Rebody Z3 Based Ferrari 250 California Build
- Thread starter MisterP007
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2020
- Points
- 63
A pleasure - didn't meet the owner though - venue was Locks Heath Hampshire, held 1st Thursday every month.
Short car working period today.
- All lights cut in and test fitted
- Door handles and wing mirrors in place
- Started pulling the front end back apart and sussed out the wiper motor position
- Removed the bonnet catch bracket, primed and satin blacked
Busy afternoon making stuff, bit of light engineering:
Last pic is SWMBO taking nail varnish off her feet, foil helps keep the acetone soaked cotton wool in place!!!
- Fully set up the wiper motor position, drilled and bolted the motor bracket in place (not in the normal position as I found it simpler to fold a bit of the Z3 panel work to make a bracket (see pics))
- Cut and fitted the Bundy Tube for the wipers
- Made up strengthening brackets to support the bonnet hinges (they have been flexing a bit)
- Formed curved plates to use for supporting the underside of the headlight cowls (avoids a point load and possible cracking of the GRP
Last pic is SWMBO taking nail varnish off her feet, foil helps keep the acetone soaked cotton wool in place!!!
Are you ready for today’s instalment?
Good, then I will begin.
Oh, and did you know Mercedes made giant, rolling toolboxes?
Good, then I will begin.
- Wired in the new wiper motor to the circular BMW connector
- Removed the wiper Bundy tube and greased the mechanisms before re-assembling
- Satin Blacked the light cowl plates and bonnet hinge supports, these were then fitted later. I will be glueing the plates to the bottom of the headlight cowl to spread the load of the front clam. The height adjustment and ability to unbolt the whole front end will be retained
- Drilled the fixing holes for the doors
Oh, and did you know Mercedes made giant, rolling toolboxes?
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Those of you paying attention will know that I left the front end off the car last night because I was too lazy to grapple with lifting it back on.
Woke up this morning to battering rain, which has given the engine bay a nice pressure wash! So ended up outside at 7.30 am lifting the wet and slippery front end and bonnet back on. Hopefully not too much water in the alternator (i will dry it out later).
Moral of the story: Do it when you are looking at it, then it is done!
Had to go out anyway as the two flimsy summer gazebos that are over the garden table and sofas were about to collapse under the weight of water ballooning in them.
Is that it for summer? Hope not, but it looks like the car will need to go back into the workshop to be worked on later.
Welcome to Britain! You have no idea how much I miss Mallorca - having said that, there is no real Replica car scene over there and the car would probably be uninsurable!
Woke up this morning to battering rain, which has given the engine bay a nice pressure wash! So ended up outside at 7.30 am lifting the wet and slippery front end and bonnet back on. Hopefully not too much water in the alternator (i will dry it out later).
Moral of the story: Do it when you are looking at it, then it is done!
Had to go out anyway as the two flimsy summer gazebos that are over the garden table and sofas were about to collapse under the weight of water ballooning in them.
Is that it for summer? Hope not, but it looks like the car will need to go back into the workshop to be worked on later.
Welcome to Britain! You have no idea how much I miss Mallorca - having said that, there is no real Replica car scene over there and the car would probably be uninsurable!
One is not enough.
I've just seen this thread- great work.
Is the rear bumper "shelf" big enough to hold a pint glass?
I have available an aluminium "egg-crate" grille that I didn't use on my 250 front. It may be wide enough.
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jaguartvr
Zorg Guru (I)
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
- Points
- 95
Option 1 use genuine 250 rear lights, about £550 a pair, as they are about 2" shorter you will have to reshape both rear wings, lower the top edge and probably the boot as well to get it to look correct.
Option 2 3D print a new rear lens, have heard this so many times, whoever is going to print them soon goes quiet.
Option 3 Chop up and glue 2 lenses up to produce a smooth lens, this has been done and looks good but I have never seen a close up picture
Option 5 Learn that it is a BMW Z3 (albeit a pretty one). Fine to spend thousands on door & boot handles etc but do remember the windscreen is the biggest giveaway and you simply can't change it.
Option 2 3D print a new rear lens, have heard this so many times, whoever is going to print them soon goes quiet.
Option 3 Chop up and glue 2 lenses up to produce a smooth lens, this has been done and looks good but I have never seen a close up picture
Option 5 Learn that it is a BMW Z3 (albeit a pretty one). Fine to spend thousands on door & boot handles etc but do remember the windscreen is the biggest giveaway and you simply can't change it.
Once a King, always a King, but once a Night is enough!!!
Have to have two Fauxrarris, rude not to!
The rear bumper shelf most definitely holds a bottle of beer, two dirty coffee cups and a Bacon Buttie (ask me how I know?)
Egg Crate Grille from 250SWB, will it fit the Cal? I am off to measure, hold on a minute.......I'm back.... and the answer is?
Almost:
- 250SWB Egg Crate Grille measures 1000 x 280 mm ish (can't get the tape measure in properly)
- Grill mouth on 250 Cal measures 1035 x 230 mm ish
Send me a PM with details (could you measure it please) and how much you would like for it.
What about pics of your Z3 re-bodies Ian
Hey Steve and loyal readers...
Almost nobody who asks about my 250SWB has any idea it is a Replica, apart from the occasional car buff. Unless you are a Ferratic or a Fanarri (my names for a Ferrari Fanatics/Fans) you would never know a lot of the bling is Mini, MGB, Alfa Romeo, TR6 and of course BMW Z3.
"But", I hear you yell, "the quarterlights and windscreen rake give it away" or, "that does not sound like a Columbo V12", or "those brake/clutch/accelerator pedals look modern (ish)". Again unless you are a Z3 aficionado, Ferratic or general massive petrol head nobody notices, all they see is a great looking car that sounds like a wailing banshee when you get a move on, starts when you turn the key (unlike the original), goes, turns and stops when you ask it to and is a real hoot to drive if you do not mind your car getting more attention than you and even being cheered by people in the High Street.
So in my view, there is no real reason to go for original Ferrari lights / other parts or exact replicas for all of the problematic reasons mentioned by Steve above. The cars look fantastic without and they are not Ferraris!
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Just waiting for a reply from Justin as to when mine are due...... hang on a tick, an email has just landed......apparently they are ready and will be sent to me next week (need to pay the balance 1st) . Things of beauty, I love bling, even SWMBO is "happy" for me to spend the money on these (she loves bling).It is what it is, enjoy it, but you can fit the instruments, just arrived from Grassbanks
Happy days.
The fact that they are plug-and-play running from the original cluster PCB is a master-stroke from Grassbank. The ETB set on my 250SWB took forever to wire as you can see in the pics below (and these do not show the fannying about to get to under-bonnet sensors for water and oil, take off points for Tacho, wiring to the speed sensor on the rear diff and petrol tank wiring).
Brilliant.
Thinking of dash fitments:
Thinking of dash fitments:
- What cables/knobs are used to get rid of the BMW heater controls, is it just a case of a position rotary switch for the fan, and two MG style pull and twist cables for the heat and direction of blow?
- Also, can you remember how you wired in the mom on - off - mom on rotary switch for the windows. The Durite ones I have are 3-pin.
Alas- 980mm x 290mm - no sale.
My build threads are here- lots of pics...
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4941 for the Z300S and
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7402 for the TFS
jaguartvr
Zorg Guru (I)
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2017
- Points
- 95
The heater controls incorporate the cables for the flaps so you need to use the existing BMW heater panel, I fitted it to the back of the front section of the centre console and fitted 3d printed knobs with longer stalks than the original BMW ones. Looking to get the next one cnc made out of alloy.
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