That's a great touch. This is coming together as a high quality kit.

I spy the new dash top too. Or is that photo a political-like leak :bolt:

It was just one of our GTO dash's thrown in there. It will be the start point for an SWB dash cover. A mould will be taken from forward edge of Z3 dash (with same mounting points) and blended with the more period face
http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psrzuwsibf.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pscazojix8.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psfpayxulm.jpg

I'm thinking I might line the (round) Z3 clock and heater controls (with aftermarket chrome trim rings http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3007201954...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT ) up along the dash to mimic the auxiliary gauges on this SWB.

Just throwing some ideas out there...

If you have a foreign registered vehicle they cannot fine you. There is an agreement across Europe where fines can cross borders, guess what, the UK have opted out.
I forgot to pay a month ago, they are still letting you off with paying the £3 instead of a fine of £35.

Hi Mr T,
No pressure intended but do you know when you will be starting you 250 swb build?. I'm really looking forward to following some one build one of these and I reckon you will be doing a proper job. :icon_biggrin:

ufo17, it will be worth watching the Kebab being built by Chris who will hopefully put some assembly pictures up soon.
It will give you an overall idea then you can follow up with the amazing detail that the home builders give.

Cheers, Bob.

Hi UFO, glad you have faith in my abilities. :)

It's possible that I'll get the funds together to purchase a donor and body kit this summer. I'm looking to do a 'budget' build and don't really want to spend more than £7,500.

I've started sourcing some bits and pieces for the build - already posted pics of my wheels and I'm picking up the seats tomorrow - and I've got an image in my head of what I want the finished article to look like, as I did with my Spyder.

I'll be going for the 'road car that gets used on the track' look with Lusso seats, dash and luggage straps but Competizione deleted bumpers, sliding windows and racing roundels.

As Hurnleft says, it's worth watching the pro's put one together first to get a grip of the basics before us amateur builders throw our ideas into the mix.

Mine will (hopefully) look as if it competed on the track in '59, but I expect there'll be a few built with a more modern twist too. Vive la difference!

As we're talking about details you'll no doubt be interested to know that the first SWB raced at Sebring in March 1960 where they finished 4th,5th and 6th (courtesy of Alan Boe and Ken Goss).

Mr T is it leather rover seats you have gone with?

Matching car and luggage
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/w...collection.jpg

Yep, perfect condition, black leather, front and rear Rover 45 saloon seats for £100 and they're only a few miles away in Wiggenhall St Germans. Will post pics when I've picked them up. :)

Ooh, yeah. Nice pic. I'm aiming to use the space where the hood usually goes on the Z3 as a luggage shelf with leather straps and will restage that picture once I've got the car on the road (don't hold your breath). I even have Sir Stirling's hair style, although I don't have any orange slippers yet...

Keep your eyes open at car boots Mr Towed, you may be lucky enough to spot a shopping bag with a "7" on it! :-)

I think I've got one somewhere with 7-11 on it...

bargain price

i have a bag with 7 on it buts its canvas and motorbike orientated

http://i3.cpcache.com/product/758035...=225&width=225

7 bags
http://www.myfashionlife.com/wp-cont...-%C2%A3200.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psvrrzmd5i.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psm6jfevtv.jpg

Dimensions as follows:

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psf2ljyejq.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psng5aitgw.jpg

So, just to confirm those dimensions in case my high-tech drawings aren't legible -

Base front to rear max 60cm

Base max width (including adjusters) 55cm front, 50cm rear

Base height from floor to seat min 24cm (driver's height adjustable)

Seat back height (at comfortable angle) 74cm

Seat back width max 50cm

Seat runner length 45cm

Seat runner track width (outside edge to outside edge) 51cm.

Can someone with a Z3 measure their seats for comparison purposes please. :)

Couldn't resist putting the few parts I've accumulated so far together

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pshxgp9i7r.jpg

And going for a test-drive...

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psqoddssoa.jpg

I have a few more parts to fit of course and it needs spraying (obviously), but I think it's coming together quite nicely. :)

Ha ha ha ha. Love it that made me smile I remember the same with the sammio bodyshell if. I remember correctly

Maybe a wallet will suffice till you get the whole car??

http://www.gtolondon.com/2012/250-swb/

The website has some lovely cuff links etc as well

Ha Ha, That's hilarious:loco::loco::loco:. build thread already started then Mr T. I think those rubber band tyres are a bit modern though and the fibre glass doesn't look up to Tributes usual standard its so thin you can see through it:wink:

OMG! That wallet costs two and a half times what I paid for my seats. WTF?

Forgot to say how great those seats look, cant believe how cheap they were either. Nice find.

Yep, bargain. Just hope they'll fit...

