Z4 E86 Coupe modifications so far .............Latest update - PCB Flappy Paddle change to left down change and right up .
- Thread starter 1536Z4
- Start date
Oh my word... just catching up on the recent updates... :drool: :drool: :drool:
I love the CF parts!! Are they both going body colour?
I bet that amounts to a really significant weight saving nice and high!
Great to see further progress on the drivetrain too, this is going to be such a superb Z4!
I love the CF parts!! Are they both going body colour?
I bet that amounts to a really significant weight saving nice and high!
Great to see further progress on the drivetrain too, this is going to be such a superb Z4!
I have now cut out the areas that needed doing and drilled the holes for the trim clips etc . It is now waiting to be flatted back and clear coated . If you are going to work on the carbon tailgate yourself it is fairly straight forward as the areas that need cutting can be seen on the molding . I did make up some quick templates for the lock area just to check first though . I used a rotary tool with a carbon disc to cut the lines and then sanded using rotary sanding discs of different sizes which does create a lot of dust and releases a strong epoxy smell so be sure to wear a decent mask and glasses . Holes drilled with just a normal for metal drill bit . It looked much better by the time I had finished sanding it all correctly rather than wobbly lines 
j3nks79 said:
I hadn`t but I quite like the idea of mixing both colours up a bit . I want to keep it carbon around the window up to the spoiler lip but wasn`t so sure about the sides and the back where the lock is as it will break up the Montego Blue flow . I will mull it over .
Thanks Ady,
Coilovers are fine and very easy to adjust . The only thing I would say against them is that I have to go round them every few months to tighten up the lock rings as they don`t seem to want to stay tight and then the coilovers knock . I have seen people tightening lock rings with a hammer and chisel but don`t really want to do that . Seriously thinking about applying some thread lock . I also specified 10kg rear and 7 kg front springs instead of standard 8kg rear and 5 kg front and I am now thinking I should have gone standard as the local roads are horrendous ( pot holes etc ) :x Apart from that I am happy with them
Coilovers are fine and very easy to adjust . The only thing I would say against them is that I have to go round them every few months to tighten up the lock rings as they don`t seem to want to stay tight and then the coilovers knock . I have seen people tightening lock rings with a hammer and chisel but don`t really want to do that . Seriously thinking about applying some thread lock . I also specified 10kg rear and 7 kg front springs instead of standard 8kg rear and 5 kg front and I am now thinking I should have gone standard as the local roads are horrendous ( pot holes etc ) :x Apart from that I am happy with them
1536Z4 said:Thanks Ady,
Coilovers are fine and very easy to adjust . The only thing I would say against them is that I have to go round them every few months to tighten up the lock rings as they don`t seem to want to stay tight and then the coilovers knock . I have seen people tightening lock rings with a hammer and chisel but don`t really want to do that . Seriously thinking about applying some thread lock . I also specified 10kg rear and 7 kg front springs instead of standard 8kg rear and 5 kg front and I am now thinking I should have gone standard as the local roads are horrendous ( pot holes etc ) :x Apart from that I am happy with them
Ok thanks for the advice. A bit more pondering for me to do on the subject. The state of the nations roads affects us all, especially here in the South East. I can live with a firm ride,. I just don’t want to be crashing and bracing myself for drain covers etc. Those days are back in my youth!
AdyBish said:1536Z4 said:Thanks Ady,
Coilovers are fine and very easy to adjust . The only thing I would say against them is that I have to go round them every few months to tighten up the lock rings as they don`t seem to want to stay tight and then the coilovers knock . I have seen people tightening lock rings with a hammer and chisel but don`t really want to do that . Seriously thinking about applying some thread lock . I also specified 10kg rear and 7 kg front springs instead of standard 8kg rear and 5 kg front and I am now thinking I should have gone standard as the local roads are horrendous ( pot holes etc ) :x Apart from that I am happy with them
Ok thanks for the advice. A bit more pondering for me to do on the subject. The state of the nations roads affects us all, especially here in the South East. I can live with a firm ride,. I just don’t want to be crashing and bracing myself for drain covers etc. Those days are back in my youth!
As most people tend to "set&forget", I'd also suggest that you (bi-annually) clean and lube the threads, as it doesn't take much for the lock rings to seize-up - don't ask me how I know!!!
