MadaboutKitcars

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?

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.

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

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.

You might want to check out the wheel camber on your XKSS!

I agree about the plate hanging down looking crap. A side effect of using the hinge is that it can easily fold back out of sight when not wanted. Who knows, it might even do that when driving but I haven't stood by the side of the road while I drive past at speed.

I am stuck with black on white so not sure your tip would work but I do like your thinking.

Just got this. The interesting bit is in bold

"2001 No. 561 ROAD TRAFFIC The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001"

Fixing of front registration plates: vehicles registered on or after the relevant date
6.—(1) This regulation applies to vehicles, other than works trucks, road rollers and
agricultural machines, first registered on or after the relevant date.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (5), a registration plate must be fixed on the front of the
vehicle in the manner required by paragraph (3).
(3) This paragraph requires the plate to be fixed—
(a) vertically or, where that is not reasonably practicable, in a position as close to the
vertical as is reasonably practicable,
(b) in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are
easily distinguishable from every part of a relevant area having the diagonal length
specified in paragraph (4).
(4) The diagonal length of the relevant area is—
(a) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is at least 57 millimetres,
22 metres,
(b) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 50 millimetres, 21.5
metres,
(c) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 44 millimetres, 18 metres.
(5) In the case of a motor cycle or a motor tricycle which does not have a body of a type
which is characteristic of the body of a four-wheeled vehicle—
(a) a registration plate must not be fixed on the front of a vehicle if it was first registered
on or after 1st September 2001,
(b) a plate need not be fixed on the front of the vehicle if it was first registered before 1st
September 2001.





Complete 1) Fit the front number plate somehow while I decide between a low mounted one or a sticker across the nose
Complete 2) Bonnet release lever - Relocate/adjust so the lever works rather than reaching through the front grill hole
Complete 3) Front Grill - Temporary grill fitted
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 removable 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 14) Sort out the rear arch liners to ensure a good fit
Complete 24) - clean and paint wire wheels
Complete 25) - paint silver sills black to check the effect

I might carry a printed copy of that section of the regulations and a letter from a friendly plod stating that in their opinion it is considered acceptable. Now do I risk sliver on black rear plates?

I am thinking of sticking an NI plate - TNZ 2447 or something like that. Should look okay on a square plate at the rear.

The more I read about the stick on plates, the less legal it seems for anything recent. Basically the plates can only be sold as show plates and are therefore not road legal. They 'might' be legal on a car where they were fitted like that before 2001 but definitely not anything later.

Most plod don't bother if you are behaving yourself but it is £1,000 if they do get narky.

My budget doesn't allow for a proper vanity plate. Has anyone seen anything dateless for less than £500?

My car isn't a replica and I am not going to try and pass it off as old so I am not too worried if people recognise the NI plate. I would be equally happy if they correctly identified the donor*.

I guess my focus now will be on the best size and position for the plate given I can't use stickers.

*two guys were lurking by my car in the car park arguing about what if was. One guessed Z3 based on the wheels which are still BMW alloys

First long drive - Southampton to Stevenage commute

Started cold dark and early


As it got lighter I stopped for a coffee in the services - apparently it is either a TVR or a Barchetta according to those in the know in the carpark


Traffic sucks what ever car you are in. At least people smiled and gave the thumbs up in this car


Arrive 2.5 hours later in sunshine and nothing has fallen off although I heard the numberplate brush a speed hump


Summary of Findings
1) It is very loud reversing up the drive when everyone else is asleep
2) Nectar cards work as well as credit cards for scraping ice
3) Keeping the BMW interior functionaliyt such as screen demist and heaters was a good idea
4) Heated seats and a very good idea
5) When redoing the interior I will need somewhere to balance my coffee
6) I need to refit the aeriel. Sheryl Crow greatest hits is okay but not for 2.5 hours
7) The pointless passenger side wing mirror makes lane changes on motorways more 'interesting'
8) The hinged number plate works for spped bumps
9) I need to stiffen the suspension and replace the rear shocks as the car wallows a bit
10) You cannot drive this car and be shy

I am really struggling with the number plates. Black and silver or Legal? Current plate, NI Plate, proper dateless plate? Stickers on the front, below the grill, in the grill?

Getting some show plates is an option but I don't really do shows, I use the cars as one of my daily drivers.

Normally the car will be at the top of the drive but I was fixing the grill in last night and needed the lights from the garage.

I rolled the wire wheels alongside the car and it was amazing how it changed the look. Foirgot to take a picture though. Hope to get them fitted for real att the weekend.

TonyT - number plate is to low. Hinge solves the problem as it swings rather than scrapes. Like the double sided tape idea but might use Velcro as it is more repeatable.

MrTowed - black is better than silver but I think I agree about body coloured.

Forgot about the site repeaters. They were ordered and sent to Chris. I will have to get him to post them back to me.

Thanks mr towed on the v5 issue. I will now get mine re-registered. The joke is I can reregister it with what ever name I like (within copyright laws). How much hassle do you think I will get if I register it as a "f@ck youj d!ck head" .

Sorry, just the anarchist in me coming out. I hate stupid rules that are their only so stupid people can enforce them. Many of my friends I the police service agree I private.

I don't live a quiet life

What about the "Norfolk Echance" as a tribute to the great county?

Best said with an Irish accent

Has to stick with the correct manufacturer so I am going for:

BMW Z300S prototipo

No photos as I was doing bits and pieces between work commitments and then suddenly it was dark.

After my quick previous attempt at painting the car I decided to try and improve the whole paint finish so rubbed the front and rear with 300 wet and dry and then again with 600 which left me with a scratched paint finish but a few of the worse bumps removed. It also highlighted the deeper scratches around the head lights and side vents. I covered the worse of these with primer. I then sprayed the back of the car which now looks reasonably smooth and even. I will need to run it over with some very fine (2000 grit) paper and buff with a cutting paste to get it to shine but it looks better than the patches of undercoat.

My wire wheel weren't fitting because of the bolts standing proud of the adaptor by too much. These have been shaved back a couple of mm and fit nicely. All four of the original wheels with the good tyres fitted are now on the car and are fine. Chris said he thought the splines might be worn on them as there was a terrible knocking when he drove it 200 yards. I can only assume that this was caused by the bolts preventing a secure fit. Anyway, I am happy that they are safe. It does mean I have a spare set of wires and a spare set of the original alloys piled up in the garage now.

I removed the side pipes so I could jack the car up while fitting the wire wheels. I will take advantage of this and paint the side sills to match the body when I spray the front of the car. I am also thinking that I will do the windscreen surround. If it looks okay I can keep it body coloured. If I don't like it I can get it chrome wrapped anyway. I will also give the side pipes and extra coat of paint while they are off.

When I thought my original wire wheels were knackered I cleaned and resprayed black the extra set I bought. I think these look better than the flat silver of the original set. The original set have had new tyres fitted though. Now I face the choice of getting the tyres swapped over or painting the original set. I am going to repaint the original set which means taking them back off, cleaning and prepping them ready for a respray.

So in summary - the car it up and running. It looks great and will look a whole lot greater after I have spent too much time this weekend with a compressor and paint gun.

Send me the side repeaters and we can forget about the invoice ;-)

I am loving the car. It sounds amazing in tunnels.

Spare set of 15" Aston (42mm hub) wheels are available as are a set of BMW 16" wheel wich are excellent for winter tyres.