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by jezbraker »

hi all,

Ive got a 2.8 roadster with build date of Nov '97 first registered in Jan '98... seems in the past to have had the rear end facelifted (has the curved rear lights/bootlid) which presume was not fitted to such early cars as standard (ETK suggests 04'99 on?) - is my thinking correct? The bootlid is loosing its laquer so perhaps had a respray to Arctic though underside looks orig... all a bit strange.

prev owner smacked the rear wing so i want to swap it over for a straight one. So do I need the facelift version rear wing or will the older wide body style work with the later lights/bootlid?

reason for this is she is Arctic Silver so i seem to have a better chance getting one without need for paint if its from the older model pre the titaniums...

my other option would be to pickup lights/bootlid/both wings/bumper and go back to what i'd imagine is origional for this year? or could this be some sort of early facelift?

cheers for any thoughts as i'm a touch confused :D

jez.
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by BladeRunner919 »

You need a like-for-like replacement. Does seem odd that it's been facelifted, because it's not terribly straightforward to do. I assume it looks like this at the back:

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...rather than this:

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jezbraker
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 09:13
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by jezbraker »

yep - look like the top one though nowhere near as clean... seems odd someone would go to all the trouble... and respray as presume artic wasnt around when the facelifters came along? so guess im into a newer pannel and the paint shop. sucks!

cant find a thread on facelifting older shape rear to know what needs modding (i.e. what i can look for as tell tale) any idea?
jezbraker
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 09:13
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by jezbraker »

So the boot looks like a facelift and no signs of buchery...

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rear lights wiring seem to have a couple of wires connected into them with those awfull connectors..

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boot carpet seems to have a 2000 manufacture date...

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lifted trim etc and also had on ramp and nothing looks odd (cut'n'shut style)
plot thickens.
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dennisedlin
Joined: Sat 24 Oct, 2009 06:39
Posts: 140

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Nottingham

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by dennisedlin »

It's quite possible that the previous owner undertook the task of 'upgrading' the rear of the car to later spec. This is not difficult to do as all the parts including the rear wings just bolt on. If it had been in a serious accident that required a rear end re build then that could explain it too. However as you have said there doesn't seem to be any signs of that so an ambitious project done sometime in the cars past.
You will need to swap parts like for like though, which means that you will require a face lift rear wing and have it resprayed to match.
Z3 2.2 Sport, everyone loves a Z3

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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by BladeRunner919 »

dennisedlin wrote:This is not difficult to do as all the parts including the rear wings just bolt on.
No, they don't! It requires some modification of the shell to take the new parts and rear lights.
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by Del »

This is a bit of a brain teaser. I suspect that even the sill covers might be different?

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jezbraker
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 09:13
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by jezbraker »

nice. so it seems clear i have the rear lights, bootlid and bumper from a later model.

Image

the wing on your facelift below raises up a tad to be a bit more "hippy" than the the pre version - to dark to get a piccy but mine defo does this - so to my eye she defo has the later arse and i see no sign of mods the the light mounts in the main structure.

my interior is earlier spec without central clock etc although does have the rollover bars and power hood.

my front bumper has the marker lights in it - on etk i can't see them on the bumber (maybee just not looking properly) are the front bumpers any differnet pre/post facelift on the 2.8's?

based on etk the bonnet and front wing bits and cill (enterance) pannels are same for at least all the 2.8's.

also intake iis curved so earlier single van 52 lump

seems i got me an odd one!
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dennisedlin
Joined: Sat 24 Oct, 2009 06:39
Posts: 140

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Nottingham

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by dennisedlin »

BladeRunner919 wrote:
dennisedlin wrote:This is not difficult to do as all the parts including the rear wings just bolt on.
No, they don't! It requires some modification of the shell to take the new parts and rear lights.
What part of the shell do you need to mod? The sills, wings, arch liners, bumper and boot lid are all bolt on parts. The lights have a different shape externally that's all. Do you have any pics of this shell mod? It's true that had the old car been a 1.9 then the driveshafts would have been shorter, but with a 2.8 that wouldn't have been an issue.
Z3 2.2 Sport, everyone loves a Z3

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jezbraker
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 09:13
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by jezbraker »

shell does indeed differ...