Zed-X said:AdyBish said:1536Z4 said:Thanks Ady,
Coilovers are fine and very easy to adjust . The only thing I would say against them is that I have to go round them every few months to tighten up the lock rings as they don`t seem to want to stay tight and then the coilovers knock . I have seen people tightening lock rings with a hammer and chisel but don`t really want to do that . Seriously thinking about applying some thread lock . I also specified 10kg rear and 7 kg front springs instead of standard 8kg rear and 5 kg front and I am now thinking I should have gone standard as the local roads are horrendous ( pot holes etc ) :x Apart from that I am happy with them
Ok thanks for the advice. A bit more pondering for me to do on the subject. The state of the nations roads affects us all, especially here in the South East. I can live with a firm ride,. I just don’t want to be crashing and bracing myself for drain covers etc. Those days are back in my youth!
As most people tend to "set&forget", I'd also suggest that you (bi-annually) clean and lube the threads, as it doesn't take much for the lock rings to seize-up - don't ask me how I know!!!
Point taken, thanks
An update on fitting the tailgate / third brake light / lock / gas struts / polycarbonate window / trim .
First major issue was that the tailgate had come fitted with M6 threads not M8 :x This made what was supposed to be a fairly straight forward swap into a PITA . I spoke to Geoff Steel and they advised to drill out the threads and tap to M8 or send it back to them to have them replaced . I had everything ready to go and really didn`t want to mess about packaging it all up and waiting for it to be corrected and sent back .
After asking the question on the forum if the hinge bolts would be ok to reduce to M6 , see here https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=147421 Thanks to Street and Vanne , I decided to leave the hinges as M6 and just drill out and tap the rubber stop and gas strut fittings to M8 . All was going well until the final drilling and the drill snagged and went through to the outer shell
:evil: :evil: .
I was so mad at myself and even more mad that if Geoff Steel had put in the correct fittings I would not be in this position . After a few laps of the garden to calm myself down I continued with the rest and filled the hole with a combination of JB Steel and cut up carbon fibre then sanded it down .
The third brake light I had to silicone into place using the same sealant I used around the carbon roof as the area for bolting into is not included in the molding . I was thinking about making up a metal frame but decided against it in the end as I would have ended up using a silicone seal anyway .
The lock fitted with no problems " Huzzah !! "
The gas struts :roll: Being of sound mind isn`t something that always happens when working on something you haven`t done before but I do wonder about myself sometimes . I fitted both struts no problem but the tailgate would not close :scratchhead: I checked to make sure nothing was catching but couldn`t work out why and then the penny finally dropped . The tailgate is so much lighter than the original that I only needed one strut . Took one strut out and it worked no problem .
Polycarbonate window actually went really well . I fitted the rubber seal around the tailgate and then applied a raised bead of Tiger Seal . With the help of my better half we carefully laid the window on top of the bead and gently pushed down around the edges . We then placed some bubble wrap on top and placed a spare glass window I have over the top . Then we added some drill boxes e.t.c on top to stop any movement . It was left for 24 hours and then I went round with some sealant to finish of the edge of the beading where needed . The Polycarbonate window was a perfect fit and was bought from https://www.plastics4performance.com/ . If you are using it for a road car I would suggest you add the non scratch coating option .
Final part was to fit the trim . This was also not as easy as you would think . I had measured the drill sizes from the original tailgate for the trim clips and used them to drill out the carbon tailgate . Some of the clips however just kept popping out and the 2 screws that are used on the original tailgate on the rear section of trim are not provided for on the molding . I must have spent 4 hours trying to make sure there was no other infringement that was stopping the trim from staying but in the end had to come to the conclusion it was just them not gripping probably due to the drilled holes wearing slightly each time I pushed the clips in . I would suggest drilling slightly smaller holes than the originals and see if that helps if you are going to do this . It could just be that the tailgate doesn`t hang the same as the original . The other issue I had was the metal clips that are used on the trim are not provided for on the tailgate so I had to cut out slots in the tailgate to accept them . That however didn`t go to plan as I couldn`t get them lined up exactly when trying to fit the trim . How did I get round the issue of fitting the trim ?? Well I hate to say it but sticky back Velcro .
It was the only solution I could come up with and actually works very well . I`m not saying that none of the clips worked but not enough to hold everything in place especially whilst driving .
If you are thinking about doing this it isn`t as hard as you may think as long as you are DIY capable and obviously you take into account the issues I came across. Geoff Steel are now aware that the fittings should be M8 but if you place an order with them just double check as it will save you a lot of time and hassle .
Quality of carbon weave finish is not brilliant you can see it snaking in different directions but as they say it is a race product not for looks .
There are probably things I have forgotten to comment on but I will add to the post if I think of them . I am pretty sure I am going to do something about the flow between the Montego Blue and the carbon .
Photos of it all fitted .