BMW Z3 standard seat dimensions

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s...E9FD8FE544.jpg

Rover Dimensions. - Z3 dimensions

Base front to rear max 60cm. - 530mm

Base max width (including adjusters) 55cm front, 50cm rear. - 525/533

Base height from floor to seat min 24cm (driver's height adjustable). - 240

Seat back height (at comfortable angle) 74cm. - 760 shoulder height/970 top of h/rest

Seat back width max 50cm. - 533mm

Seat runner length 45cm. - 500mm/ 345 between centres of fixing holes

Seat runner track width (outside edge to outside edge) 51cm. - 400mm between centre of fixing holes / 425 outside edge-outside edge.

Thanks for those measurements YC, it looks like the Rover seats are going to be a comfortable fit then. Yipee! :)

Bag 1 and 5 look good. Quite sturdy looking. Strong shape and structure. Just needs stripes or numbered spot

Satchel and small sports bag. I would prob have GTE z on mine :)

why stay true to the original...nice bit of photoshop
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/20...so-d8ja3jr.jpg

I do hope that's photoshopped.

If not, that twin turbine sound is Sergio Pininfarina and Enzo Ferrari spinning in their graves.

Sacrilege.

Some things are just plain tasteless. Coincidentally I found this wonderful critique of customer taste on Longstone Tyres web site earlier today -

Some people think that an e-type Jaguar looks good with a white wall tyre. They are wrong. However we can supply the 205/70SR15 Hercules white band tyre. This is a tyre fitted by a lot of car dealers because the price is low. The speed rating is not really suited to an E-type Jaguar, but we have to accept we are in business to make a living so here they are.

XJ6 Tyres
The Jaguar XJ6 was the first production car to fit the new low profile tyre technology in the size ER/70VR15 (which is the same as a 205/70VR15).

The tyre we have here is a 205/70SR15 Hercules. With a thin white band on one side. This white band can be fitted facing inboard so you can't see it and your car wouldn't be made to look vulgar by having a white band on its tyres. this 205/70SR15 Hercules tyre has a speed rating that is not really suited to an XJ6 however at present it is the lowest price tyre in that size.


Oh I do like their style. :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferrari-Fu...:B:WNA:GB:1653Ha ha i knew would upset...the car is quite famous yes its photoshopped

Did you buy the ferrari fuel cap earlier....ooops link at the top on my phone with fat fingers

Wasn't me that bought the filler cap. Will be using some sort of Aston style myself.

Thank goodness those massive wires are photoshopped, that's all I can say on the matter.

Oh, it is the wheels you object to, I thought it might be the rounders or the fact it is not silver. :-)

Not really suited = actually illegal.

I was surprised when my tyre shop said that winter tyres "didn't really need" to be properly speed rated.

I bought the Falken Euro All Weather tyres specifically because they were V rated to match the 150mph E-Type wheels on the 143mph Z3 car.

Isit illegal to run tyres that are rated below the cars VMax?

My Merc is limited to 206mph which is above the current tyre rating and it passed the MOT

In the UK you can run lower rated tyres provided you don't go over the speed rating.

That's okay then, never been over 150 in the UK

No, I actually really like that dark burgundy red colour.

On the tyre speed rating thing, in the UK it's perfectly legal for private car owners to fit tyres of any speed rating to any car as you can't legally drive at more than 70mph ( I can though, muhahaha. Muhahahaha!).

In Germany of course, there are stretches of autobahn where you can drive as fast as the car will go (and the traffic will allow), so it's a legal requirement to have the correct speed rating.

In Italy it doesn't matter what tyres you fit as long as they look really stylish.

In America it's important to fit the worst tyres you can find so that your family can sue the manufacturer when you crash and burn.

And if you're a car dealer with a Z3 for sale it's important you fit bald tyres and put in the ad that it's got a/c and cruise control even though it bloody hasn't...

The Motor Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2001
Quote:
16. Tyres
6. Each wheel on each axle shall be equipped with a tyre which has a load capacity such that when the axle is loaded to its maximum permitted axle weight, the weight transmitted to the road surface by that tyre does not exceed that load capacity.

7. The speed capability of all tyres fitted shall be not less than the maximum design speed of the vehicle.

Has the law been changed since then? Or is it just for new vehicles (why)?

I would expect an insurance company to evade the claim if lower rated tyres were found to be on a crashed vehicle even if they didn't cause the event.

That's my understanding too Ian, it isn't just the outright speed capability, with that come the ability to withstand the power which is transmitted through the sidewall without rupturing the fabric.

Insurance companies tend to check out such 'trivia'. The last proposal form I had they wanted to know the make and size details of each tyre fitted to the car??? Not sure if you were supposed to contact them if you happened to have a puncture...