Parmst
Zorg Addict
it is a nice colour, at first i thought noo but look at it a few times and it does start to look really special along with the seats.
Looking for a Z (Now found & Built!)
- Thread starter Aaron MacQ
- Start date
great colour!
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Well, today we collected the car and brought it home. Took it straight from collection to the MOT centre where it passed without issue. Well, I'd asked him to be mega strict, and he did point out a few little things that could be closer to perfect, but still well within safe tolerances.
Then took the long way home to get a feel for it. Aside from low tyre pressures and low washer fluid, the car was perfect!
We'll be giving it a proper clean tomorrow but a few things to now figure out...
Does anyone make an affordable off the shelf exhaust system for it?
The twin pea-shooters just look a bit underwhelming, and for a weekend car, we'd like the soundtrack to be more of an event.
I know we could have one made up, but I'd prefer something 'designed and tested'.
Seat bushes need done. I assume most people just use the replacement bushes for sale on here? Looked at the diy and looks fairly straight forward.
Some slight corrosion on the sill lips so will treat that asap. Will prob pop the sills off and check condition behind. Any other areas where corrosion is an issue. Only had a quick poke around and look underneath, but couldn't see anything else obvious. even the subframes didn't have much in the way of surface corrosion.
Our drivers window is blowing fuses, so suspect a pinched cable behind the runner, or door hinge. Anyone had similar?
The rear window looks a bit ..... 'miserable' i think is the best word. It actually looks in decent condition but covered in a cloudy surface finish. Hoping a heat gun or a polish of some sort will restore it as there's no serious marks or crease marks.
Coming out of 5th gear is a bit sticky. Had the same prob with the detent pins in our e46 330 5 speed a few years back, but can't be bothered pulling the gearbox unless it needs a clutch any time soon, so will chuck some fresh oil at it and hope it lubes the original pins enough to relieve the issue..
There's a bit of an imbalance in the damping up front that i noticed at the MOT and drive home so we might swap out the suspension. We want a comfy set up, for the more elderly driver shall we say, but then I'll want to plonk it on the floor for a few weeks in the summer for a laugh. I run KW/ST coilovers on the M3, along with uprated ARB's, bushes and top mounts but since the Z is not likely to be driven hard we're thinking some of the cheaper brand coilovers would give a more 'comfy' height adjustable solution. Don't need outright handling.
Anyone had experience with street spec coilovers from Apex or V-Maxx ??
Oh, i have some 330 brakes to go on it! Overkill I know, but 325mm brakes!!!
Didn't really get the chance to take many pics, but here's one of the MOT guy checking her out, before he asked if I'd sell it!
Then his mate came over for a poke about and asked if I'd sell it!
Then the guy I was sitting beside asked if I'd sell it!
Then the next guy to arrive and sit down asked if I'd sell it!
Crazy!!!
Anyway, that's me for now. Assuming a build thread is the done thing on this forum.. Will start on off if we end up doing anything interesting....
Then took the long way home to get a feel for it. Aside from low tyre pressures and low washer fluid, the car was perfect!
We'll be giving it a proper clean tomorrow but a few things to now figure out...
Does anyone make an affordable off the shelf exhaust system for it?
The twin pea-shooters just look a bit underwhelming, and for a weekend car, we'd like the soundtrack to be more of an event.
I know we could have one made up, but I'd prefer something 'designed and tested'.
Seat bushes need done. I assume most people just use the replacement bushes for sale on here? Looked at the diy and looks fairly straight forward.
Some slight corrosion on the sill lips so will treat that asap. Will prob pop the sills off and check condition behind. Any other areas where corrosion is an issue. Only had a quick poke around and look underneath, but couldn't see anything else obvious. even the subframes didn't have much in the way of surface corrosion.
Our drivers window is blowing fuses, so suspect a pinched cable behind the runner, or door hinge. Anyone had similar?
The rear window looks a bit ..... 'miserable' i think is the best word. It actually looks in decent condition but covered in a cloudy surface finish. Hoping a heat gun or a polish of some sort will restore it as there's no serious marks or crease marks.
