Jag's 250SWBc build
 

Been uming and aring about what to build. I did like the 250GTO but decided against it as I thought I would have trouble finishing the bodywork to a good enough standard.
I then came across a Simpson design Italia which look much easier to build and finish, which I bought.
Then Chris started on the 250swb convertible and I knew that was what I was after as I wasn't too happy using a 1.8 as a base car.
I placed an order with Chris at the beginning of the month, I thought if I waited, the waiting list after the kit car show would probably mean I wouldn't get it before xmas.
I had been intending to buy my donor from copart as a cat C or D insurance write off. They seen to sell for between £700>£1100 for a good 2.8 manual. Of course as soon as I decide I want one, all they have is 1.9's which doesn't interest me at all.
It must be a 2.8 or 3.0, manual and air con. Not too bothered about colour but the final colour would depend on the donor. I think there is nothing worse than lifting a bonnet on a red car to find a green engine bay.
I was hoping for

Silver, would paint it gunmetal grey with a red interior
or
Red, would paint it Audi Masano Red, this is a very bright scarlet
or
Blue, would paint it tour de france blue or Blu Elettrico

I have just picked up a nice(ish) 2000 2.8 manual with air con in blue so it's the last option colour wise.
Bit of rust in one of the rear wings but the main problem is that it will only rev to 2000revs and won't go any higher, suspect camshaft sensor or the sensor on the throttle pedal.
Bought unseen and delivered. Car was £775 so am hoping to get most of the purchase price back from the sale of the parts. Full service history and a folder full of bills.
I need to get it running properly first so I can get it MOT'd. I have a local painter and body man so will need to run it backwards and forwards so he can check my preparation.


Kit is coming just after the Stoneleigh so I will be visiting the show and taking my sharp pointy stick, just in case Chris needs prodding!

I'm not going to post a full build as Eric has done such a good job with his, but will post problems and work arounds. I have found Chris to be very helpful so will be bending his ear a lot too.

I have managed to get a bargain set of MWS chrome bolt on wires for £190, the chrome is past it so they are going to Tudor classics to be "chrome" powder coated at a cost of £56 each. Being bolt on it means I can still use BMW spare in an emergency, BUT I fancy twin tailpipes and from my brief glimpse underneath it looks as if I have twin tail pipes I will have to lose the spare wheel as it will be blocked and/or in the way of the pipe. Anyone have an ingenious work around?

Hi Jag,

Welcome to the 250 club!

For twin pipes I had to completely remove the spare due to size of back boxes, so drive around with one of those compressed air can puncture repair thingys in the boot. My wife has a touran and the come with same setup and no spare. So for me that's fine.

It might be possible to fit twins without taking spare away but you'll probably end up with straight through so with no baffles and the tailpipes will run out wide at the back. As you may know to get the spare out you have to drop it down and I hen pull it out towards the back of the car, so any work around would have to go around the side of the basket its in.

Mines same blue as yours but going silver as there isn't much in terms of colour in engine bay and door shuts will be blacked out eventually. Each to their own I guess.

Pictures of progress are always appreciated!

Cheers

Jag - There seems to have been a few different routes taken for tail pipes.

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/...pslmbs1jft.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...413_094225.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cU...=w1624-h914-no

Good luck with the build, Paul. :)

PS
Not sure why WC’s photo is HUGE!

Thanks for the pictures, I had intended to go with 2 sets of twin slash pipes at the rear but looking at the pictures WCA may be the way to go. It looks identical to my old TVR.
My cunning plan is to make the system up out of pvc waste pipe using set bends, then reproducing it in stainless. Getting the bends right is the tricky bit, cutting the lengths should be straight forward. There are loads of bends and couplers on Ebay.
Looks like it may not be possible to keep the spare although WCA route looks as though it might be possible with a little rerouting.
I was also thinking about adding a short length of flexi pipe on both pipes, simply to act as a rear bumper, as soon as you hear the couch you know you have hit the high kerb. Rather hit the pipes than the bodywork and with a flexi it should take up a small nudge.

Look forward to following your build thread when you get that far.

Cheers, Bob.

