Bye to 275/400i
 

Hi Steve,
I have dug out this photo my wife took as the 275/400i disappeared from sight.

275 / Z3 return to progress
 

Hi All,
First of all, a big thank you to all those who sent me PMs and emails wishing a speedy return to full health. I haven't been idle while being laid up and have done a lot of thinking.
So, Plan B: I have abandoned the concept of retaining the Z3 one piece lift up bonnet and wings because I thought it deviated too much from the spirit of the 275. It does mean that some maintenance points (brake fluid, windscreen washer etc) will have to be accessed via fuel filler type flaps unfortunately. I will post photos when I have got something to show.
In answer to a specific question, I also thought it appropriate to post a photoshop comparison of the Mercedes SLK and the 275 profiles to show why I abandoned the SLK as a donor. Although It has the right wheelbase (in R170 model years) and the configuration looked about right, I was daunted by the prospect of removing the screen and surround and fabricating a replacement. (A replacement screen for the 275 is available for the the 275 - if you don't mind the £1500 price tag.) When Bertini and Tribute Automotive showed how easy it was to remove the Z3 body panels and avoid the IVA, I decided to follow their lead. Maybe next time....?

Fibreglass and sticky tape
 

Hi All,
I have been doing a fair bit of fibreglass hacking with an angle grinder and sticking the panels back onto my denuded Z3 with parcel tape. There is still much to do to get it right but it looks like this is the way to go. Sadly, the characteristic long bonnet of the 275 has had to go and the rear quarter has been extended forward. I did this by laminating an extra sail(?) panel - the bit above the rear wing and behind the door - and just sticking it in place for the photo. Compare img3495 with the standard wing IMG3496 which will need a piece of Lexan to the rear of the side window. She who must be obeyed says she prefers the more stubby look of 3495. If there is anyone who wants an authentic 275 shape, AutoMirage are making their own chassis for a 250GTO and the 275 body will probably fit. Maybe next time?
George

Hi George
Here are the photos together to make it easier to compare them.

'3495'
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...6&d=1441315905

And '3496'
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...7&d=1441315905

I particularly like the small quaterlight you've added at the B post to allow use of a wind up door window. I planned something similar originally for my 250SWB.
Cheers
Steve

Thanks Steve, I have been trying to do that for months, how did you post in-line photos?
George

BMW iron lump
 

Does anyone know the purpose of this heavy lump of iron I found between the body and the rear bumper? It doesn't really matter because BMW must have had a good reason for putting it there - I was just curious.

My apologies George, I don't visit here too regularly and missed your message.

Stop me if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs - photos are added using something called BBCode which is utilised on most forums. This is useful click here

The photos above are displayed by putting a code at the start and of the web location of the photos. The code is [img] at the start, and [/img] at the end.

The above looks like this (without the quotes in ["img])

'3495'
["img]http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2826&d=1441315905[/img]

And '3496'
["img]http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2827&d=1441315905[/img]"

In this case it's easy because the images were on this forum, though if not you'll need to have somewhere on the Internet to store your photos. There are many services you can use, I like photobucket, which is free and has tablet and phone apps if that's the way you access the Internet.

Drop me a pm if you want more info.
Cheers
Steve

Ooooh! That looks complicated. I was just using the "Add attachment" part of "Go Advanced" to upload photos from my hard disk. Perhaps I should take a look at photobucket.
Cheers,
George

Like many things, it's easy once you've done it once, and a damn sight easier than what your achieving with your car!!
As you suggest, uploading to this site instead of other cloud storage like Photobucket will be fine, though your message will then include a section for attachments and the viewer will have to click on the to see the picture - it won't be embedded in the text. There's nothing wrong with that though so give it a go.
Once that's successful, upload the photo to here in the way you've learnt then whilst in 'manage attachments' click on the image which will open it in a new tab, select the web site address at he top of your screen (the URL) then use the method I mentioned above to embed the image (using '[img] URL here [/img]
Have fun!

As you said - it's easy when you know how! I'll try that next time.
Thanks,
George

(A little) Progress
 

These pictures (which I can't upload at the moment) may not look much different from earlier ones but I have been doing a lot of cutting and adjusting to get to this stage. My big "Aha" moment came when I realised that the only place where the Z3 panels met the 275 panels was at the sill. I had to extend the Z3 sill outwards as the it is "waisted" but the 275 doors have a straight bottom. (Ooh er!). This meant I had to make a mould for a new horizontal part of the sill from thin ply but I did not know that oil based paint reacts with cellulose paints and had to repeat it several times until a friend told me. DOH!
All the panels are held together with metal straps or tape at present to check the fit and appearance. There is still a lot of cutting and sticking together to be done but all my guesses seem to be working out so far.

photos
 

(Administrator - I had a message saying there was a missing security token when I tried to upload all 4 at the same time.)

You will need to PM user name "JG" directly with your problem, as he is the site administrator, but unlikely to read individual posts.

Anyway, your build looks like it is coming together nicely.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...6&d=1449855059

Good luck, Paul. :)

Thanks Paul and JG,
The problem was due to sending too big an upload in one go.
George

275GTB/Z3 side panel
 

Happy new year everyone! I have been concentrating on the panel behind the side window and have decided against an infill with either a fibreglass panel or an extra window.

Instead, I have chosen to make a copy of the side panel incorporating the gills and move it forward to the door opening. At the same time, I was able to adjust the angle very slightly to match the angle of a new side window which I hope to make from PolyCarbonate. Does anyone know if you have to get it E marked for road use?

George, not much to add since I'm not familiar with road reg's in the UK but I wanted to say I really like that you decided to extend the body up to the window rather than add a quarter window behind. That's got to be the most attractive solution to your issue and I look forward to seeing it stitched back together with the new side windows.

Check this out http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C664982#

275GTB designer
 

I presume you meant the reference to PininFarina as the designer. I will check out the source of my info about Scaglietti being the driving force.

Hi George
I have plastic sliding side windows in my 250 GTO replica and have not had any problems with MOT inspectors looking for e markings on them.

However being a panel conversion (like your 275) it did not require an IVA test for which there is a clear requirement that all safety glazing must be e marked.

The only people who produce custom, e marked, polycarbonate glazing as far as I know are these http://www.plastics4performance.com/

No just for info and the pics ....it's great seeing your car and the real thing ..considering the doner car issues you have to build around you are doing a great job:eusa_clap: