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Go Back   Madabout Kitcars Forum > Mad Build Area > Tribute Automotive Builds

Tribute Automotive Builds Discuss your Tribute kit build

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  #21  
Old 27th April 2017, 22:05
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans View Post
You should find all the info on the threads here.
There isn't much that hasn't been covered.
If you can strip the donor you can fit the kit just take your time to get everything aligned and gapped up correctly. Getting the doors / door locks right is covered on most of the existing build threads, the electrics are easy then its just paint prep and paint.

Good luck
Thanks

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
The door locks are very easy, door gaps much harder.
I have used the grey material they use to line vans with in the boot and it looks very good, very cheap and easy to fit. Would make a very good headlining, available in black or various shades of grey.I would suggest fitting it before bonding the roof on, just leave the first few inches loose so you can glue it over the join once the roof has been bonded on.
I have a garage but it has so much crap in it that the whole build has been done on the drive. Harder for you as you will lose your roof. I have bought a good quality car cover from Ebay, website sells them for £175 and I picked it up for £27. Now is a good time to look as people are not using them. Mine is semi tailored and was to fit a Alfa Spider.
In fact it was so cheap I managed to pick up 3 more covers, 2 for my GTO's and one for my MK2 Jag. Nothing over £40 and they have clips and starts and are all thick breathable material. I went mad because next door have just knocked down their house and the amount of dust is amazing.
The one for the Z3 was used to keep it water tight when all the 250 panels were removed to the back garden for priming.
Thanks for the advice, I saw the challenge you had with the gaps and hoping that if I do the same I can use your thread for inspiration. Good idea about the van material for lining. I'll look at that as I was wondering what to do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by casamolino View Post
Good evening couerdelion , from personal experience any work you do on the interior (for example removing the BMW plastic/new carpets/new parcel shelf/new seats) will be a hell of a lot easier before the new bodywork is on the car , now it may be for space reasons you need to get the bodywork fitted quickly! but if you can wait the interior will take less effort , all the best with the build , look forward to seeing you thread , Geoff .
Thanks Jeff - I think you are right on that front. I pretty much talked myself into doing the interior first today when I was replying to an email from Nubodi about the dash (despite deciding to do it last early this morning). I'm changing my mind about things like the wind changes direction....
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  #22  
Old 28th April 2017, 08:12
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Jaguartvr Jaguartvr is offline
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Here is my boot floor, if you have looked at my thread you will see it was chopped up and modified to give a flat floor. The quality of my "sticking n gluen" is trully appalling and it looks like the surface of the moon. I knocked of the worse bits with an angle grinder and the van lining has hidden the rest. Would work perfectly for the roof lining.

Vey easy to fit, took 15 minutes. Used a trim spray glue on the panel and the back of the lining, it has quite a bit of stretch for the corners.
I'm intending to paint the inside edge of the boot lit and use the lining material on the rough centre section.

In fact the way my paint preparation is going I might cover the whole car in it!

Last edited by Jaguartvr; 4th May 2017 at 12:45..
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  #23  
Old 28th April 2017, 13:23
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Black is a great colour but shows every blemish. It will take twice the work to get the same finish, It also always looks dirty.
Silver/gunmetal is probably one of the most forgiving colours and you only have to wash them once a year.

Worth asking Chris if he can supply your kit in any colour other than white. It is so hard to see the surface, I wouldn't do another kit in white, choose grey, back or blue, anything but white!

Last edited by Jaguartvr; 28th April 2017 at 13:25..
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  #24  
Old 1st May 2017, 21:45
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Strip down started yesterday. Basically a case of looking for any exposed fastenings and undoing them. Bonnet and boot were off first and then finally rest of the body panels today.

