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Lucky@LeMans 27th September 2019 16:35

Convertible New Build
 
1 Attachment(s)
I had a chat with Dan back in the early part of the summer to see if he would be happy to do a convertible. I had plenty of time to source a good donor and do all the prep. I found a low mileage 2.8 manual locally and the deal was done. I've progressed on the interior whilst waiting for the panels, fitted replacement seats, new door cards, removed the horrid plastic boxes behind the seats and done some retrimming. I also carried out the Z4 rear hub conversion as I knew my wheel choice was going to be right on the limits. The conversion is simple enough ( with the right tools ) and reduces the track by about 20mm each side.
Managed today to trial fit the panels onto the donor. All fit well and line up without any issues.
The wire wheels fit under the arches, just ! They are deep dish 6"-15"'s that are fitted with 205/70 - 15" tyres, I think I'll be going down a size or two on the tyres as they are a bit too wide. I'll probably fit some lowering springs, maybe -30mm as the car seems just a little high at the moment. That should also have the effect of bringing the wheels in a few more mm at the tops.
I've splashed out on some Harrington stainless bumpers that will ad the finishing touch.
Undecided on final paint colour choice, at the moment I'm thinking dark metallic red or silver grey ?
More updates to follow...…….

molleur 27th September 2019 18:22

Now that really looks great!

Triumph Special 27th September 2019 22:17

That looks really good. Best of luck with your project.

smash 28th September 2019 07:45

Wow that works really well! In fact prefer it to fixed head tbh

My wheels had a lot less poke than yours and rubbed on the arches under acceleration with eibach springs (spring savers are a solution altjough it does lift the back slightly). Coil overs will give you most options. You may have to look at the Grassbank narrow rear track kit - should solve things and it looks better. Hard to tell from this angle but looks like the front will be the problem - might be worth a chat with them about how they narrowed front track.

On the other hand might be worrying over nothing and you should just "Hard BREXIT" :D

Lucky@LeMans 28th September 2019 09:03

The wheels are just under the arches, the tyres are just a bit too wide. They are Pirelli 4000's which came with the wheels. I think they are quite old so I don't have a problem changing them. Looking at the original cars many were fitted with narrow tyres.

The proportions of the car work really well, once painted and fitted with all the exterior trim it should look the part !

Welshkiwi 28th September 2019 20:56

Very smart LLM, at the start of my project I had that big decision of which option to go for. Nice to see one now in the making and I know you will do it proud.
Will be interested to see your opinion on the Harrington bumper set as long term might be an option for me but a big investment in NZD. Look forward to seeing it come together!

Lucky@LeMans 29th September 2019 09:31

Harrington are offering a small discount on all their bumper sets at the moment. Still pricey though, but they are a quality product. I've offered up the front quarter bumpers , they appear to follow the profile of the car very well.

lancelot link 29th September 2019 09:45

I like the look of that so far , it def works in convertible format very well and is prettier than the hugely more expensive DNA comparible and their pirated examples ....

DaveP 29th September 2019 11:41

That is a very nice looking motor and can’t wait to see progress.

I am liking the interior too. Simple and clean.

Can I ask what make of aftermarket seats they are ?

The Cobra buckets all look very similar.

I don’t like the plastic storage in mine either but really like having a rear wind deflector. Will have to play with an alternative that allows me to fit something to keep the back of the neck warm(ish).

I assume you fabricated that rear deck. It looks clean and tidy


Many thanks for sharing.

Dave

Lucky@LeMans 29th September 2019 12:12

Hi Dave, the seats are BB Classics purchased via ebay. They are a similar style to sports cars of the period. I'm going with an simple low key interior that hints of 1960's so I'm removing the obvious Z3 plastic bits. The dash will remain as is but with the Grassbank retro instrument cluster cover. The rear deck is fabricated from 3mm ply covered with 3mm foam and finished with leather cloth. The door card tops are BMW and the lower section I've fabricated in ply as above. They will also have aluminium kick plates along the lower edges to finish them off, similar to the originals. I want to make it all look like a factory finish with regards to the trim.

Lucky@LeMans 29th September 2019 12:30

3 Attachment(s)
Door card details here;

lancelot link 29th September 2019 15:50

BB Classics are always doing discount deals , so worth putting them on a watch list ....

casamolino 29th September 2019 16:23

Lucky wont you have an issue at MOT time with there being no headrests on the seats of a Z3 based car? Geoff .