Not going too well so far, Have been trying to get it to rev over 2k but no luck. My cheap reader came up with a fault for the idea control valve, what a bugger to get to. Anyway when you shake it it is meant to rattle but they get gummed up. Mine had no rattle so a good spray with brake cleaner and it now rattles well. However on reinstalling it the fault code has been cleared and stayed cleared but it still won't rev. I have changed both cam sensors even though they weren't showing as a fault but no luck. I have unplugged the man and again no difference. Anyone have any bright ideas? The light with a circle and arrow is lit between the dials.

On a more positive note, I managed to get a set of the chrome windscreen trims, bit of a bugger to get off, they are held in place with double sided tape and a couple of plastic rivets on each trim.I trimmed back the rubber windscreen trim and popped of the centre joiner at the top of the windscreen. Working from the top I pushed a long thin screwdriver between the trim and screen surround. The trick is to pry the trim gently up with the screwdriver and use the screwdriver to cut between the tape and the car. Great care is needed not to crease the trim.
If I were to do it again I would use an old sharpened screwdriver and a paint stripper gun to help melt the glue on the tape.

Next will be the tricky bit, refitting! I thick blobs of silicone will be the best idea.

When Nubodi's SWB convertible donor Z3 was delivered to our workshop it wouldn't rev above tick over. Richard sent down a new MAF sensor and that fixed the problem. Not sure if that could be a similar problem with your car.

Thanks Chris, I'll give it a go. I had unplugged the MAF and it made no difference so I presumed it was ok.

Give me a good old set of points and some carbs any day.

I did have what seemed to be the same problem a couple of years back on the wife's E46 and it turned out to be the throttle pedal podometer so I was feeling pretty confident with one, that was until I found out it just had a standard throttle cabe.

The fault with the MAF sensor was on a 3.0i and because its 'fly by wire' then the car would start but not rev at all.
As yours is a 2.8 and has a cable throttle I would go for idle control valve. Ive just replaced one on our Kobra demonstrator and that revs perfectly now. It had the same symptoms you describe.
New, Ebay or breaker (Pucko 07772282018)
Its a pig to get off though!

Thats for the info Richard. My code reader was showing the idle control valve as being at fault. I removed it (what a bugger of a job just because I couldn't get to the jubilee clip nuts!) and found that it didn't "click,clack" when you shook it, I cleaned it out with brake cleaner and it now click, clacks as soon as you shake it.
The code has also not reappeared.
From googling it seems that if you remove the MAF sensor plug and the car dies then the MAF is good, if it carries on running the MAF is bad and it has reverted to a default setting in the ECU. Mine carries on running so hopefully is the problem. I ordered a replacement MAF from Ebay last night for £25 so will try that first. If not then back to the ICV, at least now it should be simple to remove as I made sure that the clip nuts were all accessible without having to resort to using a double jointed dwarf!
Will keep you posted.

Luckily we have a double jointed dwarf who works for us....called Wayne. Come and see him at Stoneleigh.

Those aftermarket MAF's can be poor quality and may not last long, better a secondhand genuine Bosch one.

Jag, another thing to check is the Cat. I had a similar issue and it was a blocked cat.

I know what you mean about quality, trouble with buying second hand is if you replace it and there is no change you don't know if it's a different problem or the 2nd hand unit is faulty. If the new cheap Ebay Maf works then I'll pick up a 2nd hand Bosch unit and swap it over, that way I will know if it works or not.

I may need to borrow your double jointed dwarf at some time!

Cat is something I had taken on board that could be a problem, It's the last thing in my "to try" list as it's the most awkward, I thought it was also quite unlikely, but now you give me the good news that as you had the problem it might not be so unlikely.

Have a Corsa here, started it up and then unplugged the MAF, no difference in running so the google idea that it will cut out if it is a good MAF is false.

Most cars run if you unplug the maf. The ecu sees the maf is disconnected and runs with a default engine map.

Another internet theory trashed!!

In that case if the MAF was FUBAR then the car should run and rev over 2k?

So it definitely sounds like a MAF problem in my very inexperienced opinion, its stuck in limp home mode? have you disconnected the batter and left it off for a while before reconnecting to see if that works to clear the limp home mode first?