[IMG]IMAG0598 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr[/IMG]

Cleaned the roof ready to sell so havent taken that off today, just dropped for this photo. Made a start on the interior and got the door panels removed

[IMG]IMAG0603 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr[/IMG]

Was surprised at the amount of dirt inside the sills. Generally the car is in pretty good nick. A little bit of corrosion near the jacking points but that knocked off and a wire brush and some anti rust treatment should see it ok. Will clean and give a good paint on the exposed parts before I start fitting anything.
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  #25  
Old 1st May 2017, 21:52
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
Black is a great colour but shows every blemish. It will take twice the work to get the same finish, It also always looks dirty.
Silver/gunmetal is probably one of the most forgiving colours and you only have to wash them once a year.

Worth asking Chris if he can supply your kit in any colour other than white. It is so hard to see the surface, I wouldn't do another kit in white, choose grey, back or blue, anything but white!
Point taken. Think I'll go back to the original idea of gun metal grey. That might change again though


The kit comes in a grey colour now according to Chris - I had asked about other colours but was happy with that.
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  #26  
Old 1st May 2017, 22:05
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Jaguartvr Jaguartvr is offline
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Make sure you hang onto
Bonnet hinges
bonnet striker pins
boot lock assembly
Plastic door aperture trims
Boot seal

Good idea to leave the bulbs attached so you know whats what.
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  #27  
Old 2nd May 2017, 11:12
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
Make sure you hang onto
Bonnet hinges
bonnet striker pins
boot lock assembly
Plastic door aperture trims
Boot seal

Good idea to leave the bulbs attached so you know whats what.
Thanks - I would probably have sold them and then only realised when the kit turned up.

What are the plastic door aperture trims? The bits next that the window comes through?
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  #28  
Old 2nd May 2017, 12:55
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The door step plate and the plastic trim that runs up the back of the door opening. Hides the join of the new panels and looks much more "factory"
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  #29  
Old 4th May 2017, 11:17
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Managed to get a spare hour last night so cracked on with a few more bits and pieces.

Steering wheel off and chairs removed.

[IMG]IMAG0604 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr[/IMG]

Struggled working out how the second wire disconnected (the one the seems to disappear into the chair), realised eventually it was attached to the seatbelt buckle.

New number plates turned up too

IMAG0596 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr

The hardest part of this whole thing seems to be deciding on the 'style' points. What colour car? chairs? carpet? dashboard? door panels?....

Still not 100% decided.
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  #30  
Old 4th May 2017, 12:33
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You will never be able to fit a new carpet that looks as good as the original so I would strongly suggest you keep it. A good shampoo and hoover is a good idea at this point.
I'm on the fence on the interior upgrades, I drove my car over to my painter (finally) and had the door cards removed, there is no way I could live with a car that didn't have arm rests on the doors. I even made up a "Henley's" centre arm rest for my MK2 Jag as I found it so uncomfortable to drive without the centre armrest, it was a period accessory at the time.
I do however like the retro dash and dials but would it work with the more modern interior?
I have bought a pair of MGB seats that I intend to fix to the existing seat bases. I will probably fit them with the worn and many covers to see how I get on with them, if they are uncomfortable I will just remove them and refit the originals.
And finally, sacrilege I know, but I would really like to fit a hidden pop up sat nav system in the centre of the retro dash, just behind where the fresh air vents would have been. I use mine all the time as I always have the safety camera feature turned on, as I do like to drive safely!
I have found that it is the cameras that you go past on a regular basis are the buggers that normally catch you out.

Tynoprime was doing a great job on his interior upgrades on his MX5 kit. He has been a bit quiet but hopefully now the weather is improving he might start up again.

