Z3 'Older' Style interior Part 1

[ericholm]

Hi all,

I thought I would share the preparation of my Z3 interior.

I have on order the 250 SWB convertible kit from Tribute and whilst I wait for it to arrive (Due before Aug, fingers crossed) iv'e decided to strip my old very dark n plasticy interior down and try and create an older look in anticipation of the kit being applied later. Any how on with the show. Here is what it was when I got it:



Stock interior, I think with Chrome pack installed but the central console look like someone had scoured it with a brillo pad (Showing my age!)



The gear knob had a distressed look and had to go, I replaced it with an Alpina one reason being as when i took the old one off found that it is back illuminated (the original one I had didn't work, so had no idea until I removed it and found 2 wires). Its any easy replacement, literally pulls off and push fit.



I also thought while I was at it I should take the centre console out and cover that awful scoured metal finish up and ordered up some leather look vinyl, went for classic brown as wanted chrome rings of clock and heater controls to have a darker background against them, pulling the centre console out was a bit of an ordeal but once you have done it once its easy to see how it all comes apart and goes back in nicely, so I labelled all the wires up as I removed the switches



and it also gave me a chance to clean out the 'crud' that gets behind the panels. So with the console off I went to work covering them



Which was pretty easy with the help of the wifes hair dryer! I bought a S2000 engine start switch and opened out the hole a little to get a good tight fit, which had to be angled to fit the switch body as its pretty long. Don't smoke so won't miss the fag lighter. Also I swapped the digital clock/computer with an analogue clock (ebay), the wires are already in and just a matter of plugging it in.



So then refitted centre console and fitted new gaiters to handbrake and gear selector (Push fit over existing fittings). Fitted new chrome hand brake handle also.





Also removed massive fire extinguisher from drivers seat....

Oh and just for a bit of fun I fitted a chrome covered aircraft switch and cover to rear of console as had a blanking plate. I tell the kids its the 'ejector seat switch' for the passengers seat, but only works if the roof is down




Next job was pedals, bought a set off ebay (z3 pedals), ah but they don't easily fit and had some difficulty in making them good using combination of securing to existing pedal covers and drilling into pedals directly. Overall they are secure and have had a good test and are safely secured, but it took some effort



Then got some tailored mats with silver grey twist edge and had to secure with new carpet twist grips. Then onto taking the tired M3 steering wheel off and replacing with wood and chrome one. You are advised everywhere to do this safely as not to set the airbag off, disconnecting the battery and having a few cups of tea just to make sure any residual electricity has gone before removing. I had bought a boss kit from demon tweeks and its a matter of taking the rear of the old steering wheel assembly and attaching it to the boss kit (means that the indicators will automatically turn off when turning back around a corner and also with the wiring the horn will work fine). I also had to buy some 2.2 Ohm resistors to wire into the circuit under the wheel cowling to fool the system the airbag was still there



Now this causes a problem if like me you turn on the ignition at any point without the resistors in place as the car thinks the airbag has gone off and now the airbag light on the dash is on permanently. So to get around this I bought a B600 OBD device (£15 I think) and plugged it into the port in the engine bay and cleared the code and low and behold the light works properly! yay!

Next onto the instrument cluster



I had a choice to going for Cream or White, I went for cream as white looked too new and sporty and wanted a more classic look. Also adjusted the template sent to remove cream around oil and highbeam light in top middle, just wanted dials changed colour



So with that refitted, pretty easy with couple of screws, I had got to this stage




To be continued......

[ericholm]

Next was a few little touches, chrome finish around centre console hazard lamp switch (push fit) and chrome effect trim around door lock pins



Then onto that rather bland looking BMW business stereo. I found a modern stereo with an old chrome look to it (classiccarstereo.com) for £110 delivered that has USB, bluetooth, SD card, flip down front for CD, etc. It was quite chunky and sticks out a bit but I am hoping with many of the other mods fitted and the old 250 kit on it will 'blend' in



On to the massive rearview mirror, it had to go, however its pretty easy to remove then there is a huge circuit board inside of the mirror its self that is the key fob remote antenna. I searched high and low on the forums and found that it can just about be fitted in the space behind the interior light trim, having dutifully insulated the exposed circuit so no shorts will occur I mounted it behind successfully, need to remove 5 screws to get enough access behind trim.



