This is perfect! Thanks so much. I will PM Lancetlink for some additional details, but this gets me going in the right direction.

Cheers

Hey gents. Its been a while and I have been quite busy. I have mostly been knocking out some body work and prepping the car for the rear portion of the body. Here are some pics on my current progress.

Front is on!

https://i.ibb.co/pL7vsXc/56159294154...F3746-EA09.jpg

First things first. Although accurate to some SWB 250 models, I am not keen on the "smiley face" shape of the grill of the car. In no way does it look bad but I want a more aggressive front. So I reshaped the grill area to match more along the lines of my go-by car. I am going to be making a custom grill all out of polished aluminum to fit the front of this car. Stay tuned for that. Here is a before and after. To me this completely changes the look of the front of the car but it does need a bit of refinement.

https://i.ibb.co/ngNBnCW/IMG-0653.jpghttps://i.ibb.co/cyYzz0w/IMG-0835.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/k6V3Rkq/IMG-0420.png

Next I deleted the roof vent. I like the cleaner lines this provides. Still needs final touch up sanding which I will knock out when prepping for paint.

https://i.ibb.co/D81Yyw3/IMG-0838.jpghttps://i.ibb.co/Hn2Qwxj/IMG-0855.jpg

I have also extended out the wiring for the back lights of the car.

https://i.ibb.co/7GdhZcw/IMG-0980.jpg

Next, I have taken the opportunity to get some interior work done before the roof goes on. This is just something I wanted to do since it is much easier now. I have boxed off the back section. This is not complete but I do need to back of the car on to go further. This will all be covered in diamond stitched leather as per original look. The access hole is for the fuel pump that will be covered with a thin piece of fiberglass for access in the future.

https://i.ibb.co/Y8jrLXn/IMG-0979.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/JKsfKsh/57082819306...-BBDBC54-A.jpg

I have also been marking up the area for the new rear window. I am going to make a custom plexiglass back window that is more in line with the original shape and i have been experimenting with how it will look. I will take a lot of pictures and post a how-to in case anyone wants to retrofit a different window in their SWB in the future.

https://i.ibb.co/ZMgsG5X/IMG-0881.jpg

And that gets us to where I am today. I am at the point where I need to run my fuel filler line and then I should be ready to install the rear portion of the car and start working on modding the doors. This is where I need you guys help!! For the life of me I cannot get this fuel cap base(?) out of the filler tube. Could you guys let me know what you did to get it off? It looks like it should just pull out but it is not budging for me.

https://i.ibb.co/7Nf7WBn/57083186650...A8-E6-B805.jpg

Lastly,

My kick came with 2 rear boot panels. One fits nicely, the other does not. Any idea what the second one is?

Cheers guys

https://i.ibb.co/L6rXCRP/IMG-0978.jpg

Ace,

Justin's newest

http://www.891vhx.co.uk/

Hey Jeff,

This helps out a lot. Thank you for the help! I definitely do need to go back a shrink wrap all of the wire connections. That was an oversight on my part.

Agreed on the wood paneling. I took a gamble on the fit. I will be using aftermarket seats that are "thinner" in the mid section than the OEM Z3 seats so I was hoping that would make the fit. If not, I will modify to make room.

So the petrol cap does pull off? I will have to be more forceful with it in the morning then. I am just wearing of cracking the plastic filler tube that goes into the tank.

Thanks again!

The rear window they have done does look good. May have to reach out to them on it.

There may be a small rivet at the 3 o'clock on the filler tube that must be drilled out. It is near the bottom of the metal filler end. Just feel around for it.

There are 2 different boot floor panels, facelift and pre-facelift, looks like Chris has sent you both types.
As Jeff has pointed out, the rear bulkhead will interfere with the seats.

Good afternoon Ace with the bulkhead in that position what provision are you making for the seat belt mountings? Geoff .

My plan is to use true to era lap buckling seatbelts with no shoulder strap.

Hey Jeff,

You are right. I may go ahead and pick up the seats I want to use to see how much interference there is and adjust accordingly. Thanks for the reference photo!


BTW gents I was finally able to get the fuel cap base off (albeit its basically destroyed). Waiting for my sealant to dry and I can finish running the filler tube.

Progress report?

I also filled the roof vent. Looks much cleaner.

I was finally able to get the fuel filler steel cap off, albeit I almost completely destroyed it in the process. I have gotten the 90 degree elbow sealed up and have ran my fuel filler line. Friday I will put the back portion of the car on to check for any clearance issues.

I agree, I like the shaved roof vent look.

Hint. Not so obvious, but when you drill the holes for your windshield washer jets, drill them on an appropriate angle.
I re-worked mine to hit the windscreen and not the wiper blades.

Liking your smiley face mod too! Good work!

I would advise strongly against filling the vent in!
We filled two for two separate customers to their requirements and they both complained that the wish they had not.
When the sun comes out the fibreglass roof acts like an oven. The air is funnelled in though the sliding side window and heats up quickly but it has nowhere to exit. It does not even have to be height of summer. Both cars had air-conditioning but still was unbearable.
One we cut back out and the other had a perspex/Lexan rear window so fitted an aluminium vent in the glass.

My intention is to use an aluminum vent in the Lexan rear window.
Good advise!

Same here! The summers are brutal where I live.

Hey Jeff,

This is great, thank you for sharing. I may also look into putting some kind of heat shield insulation between the roof and the roof liner. Having this vent in the back window should definitely get the air flowing out of the vehicle. Especially where I live in the summer time where is easily gets 40C in August/September.

What do you guys think of this SWB that does not have an external fuel cap? My guess is Ferrari ran it in the trunk like they do with the 250 GT Lusso.

It looks really clean to me and I am considering locating my filler cap to the trunk as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3FO...cRVPal-1A&t=0s

Be very careful of ventilation if locating the filler in the trunk.

If you want to disguise it (as long as it's high enough) it may be possible to use the rear vent as a dummy which is hinged to reveal the filler cap underneath.