Finally picked her up

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Sun 21 Nov, 2010 23:14

After a couple of weeks of waiting I managed to go pick my Z3M today.
Felt very different from the off coming from my Clio 182, but settled in for the hour or so drive home very nicely.
The grunt is very impressive & the power delivery feels relentless. I pushed a wee bit on some corners I know very well & was also impressed with the grip. I won't be throwing it around like I would the Clio though.
It's in fantastic condition, but there are a few things I want to address.
The drivers seat bolster has some small wear marks on, so I'll be sourcing a scuffmaster kit. I'd like to get a brand new OEM gear knob just for me & I think I will eventually look to get the steering wheel redone by the company from ebay (The name escapes me now) & I might have to have a look at the common seat movement issue. There is also going to be something else, but that's top secret for the time being.
I'll be having an Earl's braided clutch hose, braided brake lines, an Etech strut brace & new stereo fitted too.
She's due a an oil service, so I'll just have her looked over at the same time.

No pics as I've just got home & tucked her away in the garage, but I'll update the thread with some & some further details tomorrow hopefully.

Badman gee · Post by **Badman gee** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 01:32

Getting mine today!

look forward to seeing your pictures

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 12:04

A little update....
As you can see the car still looks very fresh & the paint is in fantastic condition. A couple of tiny stone chips, but that's to be expected on a car 11 years old, but no dig or dinks in the panels.
The interior although that age feel head & shoulders in quality in comparison to the 182 & alot more comfy too if I'm honest. Although you do feel like you're sitting on the floor
The interior condition is very good too. There are few marks, but again a car this age these are unavoidable. It also smells like an older car if that makes sense. Although I've bought a air freshener & dare say once it's had a good clean it'll be top notch.
The performance is fantastic. Pulls from no revs at all & gives relentless shove all the way round to 7500rpm. I didn't go mad last night, only 2 big squirts all the way home from Essex to mine, but it feels great. My favourite thing is the way it sounds! It just sounds rude & with a metallic rasp at higher revs. The G'box is a very manual affair. Quite heavy & diliberate in it's moves & the gears thud home strong & true.
I was worried about how it would feel handling wise in comparison to the Clio, but hand on heart it feels much the same, although again I haven't pushed. I did give carry a bit of speed through some of the corners near me I know well & it gripped just fine.

There are definately some areas & some work I'll do in the coming months.
It's due an oil service, so I'll be taking this to Tom @ TGM or MJF Engineering very soon.
Replacing the current illuminated gear knob with another new OEM one
Treating a couple of marks of the leather to a Gilptone scuffmaster kit
Giving the engine bay a good clean
Cleaning & retreated the roof
Changing the clutch cable to a braided Earl's item
Etech strut brace powdercoated in matt black
Braided brakes lines & new fluid all round
Replacing the seat bushes (Common problem)
Having the steering wheel reconditioned with extra padding, slightly different leather & tri-coloured stitching
And a top secret number that'll be incoming from the USA once fabricated (It'll be a first on a Z3 in the UK too )

I'm sure I'll be updating this as I go by & will defo get some better pics along the way too. But here are a few taken from my BB so please excuse the quality

stu · Post by **stu** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 15:26

That looks like an extremely clean & tidy example for an S plate!

Post by **Robert T** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 15:42

stu wrote:That looks like an extremely clean & tidy example for an S plate!

Well the right hand side does - the left hand side looks rather blurry and dreamy, somewhat as though there is a whacking big fingerprint on the lens.

Cheers R.

Post by **Robert T** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 15:42

Ian Kelly · Post by **Ian Kelly** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 19:35

Congrats, car looks great. I got my S plate Z3M about 4 weeks ago and it's starting to really grow on me.

I put my carpet mats in the bath with some fabric softener and gave them a blast with the shower, I was amazed at how much muck came out of them despite them looking quite clean. Car smells loads fresher now!

