g8jka - 2.0 Progress Journal - Time to say Goodbye

Post pictures of your car and discuss it here. One car per thread, and keep it on-topic, please!
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g8jka
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  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Telford

g8jka - 2.0 Progress Journal - Time to say Goodbye

Post by g8jka »

After 5 months of ownership I feel its time to share my progress of completed modifications I have done to my zed.

It all started out as a pretty standard titanium silver 2.0:

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Knowing that I was picking my zed up the following week I started to think of all sorts of modifications I could / would be doing to the car. I was trading in my E36 325i coupe, allowing me to remove some items from it so I could fit them to the zed.

Out came my genuine mtech brushed aluminium gear knob and mtech handbrake handle, completing my first modification after collection of the zed.

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The new gear knob replaced the worn and tacky chrome mtech gear knob that was previously fitted giving a better feeling of shift changes due to the increased weight.

Notice in the above picture, gookah (my dad) also moved the roof switch to the centre console giving easier access, this went where the ASC switch normally is, as this was already in position of where the AC switch would be.

Then there was the handbrake to match.

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The standard headunit had been replaced by the previous owner at some stage with a cheap MP3 player. This soon came out and was replaced with my Kenwood MP3 player with iPod connection. I routed the iPod cable through to the rear storage compartment as I didn't know where else to put it. Its now in the glove box thanks to a post explaining how to get the cable through and because the rear storage box is no longer in use (which will become more apparent later in the thread).

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Gookah gave me an old pair of chrome door handle covers which were fitted and he also brought me a new aerial grommet and S2000 style aerial replacing the worn items.

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My first major modification was to install angel eyes and to detango the headlights by removing the amber cover and replacing with chrome indicator bulbs.

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LED sidelights also replaced the standard yellow bulbs to match the colour of the angel eyes.

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Detangoed headlights freshen up the front of the car and the angel eyes look great. Below shows the car as it looked at the time after my first few modifications.

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More updates to follow in the next few days!
Last edited by g8jka on Sun 17 Jul, 2016 14:54, edited 18 times in total.
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swamper
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Post by swamper »

looking very good already :wink:
the badness makes me do it...!

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jontymo
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Post by jontymo »

Looking great

Do you find the Kenwood HU a decent upgrade on the original head unit?
What model did you purchase?
Does it have usb as well as ipod conection?

Cheers jontymo
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w4tkins
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Post by w4tkins »

Looking good,

A good selection of mod there :thumb: You just need to keep an eye on ebay for the rest of the de tangoing kit now. The full package really makes a difference to a zed. Mine was exactly the same when I first bought it :D

Keep up the good work
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

jontymo wrote:Do you find the Kenwood HU a decent upgrade on the original head unit?
What model did you purchase?
Does it have usb as well as ipod connection?
Cheers jontymo
I'm not sure what the original genuine head unit sounds like as mine was fitted with a cheap MP3 player when I brought it but it does sound better than the one fitted by the previous owner.

Although it is an improvement, the quality of the speakers in the zed are very bad so they are (were :wink:) on my list of modifications.

The unit is a Kenwood KDC-W7031 which I've actually had almost 5 years. It is just compatible with MP3 discs but I also got the iPod interface for it so I could just use the iPod, unfortunately there is no USB port.
Last edited by g8jka on Sun 26 Sep, 2010 08:38, edited 1 time in total.
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

w4tkins wrote:Looking good,

A good selection of mod there :thumb: You just need to keep an eye on ebay for the rest of the de tangoing kit now. The full package really makes a difference to a zed. Mine was exactly the same when I first bought it :D

Keep up the good work
Thanks, I read your journal showing your light upgrade, the car looks mint!

Clear rears look so much better than the amber versions but they are so rare second hand! I am desperate for some clear rear lenses but looks like I will have to fork out over £200 for a new set, but well worth it. Id go as far as saying i hate the amber rear lenses :shock:

As for clear side repeaters, keep an eye out for my future posts :wink:
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Post by g8jka »

My next modification arrived through the post a few weeks later on and I couldn't wait to get them fitted.

