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Tribute Z3gato (?!!)

By Barber · 215 updates · Sep 2017 to Aug 2020

Read the full original thread (with everyone's replies) in the archive →

March 2019

13 Mar 2019, 8:24am Mechanical Overhaul Chassis and Body Electrics
I checked drain by plugging into each fuse location. First it indicated door lock, and I removed them refitted driver side actuator. After the garage super charged battery, it has been good for up to 2 weeks at a time. However, it has not been used whilst I wait for it to go in for seized brake calliper, and it was flat after 10 days. Passenger door is seldom used, but I'll che k put connections on both soon. Thanks for the tip.

April 2019

4 Apr 2019, 8:22am Mechanical Overhaul
It won't be ready for Stoneleigh, Chris and I discussed that in January. I am going down at the end of next week to see progress. I will take some pictures and post them. The Z3 has a seized front brake caliper which will get sorted early next week. Now the weather is warming up, I hope to get the internals sorted before the end of April.

Meantime, we had a lovely mini tour of Belgium and Holland sampling the beer, waffles and frittes. The plan was to be in the EU when Britain left, but the politicians messed up that little plan. Also, I have chopped out an oak tree stump by hand (very good for releasing aggression), and bought the box section to make some bicycle stands to store them upright in the shed and free up space in the garage for working.

I'll have to do some proper proper project work soon.
12 Apr 2019, 3:02pm Mechanical Overhaul Chassis and Body Interior & Trim
April Update

I went down to see Chris and the progress on the car this morning. The front is nearly finished. Unfortunately, moving the edges of the trout pout with filler means that it isn't seen well in these photos. But it now matches the Ford grill. It has also been squared front to back on each side. The inherited pan front nearside bonnet is dealt with. It is probably finished by the time i type this. We discussed the merits of how the scoop follows either the bonnet insert lines or the wing lines. The former is how it is currently, the latter would mean widening the taper nearest to the windscreen a couple of inches either side. I prefer how it is now.






Now that the nearside is pretty much finished, Chris needs to re-visit the driver side to match it, but that should go quite quickly. The wheel arches have been reworked to fit my wheels.






Progress should accelerate now that the final lines are agreed, and Chris plans to get some additional help to finish off the buck. However, it won't be finalised until the window frame outlines have been made up and trial fitted.





The back has been smoothed out as agreed, and the shoulder adjacent to the rear quarter light profiled to fit better with the overall flow. Not shown here, but the plastic / chrome windscreen trim sets the rear screen off nicely.



The petrol cap looks a little small here, but it will be recessed into a bucket, so the visual impact will be greater. Having seen Molleur's placement (thanks matey), we may replicate with the cap at the highest point to facilitate filling. Not so much like the AM, but very similar to other Zagato placements.

I'll be back down there for a progress update and more photos in May. Thanks to all you chaps who keep posting on the forum (not just this thread) your ideas and experience are invaluable.

The Z3 has got new brake callipers, one of them seized and b*ggered the new disc and pads, hohum.:violin:
12 Apr 2019, 7:37pm General Update


It is the back screen from a Nissan Micra, upside down. You can see the hole for the rear wiper in the centre at the bottom. The downside is that it was a little wide at the top of my picture, but just about works.
12 Apr 2019, 7:40pm General Update


So do I, but it hasn't sped up the process. :icon_biggrin:
12 Apr 2019, 7:57pm Chassis and Body


Will do, of course. Once Chris has finished profiling the driver side, there is a lot of smoothing back to do, then the buck can be painted and good quality moulds made. THEN Chris can commence my build, so lots of stages to go yet. Chris may paint the buck in a RAL green (not the putrid one I tried on the door mirrors earlier in the thread), so I am looking forward to that, as it may well be the gelcoat colour I get the panels made up with whilst I prep it for painting.

I joined an old gits metalwork group to learn how to weld. The guy who owns the workshop has a Ginetta racecar (kit) and has lots of handy contacts. He has offered to give me the details of a couple of paint shops, one who does classic car concourse quality, and the other who does good but not top notch. As my car will be a daily runaround, parked outside, I don't see the point in getting top of the range, but we'll see.
13 Apr 2019, 6:44am General Update

Probably too wide for the 250. The Zagato has a wider roof like the 275 to allow for using the stock windows. It looks to be at the limit, so a narrower roof would probably not take it. The Grassbank one is lovely, but we wanted a stock solution that was not the MG slab to keep build costs reasonable.
13 Apr 2019, 5:31pm General Update

Thanks, Chris is still tempted to tweak that area to make it perfect in his eyes. The finer details are lost on me, but I am happy with how it is turning out.
16 Apr 2019, 4:51pm General Update
Chris has just sent me pics of the mock up window frame, looks great. I cannot upload from my phone to this site, so check the Tribute Owners FB page until I can get them on here. ��
16 Apr 2019, 7:10pm Interior & Trim
The rear windscreen trip is that plastic chrome stuff.
17 Apr 2019, 11:15am General Update
Here are the pics, I managed to figure out how to make my phone a hotspot.

Side View of window frame


Side/Rear view of window frame and rear screen


I can't remember if the top of the frame incorporates the rain gutter but I think so, I will have to check with Chris.
19 Apr 2019, 10:25am Engine Chassis and Body
Getting close on the front

Chris has nearly finished on the area around the grill. See pics below painted in Maranello Green.





I hope that the Ford Motor Company do not take offence. :biggrin:
20 Apr 2019, 6:38am General Update


Now that colour could become a contender.
23 Apr 2019, 8:44am General Update


Chris has suggested some Fiat type handles similar to those fitted by WCA on his Z300S. Apparently you can get them with a large mounting plate supplied. The pics have gone from WCAs thread, but you can see it on the Tribute website, it is the black one at the top. However, I may just put chrome covers on the existing handles. I like the look of some of the early BMW series handles. Something for me to research (again).
23 Apr 2019, 7:38pm General Update


Yes, like that, but not yellow.
24 Apr 2019, 12:26pm Chassis and Body


Replied. The ones with the door panel section are the ones Chris meant I believe.
25 Apr 2019, 3:29pm General Update


I have this bookmarked. The more I look, the more attractive they get. I liked WCAs when I saw them.
26 Apr 2019, 4:23am General Update


Chrome plating / replacing the existing handles is a good idea, and was likely to be the default option. It would be much simpler.
28 Apr 2019, 5:42pm Chassis and Body


Good points. As the Z3gato does not have door skins, presumably I'd have to move the key lock mechanism across to the new handle panel. Bot not the radical problem when using door skins. Cutting your doorskin doesn't do it for me.

May 2019

2 May 2019, 1:39pm General Update


Well, the Sanction II ones fetch over £1.5m a pop, so they can afford to dilute the after market a little. Of course, mine is NOT a DB4 Zagato, or any other kind of AM if it comes to that, but they sure as hell are lovely looking cars.