MadaboutKitcars

Scottie - I have the original BMW boot latch mechanism, I just need to rig the cabling. I will be using your excellant pictures for clues though. With regard to the vinyl wrap, it will probably be early necxt year before I get that far as I have sort of run ut of money in the lead up to Christmas but I will let you know as things develop.

I hope to get through a few things on the list in the next few weeks, time and weather permitting.

23 fit screen wash jets

24. post up some picturs

0 - Post up pictures! I am just having my first coffee of the day and then will take the camera outside for the first set of 'Before' pictures. Hopefull slightly better quality than the video

24 - clean and paint wire wheels
25 - paint silver sills black to check the effect

Now 09:35 whats the delay! :-)

Have a cup of tea. Read newspaper. Put feet up for five. Write down what's physically possible you can do today and go from their. Hoover interior. Wipe down door cards and surfaces. Wipe steering wheel. Clean windscreen
sit in driver seat . Acknowledge what's bin accomplished. Do some homework on where others have put plates. Plank of wood allways handy for holding things open

The wrap itself is quite cheap, fitting might be challenge with all those corners though.

The wrap would only be for the silver bits around the screen and probably have to be done in three sections rather than a single piece all the way round.

10:30 Update - Finished coffee, taken some photos, done some stuff

What I received from Chris








Wire wheels from another forum member needed a little cleaning before undercoating and painting black





The bonnet wasn't releasing properly so a little investigation and I found the passenger side wheel arch liner slightly snagged the bonnet so needed trimming and the bonnet release catch needed optimally aligning (bending into place)



While trimming the wheel arch liner I realised they weren't fully fixed so...



Opening and closing the bonnet revealed an irritating rattle. After much investigation I gave up and shut the bonnet with a bang and look what revealed themself. I wonder if they were important?


I removed the loose bits and added the chrome surrounds to the lights



Another coffee and think what is next

Very nice too!

Looking fantastic! Even suits those modern alloys somehow.

Hmmm, first snag as highlighted by Chris earlier.

These are the hub adaptors and the wheel bolts


Here are the adaptors fitted snugly in the wheels


Here are the adaptors with the bolts fitted and they no longer fit sugly


Now is it safe/advisable to shorten the head of the bolt? There is about 10mm of angled shart and about 10mm of bolt head where the spanner fits. Could I lose 3-4mm of the bolt head without wrecking the strength of the bolt?

Go for it, it doesn't look a lot.

WCA I cut my wheel nuts in half, and I have no concerns about that at all,

I would say that 4mm off the 10mm head would be okay considering that you still have almost as much steel in the tapered bit.
As far as I understand it the weak point would be the shear strength at the place where the thread meets the taper.
If the nut part was 3 inches long, it would add no strength to the weak point!

Nick

Looking good, hope he wheels were OK they look as if they are.

I had similar issues with the wire wheel adaptors and the length of the nuts on the G46, I was told not to cut the nuts or I could not find any others suitable so I used wheel spacers behind the adaptors to use up the surplus thread.

I have just acquire an old wreck of an XJS cabriolet, not as if I have enough work in the garage seeing your car I wonder if Chris at triune could make me some Lister fared wings.

Charman- I am still in two minds about cutting the nuts. My brain agrees with Scottie in that it shouldn't weaken them but... ...What did you use for spacers, normal washers of something specific? The wheels are fine BTW

Chris had an XJS sat outside the garage when I picked the car up yesterday so he might be able to sort you out some bits.

Needed to re-site the screen washer jets. I wanted them hidden beneath the bonnet which meant making some mounting brackets and then trial fit them using the 'balance a tool on top of them' method



Don't stand up after taking this picture or you will bang your head on the bonnet (again)


and with the bonnet shut you can hardly see them. The gold wahser just shows below the end of the wiper blade


Now the big decision is black or silver or body colour for the side sills?





At the moment, black beats silver. I want to see it wuith the blck wires fitted to be sure though. A friend has access to a proper lather and stuff to cut them down accurately during the week so hopefully the wire wheels will be fitted next weekend.