So was then left with a big silver locating fixing on my screen, with the trusty wifes hairdryer in hand I warmed it up and gentle pulled it off, gloved it was pretty hot! then whilst the glue patch on the screen was still hot then used a stanley blade to remove the patch



Bought a new smaller chromed up, adjustable mirror and mounted to the dash, pulled the centre air vents out to get positon and access correct before drilling the holes to mount it



So this is how far I have got trying to make the interior look more 'older', possilby a few more minor tweaks with a little more chrome here and there but I think thats about it now and ready for the kit!!!



Thanks for reading........

[y cymro]

Good job, and nice to see that a few, well thought out changes can make a difference.
Looking forward to photos of the bodywork build.

[Lucky@LeMans]

Interior looks looks really smart . Just the right combination of old and new.

When did you place your order for the kit ? Is it around a six week waiting list now ?

[AcC8braman]

NIce job, like it.

One question, now that you have removed the steering wheel and airbag, will there be any complications at MOT time? Or by overriding the dash light, it will be ok?

[gas guzzler]

Originally Posted by AcC8braman

NIce job, like it.

One question, now that you have removed the steering wheel and airbag, will there be any complications at MOT time? Or by overriding the dash light, it will be ok?

I had a problem with my door airbags which I was unable to fix so I took the air bag dash light out and put some paper down the hole, I know a bodge, (as there is a secondary led back up light that's hard to get to). When it comes to the MOT air bag light ON is a fail, air bag light that doesn't come ON is an advisory, which is how mine passed.

Andy

[ericholm]

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans

Interior looks looks really smart . Just the right combination of old and new.

When did you place your order for the kit ? Is it around a six week waiting list now ?

Thanks, the wait time quoted was 5 to 6 weeks, so have some time for some more prep on the car and next job is to start buying in the extra parts needed, lights, fuel parts, handles, etc.

[ericholm]

Originally Posted by AcC8braman

NIce job, like it.

One question, now that you have removed the steering wheel and airbag, will there be any complications at MOT time? Or by overriding the dash light, it will be ok?

Hi, I think @gas guzzler answered this one already, but here's my view, after reading many threads light needs to come on temporarily when engition is engaged and then go out afterwards. On the electric side it appears most things I touch cause the thing to react, ie for some reason I had to reset after replacing the stereo? Also the code I keep getting 06 10 isn't listed in the code table. Anyhow the £15 code reset tool does the job and is quick and easy to do.

When replacing the wheel there seem to be two variants, as to what to do, as my car is an 02' plate then it's different setup to the older cars, again lots of research on forums to work out how to bypass things

Cheers

[DSG4ME]

Those modifications have really made a difference. It looks very smart.

There is a way round to keeping the airbag and having a wooden steering wheel.



These are sew on wood style wheel covers. Of course, they are not as good as the real thing but they do make a small difference.

[oxford1360]

That looks like a large Toulouse sausage or something far worse.

[ericholm]

Originally Posted by DSG4ME

Those modifications have really made a difference. It looks very smart.

There is a way round to keeping the airbag and having a wooden steering wheel.



These are sew on wood style wheel covers. Of course, they are not as good as the real thing but they do make a small difference.

Hi, thanks for the comments!

I think I saw some BMW OEM wooden steering wheel that fits an airbag, but looks like they are rare to find, and for me don't give the 'period' feel I was looking for. But of course taste is subjective. I am sure there will be some others that can advise on this forum.

Cheers.

[WorldClassAccident]

To get rid of any airbag issues you can simply unplug and remove the control unit from the centre console.

