Monkey Machine

[machine monkey]

So after the drive way and workshop was built it was the middle of summer 2014 and i needed some car time. I had saved up and brought a M Factory LSD this is not an M diff different company and i cant recommend them enough. You can buy the diff through Grinspeed https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...uNg0oqW0nmHf1ndgQ&sig2=GiEQ-5ccGjOnAE-8logIdQ
They are very helpful and will help you if you DIY like me install it for you or i believe they will do a diff exchange. I got mine for a little over £600 but i believe they cost a bit more now. Its a mechanical diff instead of a plated diff like in M cars. It has a great warranty and is rated to 1000BHP
So i started taking out the diff. And what was supposed to be a weekends work took 6 weeks!!!
Diff and axle carrier out

Diff separated and new LSD unit

So you use all the original gears and just bolt it back in. You have to check backlash with a DTI nad gear mesh with engineers blue. Mine bolted back in and was perfect first time. There are no shims and as far as i can tell no way of adjusting it. But it needs to be checked. Mine was better and well withing BMW limits. The second time...... I was sent the wrong diff first of all and it just did not work. As you can see there is something wrong. The hight of the flange the gear sits on is too high by about 12mm

But they sent me a new one and all was well.
Then i was looking at the underside of my car and all the bits that cam off and i could not install it all back the way it was.

So out came the paint and i ordered all new bushes for the rear end.

Now at this point i should have just said enough and put it all back together. But as i said i was unhappy with the exhaust and decided now was the time to make a proper quad. The problem with that is fitting the exhaust to the drivers side due to the carbon filter thing and the battery box. I didn't want to cut the battery box and buy a smaller battery and relocate my amp. So i hatched a plan to re position the carbon filter and make my own silencers.
Setting out our cat Jack checking my work. RIP jack :-(

Passengers side i dont have a picture of the drivers but its very similar.

The silencers where actually quite easy to make. I got a sheet of perforated stainless steel plate. Then cut it to size and rolled it in to a tube. I then made 2 end caps welded it to one end making super it was a tight interference fit the other end. I then cut a bit of stainless pipe to the correct length and welded the perforated pipe and end cap to one end. Filled the gap between them with exhaust wadding. The pushed on the other end cap and welded it closed.

It was then all back together. Made some limiting spacers for the trailing arm. then painted the rear crash bar and underside.

 

[billz]

You have certainly put some work in to the rebuild. I wouldnt even know where to begin

 

[andyglym]

Very impressive stuff and top skills. Great thread

 

[machine monkey]

You have certainly put some work in to the rebuild. I wouldnt even know where to begin

I have and I didn't really before starting. Blind confidence and determination. And the Internet helped a lot!!

 

[machine monkey]

Very impressive stuff and top skills. Great thread

Thanks

 

[t-tony]

Great read David, very impressed mate.

Tony.

 

[machine monkey]

You have certainly put some work in to the rebuild. I wouldnt even know where to begin

Sorry I tried replying while cocking dinner it didn't really work!?

It has been a lot of work. But I find my fully know what I was doing. I read a lot fell back on my knowledge from work. Then blind determination luck and frantic googling got me through it!!

 

[machine monkey]

Very impressive stuff and top skills. Great thread

Thanks I haven't got much more to post I will be upto date by tomorrow and a post about future plans. Witch are big and ambitious.

 

[machine monkey]

Great read David, very impressed mate.

Tony.

Thanks Tony who is David? Am I missing something?? I am Mat?!

 

[t-tony]

Thanks Tony who is David? Am I missing something?? I am Mat?!

Sorry Matt, I got my wires crossed mate. Either way I'm still very impressed.

Tony.

 

[machine monkey]

You can call me David if you like. It's nicer than what I am normally called

 

[t-tony]

Been there mate, HT @hard top usually calls me a T**t! I would've needed 2 full days at Shepshed to get all the names into my brain Matt.

Tony.

 

[machine monkey]

I am hopeless with names. I really enjoyed the weekend. We stayed at the link the night before it was well worth doing it was great having a few beers and talking Zeds.

 

[t-tony]

talking Zeds.

Couldn't believe how fast Sunday flew by. Great day out.

Tony.

 

[David]

Looking forward to reading more.
Well done from one David to another!

P.S. Thanks for the tips! (The cylindrical kind, not the advise type.)

