Rebody Pingu's Kit Car Project

DaveP

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 26, 2016
Points
128
Location
Reading
Model of Z
Z3 2.2 Kobra rebody (see pic)
Looks very nice indeed. Love that colour choice so my compliments.

Still going for the 'dunlops' look or different ? I approve of the dunlops (not that means much).

Last time I saw the car was pre doorcards. Been a while since I have been able to get to Hants. House move, new (1st) grandchild), holiday, catching covid on way back from holiday and general fatigue has kept me away :(

Hope that you enjoy the car. It is unique of course so to be appreciated for that.

Dave
 

Pingu

Zorg Guru (III)
3rd Party Trader
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Points
145
I need to check it over and that will take at least a working week, which will probably be several real months.

There are several things that I know it needs...

1. Bonnet rams and securing clips - rams ordered 24/10/2022 - collected 28/10/2022, Starlock washers ordered 25/10/2022 - arrived 29/10/2022 - welded plates and secured ram pins in "lower" position... the rear of the bonnet was pushed up out of alignment... we are investigating an new pin position 12/02/2023 - spare hinge acquired and geometry measured 17/02/2023 - new bonnet lock bought 17/02/2023 - lower ball pin repositioned 13/03/2023 - strut pistons cut to length 14/03/2023 - rams fitted (but not powerful enough) 14/03/2023 - stronger rams may break the hinge - stainless steel rod and sherical bearing ordered to act as bonnet stay 15/03/2023 - threaded stainless steel rod 18/03/2023 - machined aluminium block to accept sherical bearing - bent stainless steel bar and fitted to bearing - glued block and bar to bonnet using epoxy resin - glued and pinned bar retaining clip to aluminium block 23/03/2023 - made the retaining block for the bonnet stay 29/03/2023 - retaining block attached to car, stay cut to length, stay button added to end of stay - DONE
1a. Design and manufacture ram extensions - machined 31/10/2022 - hardened and tempered 04/11/2022 - shorter ram extensions machined, hardened and tempered 19/02/2023 DONE
2
. Spinners for the wheel centres (to make them look like Dunlops) - bought 25/10/2022 - arrived 29/10/2022 - started to look at possible solutions 21/03/2023 - cut out adapters - made mandrel for front wheel - fitted front adapter to spacer - ordered 25mm aluminium bar 22/03/2023 - finished RHF spinner solution 27/03/2023 - finished LHF and RHR spinner solutions 28/03/2023 - finished LHR spinner solution 29/03/2023 - DONE :party:
3. Battery drain issue (probably something to do with the centre console) - traced the drain to the clock 24/01/2023 - parts to make voltage cut-off module ordered 28/01/2023- made circuit on breadboard (less NPN transistor) 01/02/2023 - made a circuit on the breadboard that works :party:04/02/2023 - made the circuit board 05/02/2023 - circuit board works with variable power supply, but not with battery :mad: 06/02/2023 - tested using DC battery and resistors adjusted to suit 07/02/2023 - circuit board designed and made (see video) 09/02/2023 - started to seal the circuit board with glass fibre resin 15/02/2023 - sealed with epoxy resin 16/02/2023 - plugs added to wire ends and module / clock put on test 20/02/2023 - test passed 21/02/2023 - clock connected to car 22/02/2023 - DONE
4
. Sort out the height of the car (adjustable coilovers) - measured height of M roadster (490 / 55) 04/04/2023 - started to set the ride heights 06/04/2023 - done the best that I can 07/04/2023 - DONE
5. Full service - started valve shims (9 out of 16 needed adjustment) - still need 2x 2.85 shims to complete the job 31/01/2023 - shims arrived 04/02/2023 - all valve shim gaps measured and adjusted 07/02/2023 - 3x heli-coils machined into intermediate head 10/02/2023 - spark plugs changed 11/02/2023 - oil and filter changed 16/04/2023 - DONE