First major issue was that the tailgate had come fitted with M6 threads not M8 :x This made what was supposed to be a fairly straight forward swap into a PITA . I spoke to Geoff Steel and they advised to drill out the threads and tap to M8 or send it back to them to have them replaced . I had everything ready to go and really didn`t want to mess about packaging it all up and waiting for it to be corrected and sent back .
After asking the question on the forum if the hinge bolts would be ok to reduce to M6 , see here https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=147421 Thanks to Street and Vanne , I decided to leave the hinges as M6 and just drill out and tap the rubber stop and gas strut fittings to M8 . All was going well until the final drilling and the drill snagged and went through to the outer shell
:evil: :evil: .I was so mad at myself and even more mad that if Geoff Steel had put in the correct fittings I would not be in this position . After a few laps of the garden to calm myself down I continued with the rest and filled the hole with a combination of JB Steel and cut up carbon fibre then sanded it down .
The third brake light I had to silicone into place using the same sealant I used around the carbon roof as the area for bolting into is not included in the molding . I was thinking about making up a metal frame but decided against it in the end as I would have ended up using a silicone seal anyway .
The lock fitted with no problems " Huzzah !! "
The gas struts :roll: Being of sound mind isn`t something that always happens when working on something you haven`t done before but I do wonder about myself sometimes . I fitted both struts no problem but the tailgate would not close :scratchhead: I checked to make sure nothing was catching but couldn`t work out why and then the penny finally dropped . The tailgate is so much lighter than the original that I only needed one strut . Took one strut out and it worked no problem .
Polycarbonate window actually went really well . I fitted the rubber seal around the tailgate and then applied a raised bead of Tiger Seal . With the help of my better half we carefully laid the window on top of the bead and gently pushed down around the edges . We then placed some bubble wrap on top and placed a spare glass window I have over the top . Then we added some drill boxes e.t.c on top to stop any movement . It was left for 24 hours and then I went round with some sealant to finish of the edge of the beading where needed . The Polycarbonate window was a perfect fit and was bought from https://www.plastics4performance.com/ . If you are using it for a road car I would suggest you add the non scratch coating option .
Final part was to fit the trim . This was also not as easy as you would think . I had measured the drill sizes from the original tailgate for the trim clips and used them to drill out the carbon tailgate . Some of the clips however just kept popping out and the 2 screws that are used on the original tailgate on the rear section of trim are not provided for on the molding . I must have spent 4 hours trying to make sure there was no other infringement that was stopping the trim from staying but in the end had to come to the conclusion it was just them not gripping probably due to the drilled holes wearing slightly each time I pushed the clips in . I would suggest drilling slightly smaller holes than the originals and see if that helps if you are going to do this . It could just be that the tailgate doesn`t hang the same as the original . The other issue I had was the metal clips that are used on the trim are not provided for on the tailgate so I had to cut out slots in the tailgate to accept them . That however didn`t go to plan as I couldn`t get them lined up exactly when trying to fit the trim . How did I get round the issue of fitting the trim ?? Well I hate to say it but sticky back Velcro .
It was the only solution I could come up with and actually works very well . I`m not saying that none of the clips worked but not enough to hold everything in place especially whilst driving .If you are thinking about doing this it isn`t as hard as you may think as long as you are DIY capable and obviously you take into account the issues I came across. Geoff Steel are now aware that the fittings should be M8 but if you place an order with them just double check as it will save you a lot of time and hassle .
Quality of carbon weave finish is not brilliant you can see it snaking in different directions but as they say it is a race product not for looks .
There are probably things I have forgotten to comment on but I will add to the post if I think of them . I am pretty sure I am going to do something about the flow between the Montego Blue and the carbon .
Photos of it all fitted .
Attachments
Well done for resolving the issues and getting it all back together Shame about the damage but s**t happens. We’ve all made stupid mistakes and cursed the world and I’m sure we’ll all make some again! Tbh, the small mark in the drivers side is way smaller than the close up suggested, and if you paint it then it will disappear forever
Shame about the damage but s**t happens. We’ve all made stupid mistakes and cursed the world and I’m sure we’ll all make some again! Tbh, the small mark in the drivers side is way smaller than the close up suggested, and if you paint it then it will disappear forever
beanie said:
Thanks [ref]beanie[/ref], it doesn`t look too bad from 6 feet away and I am now decided I am going to get some of it painted . I cant help but quote this previous reply from you .
" Ah, if the hinge holes are there then that’s good.
Cutting an opening for the lock should be simple enough as you can template it/eyeball it from the original. Once you have the new one open and side by side with the original I’m sure it will all make sense. Drilling a couple of holes and putting in some ‘non critical’ fixings for the lock shouldn’t be too bad.
" If only I had known