Last edited by Jaguartvr; 4th May 2017 at 12:37..
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  #31  
Old 5th May 2017, 11:55
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
You will never be able to fit a new carpet that looks as good as the original so I would strongly suggest you keep it. A good shampoo and hoover is a good idea at this point.
I think you are right. There's always an option to spray dye the carpet if I'm really unhappy with it but at the moment cream interior is a go!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
I'm on the fence on the interior upgrades, I drove my car over to my painter (finally) and had the door cards removed, there is no way I could live with a car that didn't have arm rests on the doors. I even made up a "Henley's" centre arm rest for my MK2 Jag as I found it so uncomfortable to drive without the centre armrest, it was a period accessory at the time.
I do however like the retro dash and dials but would it work with the more modern interior?
Ive ordered the dashboard from Nubodi so am heading down that route now. I wonder how hard it would be to make an arm rest for the door? More for me to think about. Centre console is a must though I agree.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
I have bought a pair of MGB seats that I intend to fix to the existing seat bases. I will probably fit them with the worn and many covers to see how I get on with them, if they are uncomfortable I will just remove them and refit the originals.
I'm undecided - still. I've looked at the MGB ones and the new MGF ones but think I'm going for the same ones Hilltop used (BB2's). I'm used to an upright enough position as all my cars are 2 seaters and once I adjust for legs I've no room to recline.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
And finally, sacrilege I know, but I would really like to fit a hidden pop up sat nav system in the centre of the retro dash, just behind where the fresh air vents would have been. I use mine all the time as I always have the safety camera feature turned on, as I do like to drive safely!
I have found that it is the cameras that you go past on a regular basis are the buggers that normally catch you out.
No, I think its a must too - once the new dashboard is in theres a big gap underneath that most have filled with a piece of folded alloy. I don't think it's too big a job (famous last words) to put some kind of frame behind that to hold a single or ideally a double din unit. Cover over the top held in place with velcro...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaguartvr View Post
Tynoprime was doing a great job on his interior upgrades on his MX5 kit. He has been a bit quiet but hopefully now the weather is improving he might start up again.
Love the details in his build, so much so that last night I put a bid in on a sewing machine and am now planning on doing a similar looking centre console and doorcards!
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  #32  
Old 5th May 2017, 14:51
casamolino casamolino is offline
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Good afternoon Couerdelion i don`t agree with Jaguartvr with regard to not re-carpeting the Z3 , probably because i did it on mine! I bought a roll of Good quality Dark Blue carpet specifically for auto use from a company in Wigan , made up templates (this was after removing all the BMW plastic interior parts) the first template was made using wallpaper then onto cardboard and finally underlay , it was the underlay templates that i had a specialist in replacement car carpets use which after cutting out he bound the edges , if you have seen some of the interior pictures from my build you will see i installed a rear parcel shelf (using ply) and then covered this with the same bound carpet . A big bonus is the interior looks less standard but also there is less of the unpleasant noise but the exhaust note is still there , thanks Geoff .

Last edited by casamolino; 5th May 2017 at 14:51.. Reason: Typo
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  #33  
Old 5th May 2017, 22:17
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by casamolino View Post
Good afternoon Couerdelion i don`t agree with Jaguartvr with regard to not re-carpeting the Z3 , probably because i did it on mine! I bought a roll of Good quality Dark Blue carpet specifically for auto use from a company in Wigan , made up templates (this was after removing all the BMW plastic interior parts) the first template was made using wallpaper then onto cardboard and finally underlay , it was the underlay templates that i had a specialist in replacement car carpets use which after cutting out he bound the edges , if you have seen some of the interior pictures from my build you will see i installed a rear parcel shelf (using ply) and then covered this with the same bound carpet . A big bonus is the interior looks less standard but also there is less of the unpleasant noise but the exhaust note is still there , thanks Geoff .
Now I'm even more unsure. Your blue carpet looks great. To be honest though I think I've already convinced myself to go with black dash and chairs, and then Cream/Beige Carpet and Door panels.

Saw a video on how to make your own door panels on the Practical Classics "Skills Shack" - got 3 months membership for £1. So once I buy a sewing machine I'll give that a go.

Todays job was to see how well my chinese steering wheel boss fitted. Not very well is the answer. Will need a good belt from the rubber mallet I reckon, but didnt want to try tonight as once on I might not get it back off.

[IMG]IMAG0607 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr[/IMG]
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  #34  
Old 6th May 2017, 21:42
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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As well as building the car I'm also trying to fit in training for a triathlon in October. It's sometimes quite difficult balancing the training with finding time for the car.

