I've been umming and arring over this for a week. Apart from the distance to collect, I'm wary about “Running perfectly when removed”. This always seems an excuse as to why it no longer runs for the new buyer.

I've always found when finishing a car that no-one questions how long it took. The quality of the final effort is the most important result. In any case, I always hoped you had a 'private income' from a rich family and didn't need to worry about trivialities like earning a living :p:

Side window mods
 

Template of side window made from the wooden buck:

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps87836783.jpg

Surprisingly close:

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3e424176.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps024ad29d.jpg

Not perfect but much better:
http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psb767f2ad.jpg

Yay whoop whoop........ Nice one Chris!

that does look good. any pics from further back to see how it works with the full roof profile

I will take some better pics.

looking good! that little modification really makes a huge difference.

I bet that was a huge amount of work too!
Big improvement though.

The pressure really was on you for this Chris!
Well done.

Looks great!

window frames.
 

Here is a door glass frame using a bm window guide rear upright and a Fiat 500 door rail. Not sure if photo will come through.

New 250 Window Mod
 

Looks Great !

How easy is that going to be to do for us home builders?

chrome trim round the roof line looks good

All mods are pre-production/moulding, so there will be no modifications for the home builder to do, unless they want to. The kit will be mostly bolted to the existing Z3 mounting points, with bonding (sikaflex/tiger seal) around the windscreen area and internal fitting panels for the rear section. The front section will lift for access, but will also have a separate bonnet.

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...pscb5ab8e3.jpg

It's Reliant Scimitar, but I am trying to source something similar for the production kits.

Looking very nice...
This might sound like a silly idea..as usual...but how about making a small
panel that can be stuck/bonded to the top of the windscreen, like a sunstrip, but on the outside, colour coded to the car, to effectively 'lower' the windscreen
height, so the line of the screen flows from the front of the doors.......

Very nice modification, great choice of door mirror too. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JitnDHuU8TE

Any progress to report?

I enjoyed that 'T' I would even put up with it in yellow...

(Said in an M&S smooth advertising voice) This isn't just yellow. This is Giallo fly Ferrari yellow. :)

Dream job. Dream car. Me now dreaming about building and owning one...

I really like the Ferrari yellow. :cool:

And it would be nice to see someone paint a Tribute in that colour.

Paul, the wait might not be so long... as suggested by Danny my MX250 is awaiting the final decision on colour. I am ruling out the red and probably the white as there are already some great examples of this about but I still want something period... blue is in my mind too with a white stripe?

Ferrari side markers / indicators
 

These Altissimo items are available from Christian via the german ebay or after contact, directly and Paypal. Altissimo part number 414.12.18. This week they cost me 93E = £76

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Seitenblinker...3D300711926657

Bought those Indicators from that seller , when I first started , Geoff .

Been looking at lots of pictures of SWB interiors and trying to find suitable seats.

The race cars tend to be fitted with small buckets, similar to AC Cobra seats, but the road going cars have an assortment of far more comfy looking armchair style seats.

I had decided that MGB seats would fit the bill,

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5542fd99.jpg

and was surfing for 'MG leather seats' on ebay when I had a moment of inspiration. On finding these Rover 45/MGZS seats it triggered a vague memory of possibly seeing something similar in a 250 SWB.

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psfc1035d7.jpg

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1913674076...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

A bit more surfing and I rediscovered this link to a customer specified road car -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2622155f.jpg

http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/...%2012-Cylinder

So, a pair of period looking leather seats for under £100, and maybe even turn the rears into a Top Gear style sofa, preferably without the H982FKL number plate attached in case the premium Argentinian cow hides they're covered in attack...

Yep the rover seats are very retro....

The B seats might fit but I wonder if the squabs of the MG/Rover ones are too high to allow head room?

Good point, they might need a bit of modification to the frame.

Mind you, the Z3 seats aren't exactly compact -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5e4294a4.jpg

Compared to -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pseeb509e2.jpg

The Rover seats might even be a bit lower...

I didn't realise the z3 seats were that tall as the driving position feels low. Though I when I removed one from the car because the electric drive motor jammed I notice it must weigh about 40kgs.
Good find on the MG ones.

Sorry to dip back so far into this thread, but do the Jag bolt on's just bolt on to the Beemer hubs or do they need modification first?

I see there's not much in it PCD wise, they're 5x120.65 while the BMW has 5x120. Is it just a case of elongating the holes by .65mm?