If your gear knob is the standard illuminated one and it's in good condition I'll offer a few quid if you're selling. I've got a pimpy chrome one on mine that I don't like.

Enjoy the car, cheers, Ian

hornel Z3M · Post by **hornel Z3M** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 19:36

Looks great spacemonkey. Dont forget to put a Simota induction kit on makes the car breathe better. What a colour welcome to the M/// Brigade

TitanTim · Post by **TitanTim** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 20:25

Looks great Space Monkey

enjoy

Tim.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon 22 Nov, 2010 21:13

Ian Kelly wrote:If your gear knob is the standard illuminated one and it's in good condition I'll offer a few quid if you're selling. I've got a pimpy chrome one on mine that I don't like.

Cheers Ian.
I'll be shampooing the carpet & mats with a wet & dry when I can borrow it off my pal.

The knob is not up to my standards mate, the illumination still works fine, but just worn. You're welcome to it once I have the replacement. I wouldn't want anything for it tbh, so even if it's a stop gap just let me know

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue 23 Nov, 2010 12:06

Just ordered:
10 litres of Silkolene Pro S Engine Oil
2 litres of Amsoil MTF G'box Oil
Earl's Braided Clutch Hose

The work will be carried out at a very local independant garage we've used for dad's, Angela's & various friend's cars for years. I thought about a specialist, but even then they wanted 1.5 hours to change the engine oil only.
Steve will doing all the above jobs as well as changing the brake fluid.

I'm now also wondering whether to replace the OEM illuminated gear knob with another one or one of these...

The titanium colour is the one I like. It's weighted & that appeals, plus the fact it's a rounder shape over OEM. I loved the round BC knob I had on the DC5 & the throw falls in much the same place in the BMW.

G2JRP · Post by **G2JRP** » Tue 23 Nov, 2010 18:26

Great car Spacemonkey

I have only had mine a few weeks.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Fri 26 Nov, 2010 11:26

Bespoke Leathering dye kit, shampoo & conditioner now ordered.
Now recieved the engine, g'box oil & braided clutch hose.
Also have received my seat bushes

I'll do aiming to tackle the bushes & dye treatment over the Xmas period when I can take my time with the work.

Updated pics as & when I get a chance to clean her too.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed 15 Dec, 2010 14:44

Right just picked her up & she's good to go for Mase to look at Saturday.
www.maseengineering.com
Just had oil, gearbox oil, oil & air filter & brake fluid changed, as well as my Earl's braided clutch hose. Just fitted the new gear knob too & it's 100x better than the POS OEM effort. I can't believe how different & nicer the throw is now. Feels like a PROPER sports car box now. I think the combo of the oil & knob have come together nicely. Apparently the box will get better after a few more miles too as the oil does it's job.
Also started working on the top secret thing from the USA. Hopefully it'll all come good.

I'll hopefully be tackling the seat bushes & treatment over the Xmas period.
I'll try to update with the dyno plots from Saturday as well as some nicer pictures.

Hang_em_high · Post by **Hang_em_high** » Wed 15 Dec, 2010 16:16

Waiting with great interest to see the top secret thing from the USA. When will you be unveiling it to the forum

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed 15 Dec, 2010 16:25

Hang_em_high wrote:Waiting with great interest to see the top secret thing from the USA. When will you be unveiling it to the forum

Working on it with the guy in the USA at the mo.
It's nothing to do with performance, just an asthetic arrangement, but something i firmly believe looks very nice.

flames247 · Post by **flames247** » Fri 17 Dec, 2010 22:22

Nice car mate... reminds me of my old one

Classic little sports car.. take it easy and happy motoring take it easy in the wet can be little drifty.

Regards,

Adam

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Sat 18 Dec, 2010 17:25

The car went over to Surrey Rolling Road today for a power run & check everything is as it should be. Fueling was spot on, torque strong flat curve & power still increasing all the way to the limiter.
She made 261.8WBHP which when using 18% transmission loses equates to 309BHP at the flywheel. Pleased with the figures as Charlie's rollers on some of the more accurate I've used.