Looking at WCA's issue, the bolt heads are stopping the wheels from seating on the adaptors - It looks as though it can't be solved by any washer/spacer? A spacer between the wheel and adaptor is surely a recipe for disaster as the wheel needs to seat correctly on the adaptor so that it (the wheel) will stay put.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-VW-Short-Head-Wheel-Spacer-Adaptor-Bolt-26mm-thread-length-/300997878550?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4614df2316
This may help with the wheel problem.

So judging by the above posts... It's ok to grind a bit off (just don't get them red hot in the process.... very unlikely, just joking)

By the way I forgot to say the build looks amazing! Saw to Adam Wilkins today (features editor of Compleat Car Magazine) he saw your car at Exiter and seemed impressed with the changes made since then, this was only about an hour after you posted them! It the photoshoot for the Gilburn T11 for a future article.

Have a friend to millthe bolt heads down to size.

I did a bit of respray to cover the undercoat. Worst paint job ever probably but hides the grey a bit and make the car visually cohesive



TonyT - If Adam Wilkins want to contact me please let him know I am happy with that. Get him to PM me or contact Chris at Tribute for phone and email details

WCA - Your car looks great and it a real tribute to your vision & Chris & Dan's skills.

( See what I did there? )

I must confess I initially thought the exhaust was going to cover the "holey" sill.

I think if you paint the sill body colour it will not catch your eye so much, black will make the body look thinner, but silver will draw your eye to the holes and away from all those lovely curves.

But what do I know?

Good luck with the last few finishing touches, Paul.

Paul - I agree what you say about the sills. They looked great when we first found them and thought we should highlight the feature so painted them silver. Then I realised they looked crap so trying to decide between black and body colour. Don't want to distract from the curves

Summary at the end of weekend 1

1) Fit the front number plate somehow while I decide between a low mounted one or a sticker across the nose
3) Front Grill - Get some 4mm sheet aluminium cut to form the vertical slats and then some black mesh behind that.
Identified issue and resolution in place 5) Fit the hub adaptors and wire wheels to determine the issue with the nuts depth
9) Get a price for chrome vinyl wrap for the windscreen surround
12) Wrap the back of the exhaust with heat wrap so it doesn't melt the fuel tank
13) Fit a panel covering where the exhausts exit to just leave two stubby pipe ends exposed
14) Sort out the rear arch liners to ensure a good fit
15) Grill over the 3rd brake light slot
16) Boot opener to be sourced and fitted
17) Get Chris to fit the door handles I want
18) Send to the paint shop
19) Order a NI number plate
20) Order and fit square rear plate (possibly a black and silver 'show plate'
21) Order and fit front plate, either sticker or low mounted
22) Decide what I want to do with the interior and do it or outsource it
23) fit screen wash jets


Complete 2) Bonnet release lever - Relocate/adjust so the lever works rather than reaching through the front grill hole
Complete 4) Fit the chrome headlight surrounds
Complete 6) Properly locate and fix the front wheel arch liners
Complete 7) Test my spraying skills on the removeable front wings
Complete 8) If the result is bearable, spray over the remaining undercoat
Complete 10) Clean the filler dust off the hood
Complete 11) Give a couple of coats of paint to the side exhausts
Complete 24) - clean and paint wire wheels
Complete 25) - paint silver sills black to check the effect

Not much for today as I have been working on work rather than the car. I have decided to drive to my clients site tomorrow in the Z300S so need to fit the front plate.

This is a temparary fix until I decide whether to risk a stick on plate across the bonnet. I didn't want to make full size brackets and mounts until I have decided so chose to fit the plate below the main grill.

This made it quite close to the ground and I was a bit worried about knocking it off until I can up with a 'clever idea'



By using an old door hinge I don't have to create my own bracket and if the plate does scrape a speed bump it simply swings out of the way.

This pictures hides how bad my paint work really is but does show the car off quite well. I am really please with how it is looking. Hopefully I will be able to sneak out and fit a temprary grill this afternoon, work permitting.