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im going hunting for the vin number on the body and having a further poke... how can a 97 built car have a facelift rear light mount (large oval mid section) - makes no sense!
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dennisedlin
Joined: Sat 24 Oct, 2009 06:39
Posts: 140

  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Nottingham

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by dennisedlin »

Thanks, just shows you can learn something every day, which given the extensive nature of a rear end 'upgrade' might then point more towards a repair after a shunt. Has anyone undertaken this change?
Z3 2.2 Sport, everyone loves a Z3

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jezbraker
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 09:13
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by jezbraker »

what i dont get is if this was a shunt why use newer parts where you have to change a stack of bits when surley would be easier to bolt on pre face lift (and better chance of getting colour!) and also easier to diguise it been smacked (if so inclined) - unless you have half a newer one lying about i guess...

but if this was just a cosemtic face lift then it seems a hell of an effort for some hips :)

i've got a rear wing in the post (facelift) so will be interesting to take the old one off and see if chassis shows anything dodgy under the skin - definatley need to find out its history though as you do hear of cut/shuts that are very hard to spot... hope to buggery this aint one!
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g8jka
Z Register member
Joined: Sun 18 Apr, 2010 21:16
Posts: 1149

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Telford

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by g8jka »

I'd start off by removing the rear lights to see if the skin has been modified to allow the facelift lights to fit. All of the other panels do bolt on and off. I have seen another pre-facelift with a modified back end to allow the facelift to fit. It might just be a case of modifying the holes so that the rear lights sit in correctly and the rest of the panels use the original mounts to bolt back on around them, making it a fairly straight forward modification.
2000 BMW Z3 2.8 Titanium Silver Roadster with too many mods to list :-D :drive
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Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by Del »

If it was done by a previous owner just for aesthetic/modernising reasons, I think I would be inclined to stick with it. Whilst we love our Z3s, it’s not like they are like a 1955 James Dean Porsche Speedster and merit “no expense spared” on restoring to OE :D
deni2s
Joined: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 22:02
Posts: 761

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by deni2s »

I know a guy who converted his z3 roadster rear end to facelifted and documented all of it in russian. Most important part of it is here:
https://www.drive2.ru/l/7207206/
https://www.drive2.ru/l/7251699/

And he said if he would know how much work it involves before he started, he would never do that. It's not straight bolt on, as rear part of the shell needs to be replaced too, not only lid, rear quarters, bumber and side skirts.
jezbraker
Joined: Thu 08 Sep, 2016 09:13
Posts: 8

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by jezbraker »

great stuff - thanks for the links.

a replacement wing rocked up today so i had the old one off... and to be honest i cant spot anything that looks non factory!

got me checking the main floor pan again for signs of cut/shut but this thing isnt showing anything tell tale.

heres some pics - anyone spot anything odd looking (apart from bklue wing on a silver car ;))

the rear pannel (as swapped by mr russian) looks to still have factory style gap gunk...
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wing off and nowt looks out of place to my untrained eye.
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this chassis join im guesssing is bmws... certainley looks like the metals pressed to overlap etc...
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halfauds rattle can required :)
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Dino D
Joined: Fri 10 Feb, 2012 16:59
Posts: 376

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by Dino D »

It does seem stock.
What interior does it have - facelift?
On the front the only change was the headlights - they have chrome rings around them.

You may have a one of kind model here!

Might be worth checking your vin here for any options listed (not that it ever was an option to order the facelift years before it's was launched!).
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: rear wing compatability and facelift '97

Post by BladeRunner919 »

Have you looked at the original build data? See here for info: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=37860
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