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This is the initial post as I have threatened to make on my build. A long way to go with this as Chris and Dan have some work to do to marry a set of panels up with my donor, but I will putting the short delay to good use with the donor.
Just a quick thanks to Kidge (Edgik), who without his sheer determination in getting something off the ground for this for many years, I would be left in New Zealand unable to get any kit built because of frontal impact regs. So Edgik - Cheers
See attached photos, 1999 2.8 Z3 (i know it has 3.0 on the back and no one has any history why)
Basic Plan for the kit will be:
No badges so we are not doing a replica, apart from possibly a custom "Ferrari-esque" Badge on the rear and maybe a couple of "disegno di Pininfarina" on the side as a homage to the great man and the work he did with Scaglietti. The car will be a homage to the era, not a replica.
Intended at present to be Coupe, metallic grey/gun metal with grille and chrome ornaments such as bullet mirrors, bumpers, clear front indicators, teardrops on the side and round taillights.
Interior will remain reasonably stock as I have lucked in with a beautiful black/grey interior with wood effect console, chrome trim on the gauges and good spec in electric condiments and side airbags etc. Will show pictures when I get more underway. Wooden rim steering wheel will eventuate.
Final trappings will lay 4 pipe exhaust underneath "with the required orchestra" and wire wheels and appropriate rubber. I am hoping to keep the donor originals whilst I am running round "in work and in primer" (As they are nice already), when the BMW centre's disappear. I will need a bit of time in the primer coat to normalise the "green" fibreglass and get all the residual stresses and cracking out from the bolt/bonding process and the New Zealand UV rays out. Not going to be happy with a few $K's of paint having cracks in it after a few months!
Looking forward to keeping you all in the loop with this. You are more than welcome to pay me a visit during the build, UBER fare though may be a bit restrictive for you though!
I know the development of Kidge’s car took a lot of time and effort, but it looks well worth it to me.
I also followed the approach of getting my car on the road without paint first.
( Although taking it back off the road for paint has taken longer than I expected. )
Cheers Paul. A plan is only a point to deviate from, but at the moment I think I have it as covered as we can for the spec. Only time will tell! Cheers for the photo, the more I look at the lines of kidges, the more I want to get underway. Have to make sure I give it the respect it deserves. Cheers Mark.
Will you be following Kidges window design?
I wonder if a coupe side window could work?
Did Chris take splash moulds of the bumpers?
Probably won't be a problem in NZ but on my Griffith I had terrible problems with the headlight lenses misting up.
Hi JagTvr. Windows are likely to be original Z3 to keep the window function etc. Chris/Dan are working on the options for this. Coupe side window probably would work, just some changes to the mould would be required.
Chris has moulds of original bumpers so should be able to supply. Noted about the headlight covers. If I get an issue I may carry out some mods underneath to duct a small amount of air into the interior which should sort that issue. The lenses are attached externally and not internally like the Griffith, so it may not have those issues. Cheers.
Great short film Paul. Love the line '...who needs a radio?' He really sums up what classic car ownership is all about whether it's a ten million dollar Ferrari or a home built special.
Really beginning to warm to the looks of the 275 too, first impressions for me were that it's about a decade too young looking for my taste, but it's really grown on me as this thread has evolved. Would be nice to see it go into production, whether that be as a kit or turnkey builds.
Thanks Paul, I think I have seen this about 5 times in the last week! There is a lot of emotion and romance in these old cars. I must admit I am starting to get a bit of that myself and I am only building a kit! Good news today, hoping that the kit will be produced and landed in NZ by around Feb. So I really have to get into sourcing bits. Have the headlight covers already, just need to put some time into door handles and rear tailights/side repeaters as the "main trouble" bits. Cheers Mark.
This is the initial post as I have threatened to make on my build. A long way to go with this as Chris and Dan have some work to do to marry a set of panels up with my donor, but I will putting the short delay to good use with the donor.
Just a quick thanks to Kidge (Edgik), who without his sheer determination in getting something off the ground for this for many years, I would be left in New Zealand unable to get any kit built because of frontal impact regs. So Edgik - Cheers
See attached photos, 1999 2.8 Z3 (i know it has 3.0 on the back and no one has any history why)
Basic Plan for the kit will be:
No badges so we are not doing a replica, apart from possibly a custom "Ferrari-esque" Badge on the rear and maybe a couple of "disegno di Pininfarina" on the side as a homage to the great man and the work he did with Scaglietti. The car will be a homage to the era, not a replica.
Intended at present to be Coupe, metallic grey/gun metal with grille and chrome ornaments such as bullet mirrors, bumpers, clear front indicators, teardrops on the side and round taillights.
Interior will remain reasonably stock as I have lucked in with a beautiful black/grey interior with wood effect console, chrome trim on the gauges and good spec in electric condiments and side airbags etc. Will show pictures when I get more underway. Wooden rim steering wheel will eventuate.
Final trappings will lay 4 pipe exhaust underneath "with the required orchestra" and wire wheels and appropriate rubber. I am hoping to keep the donor originals whilst I am running round "in work and in primer" (As they are nice already), when the BMW centre's disappear. I will need a bit of time in the primer coat to normalise the "green" fibreglass and get all the residual stresses and cracking out from the bolt/bonding process and the New Zealand UV rays out. Not going to be happy with a few $K's of paint having cracks in it after a few months!
Looking forward to keeping you all in the loop with this. You are more than welcome to pay me a visit during the build, UBER fare though may be a bit restrictive for you though!
Cheers - Here we go!
Good luck with your build. Will be interesting to see your take on the final look of the car. Good idea not to paint until it has all settled down.
Have the headlight covers already, just need to put some time into door handles and rear tailights/side repeaters as the "main trouble" bits. Cheers Mark.
