MY little Z3 Project
- Thread starter DirtyDog
- Start date
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- learning lots to do ouch panels
Hi and welcome to my project.
Its my first time uploading pictures to the forum so hopefully its all going to be ok.
The car is a 51 reg year, 1.9ltr with 56,000 miles on the clock in Sapphire black.
This is going to be my project for as long as it takes, I was given the Z3 by a family friend.
The car is a Cat D write off which the previous owner was going to do up himself but due to ill health he asked if I would like the car as a project.
The car has sat in a little barn for around 4-5 years gathering dust and getting damp.
As far as we can tell, there is no structural damage, the car runs with no fault showing on the dash.
I am hoping its not going to be anything to major cost wise to get her back on the road, I have a limited budget, I will be sourcing parts from Ebay, scrap dealers, you name it to keep the cost down, but I have lots of time to learn,research and work on the car - looking at the car briefly I am hoping its mainly -
Changing /repairing panels,bumpers,bonnet and new light cluster etc,
Servicing the car - Oils,fluids, filters, brakes,etc..
Interior wise - Seats are very dirty,I think they are leather or maybe leather look ?- unfortunately when the car got damp a bag was on the passenger set so has imprinted its pattern into the seat along with some mildew stains. Again I hope its just a good clean, treatment and recolour. the electric adjusters all work.
The Hood looks in good condition but may require a new window fitting.
Well that's a little bit about the car.
Now I have the car home I firstly intend to remove the damaged panels etc and check the car structurally.
Then make a plan of how Im going to restore her back to the beauty she once was.
Its my first time uploading pictures to the forum so hopefully its all going to be ok.
The car is a 51 reg year, 1.9ltr with 56,000 miles on the clock in Sapphire black.
This is going to be my project for as long as it takes, I was given the Z3 by a family friend.
The car is a Cat D write off which the previous owner was going to do up himself but due to ill health he asked if I would like the car as a project.
The car has sat in a little barn for around 4-5 years gathering dust and getting damp.
As far as we can tell, there is no structural damage, the car runs with no fault showing on the dash.
I am hoping its not going to be anything to major cost wise to get her back on the road, I have a limited budget, I will be sourcing parts from Ebay, scrap dealers, you name it to keep the cost down, but I have lots of time to learn,research and work on the car - looking at the car briefly I am hoping its mainly -
Changing /repairing panels,bumpers,bonnet and new light cluster etc,
Servicing the car - Oils,fluids, filters, brakes,etc..
Interior wise - Seats are very dirty,I think they are leather or maybe leather look ?- unfortunately when the car got damp a bag was on the passenger set so has imprinted its pattern into the seat along with some mildew stains. Again I hope its just a good clean, treatment and recolour. the electric adjusters all work.
The Hood looks in good condition but may require a new window fitting.
Well that's a little bit about the car.
Now I have the car home I firstly intend to remove the damaged panels etc and check the car structurally.
Then make a plan of how Im going to restore her back to the beauty she once was.
Another Zed saved, great news. Good luck with your project and hope all goes well. Be good to follow progress and pick up a few tips along the way.
Wow poor thing has been through the wars. Good to see another being saved, 56000 miles is nothing, wonder what happened to it considering the low miles?
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Looks like the kind of damage you used to see back in the day after "joy" riders had been out in a car, assuming they didn't torch it.
Tony.
Tony.
The leather clinic will sell you something to remove ink transfer and a heavy duty cleaner that won't remove the colour .
Its going to make a great car when you pull it back to gether
Its going to make a great car when you pull it back to gether
You've some work to do, but as you say you have plenty of time, so good luck with your project, and we look forward to seeing updates of your hard work! Great mileage on the car for the year!
All the best
good luck with the project, I;m also restoring a z but thats what I do for a living
Best of luck with your project. You'll have her up and running in no time
Well done DD!
I see nothing scarry in this project. It's doable with low budget and not too much time. It will look perfect in a surprising short time and will reward you double! Very stylish combo.
Wish you goodluck and welcome on the forum; you're on the right place!
I see nothing scarry in this project. It's doable with low budget and not too much time. It will look perfect in a surprising short time and will reward you double! Very stylish combo.
Wish you goodluck and welcome on the forum; you're on the right place!
Interior looks better than mine!
Whilst she will always be listed as a Cat D, that doesn't mean you can't end up with a cheap, fun convertible.
Don't get too lost in seeking perfection, not all cars need to be concours entrants. Get it road legal and enjoy the drive.
Whilst she will always be listed as a Cat D, that doesn't mean you can't end up with a cheap, fun convertible.
Don't get too lost in seeking perfection, not all cars need to be concours entrants. Get it road legal and enjoy the drive.
Great little project DD, most of the panel damage seems cosmetic and many are bolt on/off panels, well done for saving it. It may just be the angle of the picture but the rear wheel in picture just does not look straight , maybe something to check as well?
Well finished work for a couple of days so I managed to get a couple of hours free to start working on the Z project today, hopefully more time can be spent on her this week.
I must speak to my wife and children to come up with a proper name for her -" Z Project " just wont do.
So firstly after trolling through this forum,along with a couple of other "Z" dedicated forums I was able gain some much needed knowledge on removal of some of the damaged panels .
I am going to be posting lots of pictures as I go along for anyone who is interested in the development of the car, or just so people can look to see how things come apart etc.
If I am posting too many pictures , stuff people are not interested in or people want me to try and take certain pics then please let me know.
Jobs completed today -
1- N/S front wing removal. Straight forward task - 4 screws to be removed - 8mm socket required
2- O/S front wing removal
3 O/S sill cover removed - This was a little bit harder - I removed the scuff guard and the plastic trim that runs up the rear wing. then it was a case off undoing the self tapping screws again an 8mm socket.
My next job will to be remove the front bumper .
I must speak to my wife and children to come up with a proper name for her -" Z Project " just wont do.
So firstly after trolling through this forum,along with a couple of other "Z" dedicated forums I was able gain some much needed knowledge on removal of some of the damaged panels .
I am going to be posting lots of pictures as I go along for anyone who is interested in the development of the car, or just so people can look to see how things come apart etc.
If I am posting too many pictures , stuff people are not interested in or people want me to try and take certain pics then please let me know.
Jobs completed today -
1- N/S front wing removal. Straight forward task - 4 screws to be removed - 8mm socket required
2- O/S front wing removal
3 O/S sill cover removed - This was a little bit harder - I removed the scuff guard and the plastic trim that runs up the rear wing. then it was a case off undoing the self tapping screws again an 8mm socket.
My next job will to be remove the front bumper .
Attachments
Thanks for the comments Brian.
I had a look at the wheel alignment today after your comment, and thank you for mentioning it.
I think as you stated its probably the camera angle or how the rear bumper is not sitting right that makes it look like there is a problem with the wheel alignment
Both wheels do tapper in a little from bottom to top, but I think its how they are set up camber wise.
Toe in/out wise they look straight.
Mark
They do run negative camber on the rear Mark (which is not adjustable by the way) so it pays to keep an eye on tyre wear and have them turned on the rims before they get too much wear on the inner shoulders. That way you'll get more wear out of them.
Tony.
Hopefully @spurs fan in a coupe will buy TOO! And have all the panels you need with a good front and rear bumper. Great work with the camera by the way! JIM