My 1998 BMW Z3 2.8 Roadster

[pangsterz3]

I bought my BMW Z3 about 2 years ago (February 2009) and thought it would be a good idea to start a Journal so I could keep track of it's progress.

I was originally looking for a Black or Silver Z3 - but when I saw this Montreal Blue it ticked all of the boxes and I knew I had to have it. It's original owner was a doctor who specced it reasonably well in addition he also picked a nice black/beige leather combo interior (as opposed to the complete beige leather) that seemed to be more prevalent in the vast majority of Montreal Blue Z3's - which was one of the first things I noticed about the car! It's other 2 owners seemed to have cared for it equally as well and the paperwork confirmed full service history and that it had been covered by a BMW Extended Warranty up until 2006.

ORIGINAL PICTURES (February 2009) FROM FOR SALE ADVERT:






CAR DETAILS:
Type code CJ32
Type Z3 (EUR)
E series E36 (7)
Series 3
Type ROADSTER
Steering RIGHT
Doors 2
Engine M52
Displacement 2.80
Power 142 KW / 193 BHP
Drive HECK
Transmission MANUAL
Colour MONTREALBLAU METALLIC (297)
Upholstery LEDER OREGON/BEIGE E36 SANDBEIGE E3 (Q2SN)
Prod.date 1998-01-15

FACTORY FITTED OPTIONS:
HEATED WINDSCREEN WASHER NOZZLES Door mirror / driver's lock, heated
SOFTTOP BLACK Softtop, black
SOFTTOP OPERATION, ELECTRO-HYDRAULIC Softtop, electromech. semiautom.
FLOOR MATS, VELOUR Floor mats, velours
WARNING TRIANGLE Warning triangle and first aid kit
SMOKERS PACKAGE Smoker package
AIR CONDITIONING Air conditioning
ON-BOARD COMPUTER On-board computer
RADIO BMW BUSINESS CD RDS Radio BMW Business CD RD
HIFI LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM HARMAN KARDON Hi-Fi System Harman Kardon
M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL M sports steering wheel
ENGLAND VERSION NATIONAL VERSION GREAT BRITAIN
MAIN BATTERY SWITCH Battery master switch
EUROPE/DEALER DIRECTORY Retailer Directory Europe
ENGLISH/OWNERS HANDBOOK/SERVICE BOOKLET Operating instructions, English
SHIPPING PROTECTION PACKAGE Transport protection package Standard equipment
LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL (25%) Differential lock 25%
AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL+TRACTION Automatic stability control (ASC+T)
LT/ALY WHL/ Z STAR BMW LA wheel Z Star
CHROME LINE INTERIOR Chrome Line Interior
HARDTOP PREPARATION Hardtop-preparation
WINDOW LIFTS, ELECTRIC AT FRONT Window lifts, electric, front
HEADLIGHT BEAM-THROW CONTR. F LOW BEAM Headlight aim control
FOGLIGHTS Fog lights
LANGUAGE VERSION ENGLISH Language version English
BMW OEM FACTORY WIND DEFLECTOR (non-roll hoop version)

I've made the following changes over the last 2 years:

SUSPENSION:
E-Tech front strut brace
FK Silverline Coilover Plus suspension
Camber adjustable top mounts (front)
E36 Camber adjustment bolts (front)
BMW OEM M3 strut reinforcement plates (front)
BMW OEM shock mount gaskets (front and rear)
Meyle Heavy Duty top mounts (rear)
Meyle Heavy Duty control arms
BMW OEM shock reinforcement plates (rear)
Powerflex polybush kit (complete kit)
New sway bar/drop links

WHEELS AND TYRES:
18" Staggered Beyern Multi (FRONT 18x8.5 and REAR 18x9.5)
Falken FK-452's all round (FRONT 225/40/18 and REAR 255/35/18)

ICE:
Alpine CDE-9880R with full speed iPod control
Factory upgraded Harman Kardon system (amp, speakers and subwoofer)
Clifford G5 650 MKII alarm with dual proximity sensor
BMW OEM Sport Antenna

PERFORMANCE:
ITG Pro Filter drop in replacement filter
SuperSprint stainless steel back box
EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads all round (fitted: 19/04/2011)
Brembo HC brake discs all round (fitted: 19/04/2011)
Goodridge braided stainless steel brake lines (fitted: 19/04/2011)
Earls Performance stainless steel clutch line (fitted: 19/04/2011)