I know you guys are always busy but it'd be nice to hear if there's been any progress... :eyebrows:

You're right about the difference in pcd and obviously it wouldn't be a good idea to elongate the holes due to that affecting the mounting tapers needed to locate the wheel.
Eccentric washers are available for this and are widely used, though I have no experience of using them. They're known as 'wobble bolts' and look like this

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/150408_x800.jpg

I found them on this American site via a quick google
http://www.ecstuning.com/ES2142850/

I measured a pair of MG/Rover seats at yesterday's Restoration Show and think they'll be too wide for a Z3 - though it was a rough and ready measurement. Whereas on the Z3 the rear of the backrest is tapered to be narrower than the front face, on the MG its wider. The front face is about 15mm wider than the Z3 whilst the rear face is more than 40mm wider. I suppose you may get away with it if you sit close to the steering wheel and don't push the seat far back.

Thinking about this, is the centre bore of the Jag larger than the BM? If so you'll need a spigot washer to locate the wheel if using wobble bolts as otherwise it will be difficult to centralise the wheel.
Chris has fitted these wheels to his SWB so I'm sure will be able to advise you.

Interesting, were they this type you measured?

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pseeb509e2.jpg

40mm wider at the back is only four fifths of an inch to find each side. Once I've purchased a donor (don't hold your breath) a bit of clearance measuring will tell me if I can get away with fitting budget leather seats.

On the wheel front, I've been struggling to find a look I like. All the originals I've seen have dished Borrani wires - beautiful but two grand+ each.

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps868ef00b.jpg

The only wires I've found that look the part for anything like the sort of money I'd consider are AC/Aston/Morgan 6x15 with a 10mm ET from MWS, but these would still swallow about £260 per corner (with adaptors and 3 eared spinners) plus tyres of course.

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psd1ff7719.jpg

http://shop.mwsint.com/product_details.asp?id=490

For half that price I thought about having new steels banded an inch (sprayed silver) -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Set-of-4-B...item258e565c08

http://www.bandedsteelwheels.co.uk/#!price-list/c1ez2

But, I might just have found a budget compromise -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8d8f07c6.jpg

They have the dished look I want and I could always upgrade to the AC wires when funds allow...

I have a set of Jag wire wheels, recently powder coated, available for a reasonable price.

My old jag wires bolted straight on even with the 0.65mm difference (how wide is a human hair?) using over length BMW tapered bolts (solid not sleeved)and the centre bore was spot on with no spigots needed. All dumb luck, take a chance on ebay stuff :nod: They are a tad wobbly at 45 and 70mph but after some rotation from front to back has proved usable. I will be replacing them when funds allow (that won't be soon) with these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROCKET-RAC...item7b6d616d53

with gray centres. Period looking and scratch my Hot Rod itch.:decision:

I do like those Rocket 'rod wheels, they'll look pretty cool.

The 7x15, ET10 BBS's look like superb value though at around £100 to £200 per set and they'll definitely fit without fouling anywhere.

Small progress
 

The need to earn some money has slowed the SWB development down, anyone who is self employed will know how taking a holiday is a financial nightmare, but back on it now.

After marking out the side vents on the car in pencil, I sprayed them in black to check how they would look once cut in the bodywork:

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5243f903.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps903f83e6.jpg

These were then transferred to an old bonnet of the same curvature. Easier to construct and mould the vents on a bench than the car:

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psa06e57d1.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6cefe363.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps15cf3cc8.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2447636d.jpg

Still lots of work to do on the shape. Once perfected they can be splash mould and 4 handed vent produced and the rears sectioned to reduce the height compared to the fronts, then cut into and bonded to the car/buck,

And with a set of those £19 chrome/plastic 3 ear spinners from Europa will look great.

Coming along nicely now, those penciled/infilled vents look pretty convincing in the photos.

Yep, that's what I was thinking. I do like the look of the MWS dished wires but I have a suspicion that the short ET and 1.25" extra per side that the adaptors push the wheels out would lead them to foul the arches.

I did find this useful tool for checking the difference between different wheel/tyre/offset combinations -

http://www.willtheyfit.com/

Combine that with this site to compare original BMW fitment -

http://www.wheel-size.com/size/bmw/z3/

This is how I can be pretty sure that 7x15's with ET10 will fit within the arches. :ranger:

MWS Cobra wires
 

Your right, the MWS 6 x 15 wires do stick out a bit, the ET is actually -16 so they stick out alot