Rebody Z3 Based Ferrari 250 California Build

[Ian&Sue]

Hi Ian & Sue

I really like the gunmetal grey which would work well with the red roof but SWMBO (sorry Sue) does not like it, says its dull and boring!

Picture is of a Tribute like my current car but you get the idea!

Do those tyres look far too fat or is it my eyes?

View attachment 194259

We much prefer the gunmetal grey, looks good with red roof but suggest you paint it in a colour that your partner likes as this will promote harmony & increase enjoyment!

The tyres are far to fat, makes the car look like it's on steroids.

 

[MisterP007]

It is money spending time again! Spent the last 1 1/2 hours ordering:

• M54B30 inlet manifold and DISA - Absolute bargain at £50
• Oil Catch Can so I can delete the PCV - £14.89
• Pipercross Air Filter - £36.99
• Alloy tubing for intake - £28.50
• Uprated ECU to take account of the above changes & others - £149.95

I have all of the above in my current beastie (2.8 double vanos) along with a free flow exhaust and the performance difference is huge!

A bit more spending followed (another £90)

• Tiger Seal for bonding panels.
• Lucas interior warning lights for front and rear fogs
• Stainless steel toggle switches for front and rear fogs, electric windows and electric roof
• Chrome indicator bulbs
• Satin black spray paint for metal brackets
• Etch primer for metal brackets and touching in rust spots
• 2mm steel plate for making a few brackets and welding the sill ends
• New lower bonnet catch (only needs one on the 250 cal)
• A Class W168 bonnet hinges
• Mini windscreen washer jets, old school variety
• Plastic window packers - amazing the uses these can be put to when mounting the body
• Hazard warning light pull switch
• Pair of new horns as the current ones have rusted away
• Various plastic trim clips
• Bullet connectors
• Nitrile gloves (which I almost always forget to put on!)
• Gardening gloves for the heavier and rustier job

£370 gone in the blink of an eye! Oh, the joys of fake vintage motoring!

 

[MisterP007]

More purchases last night:

• Windscreen wiper motor kit £156 - cannot mount the front body section until this is fitted
• Have not bought any Stainless Steel wiper arms/blades yet as apparently, the ones from CBS and Ebay are Sh1t. "look OK but do not use them in the rain!!!" according to Steve @jaguartvr

I was fed up with getting covered in dust and rust flakes so I nipped down to the workshop and set up the pressure washer to blast all the accumulated crap off the car. Polybag over the alternator and blast-away. Amazing the amount of dried on mud and debris removed from underneath along with a lot of surface grease from the door reveals, engine bay etc.

Clean (ish!). I was soaking wet and it was 7.30 by this time which is time for Dinner & TV.

Not looking forward to the next bit, which, realistically, should be:

• Grinding off rust on the bottom of the inner sills, small rust spots in the engine bay, scuttle, rear end
• Treating with Bilt Hamber rust treatment
• Welding holes in front of inner sills
• Etch primer on all of the new clean metal
• 3m underbody paint on the inner sills, body colour paint on the rest
• Squirt some rust proofer into the inner sills

Dirty job but has to be done. Might have to bite the bullet and get the grinding and rust treatment done tonight - no, wait, I have to wash my hair/dog/cat/hamster or anything else I can think of to avoid it.

 

[jaguartvr]

I have both and prefer the 250 swb Spyder.
What an earth are you asking people on this forum for? They like Z3's!


Sell the roof complete with frame, easy to swap. Maybe sell it with the seats, door cards handbrake and gear gaitor and mats. Would make a great package sale.
Buy a hood frame from Spurs in a coupe and get soft tops of Croydon to fit a new roof with the narrow 250 style window. Looks 110% better and you can choose your colour.

 

[MisterP007]

I have both and prefer the 250 swb Spyder.
What an earth are you asking people on this forum for? They like Z3's!


Sell the roof complete with frame, easy to swap. Maybe sell it with the seats, door cards handbrake and gear gaitor and mats. Would make a great package sale.
Buy a hood frame from Spurs in a coupe and get soft tops of Croydon to fit a new roof with the narrow 250 style window. Looks 110% better and you can choose your colour.

Could be a good idea Steve.

 

[MisterP007]

Finished stripping out the interior tonight, did not fancy grinding rust down so went for the clean option.

 

[MisterP007]

Time to start listing stuff for sale at the weekend, the upstairs section of my workshop is looking like an old-fashioned car parts store, and, as you can see from the last photo above the downstairs is not much better!