This morning I was up early as a mate came by to borrow my van, I was then out to the other side of the city to pick up a 1934 Singer electric sewing machine which is a magnificent piece of engineering. Once that was done I was home, changed into my Lycra and a 2 hour cycle. I then grabbed a sandwich in the garage on my way up to the unit, had 3 hours on the car and then came home changed and headed to the gym...

Todays work was removing the centre console, dials and some of the dash.

Couldn't get the stereo out for love nor money. Ended up smashing it. Only as I removed it did i realise it had been secured from the rear... Argghhh

This is where I finished up...
IMAG0610 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr

Need to spend some time tidying up tomorrow!

Thinking more about the interior and colours again today. Was in my SLK which has a black and cream interior and think it confirms that I'll stick with something similar for the 250 swb as it works well (I think so).

IMAG0609 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr


Car has been parked up in the dry unit for over a week now but noticed the carpet under where I've removed the seat is soaking (both sides). Will likeley need to remove to dry off properly. Worrying that i dont know where its leaking though.
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  #35  
Old 7th May 2017, 00:14
Lucky@LeMans Lucky@LeMans is offline
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It will have been gathering in the foot wells for months or even years. Bottom line is the roofs leak on these cars. Lift the carpet out and try and dry it out, hang it up outside in the sun for a few days.
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  #36  
Old 7th May 2017, 07:31
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Good morning Couerdelion , my car was exactly the same the carpets were soaked both sides , the sooner the better they are removed to reduce the chance of damage to the electrical connectors that are under there , Geoff .
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  #37  
Old 7th May 2017, 20:08
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans View Post
It will have been gathering in the foot wells for months or even years. Bottom line is the roofs leak on these cars. Lift the carpet out and try and dry it out, hang it up outside in the sun for a few days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by casamolino View Post
Good morning Couerdelion , my car was exactly the same the carpets were soaked both sides , the sooner the better they are removed to reduce the chance of damage to the electrical connectors that are under there , Geoff .
Got the rest of the dash out and the rear plastics behind where the seats go. First removed the rear most carpet. It weighed a ton as it was saturated with water. Put that outside to start on the drying and went back in to remove the front one. That too was soaked and started to rip on me. I've got what I can out and I'll be shopping for new carpet now.

IMAG0613 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr

Thats my last bit of work on the car for a week, off to Italy now to enjoy the sun.
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  #38  
Old 21st May 2017, 22:18
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Not done much since I got back.

Got the rest of the carpet removed and the floor is now dried out.
[IMG]IMAG0706 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr[/IMG]

Then took the seats out of my mates Z3 to check the condition of his carpet. Wasn't brilliant - passenger side was slightly damp but drivers side dry. Whilst we had the seats out we replaced the bushings (recommended if you're keeping the originals). OEM are rubber but had just disintegrated. You will know they need replacing if your seat moves slightly backwards and forward when you rock.

The nylon replacements went on easy enough.
This is how to replace - http://www.instructables.com/id/BMW-...-Frame-Mechan/

The seats were refitted with a spacer under the front parts of the rails to raise the front of the seat up and make it more comfortable for longer trips. They were from the US, Thayer Motorsports. https://thayermotorsports.com/produc...nt=35904036359

Last edited by couerdelion; 21st May 2017 at 22:28..
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  #39  
Old 13th June 2017, 10:59
couerdelion couerdelion is offline
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Not really done much in the last few weeks. Waiting for the dash from Nubodi and the SWB kit to arrive to get me motivated again.

I did make a decision on seats though and they've arrived. Placed them in the car to see how I think they'll fit.

IMAG0722 by couerdelion2013, on Flickr

I think I'm going to put the original carpet back in and then look for a thin carpet to go on top of that. I'm a bit worried about filling all the voids if I go with a new carpet that doesnt have the thick foam on the back.
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  #40  
Old 13th June 2017, 22:11
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275NART 275NART is offline
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Great choice on the seats. They look to be 914 or 911 style?
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