EXTERIOR:
Clear front indicator lens conversion with chrome bulbs
Clear side indicators with chrome bulbs
Clear/red rear light units with chrome bulbs
BMW hardtop (cosmos black)
Z3 M side gills
Z3 M side mirrors (* yet to be fitted *)

INTERIOR:
Storm Motorwerks V1 stainless short and weighted gear knob
Storm Motorwerks handbrake cover
Storm Motorwerks lighter blank
Custom EL Lockwood dials (beige) with LED conversion and red needles
BMW OEM Roll hoops
Custom retrimmed and repadded M steering wheel (black leather top and bottom, black perforated leather sides and beige stitching)
Custom beige leather gear gaiter (* yet to be fitted *)
Custom beige leather handbrake gaiter (* yet to be fitted *)
Windblox Lexan Wind Deflector (fitted: 21/04/2011)
Doug Whalen black anodised hood release handle (fitted: 06/05/2011)


RECENT PICTURES:









RECENT PICTURES (in it's winter guise with Cosmos Black hardtop):









RECENT PICTURES (with Z3M gills fitted):









INTERIOR PICTURES:












Thanks for looking!!

Edited by pangsterz3 on Tuesday 5th April 14:26

Edited by pangsterz3 on Friday 15th April 13:58

Edited by pangsterz3 on Friday 15th April 13:58

Edited by pangsterz3 on Saturday 7th May 11:32

[pangsterz3]

Some details around the brake setup that will soon be installed - if anyone is looking for the part numbers for EBC Yellow Stuff pads for the 2.8 - then I've also listed these below..

BRAKE PADS:
EBC Yellow Stuff (interestingly enough EBC do not list Yellow Stuff pads for the 2.8 Z3 - but after a lot of cross checking/referencing - I managed to identify the following part numbers: front = DP41211R / rear = DP41289R) - they also come with 3M anti squeal pads:






BRAKE DISCS:
I decided fairly early on that I didn't want drilled or grooved discs - I've had these on other cars and again feel that these were more for show than for any perceived benefit I could gain from them - plus when you have as many spokes on your alloys as me - you can't really see them!! With the decision made to go for blanks/OEM style rotors, I had read some very good reviews about the Brembo HC (high carbon) discs. A nice feature of these discs is that they also come with EASY:CHECK dimples which show you when you're on the limit of thickness for the disc.




BRAKE LINES:
Surprisingly enough there was quite a few stainless steel options out there for brake lines - but I've used Goodridge before and have been happy with the quality and performance of them - so it was a bit of a no brainer.



Just need to get the car booked in now to get it all fitted!

Edited by pangsterz3 on Tuesday 5th April 14:20

[pangsterz3]

PROGRESS OF EXTERIOR MAKEOVER:

As you can see from the original post - the Z3 M side gills have now been fitted. I'm in the process of painting the Z3 M mirrors - but I ran out of paint and the Halfords tins I bought to try and finish the job off were a COMPLETELY different colour:

http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/pangster79...

So the mirror bases need rubbed back and completely re-done and the mirror shells can do with being flattened back and given a final colour coat and then lacquered. I'm off for a week and a half soon - so will aim to get them all painted up and fitted then - in the meantime here was some 'in progress' shots:









Here's a quick side by side comparison shot of normal Z3 side gills v ///M gills:

Edited by pangsterz3 on Tuesday 5th April 14:23

[pangsterz3]

INTERIOR MAKEOVER CONTINUED
My latest purchase is a Windblox Wind Deflector. I've came to the conclusion (or rather the wife has!) that a wind deflector is an absolute must as I think the novelty of being whipped in the face with her hair has worn off! - I've read various reviews and considered going for the mesh OEM type - but in the end decided to go for the clear solid type. After a bit of research it soon became apparent that the market leader for these types of screens is a company called Windblox based in the US - not to mention they're cheaper (including shipping) than some of the inferior UK based products.

I settled on the following configuration:

Material: Lexan
Straps: Clear
Tint: Clear

Example installed pictures (with black straps):






Should be here within the next 2 weeks or so!

[pangsterz3]

Thought the car looked quite good tonight (after a days effort cleaning!! ) and under the artificial light - only had my iPhone with me so apologies for the crappy quality!





I need to give it a proper detail and then get some better quality pics updated!!

[mig25_foxbat2003]

Looks unbelievable on those wheels, what are they from? Do they ruin the ride comfort?