Coming out of 5th gear is a bit sticky. Had the same prob with the detent pins in our e46 330 5 speed a few years back, but can't be bothered pulling the gearbox unless it needs a clutch any time soon, so will chuck some fresh oil at it and hope it lubes the original pins enough to relieve the issue..
There's a bit of an imbalance in the damping up front that i noticed at the MOT and drive home so we might swap out the suspension. We want a comfy set up, for the more elderly driver shall we say, but then I'll want to plonk it on the floor for a few weeks in the summer for a laugh. I run KW/ST coilovers on the M3, along with uprated ARB's, bushes and top mounts but since the Z is not likely to be driven hard we're thinking some of the cheaper brand coilovers would give a more 'comfy' height adjustable solution. Don't need outright handling.
Anyone had experience with street spec coilovers from Apex or V-Maxx ??
Oh, i have some 330 brakes to go on it! Overkill I know, but 325mm brakes!!!
Didn't really get the chance to take many pics, but here's one of the MOT guy checking her out, before he asked if I'd sell it!
Then his mate came over for a poke about and asked if I'd sell it!
Then the guy I was sitting beside asked if I'd sell it!
Then the next guy to arrive and sit down asked if I'd sell it!
Crazy!!!
Anyway, that's me for now. Assuming a build thread is the done thing on this forum.. Will start on off if we end up doing anything interesting....
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2016
- Points
- 231
- Model of Z
- Z3M Imola and Z4 (e89)
@Aaron MacQ
That looks very nice, look forward to some more pics Keep them coming we all love a photo shoot
That looks very nice, look forward to some more pics Keep them coming we all love a photo shoot
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2016
- Points
- 208
- Location
- Maybole , South Ayrshire
- Model of Z
- Z3 Individual Dakar / Orinoco Individual
Nice colour and wheels
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Oh, there will be photos......
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2016
- Points
- 208
- Location
- Maybole , South Ayrshire
- Model of Z
- Z3 Individual Dakar / Orinoco Individual
Cant wait to see them your zed needs a better backdrop than a garage.
Love the colourWell, today we collected the car and brought it home. Took it straight from collection to the MOT centre where it passed without issue. Well, I'd asked him to be mega strict, and he did point out a few little things that could be closer to perfect, but still well within safe tolerances.
Then took the long way home to get a feel for it. Aside from low tyre pressures and low washer fluid, the car was perfect!
We'll be giving it a proper clean tomorrow but a few things to now figure out...
Does anyone make an affordable off the shelf exhaust system for it?
The twin pea-shooters just look a bit underwhelming, and for a weekend car, we'd like the soundtrack to be more of an event.
I know we could have one made up, but I'd prefer something 'designed and tested'.
Seat bushes need done. I assume most people just use the replacement bushes for sale on here? Looked at the diy and looks fairly straight forward.
Some slight corrosion on the sill lips so will treat that asap. Will prob pop the sills off and check condition behind. Any other areas where corrosion is an issue. Only had a quick poke around and look underneath, but couldn't see anything else obvious. even the subframes didn't have much in the way of surface corrosion.
Our drivers window is blowing fuses, so suspect a pinched cable behind the runner, or door hinge. Anyone had similar?
The rear window looks a bit ..... 'miserable' i think is the best word. It actually looks in decent condition but covered in a cloudy surface finish. Hoping a heat gun or a polish of some sort will restore it as there's no serious marks or crease marks.
Coming out of 5th gear is a bit sticky. Had the same prob with the detent pins in our e46 330 5 speed a few years back, but can't be bothered pulling the gearbox unless it needs a clutch any time soon, so will chuck some fresh oil at it and hope it lubes the original pins enough to relieve the issue..
There's a bit of an imbalance in the damping up front that i noticed at the MOT and drive home so we might swap out the suspension. We want a comfy set up, for the more elderly driver shall we say, but then I'll want to plonk it on the floor for a few weeks in the summer for a laugh. I run KW/ST coilovers on the M3, along with uprated ARB's, bushes and top mounts but since the Z is not likely to be driven hard we're thinking some of the cheaper brand coilovers would give a more 'comfy' height adjustable solution. Don't need outright handling.
Anyone had experience with street spec coilovers from Apex or V-Maxx ??
