'Tandy' - First project car, first Z3!

[John_B]

I am rather in awe of your endeavours! Especially as you say its your first ever go at this type of thing. I can do really basic stuff - I mean BASIC, but I'm currently toying with redoing my brake calipers and thats a big thing for me. How easy was it? And how stable are the axle stands?

Aw thank you, I appreciate the feedback.

Servicing the calipers was an interesting experience, especially learning how the internals work. Just make sure you're going to be able to get the old pistons out before spending too much time on them!

Axle stands are solid. Just be prepared that if your driveway/garage/workshop is not billiard table-flat, when you try to put it on 4 axle stands it may only actually be sitting on 3! That was a shock when I saw it hovering above one of them, but that is normal. I just shoved a bit of wood in the gap to stop any chance of it rocking

 

[John_B]

I bought a pair of Atlanta Blue wings and sill covers from a breaker in Blackburn at the weekend. They're not perfect by any stretch, but better than what I currently have - certainly in the case of the sill covers.

They're currently in my spare room keeping warm and dry over the winter. When the weather starts to improve and I am back to tinkering with Tandy I am going to determine the best full set, apply Waxoyl and anything else to resist rust on the back sides and fit them, along with some new jacking pads.

The set of sill covers and wings that don't get fitted might be used to have a go at welding and painting next year!

 

[John_B]

I went out to the car to check which fuse I'd used for the Angel Eyes for someone asking about a switched live under the bonnet, and in doing so discovered that my lovely new (to me) interior had gone totally mouldy

I bought some mould killer/cleaner from the Furniture Clinic, and some dehumidifier bags, so it's looking well again for now. Priorities when the weather starts improving has got to be that drivers side window so I'm not so reliant on the full cover. (And I think sweet-talking my FIL to see if he'll let me use his second garage next winter! haha). In the mean-time providing we're not expecting gale-force winds I'm considering using the gazebo instead of using the cover

 

[t-tony]

I went out to the car to check which fuse I'd used for the Angel Eyes for someone asking about a switched live under the bonnet, and in doing so discovered that my lovely new (to me) interior had gone totally mouldy
View attachment 287789
I bought some mould killer/cleaner from the Furniture Clinic, and some dehumidifier bags, so it's looking well again for now. Priorities when the weather starts improving has got to be that drivers side window so I'm not so reliant on the full cover. (And I think sweet-talking my FIL to see if he'll let me use his second garage next winter! haha). In the mean-time providing we're not expecting gale-force winds I'm considering using the gazebo instead of using the cover
View attachment 287791

Sounds like you have damp in the carpet underlay.
It will hold several pints of water. Also if you have a liner inside the soft top roof it's a good idea to hoover the mould out of that too.

Tony.

 

[John_B]

Sounds like you have damp in the carpet underlay.
It will hold several pints of water. Also if you have a liner inside the soft top roof it's a good idea to hoover the mould out of that too.

Tony.

Oh yes, I am well aware how much water they hold - I had them out and next to a radiator for a week in the autumn (previous page on the thread). Short of running them through a victorian clothes mangle I don't know how much drier I could have gotten them at the time. If they are sodden again then I am '0 for 2' when it comes to "waterproof" covers

 

[t-tony]

Have you checked though?

Tony.

 

[John_B]

Not yet, that'll be a job for another weekend when I can get in there to disassemble some of the footwell trim and get my hand underneath the carpet for a feel.

 

[John_B]

I had intended to get the Z3 out for a wash a couple of weekends ago, but found my 10yo Karcher K2 had succumbed to the elements and I think something inside must have cracked on a particularly cold night. It turned on but wouldn't build any pressure and was gushing water out of the casing.

So I took the opportunity to upgrade for a K7 and gave the fleet their first proper wash of 2024 the weekend before last. Looking splendid. I also fitted a private reg which was a gift from Mrs B and goes with the one on my F11.

And then this weekend just gone, I took it out for its first spin of the year. Can't wait for more dry and sunny days now for more drives. I have a lovely commute over the peak district to my office at Manchester Airport which I do once or twice a month, so hoping some nice weather coincides with those days for some top-down commuting!

