Montreal Blue M44: 17th Owner

[Scooblitz]

About time i started a progress thread...

Bought the Z3 back in December of 2017 amidst snowy weather but i was in the market for a convertible. Seller was only 2 miles from my home and took a gamble on a Z that needed some work done. Poverty spec with hardly an extra in sight but the price was right for a straight little car.

19th of February - After a little wash - No work done on the car as of yet - Dec-Mar was a winter of car covers trying to keep it dry.

First Priority was the rear window. Weather throughout winter made progress difficult but after some great help from the forum, a little bit of sewing and a new tinted style window from Germany the car was ready for a road trip.

The reason i wanted a little Z was for trips like i took to Isle of Skye in April. Caught some great weather and the car was good fun. (even with two sheared front springs!)

Next stop is MOT which the little Z failed. I thought i was the death of the little Z but forum member Stevo7682 spared his time to get to get the car on the road and without him the journey would probably have ended here.

As of this weekend the car had its first little upgrade. Switch from cloth to black leather interior after an ebay job lot.


Much Nicer.

The to do list that is probably never ending in reality:

Cosmetic:
Full machine polish - Could make the paint very nice.
4x BMW badges -
Front bumper scuff repair
Headlight Compound
Exhaust pipe chrome
Re-dye of Leather gaiter & wheel
N/S quarter panel - Rust free needed
New black leather gear knob

Mechanical:
Lambda issue - Sensor in or new cat+pipe.
Control arm bushing replacement
Power Steering

Rust prevention:
Limitless bits and pieces

It's good to get a plan written down however, i think i'll be adding to it on a regular basis.

Happy Z'ing

Scooblitz

 

[Jack Ratt]

Good luck with the project

 

[Scooblitz]

Winter will be setting in very soon up here in Scotland, so rather than flaunt with the idea of exhaust, money would be better spent getting the car ready to face the elements.

Aside from the re-stiching the hood to accept a new window, i have done little with it since. It didn't make sense to proof and stain the hood till the season drew in. Ordered the Renovo kit from ebay which apparently will arrive on 3rd of September, much latter than hoped from a UK seller. I have a feeling 500ml of dye might not be enough to deepen the black colour of the hood but for £40, it will be a good afternoons work. Weather permitting.

Was going to post in the beauty parlour for advice but this my Z is the ugly sister. Need some advice on taking care of some exterior cosmetics. Ideally i would like to machine polish the car but i'm not sure how much paint a 17 owner car has.
One of the blemishes i would like to fix is the scuff on the front bumper. Bought the car as such with plans to do a fix. Advice on how to go about this on metallic paint without it looking a complete mess would be appreciated.
The drivers side mirror give me a little bit of fear. So many cars succumb to the flopped mirror post. Mine seems ok but scared to move incase it crumbles in my hands. The post base is weathered to white on one side and think this might be a bondo-sand-prime type job. Is it even worth while?
The BMWs badges are on the list to be replaced. Ebay is awash, with different prices. Any pointers in doing the job and which set to purchase would be appreciated.

 

[andyglym]

Good luck with your Zed

 

[roadvoyager1]

To help get your car through the winter I would suggest getting some plenty of wax on the paintwork. Machine polish is a nice to have if time permits but can be done when the sun shines in 2019. The bumper scuff and badges fall into the same category in my book.
If the car has been neglected in the past, which you imply, one of the jobs at the top of my list would be a coolant change, to make sure that the engine isn’t damaged by the cold weather. BMW anti-freeze is only pennies more than regular shop brands and has the right anti- corrosion package. It may also be worth considering if your battery will stand the demands of a winter. A good trickle charger (C-tek MX5) will help keep it in good condition if it doesn’t need replacing.
It's good to be thinking of over wintering your car, but get out and enjoy it over the next month or so. Winter will be long enough!!

 

[Althulas]

Getting the sills and wheel arch liners off. Then sand if and tray any rust areas. Then gives the insides of the sill covers a paint with Por 15 if they are good and use a waxoil for the inner sills of the arches will go far to keep rust at bay.