Both disconnected the battery and reset using a code reader. As soon as the engine is run and revved the MIL tight come on. The light with the circle and arrow between the clocks is also on and won't go out either with the battery or the code reader.

That sounds like the traction control light no? is it this icon?

http://www.diagnostic-world.com/_fam...04926.6868.jpg

That's the one. I had a problem with an E46 a while ago and that light came on when the engine went into limp mode due to a failed cam sensor.

So as I love these kind of puzzles I spoke to a die hard BMW lover and he quickly said its probably

• Failed MAF
• Faulty wheel Speed Sensor
• your cat box - its breaks up into pieces and blocks the exhaust

To test the Cat, just remove it temporarily start the engine (noisy) but if it clears after revving it for a moment you have found your fault.

Good luck!

In my experience when you try and remove part of an old rusty exhaust you end up needing a complete new system! Maybe Should use a smaller hammer?

What is the faulty wheel sensor? would this prevent it from revving considering the codes have been cleared and the car is being revved standing still?

Well you only need to unbolt it from one end of the pipe, to release any potential back pressure...

On the faulty sensor as its located on the rear axle, apparently it triggers the safe mode to protect the box in case there is a mechanical fault.

Again heed to my disclaimer its only feedback I am getting from a BMW addict he had something similar that turned out to be the the DSC/ABS module on his 330 but they did the other checks first.

Good Luck!

The cat will be part of the front pipe - so in this case 6 nuts as it joins the manifold

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CATALYTIC-...EAAOSwwbdWH9pp

Bloody car, swapped out both camshaft sensors, removed and cleaned the icv and replaced the MAF. Have held back on removing the downpipe as I think a blocked cat very unlikely.
Still not revving over 2k but still showing an IVC fault on my cheap Ebay scanner. Sod the expense, bought a 2nd hand IVC on Ebay of £10 inc postage. This time due to all jubilee clips being in the right place it only took 20 minutes. While I was in there I noticed the throttle body flap was stiff, gave it a couple of taps and a squirt of WD40 and it freed off straight away. Now revs perfectly so whizzed it in for an MOT but failed on the handbrake. All stripped and cleaned so hopefully a pass tomorrow, although I will replace both rear discs, handbrake pads and give the callipers a good clean up when I start stripping it. Should make it a cheap doner.
Was a bit disappointed at the performance from a lightweight 2.8, maybe spoilt by my other cars, time will tell.
Got to start sharpening my sharp pointy stick ready for my gee up visit to Stoneleigh! (Only kidding Chris)

Handbrake cable.

This is a problem with my handbrake, cable is seized and partially broken halfway down on both cables. I have just bought a pair of replacement cables and they just push in through the body to the handbrake. The cables on the car at present look as if they have a nut on them as they enter the car from underneath but I can't get a spanner to fit. It's hard to see with all the crud and it's not the easiest place to get when working on the drive.
Does anybody know if they have to be unbolted or just pulled through?
My seized cable is about to snap so don't want to just keep tugging if it is a bolt on fitting.

Right, got the buggers out, they are a push fit but had corroded in. I had to cut the inner cables under the car, then remove the hand brake assembly and pull through the inners. I then used a drift to punch the outer cable out from the inside of the car.
I think this bloody car is going to fight me all the way.

Hi Jag,

You will have seen from my "Contemporary" thread that I am in no rush to buy a donor, but how on earth do you find one for £750? Richard's advice is to not worry too much about mileage and concentrate on condition. I think there is a lot of learning I have to do yet.