I have a handful of smaller jobs I still need to get done when I have some dry and free time;

• Replace driver's window switch which I leant on too hard when cleaning the mould
• Adjust driver's quarterlight window as there is still a sizeable gap between it and the roof seal
• Fabricate a bracket for the fire extinguisher
• The tonneau cover is looking a bit tatty, so clean that up
• And I want to strip some of the A-pillar trim to fit a hands-free microphone and an FM aerial*

More substantial jobs this year are to replace the sill covers and examine/treat the sills and the one I am really papping myself about is I think the rear sub-frame bushes have gone since I think the rear axle looks way too cambered and it has felt a little 'crashy' at the back on the last few drives, even though springs and shocks look fine and are tight.

* I'm considering selling the OEM Business CD stereo unit and replacing it with an aftermarket one with DAB, bluetooth, maybe even a pop-out screen for Apple Car Play. If anyone is looking for a Business CD stereo, feel free to message me with an offer. Full working order (even includes the little plastic screw covers) and I can throw in the bluetooth streaming box if you want

 

[John_B]

I finally got to the bottom of the drivers' window conundrum, I found the window regulator limit switch and how to adjust that so the window didn't close higher than the top of the quarterlight (creating a gap). But then the glass did not close against the roof seal, so I had replaced one gap with another! I eventually discovered an additional adjustment bolt on the bottom edge of the door (two in total) giving me the in-and-out adjustment I needed to close the gap up. Hoorah.

In doing so, I removed the vapour barrier that I re-sealed last year, and credit to the butyl tape, it was stuck really well. So well in fact that I tore the vapour barrier in removing it :-( It was already torn in places and looking pretty rough, so I called Mark @ Sopers Lincoln and ordered a new couple of barriers from Mark. I'm not going to have them for a few days, so this weekend I removed the vapour barrier from the other door, and then cleaned them both up - a painstaking task, but they're done now and the doors look like they're fresh out of the factory!

Before I seal the new barriers in place (hopefully for the last time!) I thought it would be a good idea to follow @GazHyde's mirror base refurb guide, so I called Mark and added a pair of new gaskets to my order and put an Amazon order in for the acid etch primer Gaz recommends, along with some paint, clear coat and spray grease.

In addition to all of that, I fixed the window switch and fabricated brackets for the fire extinguisher holder. However I'm not happy with it. I used 1mm aluminium so that I could share the forward seat mounting lugs without losing too much thread for the bolts, but 1mm aluminium is about as rigid as toffee and I can see the (2kg) extinguisher rocking backwards and forwards as I drive, so I imagine it's only a matter of time before it breaks loose. Back to the drawing board on that one!

 

[John_B]

This weekend I sanded the mirror bases down to bare metal and painted them back up, along with giving the folding mechanism a liberal application of ACF50 to get them working again nicely. Fitted a fresh couple of gaskets and that's another job ticked off. I'm not expecting any job offers from body shops, but I am pleased with the outcome

I'm still holding off fitting the new vapour barriers though as I am waiting on a replacement window guide for the drivers side to replace the rubber seal at the top - torn open by the window closing too high. I've also ordered a couple of new handle gaskets from eBay and figure I might as well do those too. In for a penny...!

With the mirrors back in place I went out for a sunny Sunday afternoon blast around the peaks and met up with RickyBobby to buy a weighted gear knob he was advertising in the For Sale forum - to be fitted this evening along with new bonnet & boot struts

 

[John_B]

What I am calling 'Project Door Refresh' is now complete;

• Replaced driver's window guide (to replace the torn rubber seal at the top)
• Replaced handle gaskets
• Serviced door hinges and window mechanisms
• Restored mirror bases
• Fitted new vapour seals

All being well, I shouldn't need to remove the door cards and vapour barriers again for a long time, or hopefully 'ever`!

The next mini-project will be rust treating the sills and fitting the replacement covers I picked up in December.

I've also booked in to Jack Smith's for a new soft top in August

 

[John_B]

The Easter weekend provided the backdrop to 'Project Sill Refresh'

I feel ashamed to admit this after so long and having done so much to the car, but besides a layman's feel of the sills when I bought it, and a throw-away comment that they 'looked OK' from one of the mechanics when I MOTed it last year, I didn't really know what state the structural sills were in, and considering the rotten hole in one of the covers, I was expecting the worse. The silver lining would be that if it was terminal I could strip most of the changes I have made and transfer them across to another Z3. Turns out I needn't have worried, once I eventually got the covers off, the sills were in much better condition than I feared. A little surface rust at the rear ends and a few patches along the bottom, but nothing that didn't come off with a little bit of sanding.

I had bought a Waxoyle aerosol, but after attempting to apply it to the back sides of the replacement sills and wings, it came out clumpy and like silly string (despite warming the can first), so I ditched that plan and bought a big refill tin of the stuff and painted it on with a brush instead. Horrible stuff, but if it does the job I won't complain.

