Rebody Z3 to Kobra build thread

[MisterP007]

Now to the stripper pics.

It should take less than a day to strip it all down. Took me longer (nearly two days) due to
Lack of knowledge
Constant need to help someone with other stuff
Attending conference calls with the US (work getting in the way of play)
Lack of skill.

It’s all off bar the outer cills (I bl00dy forgot to get them off before the pics taken).

I’m now at the stage where I begin preparing the body to fit (needs a bit of offering up and fettling as I go). Next week I hope to have rear clam-shell and boot fitted. Perhaps bonnet if all goes to plan.View attachment 76246 View attachment 76247 View attachment 76248 View attachment 76249 View attachment 76250 View attachment 76251

The mad-max look, I quite liked mine like that, shame it is not road legal!

 

[MisterP007]

I spent a good deal of time laying on cold damp gravel including lifting the Zed up on the coil-overs. They might come back down though.

I cut and drilled holes for the front headlamps and indicators in the bonnet. Replaced the bonnet gas struts with some a bit more oooomphie and re-fitted the side wings. Now these fit on all the exiting bolt holes for the OEM sills AND winglets so are a pig to get right. I have lots of gapping to do around the Zed doors.

By the end of maundy thursday I was a bit down-cast as not made as much progress as I hoped. So my mate (who's place is where I am building the kit) saw my mood and suggested a trial fit of the bonnet. We then put on the rear clam (using a few bolts to hold in place only) and then I placed the boot in position. It cheered me up and I have a day next week to get the rear clam offered up properly as well as an inner boot piece. The Kobra boot is longer than the original so needs extra grp panel fitted.

Anyway here is the artist's representation of what it could look like one day..... More to come soon.

Dave

View attachment 76563 View attachment 76564 View attachment 76565

You must be so glad you use the original Z-doors. On my 250SWB it uses GRP skins on top of the Z3 doors and these are an absolute PITS to get right.

Looking good Dave.

 

[MisterP007]

But what if you put a hard-top on ?

As @hard top mentions, the roofline does yell Z3 for those in the know. Mine is the same and there are other giveaways such as - wipers part hidden behind bonnet, in my case roll-hoops, the fairly steep camber on the rear wheels when lowered, low-profile tyres (unless you go wires and replica 60's tall tyres), again in my case Fezza did not make a convertible 250SWB (unless you count the California which looks a lot different).

What is not so apparent bearing in mind we are making replica US / Italian cars, is that our ones start, go round corners, do not break down, bits do not fall off, leccy windows and roof, 1990's fuel economy not 1960's!!!

 

[MisterP007]

View attachment 78531 View attachment 78532

So back of the body on and fixed in place. Need to re gap around the doors. Lights and fogs fitted and coilovers lowered to improve stance. It’s a handsome rear I think.

Liking the dirty black so might go that colour at least for this summer. Then go the colour I really want when the warm season finishes.

It’s taking a while and in comparison to Sir P’s DNA Premiership build mines a bit Vauxhall conference

Oh well

That's a fat-bottomed-girl!

 

[MisterP007]

H i Dave,

Just came across this thread searching the internet for Kobra and joined up.
I am currently building one 2. I see you are building yours at Richards.
I saw your car when I picked my kit up .
Heres mine
View attachment 80618 View attachment 80619 View attachment 80620

Mark

Like it Mark,

All of us Z3 convertors should get together for a conflab sometime. I am in Blackham (little village twixt Tunbridge Wells and East Grinstead).

 

[MisterP007]

So I put the Kobra away before going on holiday first week of July. Then when I got back the project I was being paid for went ballistic and I didn’t get a chance to drive the grubby car until last week again.

I’ve tidied up some of the body work in readiness for some quotes to paint it, colour still to be agreed. Dammit ...

Also fitted a black mesh grill and moved the plates down.

Also during this period I sent off the necessary paperwork to re-register the car. Bought some shorter plates to go with the new reg and been driving it. The summer isn’t done yet !