Oh, i have some 330 brakes to go on it! Overkill I know, but 325mm brakes!!!
Didn't really get the chance to take many pics, but here's one of the MOT guy checking her out, before he asked if I'd sell it!
View attachment 48351
Then his mate came over for a poke about and asked if I'd sell it!
Then the guy I was sitting beside asked if I'd sell it!
Then the next guy to arrive and sit down asked if I'd sell it!
Crazy!!!
Anyway, that's me for now. Assuming a build thread is the done thing on this forum.. Will start on off if we end up doing anything interesting....
Interesting read. Here's a link for some exhausts that may or may not fit the bill (plenty of different exhaust tip sizes)http://www.venommotorsport.com
Great rare color!
Well done!
Well done!
Re exhaust - I have a Supersprint back box, been on for over 5yrs now, direct fit and I love it. Got better with age too. Very bassy low down with a nice hard M like shriek at higher revs and lots of note change in between - not just a blare.
Pricey though and you'll usually get a custom set up for for less which a good job will let you tailor.
Don't forget some induction noise if it's a weekend car. Adds another dimension especially through a tunnel. I never tire of the noise this thing makes
Re coilovers - If you going to do it then I'd say go for ones with adjustable damping (that is easy to access). I have the BC racing set up (8kg rear and 6kg front). Plenty of height adjustment and the damping adjustment is superb. I don't track it but do use the damping adjustment more than I thought I would - takes seconds to adjust. Makes a big difference - softer setting for the front in the cold and wet has reduced understeer (of course a bit stiffer at the rear in this weather makes for fun!)
I dial it softer when the missus is in- 5-10 clicks either way makes noticeable difference (it has 32 clicks).
Much, much better than the FK silver lines I had before which are supposed to be good (made in Germany).
Also worth talking to GAZ shocks as they just developed sets for the new Z cars racing series.
For cheaper options plenty have done eibach springs and Sachs dampers (non adjustable but the rears can tuned with spring pads).
Car looks great.
Will you sell it?
Pricey though and you'll usually get a custom set up for for less which a good job will let you tailor.
Don't forget some induction noise if it's a weekend car. Adds another dimension especially through a tunnel. I never tire of the noise this thing makes
Re coilovers - If you going to do it then I'd say go for ones with adjustable damping (that is easy to access). I have the BC racing set up (8kg rear and 6kg front). Plenty of height adjustment and the damping adjustment is superb. I don't track it but do use the damping adjustment more than I thought I would - takes seconds to adjust. Makes a big difference - softer setting for the front in the cold and wet has reduced understeer (of course a bit stiffer at the rear in this weather makes for fun!)
I dial it softer when the missus is in- 5-10 clicks either way makes noticeable difference (it has 32 clicks).
Much, much better than the FK silver lines I had before which are supposed to be good (made in Germany).
Also worth talking to GAZ shocks as they just developed sets for the new Z cars racing series.
For cheaper options plenty have done eibach springs and Sachs dampers (non adjustable but the rears can tuned with spring pads).
Car looks great.
Will you sell it?
the exhaust, there are a few about such as supersprint. or you can go down the the custom route
Seat bushes, just buy the aftermarket harder bushings, my build thread shows some photos of the process, laborious but fixes the wobble.
Sills and the front wings are common rot points, but all the panels just unbolt so very easy to check and keep on top off, bottom of the rear wings can have a tough life too due to the width so whip the arch liners out and have a look
Window, i'd expect the same but not experience the issue
Rear window, they all go foggy / brittle over time, you can buy a new one form BMW for £200 or an aftermarket one from Ebay for £100 ... takes an hour or so to fit with two people (presuming it still has the original zipped in window)
Coilovers, don't buy cheap ones! they will be crashy and just plain miserable. go for some new shocks and lowering springs (i have eibach 30mm lowered springs and they are awesome)
i'm planning on doing 330 brakes on mine too when the front discs need doing.
Awesome colour though! nice to see something a bit different
Seat bushes, just buy the aftermarket harder bushings, my build thread shows some photos of the process, laborious but fixes the wobble.