Everything is back together and bolted up now, although I broke a few plastic trim clips so have put an order in with vehicleclips.co.uk for a bunch of those, plus 100x 8mm hex bolts to replace all of those too + a stash of spares.

The sills I have replaced mine with were by no means perfect, but should buy me another few years, and then if Tandy is still going strong I'll replace them with GRP ones. Shorter term I'm on the look out for a pair of rear wings. One reason is they are now the only rusty panels left on the car, and the other is I had to grind off the head of the rear-most screw holding the sill and wing to the chassis, but couldn't get the rest of the screw out of the wing (if that makes sense), so that fastener is effectively missing on both sides for the time being and leaves the panels slightly out of alignment .

Next up, are a replacement thermostat and coolant hoses. I am toying with the idea of doing the water pump too...

 

[John_B]

After the 4 day sill marathon over the Easter weekend, this weekend I opted for a (slightly) less intense and (slightly) cleaner job by fitting heated seat pads this weekend. Thanks to @Mazza for the advice and answering my questions, they made the job much more straight forward. I'm currently 'borrowing' the horn relay for the heated seats though so must remember to get another!

Whilst stripping the passenger seat, I found this stuck in the seat lifting mechanism - a 41yr old £1 coin!

There was a mysterious ball of fire hanging in the sky on Saturday afternoon when I had refit the seats, which made assessing my work a bit tricky, so instead Mrs B and I went for a little trip to B&Q on Sunday morning. Heated seats working fine. And I found a fellow zed to park next to

 

[Mazza]

Hi John
Send me a PM with your address and I’ll send you the relay . I think it’s the light green one,
There’s one on my breaker that you can have

 

[John_B]

Hi John
Send me a PM with your address and I’ll send you the relay . I think it’s the light green one,
There’s one on my breaker that you can have

Hi Mazza, yeah that is right mate. You're a star, I'll PM you now. Thanks!!

 

[John_B]

I had intended to replace the thermostat, water pump and a bunch of hoses this weekend, but I was thwarted no sooner had I started when I wasn't able to remove the fan and shroud. I have ordered a tool from ebay that should allow me to crack on. I've since had a couple of suggestions for tips to remove it without the tool, although I doubt I'll have chance to try again before the tool comes anyway. Never mind, it's all part of the learning!

I drained the coolant though (another 'first' for me) and removed the rad hoses. I'm not even going to attempt to remove the thermostat until the fan and shroud are out though, I am terrified enough of sheering a bolt, let alone trying to extract them with very limited space.

Sadly I think I have discovered a PAS fluid leak.

With that done but it only being Saturday lunchtime and the weather complying, I did a few other smaller jobs too;

Replaced the broken footwell netting clips and fitted a storage net, cleaned the inside and outside of the washer reservoir, replaced my spare (which I expect would have crumbled if fitted) and gave the forward splash guard and spare wheel carrier a good clean. I want to de-rust and paint the spare wheel cage, but with the car on axle stands at the front there was even less space at the back and I couldn't undo the hinge/bolt for the cage, so that can wait for a later date. I also painted the front disc hubs, I'll do the rears next time I have the rear wheels off.

Sunday was going to be a day of rest, but when the sun was out I couldn't help myself and spent 6hrs treating stone chips that peppered the front bumper and bonnet using Chipex's 'Paint Chip Repair System'. At the end of the day, it's only paint, and it's never going to undo 25yrs of abuse and neglect by previous owners, but short of getting them professionally resprayed, I'm pleased with how the bumper came out. I'm going to have another go at the bonnet ones at a later date and see if I can build the paint up over time, because right now the stone chips are still really visible, it's just now they're blue instead of metal or rust coloured!

(mid-process photo when I was certain I had f***ed my bumper...

)

 

[Mazza]

if the PAS leak is the actual reservoir tank I have one that you can have

 

[John_B]

if the PAS leak is the actual reservoir tank I have one that you can have

Thanks Malc, I have already ordered a replacement & hoses. I've read elsewhere that it's likely to just be the hose clamp loosening over time - any clue what I should be looking for if it is the reservoir itself that's leaking?

Cheers

 

[Mazza]

just cracks in the plastic !!!

 

[John_B]

just cracks in the plastic !!!

Aha understood, I wondered if you meant there was a(nother) common leak source. I'm going to drain the reservoir and have a look once I have the replacement ready to fit if needed