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I had a chat with Dan back in the early part of the summer to see if he would be happy to do a convertible. I had plenty of time to source a good donor and do all the prep. I found a low mileage 2.8 manual locally and the deal was done. I've progressed on the interior whilst waiting for the panels, fitted replacement seats, new door cards, removed the horrid plastic boxes behind the seats and done some retrimming. I also carried out the Z4 rear hub conversion as I knew my wheel choice was going to be right on the limits. The conversion is simple enough ( with the right tools ) and reduces the track by about 20mm each side.
Managed today to trial fit the panels onto the donor. All fit well and line up without any issues.
The wire wheels fit under the arches, just ! They are deep dish 6"-15"'s that are fitted with 205/70 - 15" tyres, I think I'll be going down a size or two on the tyres as they are a bit too wide. I'll probably fit some lowering springs, maybe -30mm as the car seems just a little high at the moment. That should also have the effect of bringing the wheels in a few more mm at the tops.
I've splashed out on some Harrington stainless bumpers that will ad the finishing touch.
Undecided on final paint colour choice, at the moment I'm thinking dark metallic red or silver grey ?
More updates to follow...…….
Wow that works really well! In fact prefer it to fixed head tbh
My wheels had a lot less poke than yours and rubbed on the arches under acceleration with eibach springs (spring savers are a solution altjough it does lift the back slightly). Coil overs will give you most options. You may have to look at the Grassbank narrow rear track kit - should solve things and it looks better. Hard to tell from this angle but looks like the front will be the problem - might be worth a chat with them about how they narrowed front track.
On the other hand might be worrying over nothing and you should just "Hard BREXIT"
The wheels are just under the arches, the tyres are just a bit too wide. They are Pirelli 4000's which came with the wheels. I think they are quite old so I don't have a problem changing them. Looking at the original cars many were fitted with narrow tyres.
The proportions of the car work really well, once painted and fitted with all the exterior trim it should look the part !
Very smart LLM, at the start of my project I had that big decision of which option to go for. Nice to see one now in the making and I know you will do it proud.
Will be interested to see your opinion on the Harrington bumper set as long term might be an option for me but a big investment in NZD. Look forward to seeing it come together!
Harrington are offering a small discount on all their bumper sets at the moment. Still pricey though, but they are a quality product. I've offered up the front quarter bumpers , they appear to follow the profile of the car very well.
I like the look of that so far , it def works in convertible format very well and is prettier than the hugely more expensive DNA comparible and their pirated examples ....
That is a very nice looking motor and can’t wait to see progress.
I am liking the interior too. Simple and clean.
Can I ask what make of aftermarket seats they are ?
The Cobra buckets all look very similar.
I don’t like the plastic storage in mine either but really like having a rear wind deflector. Will have to play with an alternative that allows me to fit something to keep the back of the neck warm(ish).
I assume you fabricated that rear deck. It looks clean and tidy
Hi Dave, the seats are BB Classics purchased via ebay. They are a similar style to sports cars of the period. I'm going with an simple low key interior that hints of 1960's so I'm removing the obvious Z3 plastic bits. The dash will remain as is but with the Grassbank retro instrument cluster cover. The rear deck is fabricated from 3mm ply covered with 3mm foam and finished with leather cloth. The door card tops are BMW and the lower section I've fabricated in ply as above. They will also have aluminium kick plates along the lower edges to finish them off, similar to the originals. I want to make it all look like a factory finish with regards to the trim.
Thanks for the info. I have looked at BB seats before. Not always easy to hear people’s view of them from a quality point of view.
Did you fabricate your own subframes? On their website they have E36 subframes for sale but don’t know anyone that have fitted them.
Really like the rear deck. Oh and the door-cards are great.
Thanks again
Also someone on the Tribute FB group is asking about alternative seating options. Is it ok to share on of your internal pics please. Would help another builder.
The BB Seats came with basic adjustable subframes. I fabricated some off set brackets about 50mm high and bolted the lot together. There is some detail info on fitting these seats on clinkadinks Kobra build thread, complete with drawings.
The BB Seats came with basic adjustable subframes. I fabricated some off set brackets about 50mm high and bolted the lot together. There is some detail info on fitting these seats on clinkadinks Kobra build thread, complete with drawings.
Thanks again. I saw those drawings so will go and have another read.
The standard choice for wire wheels on Tribute kits is a 15" wheel. I would like to have gone for a 14" like the original but there isn't a standard fitment other than mega expensive Borrani's. The nearest option would have been 14" Triumph Stag wires but they don't have that deep dish rim which makes all the difference .
I have bought a Triumph Stag rear number plate light that mounts on the bumper and is very close in design, size and shape.
I've done a bit more, fitted the fuel filler flap using the Z3 parts and made up some additional brackets to support the rear clam. I'm moulding up some tapered rear light recess's which should be ready to go on by the end of the week.
I tried fitting 225/75x15 but found the 75 profile too high and they locked on the underside of the front shock spring pans. You might clear it with narrower 185's but I would check with one type before paying out for a full set.
