#ZedShed La_Vida_Diver's Blue upgrade and TLC

[La_vida_diver]

Blue as many will know was bought in 2011 and I discovered this forum on December that year. Apart from the usual changes to braided hoses and fresh oils, filters and maintenance items all round the only thing that has been done is a new Fabric hood. This was done by Jack Smith in Swansea during August 2013. The following post will contain the details of that change.

Some will know I bent the car during early 2013 and I have purchased some spare parts but my friend that is the guy I have always had do any bodywork on my cars, and I have been so busy we have not had the chance to do the bodywork repairs.

Anyway I feel it is about time to give Blue some TLC so this winters project is to make changes to the car and to hopefully get the body back into shape.

To start the Process @Lee and @GazHyde are going to make some changes to the ride hight and Suspension including to Polybush the car. I Have bought some 20mm lowered Macphearson Struts which use the standard springs but lower the car by 20mm and I have been in touch with Neil at Coil Springs (Sheffield) who is shortening the rear springs by 20mm (he also Manufactures new springs to any spec for very reasonable money in my opinion) the shortening is £60 plus the vat. (Lee has just let m know that he thinks they have arrived as a rather heavy parcel has arrived)

 

[La_vida_diver]

Jack Smith in Swansea 01792461022 charged me £260 in 2013 but I think his 2015 price is £280. He stitches in the rear window and if you want one of his rag tops basically he won't mess about he does what he does and has a 3 month waiting list for tops to get done.

So you book your day (Either morning or afternoon) turn up and go for a walk, or watch if you are brave, and then drive away with a nice new soft top.

I had thought my top was OK but the window was gone but when jack started removing the old hood he showed my how rotten it actually was.

here are most of the pictures I took when Jack did mine .

 

[La_vida_diver]

A few More Pictures of the roof process

 

[5harp3y]

Is that £280 for a complete new roof and window?

 

[One Spanner Frank]

Not quite the BMW price!

 

[La_vida_diver]

Is that £280 for a complete new roof and window?

Yes the all in price is £280 this year when I checked up on it a month or so ago.

 

[Brian H]

Good to Blue is getting some TLC , Do you still have Black?

 

[5harp3y]

Yes the all in price is £280 this year when I checked up on it a month or so ago.

Thats cheap!

 

[GazHyde]

I will be heading over to the Zed Shed in a while to help get Blue up on the axle stands and start investigating what needs doing.

Having spoken to Lee, there is a chance we may need hazmat suits rather than the usual overalls. Lee guessed straight away that Duncan lives on a farm because, quote "it stinks of cow s**t". Told Duncan that at lunch time and he burst out laughing, then suggested popping it round to the local car wash...

This may be the stinkiest Zed to date!

 

[Dino D]

Very excited for you, fresh suspension and bushes is like getting a new car!

Good info about the custom spring maker, we seem to have limited options for rears for the Z3 hence in the States they use a custom spring maker and off the dampers.

 

[GazHyde]

Another early finish this evening, although mainly because we started earlier tonight. Got to Lees for about 5ish, and started off by moving Filbert out of the garage and reversing Blue in.

...and so it begins! &

Now it's been mentioned that Duncan lives in the middle of nowhere, and seems to spend his time driving across freshly manured fields. There is a considerable amount of what I hope is mud underneath the car - if it's not mud, I've been rolling around in s**t all evening

Spare wheel has seen better days, and is on the list of "advisories".

This is the passenger rear brake disc, and clearly not getting enough action from the pads

This is the drivers rear brake disc, which clearly hasn't seen any action from the pads for some time...

Did I mentioned the countryside and the mud (read as s**t?). I'll try and look further down the sills tomorrow to see if this is just at the end, or all the way through them. This is all tucked up nicely behind the wheel arch liners. The ends of the sills are showing bad corrosion sadly. I know the body work is on Duncans list, so hopefully this will get sorted as part of that process

The exhaust is down! One piece system from the cats backwards, and the bolts were reasonably ok to remove without too much swearing. The lower cross brace however was a bit of a pig.

Like most of the Zeds we are seeing the rear diff bush has failed. The rubber has started to de-laminate from the outer metal ring. It was already on the list to be changed, so no shock there!

We have given everything we are going to remove tomorrow a good soaking with WD40 to hopefully speed the sub frame removal tomorrow. Plan is for it to be dropped tomorrow afternoon (yep, having a Friday afternoon session for a change!), and the rear beam dropped off Saturday to have the bushes pressed out. It's having PowerFlex replacements and those can be almost pushed in by hand, so we will do them on the bench.

Won't be any work going on Saturday as the PowerFlex stuff will take a few days to arrive. Sundries such as the handbrake cables, discs/pads, guibo coupling and drop links will come from GSF as usual.

Summary of this evening - under 2 hours in to project so far.

• Up on axle stands
• Wheels removed
• Front X brace removed
• Exhaust removed
• Spare wheel & carrier removed
• Wheel arch liners removed
• Handrake cables disconnected under handle in cabin
• Everything remaining soaked in WD40

 

[Mint]

Good read - again @GazHyde, keep it coming

 

[Brian H]

Do you guys replace the front exhaust bolts? If so what with?

 

[Lee]

We cant mate, They are stud welded onto the flange so at best we can clean the threads and replace the nuts.

Lee

 

[Brian H]

We cant mate, They are stud welded onto the flange so at best we can clean the threads and replace the nuts.

Lee

Thanks Lee, I stripped the exhaust of my donor zed last weekend, the nuts just sheared off the flanges, I suppose this makes the down pipes knackered then!

 

[GazHyde]

the nuts just sheared off the flanges, I suppose this makes the down pipes knackered then!

A similar issue to my exhaust problem and why the long life fitter had to cut the flange off the down pipe after the cats. He had to weld pipes directly on at that point. You can see that on the picture beloew

 

[t-tony]

The studs aren't welded into the flanges Lee. If you heat the flange to cherry red they will tap out . This what we do at work when the studs are knackered or shear off, then replace them with ordinary nuts and bolts. I had to do this on 2.5 3 series on a particularly snowy Saturday morning last winter and the under tray was packed with snow and ice which then turned into cold water and ran out all over me.

Tony.

 

[t-tony]

I can smile now but I wasn't at the time Mike.

Tony.

 

[Lee]

Thanks Tony thought it might be something along those lines. I will attempt to knock the stud out. Must be a very tight fit to stop the stud spinning. If all else fails the downpipe has two other bolts and it will be a trip to Quick fit.

Lee

 

[TaffZee]

Thanks Tony thought it might be something along those lines. I will attempt to knock the stud out. Must be a very tight fit to stop the stud spinning. If all else fails the downpipe has two other bolts and it will be a trip to Quick fit.

Lee

Here ya go Lee.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTRUXRv2HFs