Unfortunately Mase couldn't reflash the ECU as they software he has is for the US M version & he was worried about not being able to restore the ECU. But looking at the graphs he said I might get 10BHP more, but was impressed with the OEM graphs & commented the car was a goodun.

I'll post the graph once I've scanned it in when back at work.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Sat 18 Dec, 2010 17:53

shantybeater · Post by **shantybeater** » Sat 18 Dec, 2010 18:42

Great photo

car looks mean!! the figures sound realistic as well. Where is this mase engineering? I thought it was a US based company?

hornel Z3M · Post by **hornel Z3M** » Sat 18 Dec, 2010 19:58

Hey Spacemonkey, i bet it would have produced more power if you had cleaned the snow off the roof

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Sun 19 Dec, 2010 10:32

shantybeater wrote:Great photo car looks mean!! the figures sound realistic as well. Where is this mase engineering? I thought it was a US based company?

Thank you.
Mase Engineering is based in Florida, but he was on his European travels tuning cars. Predominately Honda's, but can map anything as long as he has supporting software.

The dyno is at Surrey Rolling Road. Charlie's rollers are Dyno Dynamics & are very highly regarding as producing very honest figures. I've been using him for about 7 years now.

If there was enough interest I could try & sort a RR day down there for power runs?

@ Hornel, we did clear some off buddy.

CrouchingWayne · Post by **CrouchingWayne** » Sat 01 Jan, 2011 17:19

Hi mate, how are you finding the car in the snow? And after coming from the Clio/DC5?

I'm interested as I'm considering an M as my semi-daily driver over my EK9 Civic Type R but am a bit concerned by the jump to RWD with no TC especially as the car isn't the safest being based on an E36!

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue 04 Jan, 2011 11:38

CrouchingWayne wrote:Hi mate, how are you finding the car in the snow? And after coming from the Clio/DC5?

I'm interested as I'm considering an M as my semi-daily driver over my EK9 Civic Type R but am a bit concerned by the jump to RWD with no TC especially as the car isn't the safest being based on an E36!

No problems at all

It'll very very different from the EK as you have to work that harder than the DC5 due to it being a 1.6 screamer. Test drive one, it'll feel very different at first with all the torque, but no complaints from me at all.
Traction is fine in the dry, in the wet it's very predictable & controllable.

I've done about 400-600 miles in this over the break & the gearbox is just getting better & better. So so different since the oil change & knob change. Also starting to get to grips with the car a bit more too. Starting to push when safe & feeling alot more confident behind the wheel.
I whipped the drivers seat out over the period for the leather treatment & although it looks alot better, I'm going to have another go when the seat comes back out to do the seat bushes (I couldn't do them as I was missing one odd sized torx bit ) . The Alpine stereo I wanted went into the Halfords sale & I've managed to save a few quid which is a result. It should be with me Friday all being well, so that'll be fitted over the weekend then I'll get some decent interior shots too.

Dolfan · Post by **Dolfan** » Wed 05 Jan, 2011 12:36

Nice, keep up the good work

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon 10 Jan, 2011 11:48

Fitted the new Alpine HU this weekend. Getting the old one out was a bit of a pest as I didn't want to mark the leather surround, but got it out. Then feeding the new ipod lead into the glove box was fun. Cue a wire coat hanger, one of Angela's hair bands, swearing & temper tantrums & it was done. Very pleased with the HU. I've had to bring the manual into work to print out (Now supplied on CD-Rom) as I can't figure out how to manually store radio presets. Unfortunately it has now showed just how sh!te the OEM speakers are. The rears are going to be disconnected as it's commonly know on the owners forums they are poor only being 3-4" 2 ways. Unless I want to chop the panel behind the seats to fit a set of components it's very veyr difficult to get a decent sound from behind. The plan is to get some 5.25" components up front & amp them. Should make a very nice difference due to the cabin being so small.