DaveP 29th September 2019 16:41

Hi Lucky,

Thanks for the info. I have looked at BB seats before. Not always easy to hear people’s view of them from a quality point of view.

Did you fabricate your own subframes? On their website they have E36 subframes for sale but don’t know anyone that have fitted them.

Really like the rear deck. Oh and the door-cards are great.

Thanks again

Also someone on the Tribute FB group is asking about alternative seating options. Is it ok to share on of your internal pics please. Would help another builder.

Dave

Lucky@LeMans 29th September 2019 16:57

The BB Seats came with basic adjustable subframes. I fabricated some off set brackets about 50mm high and bolted the lot together. There is some detail info on fitting these seats on clinkadinks Kobra build thread, complete with drawings.

DaveP 29th September 2019 17:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans (Post 102229)
The BB Seats came with basic adjustable subframes. I fabricated some off set brackets about 50mm high and bolted the lot together. There is some detail info on fitting these seats on clinkadinks Kobra build thread, complete with drawings.

Thanks again. I saw those drawings so will go and have another read.

Dave

Lucky@LeMans 30th September 2019 18:48

These photos have inspired the colour choice. I'm also ok going with narrow tyres, I've ordered some 185/80 - 15's.

molleur 30th September 2019 20:19

good choice!

DaveP 1st October 2019 18:32

Great colour choice. If I was to build one that would be the colour.

Classy car, classy paint.

Interesting seeing a Zed on 15inch wheels. Most go for the opposite it seems these days.

My Kobra is fitted with banded 16s. Tyre choices were limited for the rear because of this but I’m currently happy with my ‘budget’ choice.

Liking this thread

Dave

Lucky@LeMans 1st October 2019 21:24

The standard choice for wire wheels on Tribute kits is a 15" wheel. I would like to have gone for a 14" like the original but there isn't a standard fitment other than mega expensive Borrani's. The nearest option would have been 14" Triumph Stag wires but they don't have that deep dish rim which makes all the difference .

I have bought a Triumph Stag rear number plate light that mounts on the bumper and is very close in design, size and shape.

I've done a bit more, fitted the fuel filler flap using the Z3 parts and made up some additional brackets to support the rear clam. I'm moulding up some tapered rear light recess's which should be ready to go on by the end of the week.

smash 1st October 2019 21:50

14" 72 spoke are available!

Same style as mine were - same place. Be just under 2k landed

http://www.acww.com.au/catalog/index...roducts_id=139

Next!!

Lucky@LeMans 1st October 2019 22:52

I'll have to check these out !

Jaguartvr 2nd October 2019 08:14

I tried fitting 225/75x15 but found the 75 profile too high and they locked on the underside of the front shock spring pans. You might clear it with narrower 185's but I would check with one type before paying out for a full set.

Lucky@LeMans 2nd October 2019 21:21

I've fitted the 185 section tyres and they are under the arches as I'd hoped. The clearance around the front strut is fine so that's worked out well.

The rear end is basically fitted other than a little fettling, then it can be bolted / bonded on for the final time. Front end and door skins next.

The petrol flap is the Z3 one skinned with the Grp disc that was cut out, neat enough !

Lucky@LeMans 2nd October 2019 21:28

Photos here …..

Lucky@LeMans 5th October 2019 21:13

Trial fitted the Harrington rear bumper today. The rear section is easy to mount onto the body and I've fitted the off side quarter bumper. Only needed a little trimming and it looks reasonable. Going for a 10mm gap between the bumper and body.

DaveP 5th October 2019 22:27

Looking good again :)

Oh and the Z3 filler looks neat too. I went that way with mine due to lack of experience and not wanting to use a big old filler. They keep the lines of the car clean though.

Hope the fit and finish is good with regard to alignment etc.

How thick are the door skins ? I shy away from them (again lack of experience/confidence/competence.

Keep up the pics :)

Dave

molleur 5th October 2019 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans (Post 102293)
Trial fitted the Harrington rear bumper today. The rear section is easy to mount onto the body and I've fitted the off side quarter bumper. Only needed a little trimming and it looks reasonable. Going for a 10mm gap between the bumper and body.

Good fit and really look the part. Major improvement over bumper-less.