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They were listed on eBay for £79.00 plus postage so I took a chance and offered the seller £60.00 which was later accepted :lol:

They are very high quality and they feel nice and solid, coming complete with the correct torx tool to remove the original bolts. Fitting time was around half hour and was very straight forward much improving the looks of the zed.

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Since the day I collected the zed, I couldn't believe how windy it got inside the car without a wind deflector fitted. Seeing the perspex wind deflector gookah had fitted to his Z3 I much preferred the look of these to the genuine mesh ones.

Knowing that at some stage I would be upgrading to chrome hoops there was no point me purchasing a wind deflector for the standard roll bars until I had chrome hoops fitted to the car.

Having pretty much spent all of my money on other parts for the car I couldn't afford or justify spending over £100 on a new deflector for what is pretty much a piece of plastic! So out came the cardboard and marker pen, off I went to make a template to attempt to make my own. Costing me about 20 quid for a piece of perspex I thought I would try and make one and if it was no good I would save and buy one from just roadster.

Perspex in hand, template made and armed with a jigsaw off I went around to gookah's. About an hour later, the perspex was cut to shape and the edges were nicely polished up leaving me with one very cheap DIY perspex deflector. Held on with grey cable ties to camouflage against the chrome, it fits perfectly and i was chuffed to bits :)

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So my new headunit had been in a while now but I was still not happy with the sound coming from the terrible standard speakers.

Reading about a few other members' installs I decided to go with Vibe Slick 4" rears and Vibe Slick 5" component speakers upfront.

The front speakers were a straight swap, hiding away the crossovers behind the dash and routing the tweeter cable up through the dash so they could be mounted by the window heaters. I removed the original speakers and amp and wired the new ones straight into the speaker wiring from the back of the headunit, meaning I bypassed the original wiring and amplifier problems.

Tweeters mounted either side of the dash.

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Up next were the rear speakers, which were a little harder to fit. As there is no room behind the original speakers it is impossible to get a decent set of 4" speakers in. Because the mounting depth needed to be larger with my new speakers I had to mount them on the outside of the trim. I used a dremel to cut away at the original trim so the speakers would fit flush and screwed them straight through this into the screw holders already in place.

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Then came a temporary modification lent to me by gookah. As he had brought new wheels for his Z4, I borrowed the 18" ellipsoid alloys he had fitted previously. Originally I was just borrowing them for the show at Tatton Park but several months later they are still on the car.

Also a home made set of stone guards were fitted.

The zed as it stood in the show at Tatton.

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bmwchubs
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Post by bmwchubs »

how did you polish your perspex wd edges?
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Brian H
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Post by Brian H »

g8jkaz

I really like the look of the wheels, I think they really suit your Z :thumb:
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

bmwchubs wrote:how did you polish your perspex wd edges?
Firstly it was cut with a jigsaw leaving rough edges so we used an angle grinder to make them smoother and then finished it off with a foam sanding pad to get a very smooth finish.

I am really happy with the result as it only cost around £25 all in and has made a massive difference.
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

Ardchyle wrote:g8jkaz

I really like the look of the wheels, I think they really suit your Z :thumb:
Thanks Ardchyle!

They made a great difference to the look of the car, didn't think they would suit a Z3 at first but they really look the part. Ideally they could do with spacers on the rear to push them out slightly.

Only trouble is they are fitted with run flats and the car tramlines like mad!

