Grandpa Ripper

[Grandparipper]

Got the nickname for skiing faster than the young bucks.
I currently own a triple black 1998 2.8 Z3 with the factory hard top, M wheels and seats, and upgraded stereo.
It currently has 201,000 miles and runs very well. I do the regular service work myself including replacing the water pump, struts, shocks, sensors, plus oil changes and tune ups. I got a set of narrow 15 inch wheels and snow tires for the winter and love to drive this thing in the snow. It freaks people out to see a sports car passing them in their SUVs and 4 wheel drive pickup trucks! Don't people realize that Germany has snow?
I built a time consuming custom subwoofer box between the seats with a singe 8 inch driver and it works very well.

 

[Stevo7682]

Hi and welcome from me in Scotland . Have you got any pictures everyone likes to see new members cars

 

[Nodzed]

Welcome to the forum Got any photos? We like photos

 

[GazHyde]

Welcome

 

[PHILIP BAXTER]

Hi, and welcome from Cardiff. Enjoy the forum, but don't forget the pictures.

 

[DavidM]

Welcome from Ireland!

 

[Jack Ratt]

Hello and welcome

 

[andyglym]

to the Forum from West Cumbria, England.

 

[Grumps]

Hello from Mansfield UK.

 

[mwpe]

Hi and welcome from Surrey.

 

[Low Rider]

Welcome

 

[Bazza]

from me

 

[t-tony]

Hi @Grandparipper and welcome from me near Lincoln UK. Sub boxes are topical on here at the moment, a few members would like to se pictures of yours I'm sure. That's a fair mileage too and just goes to show what they'll do when looked after. Where are you located stateside?, I'm coming over in a few weeks.

Tony.

 

[Sean d]

Hi and welcome, would love to know how you managed to get an 8 inch sub in there, do you have pics

 

[Mint]

Hi @Grandparipper, to the forum from me too in Staffordshire, UK. Anybody mentioned pics yet?

 

[DerProjektZ3]

Welcome from Alabama!

 

[Grandparipper]

It wasn't easy to fit in a sub. First I tried replacing the drivers in the HK sub enclosure with a single 6" firing out the back into the folding top area. I was not satisfied. To get the needed cubic interior volume for an 8", I decided to make a glass fiber removable box in the same area, but reaching a bit forward, tapering up to the seat sides. I shimmed the area with cardboard, lined it with plastic sheeting, then applied resin and glass cloth to the bottom and sides to get the basic shape started. After that, I removed it and built it up on the bench with taped together cardboard before adding many more layers of glass and resin for stiffness and to lower unwanted resonances. I topped it off front and back with MDF board, cut out the hole facing frontwards, wrapped it all in black carpet to hide the ugliness and fired it up. I got the 8" driver out of a rescued garage sale home theater sub that had a burnt amp. I am pretty sure if I spent some money on a better driver, it would improve the sound, but it is fine the way it is. My Kenwood HD deck has lots of audio controls to dial the sub in, so it does not need to be replaced.... yet. I wanted a musical depth, not a bunch of non-musical boom. It reaches down enough to fill in the sound nicely.
Driven with the rear channels of a Soundstream 4 channel amp.

 

[Antm72]

Hello and welcome from me in south Yorkshire

 

[Shelly]

Hi and welcome from me too

 

[Ianmc]

I'd like to see the M wheels fitted to a 2.8, should look great.