Lucky@LeMans 7th October 2019 22:28

Finished off the tapered rear light mounts. I ended up modifying the ones supplied in the kit, only a small mod but it goes along way. Offered up the rear lights too, fitted with with temporary fixings.
The front side repeaters have been frenched into the bodywork like the original, I'll do the same with the bonnet badge. Also fitted the front indicator recesses that are supplied, simply trimmed and bonded into position.

Mitchelkitman 9th October 2019 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans (Post 102260)
I've fitted the 185 section tyres and they are under the arches as I'd hoped. The clearance around the front strut is fine so that's worked out well.

The rear end is basically fitted other than a little fettling, then it can be bolted / bonded on for the final time. Front end and door skins next.

The petrol flap is the Z3 one skinned with the Grp disc that was cut out, neat enough !

Has the original pipe or opening been modified at all, or is the filler cap easy to remove/replace in its original position without any changes?

Lucky@LeMans 9th October 2019 23:11

The original Z3 hinged flap unbolts from a bracket in the Z3 wing. I marked out and cut the circle from the GRP body in the same relative position as on the Z3 wing.
The Grp disc was then bonded onto the Z3 flap. A simple bracket was made to hold the hinged flap which was first carefully aligned, then bonded onto the inner body with PU adhesive.
Once that was set I checked it opened, closed and still aligned, I glassed over the bracket.
No other mods were done, the opened flap is right in front of the filler cap.

Mitchelkitman 11th October 2019 23:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans (Post 102354)
The original Z3 hinged flap unbolts from a bracket in the Z3 wing. I marked out and cut the circle from the GRP 275 body in the same relative position as on the Z3 wing.
The Grp disc was then bonded onto the Z3 flap. A simple bracket was made to hold the hinged flap which was first carefully aligned, then bonded onto the inner body with PU adhesive.
Once that was set I checked it opened, closed and still aligned, I glassed over the bracket.
No other mods were done, the opened flap is right in front of the filler cap.

Thanks for making that clear - I had a vision of having to reach 'down a rabbit hole' and avoid dropping the cap into the void :neutral: . Knowing the filler doesn't need to be altered is (to me) reassuring, because getting a seal on a pipe carrying fuel would appear to be difficult!

Lucky@LeMans 13th October 2019 18:29

Front end is nearly done, a fair bit of fettling and fitting required. I'm happy with the headlight bowls and the indicator recesses are finished. The front quarter bumpers have been fitted, they simply required an angled spacer behind the respective mounting brackets. I'm making up an aluminium infill panel for the grill, that will replace the GRP one supplied in the kit. That was used as a template and saved a fair bit of time and effort. My boot hinges have turned up so that will be on the list for this week. I also want to get the door skins done too and that will see the bulk of the build finished. Gone back on my thoughts for a silver / grey paint job, I'm thinking dark metallic red again !

Lucky@LeMans 14th October 2019 23:35

Paperwork sent off to the DVLA today. I thought it might be wise to get it in to re register the car before the end of the month ! Could be that the DVLA will be inundated with Brexit related license issues, who knows !

molleur 15th October 2019 02:56

Good move!

Lucky@LeMans 16th October 2019 21:26

Boot and hinges trial fitted, a little trimming around the edges and its looking good. I've decided on an authentic central boot lock rather than adapting the Z3 locking system. I moulded up a tapered lock recces which has now been glassed in place. So the boot is now locked manually and won't be part of the central locking system.
I've made a start on removing the moulding flash lines around the car. The mould was obviously aligned well during manufacture as it has only taken minimum of sanding so far.

JBXF 17th October 2019 10:08

What car are the new armrest off of please, I like the look of those?

Lucky@LeMans 17th October 2019 12:36

They were from a Mk1 MX5

Lucky@LeMans 17th October 2019 22:41

Moved onto the door skins today. The drivers side has been offered up, marked out and the door handle fitted. The hole in the Z3 door was made to access the internal mechanism. Easy enough just measure twice and cut once ! I'm going to make use of the Z3 key lock so I don't have to rely on the remote central locking totally.
The alignment of the skin looks good, both the front and rear edges, I'm aiming for an even 4mm gap all round.

Lucky@LeMans 18th October 2019 23:17

Managed to progress the door skin a little further today. I've built up the back edge of the front wing area by around 5mm. After a little trimming I've got the desired panel gap and the door opens fully. I just need to do the same along the bottom of the door and the rear edge, but they should be easy !


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