 

[Bazza]

Brilliant thread keep it coming

 

[machine monkey]

Looking forward to reading more.
Well done from one David to another!

P.S. Thanks for the tips! (The cylindrical kind, not the advise type.)

Thanks David

Your very welcome.

 

[machine monkey]

So the last post brings me up to the end of the summer 2014 i did a few track days and had a good time with my car. The LSD and suspension work has transformed my car. It really dose handle so well. Rally followed me to zed fest and he will back my statements about the handling . I am not being big headed i am just proud of the work i have done. Also being a novice at this sort of stuff and reading and then implementing that information gives a great feeling of satisfaction.

I have also got to thank my friend Chris. Who you will be hearing about a bit more in future posts. It was about this time we bumped into each other on a drifting forum. He lives not far from me and is another mad petrol head. He has also driven in drift championships semi professionally. He lives on a farm and him and the farm become instrumental in the next phase of my car. We are also building a v8 Toyota Supra with a BMW gearbox standalone ECU and some crazy additions and work gone into it. not sure if you will want a thread about that on hear? But i can do one later if its wanted.

Next more building work.
Because its not a race car until it has gaffer tape.................. Had a small off across some curbs and broke the bumper support bracket!!

 

[machine monkey]

So the car looked great apart from the bumper and all the flat surfaces like the bonnet and bumper. My car was becoming famous for having bad paint!! And i didn't really like that So having a chat with Chris we decided we would paint my car. Why not everything else has been a DIY effort. But i knew i wouldn't be happy with flys and dust stuck in the paint. Chris had done a bit of painting. And we had a good compresor. And we had a decent spray gun. I did some work for a guy on the other z forum. And he had some surplus air filtration equipment. So we had all we needed apart from a spray booth. Spray booths are expensive so I needed a plan...................Much thinking well not that much actually! I had an idea????????

We had a big workshop. I had a friend who works in the plastic business supplying polythene and such like. All i needed was some timber and a conservatory. After bidding up to the dizzy heights of £60 owing my mate a favor and buying £150 worth of timber and screws i had the makings of a spray booth

By now it was Christmas and to cold to spray. So i decorated the house light a fire and put my dog in a Christmas jumper and drank and ate too much.

 

[machine monkey]

So i had an idea that spraying my car would take a while...... So i was in no hurry to start. That and the fact i had a few track days booked in spring early summer. So i didn't start until June 2015 It was going to be a quick rub down and re spray silver. But............. it had been painted before in places really badly and had a fair bit of filler (that was not needed as i rubbed most of it out and got smooth panels??) At witch point i was thinking I didn't want a silver car anymore. But what colour I have always loved Imola on the z4m. But my wife has a red car and she said I couldn't have a red one!!

I was at BMW finally replacing the broken bumper clip. Well i couldn't hold it on with gaffer tape after it had been sprayed could i. I was stood in the parts department and went and looked at the bikes. And a few of them had this bright amazing blue on the frames. And i knew that was going to be the coulor of my car. So i got the code and then went to get as close as i could but not metallic. Why not metallic i hear you all shout???? I do a few track days and want to do more drifting. It will get scraped damaged at times and non metallic paint is easier for an novice like me to match. And all the body parts on the old z4 bolt on and off. Se that clever Plus shined up it still looks great.

So strip down and sanding. Sanding a car is not for the faint hearted. Hard work mixed with the feeling of what the hell have i done to my car!!

Finally in the booth after weeks of sanding.

Lots of masking up

Base coats should have got some extraction sorted.....

Bumpers and other bits. I did forget to do the mirrors

Nearly there so i thought.

After that we left the paint to cure and then set about wet sanding........... I was scared and emotional at this point.

Now there was a little twist in the story. I had help that didn't go as planed and this is actually after its 2nd respray. I wont go in to too many details as its a rubbish story. I was given advice and help that didn't work out. So Chris and i re did it. But it turned out ok. Until i tried using a DA and i have to say it no ones fault but mine. But if you did see my car at zed fest. You may have noticed all the little white lines and bits on creases. Well taht was me polishing through my paint So it dose need some more work. But from 10 feet away it look's bloody great

Also made a spoiler well remade it to fit better.

The wife brought me the best present ever. It was the end of September by now. And she had brought and changed my plate for me so it was ready to straight on.