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Mon 10 Jan, 2011 14:39

I disconnected my rears, I do miss them

Jonttt · Post by **Jonttt** » Mon 10 Jan, 2011 14:49

Rather than wasting money on speakers in a convertable spent it on a louder exhaust

I have a high end headunit and am happy with the stock OEM speaker setup (but I'm no audiophile and if I was I would not put it in a convertable). The only reason I have a high end unit is for the functionality (bluetooth handsfree, sat nav and iPod interface) and I hardly ever have music on unless on the motorway, I much prefer the sound of the Eisenmanns

Badman gee · Post by **Badman gee** » Mon 10 Jan, 2011 14:55

I agree !!!

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon 10 Jan, 2011 15:11

Jonttt wrote:Rather than wasting money on speakers in a convertable spent it on a louder exhaust

The OEM makes just the right/volume of noise for me for the time being.
I love music & the standard of the OEM speakers in comparison to my last 3 cars with OEM is terrible imo. I'm not disputing the OEM speakers sounded ok in their day, but my headphones I use for the gym give me a far greater sound quality.

I have a 2 channel amp already, just need to get some components, wiring kit & some dynamat & find a day to tackle it all.

Jonttt · Post by **Jonttt** » Mon 10 Jan, 2011 19:36

Did you get the Titanium Storm Motorworks Gearstick ?

I've tried sooo many, all are better than OEM but this is the best (just cold)

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue 11 Jan, 2011 10:36

Jonttt wrote:Did you get the Titanium Storm Motorworks Gearstick ?

I've tried sooo many, all are better than OEM but this is the best (just cold)

I did, there was a bit of delay what with the adverse weather, but Bilal was a great help throughout & would gladly recommend him & his products to anyone.

The knob is fantastic, as you say cold, but I can live with that.
I will add some pictures of the interior when I get a chance.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue 15 Feb, 2011 19:09

FINALLY got some decent pics of the car today all clean.

In the last pic you can see the new gearknob & HU I've fitted. Both mate a very nice difference to me.
I've had the paper work sorted to put my plate on the car, but haven't tackled putting it on yet. The BMW bumper is pointed at the front, but pretty sure using my tried & method of heavy duty velcro coins should still work. Just makes cleaning easier.
I'll be tackling the speakers after that I think. Going to add a set of components running from an amp. I'll be redoing the door grills when I do this too as they are discoloured & it's driving me mad.

G2JRP · Post by **G2JRP** » Tue 15 Feb, 2011 20:36

Looks really good!!

Great colour

hornel Z3M · Post by **hornel Z3M** » Tue 15 Feb, 2011 23:06

Looks a really nice and well looked after M Mate. excellent We will have to meet up one day and compare

Ferdinand · Post by **Ferdinand** » Wed 16 Feb, 2011 08:24

Is that a red "Bond" button?

Great looking motor

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue 22 Feb, 2011 14:56

hornel Z3M wrote:Looks a really nice and well looked after M Mate. excellent We will have to meet up one day and compare

Where are based buddy?

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed 23 Feb, 2011 16:29

Finally got the RR graph scanned in too....

hornel Z3M · Post by **hornel Z3M** » Wed 23 Feb, 2011 17:39

Hi spacemonkey. I live in the gateway to Wales Raglan 20 mins from the severn bridge

Deano1712 · Post by **Deano1712** » Wed 23 Feb, 2011 18:22

Nice looking motor

Is that power curve at the wheels, or flywheel corrected? Seems a bit tame after 5500rpm.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed 23 Feb, 2011 18:58

Hornel - Think it's a bit far, but thanks all the same buddy.

Deano1712 wrote:Nice looking motor

Is that power curve at the wheels, or flywheel corrected? Seems a bit tame after 5500rpm.