Sills and the front wings are common rot points, but all the panels just unbolt so very easy to check and keep on top off, bottom of the rear wings can have a tough life too due to the width so whip the arch liners out and have a look
Window, i'd expect the same but not experience the issue
Rear window, they all go foggy / brittle over time, you can buy a new one form BMW for £200 or an aftermarket one from Ebay for £100 ... takes an hour or so to fit with two people (presuming it still has the original zipped in window)
Coilovers, don't buy cheap ones! they will be crashy and just plain miserable. go for some new shocks and lowering springs (i have eibach 30mm lowered springs and they are awesome)
i'm planning on doing 330 brakes on mine too when the front discs need doing.
Awesome colour though! nice to see something a bit different
Nice catch, love the colour
You've bought a nice looking car @Aaron MacQ
If I had a little more headroom in the Shed Ian, I probably would.Lovely and unusual colour. You must be well pleased.
You need one of those scissor lifts @t-tony - no more wooden blocks then and a perfect view of your Zed at all times!
Tony.
Aaron MacQ
Zorg Guru (I)
Well, we had a busy day.
My dad had given it a wash yesterday at his house before I brought it back to mine.
So today, we set about properly cleaning it.
First up, I took about 100 photos of the starting condition, but summarised it in a 5 min walkaround video.
I'll upload to youtube later and you can see the car is generally in great condition, and just a bit of tlc will go a long way.
So, first we used an Autoglym Hood Kit to clean the roof.
Next up, I wet-sanded the headlights. Started with a 1200 grit, then with a 2000, and finally with a 2500.
Then, i snow foamed the engine bay (after wrapping the alternator, fuse box and any exposed connectors) with a citrus pre-cleaner. After going round it with a sponge, we hosed it down and proceeded to foam the rest of the car, wheel wells, shut gaps etc...
Power hosed that to knock of the nasties, and foamed again with a shampoo.
Went round it with a mitt, and a few microfibers for the door shuts, sills, exhaust, and so on...
Hosed it down again and dried it off...
I'm sure this is getting boring, but attention to detail matters!
Then, a fallout and tar remover.... Let it dwell for 10-15 mins, and hosed that off. For a 19 year old car, I was seriously surprised at low little paint contamination there was, especially considering how filthy it was when we collected.... Maybe there's something to be said for a protective layer of dirt!
Next up, I took a DA to the glasswork and polished that to a clean flat finish.
Took me 5 mins trying to figure out if there was a special mode for removing the wiper blades before it twigged to kill the ignition mid-swipe with them in the up position... duh!
Anyway, ended the day on a hit with clay and a quick once over with SRP on a DA polisher whilst my dad treated the roof to the hydrophobic hood protectant. Nowhere near final finish and didn't get time to refinish the headlights, look at the wheels, arches, sills or anything interior, but the paintwork finish already is stunning and at least the cars weatherproof.
When putting away my cleaning gear, I found a Green induction kit in my garage (for a Nissan Micra no less), so decided to rip out the air box and stick it on. Unfortunately it's inlet is just a few mm too small (no surprise there) but for now Duct tape is working some magic! Yeah, it's going to heat soak and a 1.0 Micra Induction kit is unlikely to be able to flow anywhere near enough air for the 2.8 M52 to breathe properly but it's only temporary and sounds more fun until we figure out a final solution.
Hoping to get back at it on Sunday, when I'll buff the headlights back to a glass finish, and start cleaning up underneath.
Actually just as I'm typing this up, I've spotted a K&N Apollo over in the corner (i seem to collect random car parts for some reason) so will see how close that is to being a good fit on Sunday.
As for my suspension decisions, we're still not sure what way to go. I know entry-level coilovers seem wrong, but also know, even on their softest setting, my KW's would be too uncomfortable for my dad on a long journey, but AP, V-maxx and Apex all seem to avoid any negative reviews and shouldn't be particularly heavily damped. The AP is basically a budget budget KW so surely can't be too bad on the performance side either. (ST being the 'budget' non-stainless KW)
I know there's a load of other stuff on ebay that would probably be plain nasty so i'm automatically avoiding anything else in the budget category.
