MadaboutKitcars

1st time I bought a TVR to convert but enjoyed it instead until I sold it to Chris for him to cut up a year later.

2nd time I bought a Scimitar to turn into a G46. I almost completed that before snapping my foot off meaning I could only drive automatics so that had to go.

3rd time lucky. Just bought a 2.8 BMW Z3

Now I know that none of Tributes kits currently fit the Z3 but I am sure Chris can work his magic to get bits of the A352/D Type/Mistral to fit.

Hmm, maybe a trip to Poole in the new car is in order to discuss what is possible...

Thankfully the meteor hit last night just as the tsunami was about to drown me and vapourised all the water. Looks like my luck might be changing ;-)

Just posting this link up in case I need it later : http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258312

Also, easy aluminium trim : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Z4-Z3-RHD-LHD-INTERIOR-DASH-TRIM-KIT-ALU-CHROME-/350775804212?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item51abde0134

BMW 2.8 has 193bhp as standard which is okay. Sticking a 944 under the kit would just be silly.
Please do it!

http://rapidfitlooms.co.uk/deluxefrontenginedwiringloom.htm

They seem to have updated their website and prices. I thought I paid closer to £200. Well made loom. Clearly labelled on each connector. Paper description of wiring loom confused me a bit but a couple of emails and all was clear.

REMEMBER TO MAKE SURE YOU CONNECT ALL THE EARTH POINTS ON YOUR CHASSIS.

You would feel really stupid it you cooked a brake hose because the engine wasn't properly earthed to the chassis.



The shiney earth strap is me closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

The black tube above is the plastic coating burnt onto the brand new brake flexies.

After that everything went smoothly and all my switches and knobs worked first time once I created the 'dash board'

I woke up early this morning so spent some time thinking about my build plans.

I want an A352 to look more like a Maserati 300S and have a BMW Z3 as the starting point. There are a few fundamental constraints that cannot be broken. One of the biggest constraints has been put in place by MrsWCA and therefore is unviolatable – The car must be comfortable, easy to get in and out of and have a roof. The second constraint is that it mustn’t cost a fortune to get finished. The definition of a fortune hasn’t been fully defined so I do have some wiggle room there.
The biggest challenge is un-Jaguarising the A352 and Maserati-fying it. I am not sure if those are words but you know what I mean. I will try to think of the issues with fitting the result onto the BMW on a different posting.
[img] https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-O3sVbno0m1g/UYC-69X6KyI/AAAAAAAAEIs/9bqGx8mV3x8/w646-h482/352+Front+Right.bmp[/img]
[img] https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YsyvfqF585w/UYEeEx362tI/AAAAAAAAEM4/tA8LIzvFbPw/w646-h431/450s+Front+Left.bmp[/img]
Let’s spot the differences and guess what we can do about them. Clearly Chris will need to cost the different options to decide what we do.
The Maser nose protrudes further forward from the lights and is lower with a bigger aperture.
Option A – Graft a new nose on the S352
Option B – Just reshape the aperture and lose the side lights ignoring the circular vents on the Maser
The Maser has various vents in front of the front wheel, in the bonnet, behind the front wheel etc.
Option C – Try to replicate all of these vents based on the pictures
Option D – Accept that pretty much every Maser photographed has a different configuration of vents and just put the ones I want it – Between front wheel and door, at the front of the rear wheel arch, possibly in the bonnet
The Maser has side exhausts
Option E – Replicate this with custom exhausts and risk burning MrsWCA’s beautiful legs
Option F – Lose the side exhausts but possibly fit a more fruity sounding exhaust to replace the existing one
The Maser has humps
Option G – Add fixed humps to the A352. This will severely impact the ability to open and close the roof which breaks the first constraint so is unlikely to be possible.
Option H – Add removable humps to the A352. Not sure if this is possible but perhaps a removable panel going over the folding roof with a couple of humps on it could be made. This would be only fitted if there was no possibility of rain when MrsWCA was in the car or if it wasn’t going to rain much and I was in the car.
Option I – No humps. There are some Masers around without humps so again, like the vents, this could be considered correct
The windscreen and doors are different sizes and shapes.
Options J– This is going to be taken straight from the Z3 unchanged
Option K – This is going to be slightly modified but is still dictated by the Z3


My current thoughts are:
Option A or B is totally determined by the cost involved. I want A but suspect it will be pricey
Options D & F
Option H if it is cheap enough, otherwise option I
Option J or K are really down to Chris and what is required to make it work.

A lot of people don't believe this but I have never had lessons in photoshop!