6. Radio buttons - bought 24/10/2022 - fitted 25/10/2022 - DONE
7. Properly clean the car of all the dust from painting
8. Wheel arch covers - ABS sheet ordered 14/12/2022 - wheel arches fitted 15/12/2022 - "cat's whiskers" ordered 30/12/2022 - "cat's whiskers" arrived 05/01/2023 - ordered securing clips for "cat's whiskers" 09/02/2023 - securing clips arrived 10/02/2023 - fabricated arch liners to allow arches to be removed 12/02/2023 - completed RHF wheel arch liner 01/04/2023 - completed LHF wheel arch liner 03/04/2023 - secured cat whisker clips to bonnet using JB Weld 03/04/2023 - cat whiskers trimmed and wheel arch liners completed 04/04/2023 - DONE
9. Clean boot carpets and boot interior - cleaned 27/10/2022 - DONE
10
. Check wheels (I like the rears, but the fronts looks too small) - I think this has been sorted by adjusting the ride height 07/04/2023 - DONE
11. Interior mirror - bought 24/10/2022 - arrived 27/10/2022 - mirror to be fitted to upper windscreen plastic section - upper section needs to be repainted - primed 11/04/2023 - primed 2nd coat 12/04/2023 - painted satin black 13/02/2023 - mirror fitted and removed to allow painting - 2nd coat of satin black 15/04/2023 - clear satin lacquer ordered 15/04/2023 - windscreen surround fitted 25/04/2023 - DONE
12. Gear lever (I want to make one that looks like the one in the video) - bright steel bar ordered 17/11/2022 - bar arrived 22/11/2022 - turned bar and made gearlever 05/12/2022 - lacquered 06/12/2022 - designed and fabricated locking feature 17/01/2023 - relacquered 21/04/2023 - DONE
13
. Design and fabricate solution to boot leak when boot is open - made wooden template 03/11/2022 - varnished 04/11/2022 - first attempt 12/11/2022 - version 2 wooden template readied for GRP mould 13/11/2022 - GRP mould looking good, I've used some P40 to make the mould more accurate 16/11/2022 - Used P38 on mould 18/11/2022 - smoothed mould and coated with PVA 19/11/2022 - gel coated 20/11/2022 - cloth mat laid 20/11/2022 - 300gm grp laid 21/11/2022 - part was removed from mould 21/11/2022 - P38 (1st pass) used to fill gaps in part 21/11/2022 - wet'n'dry used to smooth part (1st pass) 22/11/2022 - P38 (2nd pass) 22/11/2022 - P38 (3rd pass) 26/11/2022 - grey plastic primer 04/12/2022 - painted and smeared clear gel smooth 11/12/2022 - black pvc edge trim ordered 28/01/2023 - clear coat 29/01/2023 - sprayed rubino rosso 01/02/2023 - clear coat 02/02/2023 - attached pvc edge strip 02/02/2023 - attached the washer tube under the water trap 02/02/2023 - made wooden undercover to neaten the washer tube 13/02/2023 - undercover attached to fibreglass using epoxy resin 20/02/2023 - 35mm exhaust clamps ordered 21/02/2023 - made first bracket to secure watertrap to rear roll bar 03/03/2023 - made the second bracket and added securing screws to watertrap 04/03/2023 - painted brackets 05/03/2023 - lacquered brackets 06/03/2023 - watertrap fitted to boot (tube to be secured) 06/03/2023 - secured drain tube 19/03/2023 - DONE
14
. Design and fabricate solution to keep boot open - ordered 6mm stainless steel rod 25/01/2023 - ordered 5.9mm ferrule foot 25/01/2023 - cut and formed aluminium foot stay 26/01/2023 - ordered 6mm Terry tool clip 26/01/2023 - started "stay rod" solution 01/02/2023 - ordered spherical bearing 02/02/2023 - machined aluminium block to accept spherical bearing and fitted bearing, rod and ferrule 04/02/2023 - all fitted and secured 05/02/2023 (see video) - DONE
15. T-piece for washer jet - bought 19/11/2022 - added 03/03/2023 - DONE
16
. Replace under-bonnet connectors for weather-resistant connectors - parts bought 21/11/2022 - I need a set of Econoseal jaws (ordered 07/03/2023) - connectors made 19/03/2023 - DONE
17
. Design and fabricate front crash bar solution - used 10x40 aluminium bar left over from seat spacers 10/11/2022 - locking nuts added 15/12/2022 - DONE
