#ZedShed Davesters crusty Sport Refresh

@Lee , when you use the poly bushes on the main beam the thicker top bush takes up the space, but with std rubber bushes there is a gap....(approx 20 mm) Why is that ? Does the beam just find its own level when the car is lowered back on its wheels ?
 
mrscalex said:
The Sport spring position is a pain in the backside. BMW only sell the rears in pairs. And I hadn't realised they were on back order too. That's not to mention they are twice the price of Eibachs.

I made various investigations and enquiries about a year ago for alternative -15mm sources. I can't find anyone who makes them. I even went to several spring manufacturers (all seem to be in Sheffield no suprise) and none were interested despite advertising they'll make any spring.

So if I get the chance to buy Sport springs I do. I think I currently have, as acquired - 1 complete set, 1 pair of rears, 1 set missing a front spring and 1 odd front spring. So 2.5 complete sets which is the result of 1 years worth of trawling around.
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It's something we need to sort collectively not everyone wants lowering springs to be the norm. I have a couple of sets of Z4 rear springs in the cupboard I'm tempted to give these a go and see what ride heights we get. My only worry is the springs are thicker and I wouldn't want to upset the spring rate ratio upsetting the Z3 handling.

Mazza said:
@Lee , when you use the poly bushes on the main beam the thicker top bush takes up the space, but with std rubber bushes there is a gap....(approx 20 mm) Why is that ? Does the beam just find its own level when the car is lowered back on its wheels ?
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The center core on the OEM bush is a metal and gets wedged between the plate and the bolt top. The powerflex bush is similar but has a top hat that covers this core and bush, I'm assuming it keeps the dirt and moisture out.
 
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I love seeing these cars done, the Zedshed(s) are responsible for so many being kept on the road. Given the extreme work the HQ does they should get some under bonnet stickers made up, "Restored by the Zedshed" :whistle::whistle:
 
mrscalex said:
I've got umpteen springs, some full sets, some odds and ends. But they are nearly all identified and measured to check what they are if further references are required. From memory a front standard spring is 35cm. A Sport spring is 33.5cm.

I've never got round to putting a micrometer on to check gauge of the rod used.
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Rob, see above post:thumbsup:

Tony.
 
Nice to see all the rust issues are being dealt with along with the bushes, had concerns about the state it was in when we had it on the lift at Zedshed Cymru when we solved the air leaks on the engine. Nice clean up of the engine bay as well by the look of it.
 
Love seeing/reading these posts, well done @Lee and @GazHyde and anyone else involved.
 
colb said:
Nice to see all the rust issues are being dealt with along with the bushes, had concerns about the state it was in when we had it on the lift at Zedshed Cymru when we solved the air leaks on the engine. Nice clean up of the engine bay as well by the look of it.
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Doing the best we can with the limited time and parts. We've already advised in the future she will need a complete strip down and powder coating. Other than the hammerite we've applied thinly there's no protection.
 
Another great job by you guys. Love reading about them:thumbsup:
 
The final chapter with Dave's 2.2 came to a satisfying end yesterday.

We split into two teams to speed up the last day. We had alot of ground to cover and luckily a full garage of 8 people, despite the cold everyone came out to play.

I got started on fitting the rear back plate without removing the hub. I cut a 20mm slit at the bottom allowing my to twist the back plate and slide over the existing hub, this worked well because the handbrake guide clamps over the slit I made.
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I then moved onto fitting the new Eibach springs, refitting the roll bar, Tightening the prop shaft nuts. Rob & Dylan was the other side doing the same. We had a very strange situation with the handbrake cables (they keep changing the design slightly over the years) They have fitted a PTFE sleeve on the end which was too big to fit through the hole into the car. I ended up sat there with a blade trimming them to fit.

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Gaz was having fun up the front, it was so cold the rubber had shrunk on the lollypops making it near on impossible to fit them to the wishbones. With some gentle heat they then slid on no problems. He also found the front springs were also cracked and the shocks were original.
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We also had a sized front offside calliper luckily I had a relatively new one on the shelf to swap out.
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Overall under the car there's still quite a bit of light surface rust but nothing substantial the nuts & Bolts have taken the brunt of the corrosion. Last thing we did was bleed the brakes fit some spacers and get her out for a test drive. There was one last little touch that quite a few members have recommended, just something for a little fun.
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We had a couple of minor noises on the test drive: 1) being the rear arch liner caught the wheel, this was not sat in the arch correctly. 2) front dust shield caught the disc on full lock, again another easy fix. I also could feel the age of the tyres causing interesting handling in the rain at 70mph, they're very old and miss matched, Dave's plan in the coming weeks is to get the wheels done and fitted with fresh rubber.

Overall a lovely car to drive, the 2.2 engine is very crisp and responsive, must be down to the welsh contingent sorting the air leaks my 2.2 never drove like that.

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Zedshed out :)
 
Can't help but feel Dave was a lucky guy here. That car needed a stack load of work which would have been prohibitively expensive at a garage. Turn a different corner and that car might have been a goner in some hands.
 
Cannot but agree with that comment Rob also doing the rear discs like that is definitely worth considering.

Tony.
 
t-tony said:
Cannot but agree with that comment Rob also doing the rear discs like that is definitely worth considering.

Tony.
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Yeah likewise, the trouble with the Z3 is it's not particularly difficult to work on it's very time consuming so In a garage the labour hours will run away very quickly. We spent a total of 24 hours (4 days average 6 hours) on this car between 3-4 people. It soon mounts up.
 
Excellent work guys, that car will feel amazing once the tyres are changed, the difference is night and day, I love the way my 2.8 handles since I did it, I actually didn't realise how good it is until I drove my current project,
 
Great work guys, as usual
 
Great work lads :thumbsup:

Looking forward to getting my under bonnet sticker next year
 
Good job all round, think your right about the air leaks being sorted, the car was transformed once we buttoned all the leaks up, put a smile on Daves face that day
 
colb said:
Good job all round, think your right about the air leaks being sorted, the car was transformed once we buttoned all the leaks up, put a smile on Daves face that day
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I might have to book you guys in to check the M54 I've just built. Once I've traced this missfire I'll talk with the Boss down your way =))
 
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