I thought I would come down next Friday. I thought you might be a bit busy this week with Stoneliegh

Some of the dimensions are different between the Z3 and the Maserati, specifically around the doors and screen and the height of the body. I have been playing with the pictures again - photoshop users look away now.

Amazing what you can do with MS Paint and a dull teleconference to listen to ;-)

I like the Alfa but not sure the snorkel scoop is entirely compatible with a roof which vilates constraint 1 of my build... ;-)

Apart from the fact I have an irrational attraction to Maserati the 300S has the big advantage of being quite similar to the D-Type/A352 which Chris has the moulds for. This makes it significantly easier/cheaper to create which helps keep within build constraint 2.

Hi Chris, it was good to meet up again. Glad to see that you are as mad busy as ever but still take the time to talk and listen. I have gathered as many reference pictures as possible with comments against those I have a view about. These are a mix of 300S & 450S.

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/search/&keys=&method=&carspagestart=60&brand=Maserati

Scoop above rear wheel arch should be bigger. Like the nose and side vents.

Like - Front end, side vent.

Don’t Like – Front end, head lights, side vents.

Not convinced by the vents behind the rear wheels but it shows how low the nose goes quite nicely.

Minimalist rear end but not sure how legal the lighting would be. Don’t need the holes in the boot flap. Any idea what the three holes in the back end are for?

Really ugly bonnet bulge



Don’t like the side vents. Notice only two holes in the back end this time.

Much prettier bonnet bulge

Nice bonnet bulge with vent. Don’t like side vents. Simpler nose without the round holes either side of the main grille.

Really shows the nose sticking forward from the lights

Now there are four holes in the rear!

Don’t like the extra square vent below the main grille. Notice the extra little round vent in the bonnet, not sure why it is there and doesn’t appear on the others.

Different holes in the boot flap this time – again we don’t need these. The indicators are positioned inside the mystery holes on this one – possibility?

I like this simpler nose without the round vents. The hump looks too big on this one and I don’t like the side vent /exhaust.
Video link shows unusual shape of vents quite clearly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg9IfwUegYg

Don’t like the chrome side grilles
Lots of pictures for reference
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z11730/Maserati-300S.aspx.aspx
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z16810/Maserati-450-S.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW3SxryTfwo
Just love this guys tool kit strapped to the fuel tank.

All the photo's of the Maserati's are very exciting but this box has arrived so now I need to hook into the BMW wiring.



Look out for smoke over Southampton this evening.

It was a sunny evening yesterday so thought I would fit the door popper kit. I got as far as fitting the solonoid (top right) and connecting to the latch when I decided to test it (Left with cable detatched). Turns out the solonoid isn't up to the job but the nice people at Wolfelec are sending me a stronger version.



Not deterred I decided to do something about the interior, specifically all the rubbish black plastic behind the drivers seat.


I removed this lot


To reveal this


I then started playing with some hardboard to make a template for the replacement. You may note that my carpentry skills are second only to my photo shop skills but please remember that this is a first attempt template for something that will be covered in carpet (probably) when I finish and is only a temporary solution until I can afford to get the interior trimmed properly.






Hopefully I will get some carpet at the weekend and stick the chromed hoops back on.

;-)

That is how Joji Nagashima wanted it to look. Hope to pick up the carpet at the Autojumble this weekend.

Before above and After below. The grey car on page one is the Tribute A352 which we will be butchering for my unique interpretation

A little bit of time and effort to get rid of the shiney black plastic interior left a few bits of bare metal exposed.


A bit of hardboard and a finger over the lens (camera lessons follow the carpentry and photoshop lessons)


Then and a bitof carpet and Hey Presto!


Today I will be thinking how to carpet the rear parcel shelf.

Nearly there. Need a bit of Velcro to fix down the edges



The white edge in the top left needs some edging strip and some collars for the base of the roll cage



The two circles are the speakers btw

Well today I dropped the car down to Chris for them to cut, shut, fiddle and fix the body onto it in the next couple of weeks. 3 out of the 4 wire wheels were in the car with me. The fourth will be shipped down along with the wheel adaptors from Orson Engineering on Monday hopefully.

I am hoping that Chris will get the chance to email/post some work in progress pictures during the fitting process.

I would have liked to have a go at fitting the body myself but given it will involve butchering as couple of the different kits and fixing them back together I guessed it was beyond my abilities. Apparently I should get it back road legal and in need of final sanding and prep prior to painting. There will still be other bits to do beyond sanding but small tasks compared to the act of creating the shell.

More updates when I get them.