18
. Design and fabricate front undertray securing mechanism - undertrays and front ducting fitted 15/12/2022 - DONE
19. Tidy interior carpeting around rear window - sorted the trim 18/04/2023 - DONE
20. Buy some foot mats - bought 25/10/2022 - DONE
21
. Make or buy interior carpet for boot - bought samples 27/10/2022 - bought carpet 02/11/2022 - glued carpet in boot - glued down loose carpet all around the car 22/04/2023 - DONE
22. Investigate connecting heated rear window to heated rear window switch - I tested the rear window and it has a very large resistance, so it looks like it won't work - DONE
23. Straighten annoyingly crooked front air dam chrome surround and straighten screws - tick 25/10/2022 - DONE
24. Secure washer jet tubes to underside of bonnet - ordered P clips 28/01/2023 - added 03/03/2023 - DONE
25. Tighten screws on headlamp surrounds and tidy up the rubber - tick 26/10/2022 - DONE
26. Check the fuel gauge and wiring. It seems to be reading too low - ballast resistors balanced 16/04/2023 - DONE
27. Check all the warning lights. Some may need modifications to the circuitry - all appear to be working correctly, and wiring diagrams have been amended 16/04/2023 - DONE
28. Sort the bonnet securing pin and release hook. - release hook pushrod secured 14/11/2022 - DONE
29
. Make frame to lift the front of the car. - most parts fabricated 20/11/2022 - bar to fabricate jack saddle arrived 22/11/2022 - saddle made 23/11/2022 - frame welded 24/11/2022 - frame primed 24/11/2022 - completed 26/11/2022 - DONE
30
. Lift car on lifting frame - done 26/11/2022 - DONE
31. Add weatherseals to doors. - driver's door done 16/01/2023 - passenger door done 23/01/2023 - DONE
32. Swap door handle bolts for longer ones (door handle fell off as screw was too short). - driver's door done 16/01/2023
33. Adjust trim fitments on main console - used Milliput to improve the area around the glovebox 20/03/2023
34
. Make spacers for upper trim on door cards - both doors trimmed 24/01/2023 - DONE
35
. Investigate adding caster to the front suspension - ordered adjustable caster / camber plates 11/03/2023 - paid customs and other taxes 31/03/2023 - camber/caster plates fitted to car 04/04/2023 - DONE
36
. Add locking pin to bonnet and adjust locking pins - ordered locking pin from @spursfaninacoupe 17/02/2023 - fitted and adjusted pins 20/03/2023 - DONE
37. Sort out the massive gap at the top of the doors - trimmed roof lining, made and primed metal filler piece 08/04/2023 - stuck filler pieces in with epoxy resin 09/04/2023 - used Milliputty to smooth the gaps 10/04/2023 - painted filler pieces 11/04/2023
38. Add plastic under tray at front under the bonnet - made LH plastic piece and metal securing straps 09/04/2023 - fitted LH plastic piece 10/04/2023 - made RH plastic piece 11/04/2023 - centre section made, but requires reinforcement - reinforcement strip made and painted 13/04/2023 - all fitted and removed to allow paint 15/04/2023 - all parts fitted and aligned 16/04/2023 - DONE
39. Tracker to be fitted - booked for 19/04/2023 - tracker fitted 19/04/2023 - DONE
40. Adjust gauges so they look correct when viewed from driver's seat - fuel gauge adjusted 20/04/2023
41. Swap voltmeter for clock, as the clock consumes 60mA - voltmeter ordered 20/04/2023
42. Add AM/FM aerial - did not go well - touched the body with the aerial amplifier and fried the radio - asked CarAudioStuff if they can supply a new motor unit 20/04/2023 - new motor unit will be despatched on 24/04/2023 - connectors are not the same - e-mail from CarAudioStuff confirms that the connectors can be used - 25/04/2023 - all connected and working 26/04/2023 - DONE
43. Fit tracker - tracker fitted and lifetime subscription paid 19/04/2023 - DONE
44. Make pin to fix glovebox lock - pin made on lathe 24/04/2023 - DONE