It is the thing with the yellow label above the fan speed dial

[ericholm]

Originally Posted by WorldClassAccident

To get rid of any airbag issues you can simply unplug and remove the control unit from the centre console.

It is the thing with the yellow label above the fan speed dial

Hi,

The part that says 'BEHR' on it? does that also mean that the passenger airbag won't work I guess? Is it a sort of all or nothing when connected/disconnected.

Thanks.

[WorldClassAccident]

That's the bit. Mine didn't have a passenger airbag so it didn't matter.

There was a panel but it didn't have SRS Airbag moulded into it and became a glove box.



For making the interior look older you could reskin the door interiors which has a big visual effect

[ericholm]

Originally Posted by WorldClassAccident

That's the bit. Mine didn't have a passenger airbag so it didn't matter.

There was a panel but it didn't have SRS Airbag moulded into it and became a glove box.



For making the interior look older you could reskin the door interiors which has a big visual effect

Thanks for the info. Your interior looks unique and can see you have spent some time on it. Reskining the doors is one large step I couldn't consider as not sure my skill set goes that far! I do like the silver air vents you have and have toy'd with what to do there, ideally I would like 3 round vents with chrome surrounds to replace the 1990's plasticy vents, I guess you must have sprayed yours?

Cheer's

[WorldClassAccident]

I confess to getting someone else to do the leather work in mine. The quality of finish was WAY beyond anything I was capable of. The door cards looked the most simple. I scrapped my stereo so didn't need speakers or anything other than a door pull. One flat piece of wood, another piece to cope with the shaped bit. Cover with leather.

Sounds simple but I guess it was quite difficult. Possibly worth a try as you don't need to destroy anything and can always poop the original back in.



The vents are spray paint silver and don't actually look that good. I really should pop them back out, clean and prep them properly and then spray them again.

Hopefully your interior will inspire me

[ericholm]

Hi,

Your interior certainly inspires me, so thanks for posting pics, I have trawled the web looking at what can be achieved.

For the center vents I was looking at youtube last night at DIY chroming sprays and this might be an option for the them, but would need to take moving parts to pieces to spray and then reassemble afterwards. Has anyone split a vent into its moving parts I wonder, it doesn't look so obvious even when I have the assembly in hand. Also not sure of the robustness of the finish for moving parts, maybe it will flake off or deteriorate rapidly.....?

[WorldClassAccident]

I started to try and split the vents with the idea of sending them off to be 'plastic chromed' but they are all just push and clip plastic and not designed to be taken apart.

This means that if you are able to pry the plastic clips apart without them snapping the plastic will probably bend a bit and not clip together.

I think the spray can approach would work if you spent a little longer than the 30 seconds preparation I gave it. I just sprayed them with alcohol and swiped clean to get rid of the grease and then sprayed with silver.

A little light sanding, plastic undercoat, following the instructions on the rattle can would give better results. The places that there is rub/wear are inside the vents where the plastic moves up and down or side to side. This really doesn't show. The thumb dial used to open and close the vents doesn't show any wear yet.

[ericholm]

hi,

I think I might have to take the plunge, thinking of buying a vent off ebay and seeing what I can do with it and that way keeping mine on car for once I have determined what to do.

Really want 3 round vents in center chromed up though, surely there is an aftermarket business case for this part to be easily replaced, maybe another cars vents will fit with a small modification!!!!! ok I am hoping alot....

[WorldClassAccident]

Check out the MX5 forums for vents. I can't find the links but there are lots of customised interiors and chrome bits.
[imgt]http://i704.photobucket.com/albums/ww45/onestopmx5roadster/DSC00326.jpg[/img]

I seem to remember seeing a picture somewhere of two round vents fitted over a rectangular vent that fitted in the standard Z3 vents but I can't find it now. It didn't look too good as the vents were surface mounted and looked a bit like a pair of frog eyes but the basic idea might work