Here are some pics from today’s ride out to an arboretum in Oxfordshire (cool place).

Dave

I like it in the "Gangsta-Matt" finish!

 

[MisterP007]

Cheers Sean. I'm now nervous about driving the damn thing. When it was dirty black i was less concerned.

More pics to follow once i get rest of lights and fittings on.

You soon stop being "prissy" about the new paint, with UK roads and winter crap it will look like the "Gangsta-black" again in no time! Says me - who cleans his car at least twice a week!!!

 

[MisterP007]

View attachment 93858 Hi Dave, excellent thread and nice looking car!
Just coming to the end of my Kobra build, and hope to get it finished for Christmas!

Nice one, nearly went for that blue on mine, but SWMBO guided (if that is what you call it) me to the lighter colour (prettier apparently! - she is right on the 250 mind you - it is a pretty car).

 

[MisterP007]

Interior shot today. Have kept it very easy by staying pretty stock.

Just a Momo steering wheel and gear knob (in red of course) to break up the interior. I removed the factory roll hoops as they don’t suit the car in my view. Having a wind deflector is a must on the fast roads though.

Next job is to put in better rear speakers (vibe slicks as Sean has) and following that replacing the Z3 seats with..... ......
......
......
MGTF seats.

Light the torches and get the rope ready

Dave

View attachment 109861

Got MGF seats in mine as well EEK!! the lynch mob will be out soon.

 

[MisterP007]

Looking good, I think the reason a lot of people are disparaging about 'kits' is because you see a lot of poorly executed examples. Poor work, bad decisions on 'finishing' parts, colour etc. A friend of mine did an NF kit for an old MG. He did a pretty good job mechanically, but made a wooden dash himself (very badly) and then had the car sprayed a 'blingy' metallic turquoise colour. It just didn't look right.

Exactly right on the poor execution, guilty of it myself about 25-years ago on a Dutton Phaeton - Mechanically amazing (Lotus Cortina engine, Jag rear end, Cortina front struts all fully restored and tuned), Bodywork - left as it cam out of Dutton (black gel coat, Ally side panels, no doors or roof). went like the wind and looked awful - max speed about 85 as the bonnet would flap about!!!!

 

[DaveP]

Got MGF seats in mine as well EEK!! the lynch mob will be out soon.

Thanks for all the kind comments and reading through the thread.

Am in the kobra today and when travelling got a wave from a Spitfire and a Morgan driver. They didnt realise mine is a naughty kit.

Like you said in one comment it is good to know it will start stop and go round corners with little effort. I followed the Spitfire and it sounded and smelled its age.

I have decided against the MGTF seats in the end. Have some red Z3 seats and doorcards but have difficulty working on the car at my place.

Need to go lay outside ClassicCoachworks entrance soon

Dave

 

[MisterP007]

Thanks for all the kind comments and reading through the thread.

Am in the kobra today and when travelling got a wave from a Spitfire and a Morgan driver. They didnt realise mine is a naughty kit.

Like you said in one comment it is good to know it will start stop and go round corners with little effort. I followed the Spitfire and it sounded and smelled its age.

I have decided against the MGTF seats in the end. Have some red Z3 seats and doorcards but have difficulty working on the car at my place.

Need to go lay outside ClassicCoachworks entrance soon

Dave

I know what you mean about real classics smelling their age (it is the crankcase breather systems on old cars, vents to air and makes everything smell oily, a catch can cures it though). I have variously owned, Cooper S, MGB Roadster, Splittie VW, 2 Lotus Cortinas (MkI & MkII), 1600E, Escort Mexico, RS1800 Escort, 3000GSI Carlton, 1992 M5, and others all of which smelled of oil and all of which I wish I still had!

Still, I recon this 250SWB replica and your Cobra could actually be classics in their own right at some point, there are probably fewer of them than the originals and they are better made! Everybody thinks mine is a real one until you tell them it is a Z3, they become even more interested then.