That's the curves at the wheels.
The guy that was going to map it said it was very healthy.

Do you have a graph for comparison Dean?

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon 28 Feb, 2011 10:46

I have ordered some Loctite Superflex sealant to cure a leak I have where the soft top meets the A-pillar. Sometimes I get nothing, other times my seat can be soaked. I checked it & it seems my bung in the drainage hole has come loose on one side, so I'll be resealing that.
I'll also be address some loose fabric around the rear window & using ShantyBeater's breif guide to tackle it. Just hoping for a nice enough day to roll the car out of the garage to do it during a lunch hour as I know the hood needs to be slightly undone to get the best results. That way I can pop the car back in the garage with the roof slack over night for the sealant to go off.

I'll update this thread with some pics once I've had a go.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed 02 Mar, 2011 10:14

Well I tackled the bung & fabric around the rear window this morning before leaving for work.
The fabric around the rear windows went really well apart from one corner. The rest just tucked under & I'll just wait for the sealant to do it's stuff. But the arkward area would not stay underneath the bead. So I tucked it under & wedged a credit card to hold it. I've left it tucked in the hope it'll help the sealant grab the fabric, if not I'll have to have another go at that part. I will also have to tackle another 3-4" part as I just practised tucking the fabric without sealant first on that part to make sure I knew what I was doing so this is going to come back out, but will take 60 seconds to sort.

The bung on the other hand was a proper pest. Due to the form of the rubber surround it would not hold against the bung bespite me holding it for a while. So I injected the sealant into the void that's causing the leak & slowly layered it up & making it smooth on the face. Looked OEM when I left it, but hopefully that's rectified too.

I wish I'd of taken a pic to show the before & after on the rear screen fabric as the difference is very nice, but I'll try & get a pic of the small part I'm still to fix to show the idea behind the differences.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon 07 Mar, 2011 10:17

Well most of the soft top repair has taken nicely.
The troublesome corner has come away. I think it's due to some of the old adhesive being quite built up & causing the fabric excess travel before tucking under the bead. So I'm going to have a go at trimming some away with an artist's scapel & trying again.

Also suffering a sticky NSF brake caliper. My mech will be hopefully stripping it down & sorting it out today for me.

hornel Z3M · Post by **hornel Z3M** » Mon 07 Mar, 2011 18:27

There was a new brake caliper put on mine just before i bought it --

The bill from BMW reads Replace binding o/s brake caliper £65

Brake caliper £134.47
+ vat Total £278.53

shantybeater · Post by **shantybeater** » Mon 07 Mar, 2011 19:23

SpaceMonkey wrote:Well most of the soft top repair has taken nicely.
The troublesome corner has come away. I think it's due to some of the old adhesive being quite built up & causing the fabric excess travel before tucking under the bead. So I'm going to have a go at trimming some away with an artist's scapel & trying again.

Also suffering a sticky NSF brake caliper. My mech will be hopefully stripping it down & sorting it out today for me.

You may want to try unclipping the roof and pushing it back a tiny bit, this will alleviate the pressure and you should get the troublesome corner tucked in nice and tight (thank Jontt for this top tip)

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon 07 Mar, 2011 20:32

Hornel - He seems to think a good clean will do the trick. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Worst case I'll have it rebuilt using new seals etc.

shantybeater wrote:You may want to try unclipping the roof and pushing it back a tiny bit, this will alleviate the pressure and you should get the troublesome corner tucked in nice and tight (thank Jontt for this top tip)

I tried that bud. But after reading the replacing the rear screen thread I had a look & it seems I can just peel off the old non working adhesive which should help the fabric lay flatter & tuck further under the seal. I might give a go tomorrow whilst the mech tackles the caliper.

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue 08 Mar, 2011 20:03

Caliper fixed

A strip & clean was enough to fix it. Feels like such a difference now.

zroadster.net

Finally picked her up

Finally picked her up

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