Party with the neighbours tonight so no work on the car until tomorrow.

 

[MisterP007]

Oh, one more thought.

All of the bolts holding the dash in place are standard hex bolts (4 different sizes), then for some unknown reason, two of them change to Allen bolts in a position where you cannot get an Allen key in easily and a spanner would have fitted easily????? Added to which you are lying in the car upside down and the Allen keys are in the toolbox in the boot!

Why do manufacturers do that? Surely it would have been easier to keep using the same size and type of fixings!

I had to use a short Allen bit (for a screwdriver) gripped in a tiny pair of mole grips to loosen the bolt - madness!

Grrrrr..............

 

[iiNNeX]

subbing to this, awesome progress mate looks like it's going to take some time

 

[MisterP007]

6-months or so

 

[MisterP007]

Last night and today’s progress.

Interior completely stripped out except carpets as these are staying.

Rusty inner sills ground back, all other rust spots ground back. Rust cut out ofsills ready to weld

All treated with Bilt Hamber rust treatment, etch primed and all of the underbody parts treated with 3M underbody paint (Christ this stuff is messy!)

Doors cut out for handle & mirror access.

Removed air filter and Secondary Air Pump and Air Filter Box for access and treated engine bay rust spots.

Made up plates to weld sills. Now, do I buy a welder or get the local mobile guy in?

 

[MisterP007]

Tonight’s efforts:

Sprayed the bumper brackets, engine bay, slam panels. All now satin black. 1st two pics are before:

b

 

[jaguartvr]

In depth manifold swap would make a good thread

 

[MisterP007]

Good point, I will be doing the manifold at some point soon before I fit the front clam so I could do a full write up with pics.

Not sure if I can be bothered though as combining manky hands with a high spec camera is not my idea of fun.

I dare say I will do it though!

 

[jaguartvr]

I always keep my old phone for use in the garage, so useful to take photos so you can remember where all the bits go.
I do a fair bit of GRP work and that is very messy and sticks permanently ro everything.

 

[MisterP007]

More spending money last night and a problem that should not have been a problem.

Ordered:

• Reversing and fog lights for rear Lucas style glass lenses as on my 250SWB (can't decide on which ones to use for front yet). £44 the pair
• Rear light clusters from Early MGB. This what turned out to be the problem as absolutely nobody has stock due to a manufacturing problem with the bases! Should not have been a problem as it is a common part. Finally found some from a trusted seller on eBay that had just been listed at 10 pm last night, they arrive Friday. £133 the pair
• M54B30 manifold to M52TUB28 Throttle Body adaptor plate from Bimmertune £33.14. The company I used last time has raised their price to £161!!!
• Pair of MGB reclining seats without headrests. £35 + £30 postage - bargain! Now I need to order 2-sets of hump foam seat pads and new rubber diaphragms for underneath. Upholstery will come later (probably a mid-red colour).
• The early A-Class Mercedes bonnet hinges arrived this morning and look fit for purpose.
• External door handles, mirrors, headlights are all arriving today as well.
• So another £275.14 gone in the blink of an eye!!!!

Tonight I am thinking of:

• Trimming the front clam to sort out the initial fit - I hate GRP dust! Even with a respirator mask, goggles, gloves and long sleeves bits of glass fibre somehow manages to get everywhere and itches.
• Adjusting the nearside door hinges as the Z3 door is not hanging correctly (really tight at the top of the quarterlight to windscreen pillar junction, so tight in fact, I am surprised it has not broken the glass!).
• Adjusting the door skin fit and loose-fitting with two self-tappers.
• Lining all the body lines up, drilling and test bolting everything in place.

Then all of the front end needs to come off again for later work on engine bay, sorting out bonnet hinges and strike plates etc..

Or, I could poor a Vino Tinto and watch the telly????

 

[MisterP007]

Just had to move the car so SWMBO could get the lawn tractor out of the workshop. Now I see the Satin Black engine bay in daylight it looks a bit flat and not sure I like it.... hmmmmmm..... may have to spray some clearcoat over it to get it blingy!

 

[jaguartvr]

It's a lot less visible than the Tribute when the body is fitted.

 

[MisterP007]

Hi Steve,

That much is true regarding there not being much to see once the 250 Cal front clam is on. Anything for an easy life!

 

[MisterP007]

Tuesday nights shenanigans:

A lot of very dusty cutting of the front clam section to get it to sit correctly - sorted.

Fitted the bonnet hinge brackets.

That is it as I only had an hour!

Nothing last night as out with family so hopefully a bit will get done tonight.