Slowest Z Tweak Thread in the History of the Forum

[t-tony]

Well I've been mega-busy with work TBH, I've got tons of stuff to do from last year, and now even more after the winter... the sills on one side are /bad/ and that needs fixing. I also have my brake refurb project stalled, and I also have the cooling system+water pump project stalled.

The good news is that the car is ticking along happily, I drove it most days this winter (unless /really/ sh*t weather) and I had several excellent drives in on sunny days. Drove to and back from wales with the top down by -4. So there -- I discovered there is a serious draft just behind your left shoulder, but if you have a scarf etc it's dandy!

My left shoulder cops it worse in my Z4 too, so they didn't improve that!

Tony.

 

[buze]

Does anyone know of a M/// stick on logo that *sticks* ? I've replaced them on my summer wheels and just discovered I've already lost the two at the front. I suspect the heat makes the glue melt?

 

[5harp3y]

Does anyone know of a M/// stick on logo that *sticks* ? I've replaced them on my summer wheels and just discovered I've already lost the two at the front. I suspect the heat makes the glue melt?

did you get them from BMW?

 

[buze]

No picked them off ebay, the guys who refurb the wheels told me they were fine. Well maybe they are, but the glue sucks

 

[t-tony]

Could be poor prep, they won't stick to polish, you need the clean where they stick with brake cleaner or similar.

Tony.

 

[the Nefyn cat]

It'll be the M///police coming round when you're not looking. They do that, you know.

 

[5harp3y]

It'll be the M///police coming round when you're not looking. They do that, you know.

Not on these, they came with m badges from the factory

 

[buze]

Well today I thought I'd machine polish the boot -- I had done a bit of hash job on one side last year when trying to remove scratches... I ended up doing most of the car. Didn't do the front bumper or the sills, but the rest got it. Then I washed the panels and waxed them. Blimey, despite the endless list of little blemishes, the car looks fantastic afterward!

 

[oldcarman]

You jinxed me Gaz, look, WEEKS with no activity ;-)

No still have the 'brakes' project on track, however I need to get all four caliper+holders+hoses+discs/pads prepared/refurbed/painted. As well as changing the wheel arches at the front (thanks to @spurs fan in a coupe as always) so there's quite a bit of preping. That'll take some time!

So the only things that changed are 1) a new tonneau I picked for £70 on ebay, a really really nice gentleman who just bought a Z4 -- unfortunately he's not very internet-y so it's unlikely we'll see him here; bit of a loss! 2) is that I made a way to remove the luggage carrier, using dome bolts (A2) and washers. Works pretty well!

So that'll be the 'summer' car; the winter car will have the #18's with rain tyres, and the hard top.

A bbit of info in a PM About the dome bolts , etc would be appreciated as I 'll need the same if @BMBabe or @Shelly ever forgives this old man who doesn't honestly have a clue where I screwed up. Car is coming along slow but sure!! JIM

 

[Slam]

The colour looks lovely all polished up

 

[DaveP]

Look ing good

 

[buze]

A bbit of info in a PM About the dome bolts , etc would be appreciated as I 'll need the same if @BMBabe or @Shelly ever forgives this old man who doesn't honestly have a clue where I screwed up. Car is coming along slow but sure!! JIM

Hi @oldcarman -- these are the bolts I used, in M8 -- size isn't terribly important as there's lots of space for the bolt-heads underneath. I used my original rubber washers, it might be a good idea to replace them (I plan to). "A2" is the grade of rust protection, A2 is marine grade, I think you could also find A4 ones but not sure if that matters...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARRIAGE...2-STAINLESS-STEEL-M6-M6-M8-KAYS-/150884465287

 

[Jack Ratt]

A bit of techy info

@buze A4 stainless steel, also known as 316 stainless steel is marine grade.

A2 or 304 as it is also known, is a "general" quality stainless steel and while it offers good anti corrosion properties it does discolour quite quickly when exposed to salty environment.

 

[buze]

Cheers @Jack Ratt ;-) no plan on going underwater in the bay anytime soon! But for £3/10, I guess I could change them every year... Strangely at the time I couldn't find the /same/ bolt in A4 -- I know A4's are 'shinnier'...

On a side note, A2 and A4 bolts are good for a few things but they tend to 'bind' so they are not a super idea for other parts of the car.

 

[buze]

So, after a long time off the toolbox, I've now got a little bit of time to tinker.

I've got all the parts to change all brakes all around, new calipers & brackets at the front for 300mm discs.
Also got new oil & filter.

So that is going to happen this week, with a bit of luck. I think I've read *everything* I could about brakes, refurbing calipers, bleeding and all that, but it'll still be a first for me, so I hope I get lucky

I'd love to replace the water pump/thermostat/idler but quite frankly I get completely lost on what to buy :/

 

[buze]

Now, who is going to be a busy boy?

 

[buze]

First step, oil change. My very first oil change too... pfew.. Oil is draining as I type, already installed the new filter.

I KNEW the step I designed in the parking area would come up handy, one day!

 

[5harp3y]

Thats so handy. would be even better if you could design the ramps to extend over a little so that you can properly get under the car

 

[buze]

Anyway, no more procrastination, it's brake times! Well it's going to take me several days, I'm not like these guys who strip the backend just before teatime and are done at 6pm.

Took 2 hours getting the car on stands already, and 5 minutes then to remove the wheels. I love that pneumatic tool! Also pressure washed the arches, and I can see COLORS in there, who knew the mud-color wasn't original?

 

[buze]

And these are the new reburbed 328i caliper & carriers. I stripped them completely, steel brushed them, bench grinded any ridge, cleaned again and painted with high temperature caliper paint. I have to say the color is lovely, it's metalic red-ruby of some sort, pic doesn't do it justice.