Great car, I think these are ageing quite well, and have been tempted by one myself to be honest, is it much quicker than the equivalent 3-er with the 2.8?

[pangsterz3]

mig25_foxbat2003 said:

Looks unbelievable on those wheels, what are they from? Do they ruin the ride comfort?

Great car, I think these are ageing quite well, and have been tempted by one myself to be honest, is it much quicker than the equivalent 3-er with the 2.8?

Thanks!!

The wheels are made specifically for BMW's by a company called Beyern (owned by TSW) - see here:

http://www.beyernwheels.com/

So centre bores and offsets are perfect without the need for spigot rings or fitting kits etc. I went for a slightly more aggressive stance so had to dial in positive camber at the front with the E36 camber correction bolts and then adjust it back via the camber adjustable top mounts - this was all set up by John at ProGrip in Falkirk on his Hunter - to make sure they cleared the coilover spring perches.

I think the last stats I looked at suggested they were c0.5 seconds to 60 quicker - but no idea in terms of real world driving.

[Muncle Trogg]

I like this a lot, the mods are all tastefully done and those wheels suit the car so well.

What's next then mod wise?

[pangsterz3]

Muncle Trogg said:

I like this a lot, the mods are all tastefully done and those wheels suit the car so well.

What's next then mod wise?

thanks!!

next up is:

(*) Installing the new brake set up
(*) Finishing off the interior (custom beige gear and handbrake gaiters)
(*) Finish painting and then install the Z3M mirrors
(*) Installing Windblox Lexan wind deflector (which should be here soon and save me getting an ear bashing off the wife! )
(*) Full service - all fluids, spark plugs as well as changing/upgrading the cooling system
(*) Install new PAS cooling line (current one is a little crusty in places) and this will get done with the fluid service

I think that's about it at the minute!

[Chunkychucky]

Where did you get that steering wheel from fella?? The rim looks completely different to any other i've seen - the centre is the same as on my E36 M3, but the rim is alot thinner and the leather isn't very nice, quite a hard grain. Where did you get yours??

Edited by Chunkychucky on Sunday 8th May 11:39

[pangsterz3]

Chunkychucky said:

Where did you get that steering wheel from fella?? The rim looks completely different to any other i've seen - the centre is the same as on my old man's E36 M3, but the rim is alot thinner and the leather isn't very nice, quite a hard grain. Where did you get yours??

RoyalSteeringWheelJack on eBay

Edited by pangsterz3 on Saturday 7th May 17:04

[Baryonyx]

I've always liked these cars even if the wheels are a bit "bling" and oversized for my tastes. These cars look absolutely fantastic in red.

[spaceship]

Some transformation. I like the improvements you've made to it.

Not too over-the-top.

[dbdb]

The 2.8 litre Z3 is a lovely car and quite underrated on PistonHeads. For me they are by far the best looking small convertible and drive well with the 2.8 litre engine.

[pangsterz3]

thanks for the replies!

[pthelazyjourno]

I like these. I couldn't help but look at a few a couple of years back when car hunting, just not quite exciting enough in the end.

Very very nice car though, perhaps I'll look again in the future when more comfort is required. I prefer them to the Z4.

Only thing I'm not a fan of on yours is the M gills on the wings - I thought it looked cleaner and less cluttered before. As long as you like them though, that's the main thing.

[pangsterz3]

pthelazyjourno said:

I like these. I couldn't help but look at a few a couple of years back when car hunting, just not quite exciting enough in the end.

Very very nice car though, perhaps I'll look again in the future when more comfort is required. I prefer them to the Z4.

Only thing I'm not a fan of on yours is the M gills on the wings - I thought it looked cleaner and less cluttered before. As long as you like them though, that's the main thing.

thanks! I felt the original side gills were a bit 'plain' - and with the Z3M gills having the chrome dart thought they suited the wheels and front grill better.. although some owners seem to get carried away and stick chrome to any parts they can! LOL.. It's a fairly easily reversible mod as well (1x philips screws and 7 press fittings each side) so can change back anytime in future with little hassle if I change my mind on them. I'll also be able to make my money back as I got them for a very good price!

[AmiableChimp]

those phone pics - Ocean Terminal?

[pangsterz3]

AmiableChimp said:

those phone pics - Ocean Terminal?

Yep!! - wish I had a better camera with me! LOL!...

[atlex]

I like it. the steering wheel in particular where'd you get it redone ?