Hi Mark
Have you considered the Lancia Stratos / Fiat 850 & 1100 rear lights?
They have a rectangular centre reflector rather than the round one on the original as the only difference and I have seen pictures of original 275s with these lights fitted.
Good luck with the build.
Neil
Hi Neil, yup been scouring those types as well as a few alternatives such as BMW 2002 and some more modern repurpose ideas. Thanks for the hints.
Just managed to secure clear front indicators, Fiat 500d, with alloy rims.
Hopefully a good size for the kit when it turns up.
Currently thinking Morris Oxford boot hinges as they are about 10" in length so should be a good size on the back panels.
Cheers for all the good wishes guys, really looking forward to getting stuck into this build and making sure I do it right.
Hi guys quick update. Parts are coming along. Picked up Fiat 850/lancia stratos style lights with surrounds today. - from ricambio in Wallington, London. Won't see them until Chris/Dan decide to show as they are going straight to them. Not the cheapest option, but when you want a certain look for the car, it is hard to deviate too far away from original style. Fingers crossed they do the business. Still looking for side repeaters in a teardrop style. Possibly fiat may be an option. Also scouring for door handles. Cheers M.
Epic fail with the bambina 500d indicators. The supplier said "not new" will need a polish. More like: need retention studs unseizing and straightened, supply of lense screws, Bakelite cracked and missing in terminals, bulbs seized in holders etc, etc. Guy has been good and heading back to him but early lesson learned. Buy new! Choose wisely!. There is only so much that can be brought back to life...
Nearly everything that I bought "cheap" has been replaced.
Some things however are best bought 2nd hand.
Most of the new chrome items have started showing signs of rust and have been returned. I bought a set of "new old stock" door handles and they are still as good as new. Good old chrome is much better than new chrome.
Nearly everything that I bought "cheap" has been replaced.
Some things however are best bought 2nd hand.
Most of the new chrome items have started showing signs of rust and have been returned. I bought a set of "new old stock" door handles and they are still as good as new. Good old chrome is much better than new chrome.
I used the same indicators as Casamolino, look great and I think they are stainless steel. No rust yet!
Thanks fella, I certainly will have to balance between vintage, tired and NOS/NNS. Good to hear you went that way with the indicators. Have been looking at superformance, will have to dive in a bit deeper with the credit card! Cheers for the good advice.
Hi guys, just a real quick update.
Getting close to finalising the kit spec, going to ring Chris today so hoping for some news on that front. Also hoping the christmas completion is doable as well.
Update on the parts situation:
Followed some well laid advice from others so at present have
- Fiat 850/Lancia Stratos tailights.
- Teardrop side repeaters (ala casarino/jaguartvr)
- Carello clear glass 68mm front indicators/park etc.
- Griffith headlight covers
- Lucas rectangular fog (original)
- Mk1 Capri door hardware (just to see what they may look like on the kit as they are nice vintage shape but not Ferrari style)
- Pininfarina side badges.
Donor is running well at the moment, however have been chasing a parasitic drain potential over a few days but can't find anything wrong as have a good 40 milliamps of drain on the battery with everything off/shut up. I think my kids may be to blame with the doors! Grrrr. Battery will get a full charge on the weekend and check in case it is a self discharge issue.
Keep you up to date with the plans, hopefully get some pictures soon!
Happy building, Mark.
Exciting times, so good luck. I know, the waiting is frustrating, but buying the accessories is at least progress. Chris will start on my project in January. I hope to secure a Z3 shortly, and if so, I will commence on seat changes and probably the dash whilst it is still a soft top, as access will be so much easier. Also, the parcel shelf, as one of the treads mentioned that it is really difficult to treat it once in due to tight access.
Exciting times, so good luck. I know, the waiting is frustrating, but buying the accessories is at least progress. Chris will start on my project in January. I hope to secure a Z3 shortly, and if so, I will commence on seat changes and probably the dash whilst it is still a soft top, as access will be so much easier. Also, the parcel shelf, as one of the treads mentioned that it is really difficult to treat it once in due to tight access.
Good ideas Barber. I am keeping my interior stock at present as it looks pretty vintage already with the dark tones in there. Definitely will be spending some good time on the shelf area myself. Going to be a dark leather trim to match the rest of the car with either some classic style netting to secure loose items or maybe some straps/buckles etc. just have to wait and see once the roof is out. Headlining will be cream colour, have seen a superb original 275 in gunmetal grey, black leather and cream headlining which ticks all my boxes! What kit you starting? I have seen the Z3gato thread but can't work out what kit bits from Chris you will be basing it on as a starter! Cheers Mark
I am having a new Z3gato kit built - see my thread on Tribute builds, which cobbles together bits from existing models and will make them look like a combination of the various Zagato models designed late 50s to early 60s. I specified stock windows, which is probably where Chris is leveraging the work for yours (if you are still going that route).
Mini door handles are used on the 250 swb.
They are very simple to fit and work well. Small things like door handles can cause a lot of extra work and if they don't work properly will cause you a lot of grief.
Barber, when you say Z3gato, is it the silver Aston style or one of the red cars?
Given where we are starting from, it will be less like the red cars, and more like the Maserati, Ferrari and AM etc, using styling cues from them all. I am depending on Chris and Dan's skill to make sure it doesn't turn out like a lemon.
Whereas lancelot link's cars take there cues from a variety of 50's racers, mine takes its cues from turn of the decade racing coupes.
Mini door handles are used on the 250 swb.
They are very simple to fit and work well. Small things like door handles can cause a lot of extra work and if they don't work properly will cause you a lot of grief.
Thanks Jag. If you have any photos or setup info on how you did your mini handles it would be appreciated. Certainly looking at that kind of look. I am fitting the hardware high up on the door line like the original.
Cheers Mark.
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