Unfortunately as they are gookahs and only a temporary replacement (and the front tyres need replacing soon :shock:) Ive been on the lookout for some new ones but you will have to keep your eyes peeled until I post my latest updates in the next few days :lol:
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marcusplowman
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Post by marcusplowman »

Wheels look great...first time Ive seen them on a Z :) A bit of lowering would be perfect!
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Post by gookah »

Cheers son, for letting me have my wheels back now that the tyres need changing.......
:evil:
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Post by g8jka »

marcusplowman wrote:Wheels look great...first time Ive seen them on a Z :) A bit of lowering would be perfect!
I have never seen them on a Z3 either, they suit it really well. Lowering is one of my next mods, probably just 30mm all round.
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

gookah wrote:Cheers son, for letting me have my wheels back now that the tyres need changing.......
:evil:
They only need changing because I've worn them down due to driving you to KFC all the time :D
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Post by g8jka »

So my next modification was to carry on with the de-tangoing theme. I ordered a set of clear side repeaters from autotec.eu on ebay. They are great quality and look much better than the standard amber lenses. Completely finished off with a set of chrome repeater bulbs.

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Both of the seat belt guides have been broken ever since I brought the car. Knowing how much of a pain it can be to replace these, we tried using heat shrink tubing around the guides to hold them together. This works a treat and I recommend it too anyone who wants to fix their broken guides.

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I used to have xenon hid headlights on my previous car and having kept the kit I thought I would fit them to the zed. Unfortunately the bulbs were incorrect but as the ballasts are universal I brought a correct set of 6000k HB4 replacement bulbs. These were fitted in no time and are so much better for visibility at night. They actually look a lot bluer on the picture than what they are to the naked eye.

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Carrying on the xenon look, I fitted a pair of xenon bulbs to the rear number plate lights.

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The next mod has recently caused a bit on controversy on the forum, some love it, some hate it and having seen the pictures of titantim's car I had to get one. I opted for the cheaper one costing £28.50 plus £15 postage completely painted and ready to fit. As it was a lot cheaper than what others have paid I was a bit wary but comparing the ebay sellers and their feedback it looked as if all the spoilers were coming from the same seller and place, so I took the chance. It turned out to be fantastic and the perfect colour match.

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Never leave things to gookah, that was his idea of a boot spoiler!

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Now I'm almost up to date with my mods, but the most recent has certainly made a difference to the look of the car. Having given the Z4 wheels back to my dad, I had been searching for some new ones. Narrowing it down to two, I finally chose a set of 18" BBS LM replicas. These cost a fortune for the real deal which I simply couldn't afford but I did some research and found the best set of replicas on the market at the moment.

The specs are:
18" x 8" fronts, 18" x 9" deep dishs rears
35 offset front and rear
Fitted with 225/40/18 front, 255/35/18 rear Falken 452 tyres.

Now I brought them from reeva wheels on ebay, who never seem to get things right. Having made several phone calls to them agreeing they would fit Falkens at an extra cost, they still decided to deliver the wheels without upgrading the tyres. So they went back and over a week later I got the correct wheels and tyres :lol:

The callipers have also been painted red.

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They fit pefectly flush with the arches both front and rear due to the staggered set up and dish being deeper on the rears. This meant there was no need for any spacers.

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I am well and truly over the moon with them, I think they really suit the car and give it a retro look.

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Now is the time for some eibachs I think :drive
Last edited by g8jka on Wed 08 Dec, 2010 21:23, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by gookah »

Funny how most of this work seems to have been done in my garage :shock:
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Post by TitanTim »

Looking great 8-) Finishing touch for the rear would be to swap the third brake light lens for a white one :wink:

Tim.
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Dolfan
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Post by Dolfan »

Some nice mods 8-)
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Post by gypsycatcha »

I love those wheels and because of the curbing and me fancying a change, i may go for these too.
Cars looking great.
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Post by shantybeater »

Some great mods! I hope to do the same thing and get someone to make up a wind deflector...it seems extortionate to pay over £100 for a piece of plastic - Looks like you and gookah have done a great job on it too!

Only thing is I cant stand fake splits.. if i had my way they would be illegal :lol: (they still look good though! :oops: haha)
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Post by slacz »

Nice mods.. love the wheels! Thinking if I should stay with my CSL's or change to those... hmmm... :)
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

TitanTim wrote:Looking great 8-) Finishing touch for the rear would be to swap the third brake light lens for a white one :wink:

Tim.
Thanks Tim, it was your bravery that made me go for the boot lip spoiler and there is definitely no regrets!

I'm going to get a set of rear lights with clear indicator lenses soon and a clear brake light is on my to do list!
shantybeater wrote:Some great mods! I hope to do the same thing and get someone to make up a wind deflector...it seems extortionate to pay over £100 for a piece of plastic - Looks like you and gookah have done a great job on it too!

Only thing is I cant stand fake splits.. if i had my way they would be illegal :lol: (they still look good though! :oops: haha)
Give it a go mate, at worst you won't be much out of pocket maybe £25 for the perspex! Just take your time and don't take too much off little adjustments can be made after.

Your new car looks fantastic especially with the red roof and Schnitzer hoops. I see you have a set of genuine LM's, are you going to be fitting them to the M? It was actually your thread that made me look at them but unfortunately a mint set of genuine LM's seem to be rare and far to expensive for me so I had to stick to replicas.
gypsycatcha wrote:I love those wheels and because of the curbing and me fancying a change, i may go for these too.
Cars looking great.
Do it! I think they really suit Z3's, they are such a classic design. Although they are a pain in the arse to clean, I need to find some new brushes so I can get behind the spokes a bit easier. The looks are worth the time and effort though after spending ages cleaning them.
slacz wrote:Nice mods.. love the wheels! Thinking if I should stay with my CSL's or change to those... hmmm... :)
Thanks slacz. I looked at CSL's also before buying these as I think they are one of the best looking wheels BMW do. Either CSL or BBS wheels look good on a zed :thumb:
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johnz3
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Post by johnz3 »

Hi g8jkaz

Can you let me know where you got your roll hoops from on ebay and were they as simple to fit as you suggest.

I have a 1997 2.8 without roll hoops but I do have BMW wind deflector that I would need to remove.

Thanks
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Post by shantybeater »

g8jkaz wrote:
Give it a go mate, at worst you won't be much out of pocket maybe £25 for the perspex! Just take your time and don't take too much off little adjustments can be made after.

Your new car looks fantastic especially with the red roof and Schnitzer hoops. I see you have a set of genuine LM's, are you going to be fitting them to the M? It was actually your thread that made me look at them but unfortunately a mint set of genuine LM's seem to be rare and far to expensive for me so I had to stick to replicas.
Cheers mate, still not 100% sold on the red roof. The LM's are sat in storage, they require alot more work to fit right so thats on hold. 6 months down the line I may dig them out but ideally i'd need to buy new dishes and possibly barrels all round :(

I also think 18's would be more suited especially after seeing yours. They sit just right at that size on a silver zed. It would be a real shame to spend big money getting them sorted only to find they are too big!

If a cheapish set of 18's comes up with demolished outers i'll probably take them on and build up in 3 piece instead

I'll definately give it a go with the wind deflector, i might have to take the template somewhere to get it cut (since i have no tools to do it).

I reckon a small drop on some lower springs would pull off the look perfect, keep up the good work 8-)
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

johnz3 wrote:Hi g8jkaz

Can you let me know where you got your roll hoops from on ebay and were they as simple to fit as you suggest.

I have a 1997 2.8 without roll hoops but I do have BMW wind deflector that I would need to remove.

Thanks
If you do not already have hoops fitted I am not sure how simple it is. I already had hoops and it was a case of removing parts of the trim and undoing three torx bolts either side, then remove and refit the new ones. You would need new trim and fittings to perform a retrofit before before you can fit new hoops. There is a guide on retrofitting hoops somewhere on the forum I think.
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g8jka
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Post by g8jka »

shantybeater wrote:Cheers mate, still not 100% sold on the red roof. The LM's are sat in storage, they require alot more work to fit right so thats on hold. 6 months down the line I may dig them out but ideally i'd need to buy new dishes and possibly barrels all round :(

I also think 18's would be more suited especially after seeing yours. They sit just right at that size on a silver zed. It would be a real shame to spend big money getting them sorted only to find they are too big!