Take the car for a drive :rally:
 
Last edited:

Paul Rice

Zorg Guru (V)
Supporter
British Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Points
198
Location
Doncaster
Model of Z
Z4 2.5
Great looking car, seen one similar at Thoresby. Looks anything but a kit car.
 

t-tony

Zorg Expert (II)
Supporter
British Zeds
#ZedShed
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Points
226
Location
Torksey Lock,Lincoln, England
Model of Z
E89 Z4 23i Auto
I really like it and hope to see it up close maybe next year. You have a right to be very proud, I would be.

Tony.
 

Jack Ratt

Zorg Expert (I)
Supporter
British Zeds
The West Country
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Points
200
Location
TRURO, CORNWALL
Model of Z
2.8i AUTO and 2.8i MANUAL
Very nice :beer:beer
 

bertiejaffa

Zorg Guru (III)
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 15, 2014
Points
135
Location
Manchester
Model of Z
Z3M
I need to check it over and that will take at least a working week, which will probably be several real months.

There are several things that I know it needs...

1. Bonnet rams and securing clips - rams ordered 24/10/2022, Starlock washers ordered 25/10/2022
2. Spinners for the wheel centres (to make them look like Dunlops) - bought 25/10/2022
3. Battery drain issue (probably something to do with the centre console)
4. Sort out the height of the car (adjustable coilovers)
5. Full service
6. Radio buttons - bought 24/10/2022 - fitted 25/10/2022
7. Properly clean the car of all the dust from painting
8. Wheel arch covers
9. Boot carpets
10. Check wheels (I like the rears, but the fronts looks too small)
11. Interior mirror - bought 24/10/2022
12. Gear lever (I want to make one that looks like the one in the video)
13. Design and fabricate solution to boot leak when boot is open
14. Design and fabricate solution to keep boot open
15. T-piece for washer jet
16. Replace under-bonnet connectors for weather-resistant connectors
17. Design and fabricate front crash bar solution
18. Design and fabricate front undertray securing mechanism
19. Tidy interior carpeting around rear window
20. Buy some foot mats - bought 25/10/2022
21. Make or buy interior carpet for boot
22. Investigate connecting heated rear window to heated rear window switch
23. Straighten annoyingly crooked front air dam chrome surround and straighten screws - tick 25/10/2022
24. Secure washer jet tubes to underside of bonnet
25. Tighten screws on headlamp surrounds and tidy up the rubber
- tick 26/10/2022

...and I've got to inspect the car as well, so there will be plenty more.

Take the car for a drive :rally:
How many Boots has it got?? :whistle:;)
 

Pingu

Zorg Guru (III)
3rd Party Trader
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Points
145
and carpet(s) ???
Honestly, they are a mess. I've just sent off for some samples. I'm 75% sure that the carpets are "smoke", but better to be sure. I'll be getting some more carpet and making a much better job of it. See the video.

It doesn't help that the carpets in the car look like they've come out of three different cars. The CD player covered a lot of gaps :) . It looks like the standard carpets were just ripped out and they now have folds that go in the wrong direction. I'm going to get some Velcro from the Friday market tomorrow and hope that sorts it.

It's still a project. There's lots of M stuff that needs to be modified to fit back on the car. I think that I will have some fun with the wheel arches. The areches that are fitted are next to useless for keeping the arches clean. I hope it will be ready for the Lakes in May :) .
 

DaveP

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 26, 2016
Points
128
Location
Reading
Model of Z
Z3 2.2 Kobra rebody (see pic)
A nice looking car. The previous one was mid-blue metallic.
I noticed a Jago Jeep at 1:44 in the video.
Ian,

I know of only 3 in existence (the other was a metallic grey). A very rare kit indeed now.

It is a Suzuki Samurai that has been dismantled a little to get a coat of paint as was a bit sorry for itself. I had a go in it before it became a temporary storage area :)

Dave
 

Pingu

Zorg Guru (III)
3rd Party Trader
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Points
145
I've got myself a set of GSV-10 150 bonnet rams. CCs have used them on other cars, but they are fitted upside down, andf they have gone weak. The guy at SGS told me that they will leak internally if mounted upside down, but they can be repressured if required.

I'm working on a solution to fit them the right way up, but it will involve having to take the bonnet off to do some modifications and welding.

Oh joy :rolleyes:
 

DaveP

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 26, 2016
Points
128
Location
Reading
Model of Z
Z3 2.2 Kobra rebody (see pic)
Nice knob. Wicked bit of turning. I’m jealous of the skills with tools.
 

Pingu

Zorg Guru (III)
3rd Party Trader
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Points
145
Nicely turned Pingu, looks to sit taller and the throw didn’t seem that long. Is it that way to be of nearer to reach?
It was just to make it look more retro.

The M has a short throw remote, so my throw won't be much more than the throw on a "standard" car. If it were a standard car, the throw would probably be too long and would get too close to the console.

I did investigate modifying everything so I had the same throw length as the M, but the remote would have fouled the propshaft.

It will definitely be more of an A road and motorway car than a B road car.
 
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