Finally.... Ok, i'm new to Z3's, but have had several BMW's over the past 14 years, but in 2 days of ownership, we've now had 7 people genuinely ask if we'd be interested in selling it! We've also had about 5 or 6 people walking or driving past pull over and ask 'what year is that?' and spend the next 30 mins chatting about how interesting the colour is and the condition for it's age (or any age for that matter) and then the story of how we came to own it (more on that another time).
I had no idea Z3's had so much love. Fantastic. We're more than happy to give this one a good home!
My dad had given it a wash yesterday at his house before I brought it back to mine.
So today, we set about properly cleaning it.
First up, I took about 100 photos of the starting condition, but summarised it in a 5 min walkaround video.
I'll upload to youtube later and you can see the car is generally in great condition, and just a bit of tlc will go a long way.
So, first we used an Autoglym Hood Kit to clean the roof.
Next up, I wet-sanded the headlights. Started with a 1200 grit, then with a 2000, and finally with a 2500.
Then, i snow foamed the engine bay (after wrapping the alternator, fuse box and any exposed connectors) with a citrus pre-cleaner. After going round it with a sponge, we hosed it down and proceeded to foam the rest of the car, wheel wells, shut gaps etc...
Power hosed that to knock of the nasties, and foamed again with a shampoo.
Went round it with a mitt, and a few microfibers for the door shuts, sills, exhaust, and so on...
Hosed it down again and dried it off...
I'm sure this is getting boring, but attention to detail matters!
Then, a fallout and tar remover.... Let it dwell for 10-15 mins, and hosed that off. For a 19 year old car, I was seriously surprised at low little paint contamination there was, especially considering how filthy it was when we collected.... Maybe there's something to be said for a protective layer of dirt!
Next up, I took a DA to the glasswork and polished that to a clean flat finish.
Took me 5 mins trying to figure out if there was a special mode for removing the wiper blades before it twigged to kill the ignition mid-swipe with them in the up position... duh!
Anyway, ended the day on a hit with clay and a quick once over with SRP on a DA polisher whilst my dad treated the roof to the hydrophobic hood protectant. Nowhere near final finish and didn't get time to refinish the headlights, look at the wheels, arches, sills or anything interior, but the paintwork finish already is stunning and at least the cars weatherproof.
When putting away my cleaning gear, I found a Green induction kit in my garage (for a Nissan Micra no less), so decided to rip out the air box and stick it on. Unfortunately it's inlet is just a few mm too small (no surprise there) but for now Duct tape is working some magic! Yeah, it's going to heat soak and a 1.0 Micra Induction kit is unlikely to be able to flow anywhere near enough air for the 2.8 M52 to breathe properly but it's only temporary and sounds more fun until we figure out a final solution.
Hoping to get back at it on Sunday, when I'll buff the headlights back to a glass finish, and start cleaning up underneath.
Actually just as I'm typing this up, I've spotted a K&N Apollo over in the corner (i seem to collect random car parts for some reason) so will see how close that is to being a good fit on Sunday.
As for my suspension decisions, we're still not sure what way to go. I know entry-level coilovers seem wrong, but also know, even on their softest setting, my KW's would be too uncomfortable for my dad on a long journey, but AP, V-maxx and Apex all seem to avoid any negative reviews and shouldn't be particularly heavily damped. The AP is basically a budget budget KW so surely can't be too bad on the performance side either. (ST being the 'budget' non-stainless KW)
I know there's a load of other stuff on ebay that would probably be plain nasty so i'm automatically avoiding anything else in the budget category.
Finally.... Ok, i'm new to Z3's, but have had several BMW's over the past 14 years, but in 2 days of ownership, we've now had 7 people genuinely ask if we'd be interested in selling it! We've also had about 5 or 6 people walking or driving past pull over and ask 'what year is that?' and spend the next 30 mins chatting about how interesting the colour is and the condition for it's age (or any age for that matter) and then the story of how we came to own it (more on that another time).
I had no idea Z3's had so much love. Fantastic. We're more than happy to give this one a good home!
Last edited:
People really do seem to love them. Last time I filled up two people in the garage made nice comments.
That's a lovely looking car you have there.
Tim
Welcome to the forum from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Just read through this thread and am very happy that you found the car that you did. It is a beautiful color and I hope you enjoy it for a long time. Frankie