#ZedShed Nessie - Road to recovery (Z4 2.5)

[Lee]

Little update, now that Christmas & New Year is out the way we can focus on Nessie again. Yesterday I did a huge drop off to the powder coaters, two pallets worth. The eagle eyed will spot Z3 parts in there too, we still over haul Z3 subframes whilst doing other things

before dropping everything off we had a good couple of days removing bushes and fixing snapped bolts. First up was the subframe itself, this on its own has more bushes than a Z3 at the rear.

Wheel bearing removal, we can confirm during the removal of said wheel bearings since our glorious leader has lost lots of weight he no longer has the ballast to keep his feet on the ground sometimes whilst hanging off a breaker bar.

trailing arm bushes.

snapped bolt removal with a freshly welded nut.

All really time consuming on the Z4.

Now the garage is nice n clear we can get the Z4 chassis all cleaned up and fit some new brake lines.

 

[Lee]

Big update. All the metal work has come back looking all shinny. First up a load of snaps showing lots of black bits. The diff also came up amazing.

The subframe itself. Factory fresh

Trailing arms

rear springs

the diff came up so good. We just got them to grit blast it so we could paint it.

We also started rebuilding the front end to get some of big items out the way. Nice starting to see it all go back on.

we thought it was good to get the dust shields on and leave it there. I need to remove all the old brake lines next so need all the room.

Springs came up well.

Next week we’ll finally get the dirty job of cleaning up the chassis out the way. We can finally start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Bazza]

Looking good

 

[andyglym]

Big update. All the metal work has come back looking all shinny. First up a load of snaps showing lots of black bits. The diff also came up amazing.
View attachment 211209
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The subframe itself. Factory fresh
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Trailing arms
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rear springs
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the diff came up so good. We just got them to grit blast it so we could paint it.
View attachment 211229
View attachment 211225
View attachment 211227
We also started rebuilding the front end to get some of big items out the way. Nice starting to see it all go back on.
View attachment 211231
View attachment 211233
we thought it was good to get the dust shields on and leave it there. I need to remove all the old brake lines next so need all the room.
View attachment 211235
Springs came up well.
View attachment 211237
Next week we’ll finally get the dirty job of cleaning up the chassis out the way. We can finally start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
View attachment 211239

Great progress mate, that'll be one sorted Zed when finished

 

[Scooblitz]

Are the drive shafts brand new? Or a mix of new and refurb?

Everything looks great.

With Z4s being very affordable, I suspect we will see a lot more z4 owners over the next few years on the site. Good practice.

 

[Lee]

Are the drive shafts brand new? Or a mix of new and refurb?

Everything looks great.

With Z4s being very affordable, I suspect we will see a lot more z4 owners over the next few years on the site. Good practice.

The shafts are new mate. They were £140 for a pair brand. It’s a no brainer really.

I’ve been shocked by the prices of everything, roll bar bushes £10 a pair and things like handbrake assembly £18. These are branded Meyle parts, these prices make the Z3 look expensive.

 

[t-tony]

Was always going to happen, the E85 is more plentiful now because rust is killing the Z3. The same will likely happen to the E85 in 10 - 12 years or so (unless electronics get there first).
The world is waiting for a Z4 spurs fan.

Tony.

 

[Lee]

Was always going to happen, the E85 is more plentiful now because rust is killing the Z3. The same will likely happen to the E85 in 10 - 12 years or so (unless electronics get there first).
The world is waiting for a Z4 spurs fan.

Tony.

I think it's more to do with the E85 platform sharing it's parts with the E46, these parts will be mass produced due to production numbers. Great for the Z4 owners

 

[Scooblitz]

The shafts are new mate. They were £140 for a pair brand. It’s a no brainer really.

I like the look of these. Not got a new set budgeted for Z3 but temped.

Theres a Dutch YouTuber called Stipt.Polish.Paint. That I watch for underside refurbs and I think this z4 is heading that way. Could eat your dinner off them all.

 

[Lee]

I like the look of these. Not got a new set budgeted for Z3 but temped.

Theres a Dutch YouTuber called Stipt.Polish.Paint. That I watch for underside refurbs and I think this z4 is heading that way. Could eat your dinner off them all.

We're not far off, we only give the underside a light wipe down. We make them functional mostly with all new or rebuilt parts.

We do have plans to buy a dry ice blaster to take the final finish to the next level.

 

[GazHyde]

I think it's more to do with the E85 platform sharing it's parts with the E46, these parts will be mass produced due to production numbers. Great for the Z4 owners

Exactly as we found with my Z4M sharing things like wheel bearings with the E46 330.

 

[KiNG]

Nice catching up with you guys yesterday. Look forward to coming down more frequently! Hopefully next time will be in the Zed!

 

[Lee]

Only a little update from the weekend. Zed was having her underside cleaned up. We test fitted the rear diff, we want confirmation on the bush setup we’ve been sent.

Good hour taking things back to metal.

then the diff.

this photo shows the diff sat perfectly straight and right angles to the front bar. If we change the setup of the rear bush it changes the alignment so this must be how it goes.

She looks so good aswell. Who ever buys this Z4 will get one good motor for many years to come.

 

[Robtp10]

Hi Lee

Do you still need a headlight? I have had mine replaced so you are welcome to teh old ones if they help you.

They are undamaged bracket wise but a bit hazy after 150k miles. They work were working fine before RBM replaced them for me.

I have attached a picture of how they looked prior to replacement

 

[Lee]

Hi Lee

Do you still need a headlight? I have had mine replaced so you are welcome to teh old ones if they help you.

They are undamaged bracket wise but a bit hazy after 150k miles. They work were working fine before RBM replaced them for me.

I have attached a picture of how they looked prior to replacement

Hi mate, that would be really handy if you still have them.

Did you ever go down the charger route ?

 

[Robtp10]

Hi mate, that would be really handy if you still have them.

Did you ever go down the charger route ?

Still have them Lee, happy to drop them over whenever you like. Charger as in a battery trickle charger? if so yes have on set up now.

 

[KiNG]

Hi mate, that would be really handy if you still have them.

If you're getting new lights (well not new but the used ones from Robtp10) and plan on binning the old oem headlights, I'll gladly take them off your hands. I'm still gathering spare parts to modify my xenons. This is the wiring mess I'm having to deal with! Note the use of terminal blocks?! Spare headlight shell will come in super handy.

 

[Lee]

If you're getting new lights (well not new but the used ones from Robtp10) and plan on binning the old oem headlights, I'll gladly take them off your hands. I'm still gathering spare parts to modify my xenons. This is the wiring mess I'm having to deal with! Note the use of terminal blocks?! Spare headlight shell will come in super handy.

View attachment 212295

Sure man will stick your name on them. The driver side headlight has a few broken tabs. We’ve done a few in-house Z4 light mods but they’re a pain to build.

 

[Lee]

We had a super productive day today. Subframe dry run assembly and all the brake lines are done.

Making break lines are a pitta. Such a messy job.

Luckily both fronts were quite short.

the rears were a little more complicated.

We gave the slam panel a rust/primer coat. Gary impressed himself doing this.

Before

first coat.

finally the exciting set of photos of the day. Assembling the arms.

First up are the new bearings.

followed by bushes. We opt’ed for a poly bush kit for cost effectiveness.

then all together.

the diff is torqued in place but the rest is fitted by hand. We still need to add the hubs with handbrake assembly.

Seeing it this nice makes us all question why are we selling it

 

[Bazza]

Another great job, really looking good well done all at the shed