I thought I overpaid! It was on Ebay and the seller was fed up because it had already been sold once but the buyer never made contact, a common problem. It was £775 or best offer.
The pictures all looked good, went onto DVLA's MOT history and the last MOT had no advisories and all the previous MOT's had been failed or had advisories for very minor items, so I was pretty sure it wasn't a rust bucket. It was listed with no MOT and although it started and ticked over perfectly it wouldn't rev over 2k. He couldn't get it to the MOT test because it wasn't running properly.
I then checked the sellers feedback, 100% and all very good, I had asked for the address so I knew how far away he was, using the address I use google maps, drop the little man in front of the buyers house and have a look around. Are there piles of rusty cars on the drive, does the road look like something you would expect to see in Syria. This all looked good except the car was 140 mile away.
I was going to offer him £675 cash transferred into his bank account straight away, but he was driving home and wouldn't be back for 2 hours and would phone me as soon as he was back.
The advert was a buy it now so if I waited for 2 hours someone else may well hit the buy it now so for the sake of £100 I hit the buy it now button.
I then had the car collected £160, 140 miles away, There are lots of car delivery services on Ebay, just don't take the first price, this much cheaper than the train fare, days insurance, petrol, and a day to do it.
Buying a car like this is a risk, it is doing everything that you shouldn't. Always speak to the buyer, this will tell you a lot, if you feel unsure walk away, there will be another.
I'm hoping to get back about £500 in the parts, don't be greedy, list them at a reasonable buy it now price and they will sell, be greedy and you'l have bits of scrap around your garden this time next year.

When buying a car Ebay is always best, be prepared to take a risk and be prepared to travel. Don't wait and think about it, hit the buy it now button or call the seller and make a decent offer. Most buyers are lazy, it needs to be the right price, distance and need nothing doing. Keep searching Ebay every hour or so, my car had only been up for 40 minutes, it wouldn't be there in a couple of hours.
Condition is always important but so is mileage, this one has a full service history and 120K on the clock. I wouldn't be happy about buying one with much more mileage, especially an auto box, with an auto I wouldn't buy one with more than 80k on the clock. I had to get a recon auto box fitted to a 525 that I used to own, cost £3500 to replace and that was cheap and 15 years ago Manual gearboxes tend to go on for ever and clutches aren't too expensive.
I've fixed the revving problem, it failed the MOT on the handbrake, have fitted two new handbrake cables £35, pig of a job but now Mot'd and I can start stripping it in preparation of my kit in 2 weeks time.

On balance, sounds like a dream ticket, a donor vehicle in decent nick for a couple of hundred net. As you say though, it is not risk free. I'm glad you were able to address the niggles quickly and cost effectively. I have used the google street view trick before.

I have been gathering prices and details off gumtree today, and am getting a better idea of price range and mileage for the 2.2 and 2.8s. I will probably get the doner earlier rather than later so as to drive it and get it fettled before using it for the kit. I am aiming for something in the 50k to 80k range, as I plan to keep the re-modeled car for quite a few years.

My wife thinks it is OK for me to have a fun car, she just doesn't know the whole plan yet. She thought the NG was a waste of time, but softened as the sale value paid for her dental work.

Anyhow, the whole Tribute thing is tremendously exciting, both as a kit development, as well as the fun it has given to all the individuals building them. Long may it last.

Gumtree always seems to be more expensive and there seems to be a lot more scammers than on Ebay. The good thing about Ebay is the feedback, if it's poor just walk away.

Managed to spend the afternoon on the car, first time I have done any work on it to prepare for the kit which hopefully I will be collecting on Monday.
Spent 4 hours on it and managed to completely strip it all except for the bonnet which I will leave until the replacement is here.
One thing I did do was turn the rear crash bar upside down and I think that this will allow me to have the new section of boot floor level. I could also be naughty and trim the boot aperture at the rear and make the boot appear as if it were one boot without the divide caused by the old rear lights and lock panel.
i will try and post some pictures later.

trim the boot aperture at the rear

How stiff is the rear of the car with that bit removed?

Thinking that removing it might make the back end flex side to side causing issues with the body having to flex.

It's only a single skin panel. Below it is a double skin panel which holds the crash bar and boot floor. The single skin above appears to be there simply to bolt the rear lights to and for the boot latch.

Any links on how to post photo buck pictures, ideally a idiots guide.

Just removed the rad fan to find no cooling pipe for the power steering. The soft hose has just been joined together, must have had a leak at some time. Should be able to make a replacement from copper pumping pipe. Might have to buy a thinner fan as well but will wait until I trial fit the bonnet.

Smart arse!

How's it done in terms a 5 year old can understand

1) open the image in Photio bucket

2) Right Click and select Copy Image Location

3) Start a post on here with [img ] but without the space after the g

4) Paste the Image Location you copied from Photoibucket

5) Add [/img ] after the link but again without the space after the g

Thank you from a very happy 5 year old :eusa_clap: