Time for an overhaul of my 1.9 '98 BMW Z3 Individual

[Matt Barnes]

Ok so it's the weekend again !....... ok top domestic news.... I fixed the washing machine !!.. .. ended up being a new sump pipe and new pump. (total cost about 50 quid and lots of swearing) Now purrs like a kitten and pumps water out stronger than Linda Blair in the Exorcist.....

right.. so with a happy wife...let's get back to the Z3 !!

Focus today was on front Calipers.... so it was lots... and lots.... and lots... of grinding rust and other detritus off the surfaces.

used a wire pipe brush for the piston bore and the slider and bolt holes...

although it worked well, it was a little too rigid, so I then dug out my drill flexi attachment.. but, screwed it into the pillar drill instead of a hand drill, this enabled me to have both hands free..

If you use barrel sanders on a Dremel, one little tip I can offer is, don't push the sanding tube all the way down on the rubber barrel. Leave it slightly overlapping and that way, the top of the sander is more flexible and can get into more nooks and crannies..

Then it's into the paint booth !

that'll do for now, and tomorrow I'll do the other one

 

[AntStark]

I used one of these to do mine and the carriers..it’s the equivalent of 80 grit and gets in all the little corners really well

 

[Matt Barnes]

I used one of these to do mine and the carriers..it’s the equivalent of 80 grit and gets in all the little corners really well
View attachment 350715

@AntStark - Ironically I have a set of grinding stones for the Dremel but never thought of using those !

 

[Matt Barnes]

Weekend again !... and unfortunately I only get one afternoon as tomorrow I have to rip the spare room apart ready for a sparky to come in next week.....

right...let's get to it....

First thing, received new hub bearings from AutoDoc

Then I thought I'd attack one of Ant's calipers.... using my socket trick, the piston just would not budge, that bad boy was in there. No matter how much I twisted, it just wouldn't budge

Then I tried something that freed it up straight away !... ok there was also liberal squirts of WD40 but.. I found if I gave the piston a tap with the extension bar and hammer, it freed it straight away... just a sharp bang on opposite sides should do it....

This is the combination of sockets I used that enabled a 1/2" extension bar to jam in tightly.. 8mm, 13mm and a shouldered 11mm, with 1/2" bar.
Then the piston started to spin....I got it out halfway and then it got stuck

.... but as I knew it was moving, I then tried the foot pump trick with a bouncy ball adaptor, few pushes and .... BANG! out it flew

Then it was just endless, endless grinding with a variety of flap wheels, drums, wire wheel and stones...

gave it a good dose of brake cleaner and it's ready for paint

with that done I had a go a dry fitting the front left shock

I was quite surprised how far up the shaft the hub bearing started to become an interference fit. Granted it was dry with no copper grease, but I hope when greased that will hammer down to the bottom !

So that's it for today... looks like I can't do any more until next weekend !

 

[Matt Barnes]

well... here we are again......house won again as two rooms needed the floorboards lifting so the sparky could run a new immersion cable. Only possible explanation could be "rodent damage".... anyway back to Z3s again

with my brief tenure in the garage, I fitted the dust shield permanently with the zinced grub screws.... all that effort to zinc them I think was worth it.

Got ready to paint the caliper carrier but first cleaned out the threads with refreshed bolts. It looks black because I had it sat in Evapo-rust for a week, before cleaning

Prior to paint I filled the threaded holes with tissue paper and employed a little trick my Dad taught me in the 80s. If you don't want paint to adhere to something (i.e. mating faces) then smear it with a little grease. The paint will then wipe off.

et voila ...one caliper carrier done

Now it's serious time.... drifting on the new Hub bearing.... picked up a tip from YouTube in that one guy used the race from the old bearing to act as a drift..... here it neatly fits in an old axle stand pole

I didn't actually photograph it in action which is annoying, but you get my drift... . used a big rubber mallet and gave the top of the pole several decent love taps (having previously applied LM grease to the hub). After a while you hear a change in tone as it slowly moved down... until it bottoms out..that's enough thread exposed to get the new nut on...

and that's as far as I got...just need to rinse and repeat on the offside....

mooooooooooooo

 

[Mint]

That looks superb Matt, you won't want to drive it when you've finished in case it gets dirty

 

[Matt Barnes]

That looks superb Matt, you won't want to drive it when you've finished in case it gets dirty

you're not wrong mate....I'll be checking the forecast before every drive!

 

[AntStark]

Calipers look great Matt !

 

[Matt Barnes]

Calipers look great Matt !

came up really well mate !.... now ready for the rebuild kit..

 

[Matt Barnes]

it's that pesky weekend again. Another reduced to one afternoon, however... here we are...

started grinding the caliper carrier as it was completely covered in rust. Then abandoned that in favour of an overnight sleep in Evapo-Rust

now you might think, "well what's it done?"....

what it's done is turn the rust into like a thick powder, which makes grinding off a lot easier. This now ready for paint.

Then it was time to assemble the offside shock. That's not rust, it's Copper Grease

Then on with new shiny dust shield and zinced screws as per the nearside. Then a quick lube up before going in with the new bearing

using my tried and tested method with the Axle stand pole and old race

On with the Strut bolts

And just like that, we're done... don't they make a lovely couple ?

I was about to start the caliper rebuild and then noticed my little faux pas

Yeeeeeess they're both offside calipers... yeeeeeees ...I cleaned up one of another pair


but not to fear !...... I have more !...

and two more in a box courtesy of @AntStark. So that Ladies and Gents is the effort for this weekend. Guess next weekend I get to refurb a nearside Caliper !

 

[Matt Barnes]

ooooooooookay.... let's try again on a NEARSIDE caliper this time eh ?

It's the one on the far left of my previous post....

apologies if I've gone over this several times but it REALLY does work for seized pistons. Tried the foot pump and no good, didn't budge... so.. here we go...

leave the bleed nipple in and screwed in.... then screw a 10mm union into the flexi hose connection...this is purely to minimise air loss. I then used a pump adaptor for a beach ball or "fitness" ball, which you have to hold and push down on.

now admittedly at first it just didn't want to budge, BUT there was no air leakage, I was actually leaning on the pump with my bodyweight.

so you know what's coming next don't you.... yep, the sockets and extension bar trick, I now have 100% success rate with this method. Turned it enough to break the seal but it still needed the piston tapping on the edges with a hammer. It started to move again so I squirted the sidewalls with WD40....quick turn and it broke free....

Then it was a case of re attaching the foot pump and out she came

Then a good clean up to get all the rust out the way, then coated in brake cleaner and dried off with the coolest heat gun ever made...

then that was it, all prepped for paint, Hammerite Silver Smooth and left to hang overnight....whole job from start to finish was 1.5 hours.

so that's all the Calipers and brackets done, just need to put on the Bigg Red rebuild kit and we're done, I THINK that was the last pieces that get restored !!.. famous last words

So what's next....

- Need to tidy up the front wheel arches and give them a paint.
- Tidy up the front subframe and paint, hopefully there won't be any cracks like @Mazza had on his !
- Re install the anti roll bar, new brackets, bushes and drop links
- Re install the front shocks and hubs
- Make a new offside front brake line, I know people tend to cut and remake inside the wheel arch with an inline union, but has anyone run a new pipe from the ABS pump across the engine bay bulkhead ?

oh then of course it's ........

- Re-Installing the completed rear subframe
- Treating the inside of the sills
- Paint the new offside sill I got off Ebay
- Get the body panels out the attic and give them 2k clear coat

Get the car on four wheels !!!

 

[Althulas]

Coming along but famous last words. Then you start looking at scabby stuff in the engine bay and down another rabbit hole

 

[Matt Barnes]

Coming along but famous last words. Then you start looking at scabby stuff in the engine bay and down another rabbit hole

yeah I know, but I've classed the finish line as getting it back on the road.I know I need to change the rocker cover gasket,bur I class that as maintenance