 

[DaveP]

I know what you mean about real classics smelling their age (it is the crankcase breather systems on old cars, vents to air and makes everything smell oily, a catch can cures it though). I have variously owned, Cooper S, MGB Roadster, Splittie VW, 2 Lotus Cortinas (MkI & MkII), 1600E, Escort Mexico, RS1800 Escort, 3000GSI Carlton, 1992 M5, and others all of which smelled of oil and all of which I wish I still had!

Still, I recon this 250SWB replica and your Cobra could actually be classics in their own right at some point, there are probably fewer of them than the originals and they are better made! Everybody thinks mine is a real one until you tell them it is a Z3, they become even more interested then.

Ooh great car history. Those Fords are worth a packet these days. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

My fave car was a Mk1 Escort 1300E. It wasnt a great example but i liked it. I was a lot younger mind you.

Dave

 

[MisterP007]

Ooh great car history. Those Fords are worth a packet these days. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

My fave car was a Mk1 Escort 1300E. It wasnt a great example but i liked it. I was a lot younger mind you.

Dave

My EX SWMBO had a 1300E Escort, MG Midget, Austin 1300GT (Hydrolastic), MKI Golf GTI convertible (the all white one), MkI Scirocco Storm. All of which I wish I still had again.

Current SWMBO had Hilman Imp, Cooper, Original E30 BMW convertible and now a CLK280 convertible. All of which we wish we still had.

Oh, and I forgot six on my list of cars: Opel Manta GTE (white of course), Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo (spectacularly quick, left hand drive as I lived in Mallorca at the time), 2001 Saab 95 HOT Aero (almost unbeatable in 2nd/3rd gear overtaking and the most comfortable car I have ever driven for a long run) 2002 Audi S4, Sierra 2.0S (Jelly-Mould) and a Porsche Boxster S (delicate handling, a real delight to drive but also strangely delicate build quality, it was replaced by Porsche UK in the end (I know some very heavy-duty litigation lawyers (clients of mine), the mere mention of the firm had Porsche falling over themselves to replace the car.

Add all that lot up at today's classic car prices it is probably a million quid (The VW Splitty in my original post would be £50k now, I sold it for £900 and was happy!!!!)

 

[MisterP007]

Some last minute details:

Wind Break - looked on evilBay for the mesh ones and nearly fainted with shock at the price.... rummaged in the barn and found an old sheet of Lexan (offcut from a shed window), made a card template including cutouts for velcro fastening, made sure the top of the storage bin would still open and cut some perspex.

After a bit of polishing out of scratches (Brasso does this brilliantly) I thought hmmm.... this is not blingy enough. Enter a printout of a Prancing Horse and the dremel et voila... Bling.

Add some long velcro straps and there it is. It even works, which is a bonus.

There are a few more pics of little details which I hope are self-explanatory!

Enjoy.

 

[MisterP007]

Sometime, when the sun is shining and the light is just right, I will get my proper camera out and set up a Flickr account to put some serious photos of the finished item up but for now, I'm done!!

 

[Althulas]

Nice touch with the prancing horse on the wind deflector.

 

[MisterP007]

Thanks, glad you like it.

Dremel, tape, a paper printout of the Horse vector, a steady (ish) hand, 10 minutes and Bob's your uncle.

The logo sits dead centre of rearview mirror field of view, which is nice/annoying depending on the weather!

 

[DaveP]

So not much of an update. Except Max (now the Red Baron) passed his MOT again (3rd time as Kobra).

PITA is getting the car out to MOT in December. Note to self is to MOT half way through the year to get the annual timing right again.

Dave

 

[DaveP]

So only other thing to report on the Beemer kit front is that there was a meet up of some owners in the summer at Caffeine and Machine.

Models were Kobras, 250Zwb, an Astonish ZGT. An Mx5 F rep and a welcome gate crash of a Dino rep.