If a cheapish set of 18's comes up with demolished outers i'll probably take them on and build up in 3 piece instead

I'll definately give it a go with the wind deflector, i might have to take the template somewhere to get it cut (since i have no tools to do it).

I reckon a small drop on some lower springs would pull off the look perfect, keep up the good work 8-)
Yeah I think 18's are the biggest you can get away with on a Z3, although I've seen a couple of Z3M's with 19's and they look great. No point spending a fortune only to find out they are not to your taste though.

Originally I was getting someone to cut the perspex on a machine at his work as it probably wouldn't have took as long and would have been easier but with a bit of patience from gookah it turned out great.

I will be lowering it soon as it sits too high, probably 30mm all round on eibachs like naeem.m's as his sits perfect. They are a bit more expensive than others but I've cheap springs before and they haven't been the best.

Look forward to seeing your newly made wind deflector in the near future :wink:
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Post by g8jka »

Having previously de-tangoing my headlights I always had the intention of getting proper clear lenses for the indicators to maintain an OEM look.

A set of headlights recently came up on ebay from a sport model, already having the clear indicator lenses fitted and the seller lived only 10 minutes from where I work. So I had a bid and won the auction, collected them the next day and fitted them later in the week.

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My interior had a plain black plastic centre console that I found a bit boring and dated and I always loved the brushed aluminium console my dad had on his Z3. They seemed to be hard to source and are expensive from BMW but there is an American seller on ebay who sells them every now and then. 3 weeks later my centre console looked a bit more modern and up to date.

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In my first post and ever since I got the car I've always wanted a set of chrome side gills, not to everyone's taste but I like them. Having been ripped off a few months back on a set someone was never selling, I've held on as I didn't want to pay over £120 for some. Then a set popped up at a great price from Dicanio so I didn't hang around.

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I had fitted angel eyes to my old headlights and loved the look but the new headlights didn't have any fitted. So my latest mod was to put another set of angel eyes into the new headlights. They are quite hard to picture and look much better in the flesh. Hopefully I can refit my xenon's soon if I can get the one of them working again.

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The zed had its first MOT since I've owned it last week so I was a bit nervous in case anything major came back. But it passed with one advisory of both rear brake pipes being slightly corroded which is a simple job and will be done in the summer.

A couple of the car as it stands at the moment :drive

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Naeem.m
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Post by Naeem.m »

Really excellent job there with the console and angels. And I really love the LM's you have fitted. They really suit the car and still considering getting some myself.
What kelvin are the angels you have fitted? The colour doesn't look so White which I prefer. I do want to get some but something that's closer to oem. Saw some 4300k ones but were for an e46.

Keep the mods coming. Your doing a top job :wink:
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Post by g8jka »

Naeem.m wrote:Really excellent job there with the console and angels. And I really love the LM's you have fitted. They really suit the car and still considering getting some myself.
What kelvin are the angels you have fitted? The colour doesn't look so White which I prefer. I do want to get some but something that's closer to oem. Saw some 4300k ones but were for an e46.

Keep the mods coming. Your doing a top job :wink:
Cheers Naeem.m

They are 7000K, so are pretty white but they look different in the photo's. They seem to be a bit blurry as well, its so hard to get a decent picture with them on especially depending on the time of day and light levels.

I don't think you can get them for a Z3 in any less than 6000K as they are a strange shape but maybe the E46 ones can be modified.

Won't be too long before my next mod, just need to save some money first and my winter wheels will be going on soon :shock:
2000 BMW Z3 2.8 Titanium Silver Roadster with too many mods to list :-D :drive
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slacz
Joined: Fri 12 Mar, 2010 08:23
Posts: 28

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Contact:

Post by slacz »

Very nice mods.. they all blend well together. From what site did you get the brushed aluminum console? Hope they have the same style of my console.
amancuso
Joined: Sat 07 Nov, 2009 14:25
Posts: 236

  Z3 roadster 2.3
Location: Burlington

Post by amancuso »

Very nice work!
2000 Z3 2.3 Topaz Blue Metallic over Black and Sandbeige leather.
jontymo
Joined: Sun 08 Aug, 2010 18:52
Posts: 630

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Huddersfield

Post by jontymo »

Great write up

I used your idea for fixing my seatbelt guides last weekend, i have cut the rest up to dish out to Maurice, swamper and Taff, not bad for less than £4

Cheers :thumb:

jontymo
1998 2.8 Roadster "Gone but not forgotten"
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Z3cade
Joined: Sat 09 Jan, 2010 18:18
Posts: 2634

  M roadster S50
Location: Peterborough

Post by Z3cade »

jontymo wrote:Great write up

I used your idea for fixing my seatbelt guides last weekend, i have cut the rest up to dish out to Maurice, swamper and Taff, not bad for less than £4

Cheers :thumb:

jontymo
Where did you get the heatshrink tubing from? as one of mine has broke and this sounds like the perfect fix!
///M Roadster - Evolve Stage 3
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Z3Rude
Joined: Mon 01 Nov, 2010 20:43
Posts: 183

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Loch Lomond

Post by Z3Rude »

Hi,

Nice mods there. :)

The roll hoops you got for £60..were they from this seller? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT
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1997 Arctic Silver 2.8 Manual
Wolverine_1999
Joined: Mon 15 Feb, 2010 20:07
Posts: 454

  Z3 roadster 2.0
Location: Munich

Post by Wolverine_1999 »

Wow excellent modifications!

Looking great, especially like the wheels and halos.

All you need now is the M mirrors :D

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TaffZee
Joined: Thu 20 May, 2010 09:45
Posts: 1276

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Location: ACREFAIR
Contact:

Post by TaffZee »

jontymo wrote:Great write up

I used your idea for fixing my seatbelt guides last weekend, i have cut the rest up to dish out to Maurice, swamper and Taff, not bad for less than £4

Cheers :thumb:

jontymo
Dont forget them on Sunday :thumb:
Image1998 Atlanta Blue 2.8
jontymo
Joined: Sun 08 Aug, 2010 18:52
Posts: 630

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Huddersfield

Post by jontymo »

Z3cade wrote:
jontymo wrote:Great write up

I used your idea for fixing my seatbelt guides last weekend, i have cut the rest up to dish out to Maurice, swamper and Taff, not bad for less than £4

Cheers :thumb:

jontymo
Where did you get the heatshrink tubing from? as one of mine has broke and this sounds like the perfect fix!
Sorry matey missed this, i got it from ebay, will have a look later.

jontymo
1998 2.8 Roadster "Gone but not forgotten"
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simiewimie
Joined: Tue 19 Oct, 2010 11:59
Posts: 47

  Z3 roadster 1.8 TU
Location: Stratford-Upon-Avon

Post by simiewimie »

Hi.

Your Z is looking great.
Where did you get the Angel Eyes from? I am considering putting them in to mine, and the colour of yours look perfect.

S
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g8jka
Z Register member
Joined: Sun 18 Apr, 2010 21:16
Posts: 1149

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Telford

Post by g8jka »

Wolverine_1999 wrote:Wow excellent modifications!

Looking great, especially like the wheels and halos.

All you need now is the M mirrors :D
Thanks Wolverine

The wheels are now off for winter :( but at least I dont have to worry about kerbing them when the snow comes!

I wouldnt mind some M mirrors but unfortunately I can't afford any at the moment unless you know someone that would sell a set for £100 :wink:
simiewimie wrote:Hi.

Your Z is looking great.
Where did you get the Angel Eyes from? I am considering putting them in to mine, and the colour of yours look perfect.

S


Thanks and welcome to the forum! Your car looks great and a great base to start modding just as I did. The list will become endless of stuff you want to change but it makes your car individual.

Here is a link to the kit I brought. I've had 2 sets from him now and both have been fine. They are a good colour and show up in daylight also, but if you get some of these make sure you get some LED sidelights to match the colour and they will look fantastic :thumb:
2000 BMW Z3 2.8 Titanium Silver Roadster with too many mods to list :-D :drive
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g8jka
Z Register member
Joined: Sun 18 Apr, 2010 21:16
Posts: 1149

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Telford

Post by g8jka »

The last month has been a busy time adding further mods to the zed and it is now almost exactly how I want it to look.

Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures of the different stages so the car has most of the new parts fitted in the latest pictures further down.

Back in November a set of M coupe seats came up on ebay at a bargain price not far from me and I just had to get them! They were very dirty and dusty at first but came up great with some liquid leather. They didn't feel massively different to the sports seats I had but they look fantastic and are the better quality nappa leather. I just need to install the seat belt guides but this can wait until the summer.

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He also had the matching door cards from the coupe but they were tatty and had the airbag badges missing but the leather was in great condition so I brought them also. Included came the larger harman kardon tweeters which was a bonus. I stripped them down and took the leather off so I could fit it to my original door cards. This meant cutting away some of the original door cards so that the airbag panel would fit correctly. All was transferred over as well as both tweeters in each panel, leaving me door cards with M nappa leather panels, with the original extended leather across the top and full leather pull handles.

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I had new set of Eibach Pro-Kit 30mm lowering springs for xmas along with some brand new OEM Sachs front shocks. Got around to fitting them between xmas and new year and it was fairly simple and much faster compressing the springs and shocks with gookah's new toy.

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The drivers side fitted fine and the passenger side was built up and ready to be fitted when we came across a problem. The old shocks looked as if they had been changed fairly recently but we decided to put the new ones on anyway and fitting like for like on both sides didn't seem a problem until we came to the passenger side. Whoever changed the shocks previously had fitted the drivers side shock to the passenger side and vice versa. I can't believe that a garage or whoever fitted them can possibly put them on the wrong sides, surely they would notice as they didn't sit properly and there was only 2 seats for 3 wires to sit in on the passenger side. I'm surprised I couldn't feel the mistake through the steering or it didn't make the car handle horrendously.

So off it all came and was swapped over so that the correct shocks were on the correct sides! The car instantly sat lower and the handling was vastly improved.

Next up came a strut brace to further improve the handling and along with the suspension now lower the car handles brilliantly and the steering feels a lot tighter.

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Another thing I had for xmas was a Blaupunkt active sub meaning I could remove my old sub and amp from the boot freeing up some space. Now there isn't many places it can be installed but I managed to squeeze it in behind the drivers seat without compromising my driving position. It sounds fantastic and no bass is lost when the roof is down and the boot is now usable.

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More recently I was looking at hardtops and because I use the car all year round I thought it would be practical and it also gives the car a completely different look. I found one on ebay in excellent condition complete with storage bag in titan silver and made the journey a couple of days later to pick it up. Not having the fitting kit on my car meant we had to travel back with it secured via the two front bolts and a couple of ratchet straps around the rear securing handles and down through the seat belt loops. It was solid and not moving anywhere.

Now stupidly I read somewhere that the fitting kits were no longer available from BMW so I went ahead and brought one of the alternative fitting kits listed on ebay. These kits don't look the greatest quality and do not have the facelift HRW switch with the loom needing be cut into the hardtop wiring to get it to become heated. I wanted the covers still so gookah rang up BMW to see how much they were and enquired about the genuine fitting kits out of interest. To our surprise they were still available complete as the retrofit kit so I went ahead and brought one as the quality is unquestionable and everything is genuine. The seller of the other kit I brought was messing me around a little and was taking ages to produce the kit, so when he offered a refund I gladly excepted not mentioning I had already got a genuine kit for just a little more than he sells his kits at! It came and was fitted several days later.

Now complete with hardtop, winter wheels back on and suspension lowered this is the zed earlier in the week.

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A couple more updates will be added later in the week :D
2000 BMW Z3 2.8 Titanium Silver Roadster with too many mods to list :-D :drive
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eame64
Joined: Sat 05 Jun, 2010 19:39
Posts: 103

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: stratford upon avon

Post by eame64 »

z looks great,great write up as well
Naeem.m
Joined: Wed 19 Aug, 2009 21:57
Posts: 365

  Z3 roadster 2.0
Location: Leicester

Post by Naeem.m »

Great great great mods g8jkaz. Your Zed looks great. Love the seats. Even though the same comfort levels as your previous they look awesome.
I was considering an active sub before however does your seat still go all the way back as that's how position mine. And hows the sound ?

The Hardtop transforms the look. I actually prefer the look of the Z with the Hardtop on.

Just get your summer LM's on and your ready.

Well done mate. Keep it up!!! :wink:
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g8jka
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Joined: Sun 18 Apr, 2010 21:16
Posts: 1149

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Telford

Post by g8jka »

Naeem.m wrote:Great great great mods g8jkaz. Your Zed looks great. Love the seats. Even though the same comfort levels as your previous they look awesome.
I was considering an active sub before however does your seat still go all the way back as that's how position mine. And hows the sound ?

The Hardtop transforms the look. I actually prefer the look of the Z with the Hardtop on.

Just get your summer LM's on and your ready.

Well done mate. Keep it up!!! :wink:
Thanks Naeem.m! I'm very happy with the seats, they are in a lot better condition than the sports seats I had and they look fantastic!

The sub sounds great, gives the same bass with the roof up or down whereas a sub in the boot loses a lot of bass. I would definitely recommended one! You won't be able to get the seat all the way back though, you probably need a few inches clearance but this is just enough for the my driving position.

As for the hardtop, I love it, it's a different looking car. Had a lot of compliments on how it looks and people prefer it to the normal roof.

Funny you should say about the LM's, had a trial fit of them the other day to see if there was any rubbing since fitting the eibachs.

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If only I could keep the wheels and hardtop on all year round 8-)
2000 BMW Z3 2.8 Titanium Silver Roadster with too many mods to list :-D :drive
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Ian_C
Joined: Sun 10 Dec, 2006 20:10
Posts: 2415

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Lytham St Annes

Post by Ian_C »

Looks great lowered with the LMs :thumb: Have you considered some spacers for the rears with your winter wheels?
Current...1998 ///M Coupe
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Previously...1997 Z3 2.8
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gookah
Z Register member
Joined: Thu 07 Aug, 2008 09:51
Posts: 2737

  Z3 roadster 2.8

Post by gookah »

looking good son, looking good,
in fact, almost as good as my old Z3 :D
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I have an element of 'M-styling' on my car, If that's a good enough reason for the manufacturers to adorn a 320 with the M badge, then its certainly a good enough reason for me..
J1SUA
Joined: Tue 01 Feb, 2011 20:19
Posts: 234

  Z3 roadster 1.9i

Post by J1SUA »

Stunning. Got those wheels on my E46. Rare on a Z! My favourite wheel. Looking for a hardtop myself as it will do a job in the winter
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hornel Z3M
Joined: Sun 16 May, 2004 20:33
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roof

Post by hornel Z3M »

Well done g8kajz, really looks great with the hardtop, I bet your next mod is a respray in Estoril Blue :lol:
Last edited by hornel Z3M on Mon 07 Feb, 2011 21:34, edited 1 time in total.
gookah
Z Register member
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  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: roof

Post by gookah »

hornel Z3M wrote:Well done gookah, really looks great with the hardtop, I bet your next mod is a respray in Estoril Blue :lol:

Glad someone appreciates how much i have done to my sons car :D

Actually I usually just loan the use of tools and garage, he is pretty good as can be seen.
Image

Z3 2.8 Progress Journal (Mine)
Z3 1.9 Sport Progress Journal (Wifey's)

I have an element of 'M-styling' on my car, If that's a good enough reason for the manufacturers to adorn a 320 with the M badge, then its certainly a good enough reason for me..
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hornel Z3M
Joined: Sun 16 May, 2004 20:33
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z

Post by hornel Z3M »

Afraid i put the wrong name but i read you have done work as well so well done you 8-) Not for you to feel left out :bawl:
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