Rebody Oh no. It's not another 507 Rebody. Oh yes it is!

Duncodin said:
Time to add the dashboard to the build thread. After more than 6 months it's still not finished but I'm sick and tired of it now and need a break to work on something else and come back to it. (Maybe)

The 507-ish rebody, btw, has no dashboard. The only option is to keep the z3 interior or roll your own. I really didn't think it would take so long to roll one.

This will be like marmite. Like it or hate it. I really dislike marmite BTW. But I really had to get shot of the Z3 dash in my rebody and I really didn't fancy the idea of rewiring instruments etc. So my design keeps pretty much everything as is. Even the headlight switch and wiring is exactly where it was.

All previous dash pictures have some Ai work. This now though is really how it is. Warts n all.

View attachment 359285
View attachment 359287

ToDo.
Glovebox. The original underdash glovebox is still in place but I'd like a '507-ish' lid in the front of the dash. The little slot in the centre console below the radio is where heater control sliders will go and the round knobs will be replaced with gauges/dials.

On the 507 that rectangle above the radio is a 7" loudspeaker. On mine that'll be a 7" LCD display for satnav and diagnostics covered/hidden by a dummy speaker lid.

As.I said. Marmite.
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The dash look good. Very good.
If you are willing to do the wiring for additional gauges in place of the heater controls, why not change the main dash dials?
Even if you have the originals re-faced, it will look 'complete' IMO.
I have seen a lot of 'Z3 replicas' with re-done interiors, dashes, centre consoles, etc. But if they keep anything 'BMW Z3' it detracts from the overall look and looks like they couldn't be arsed to see it through.
You have spent so much time and effort on starting the interior change; you need to see it through and change the lot, or it will always look like half a job. In my opinion.

Even though my speedo is playing up at present (and seems no-one on the planet can help), and it is really infuriating me, I would rather have a 'period' speedo that doesn't work than a working BMW one! I would really like mine to work, though.
 
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Pond said:
The dash look good. Very good.
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Thank you :)

Pond said:
You have spent so much time and effort on starting the interior change; you need to see it through and change the lot, or it will always look like half a job. In my opinion.
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That is the problem we tribute 507'ers face though. Apart from the body kit there is nothing available from anywhere. I could have used more of the the 'ferrero' dash, ie double binacles, and put veglia instruments in there but that would look naffer. If I ever run out of things to do then I might, one day, come back to the instrument pod. But it's not high on my list.

Basically it's taken me 6 months to get rid of 80% of the z3 dash. What's that saying about diminishing returns? Another 6 months to get rid of the remaining 20%? I'd rather spend 6 months on the many other things that grind my gears more than the instruments. ie Interior door cards and seats but so much more work to do to the bodywork.

I must confess I've never seen a 250 Cali in the flesh but from pictures I get the impression that the body kit is a very close replica of the original. It could be called a replica. In your 'replica' it's worth going the extra mile to take away the last bit of z3'ness. The only thing in your kit is that little Z3 side window screaming 'look at me'. You 'could' fix that but is it worth it?

Our 507 kits though really are just a 'nod' to the 507. It can never be a replica. So no point in trying to make it anything other than half a job, as you put it.
 
Duncodin said:
Our 507 kits though really are just a 'nod' to the 507. It can never be a replica. So no point in trying to make it anything other than half a job, as you put it.
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OK, but you have built a '1960s looking' car, whatever you think it looks like. Surely everything should look 1960s, at least?
As has been discussed many times before; we all have our own reasons for, and approaches to, destroying a Z3 and making it look like something else.

I wanted an authentic replica, so that i what I tried to achieve. The 'thrill of the build' was never much of a thrill for me. Just a necessity to get what I wanted.

And now I have a speedo which has decided to have a mind of it's own for no good reason (that I can find so far). Finding this fault is no fun whatsoever (for me at least).
 
Duncodin said:
The only thing in your kit is that little Z3 side window screaming 'look at me'. You 'could' fix that but is it worth it?
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That is the 'biggie', yes. There are a few other fairly significant differences for those in the know. However, hardly anyone has ever seen a real 250 california, or a 507, so they don't really need to try and fool anyone.

I was at a local show in September. I walked back to my car and a couple were discussing how much they thought my car was worth. The chap said £4,000,000, his wife guessed at £6 million. Both presumed it was a real cali. I immediately told them that it was a fake, but it didn't detract from their appreciation of it. So it doesn't matter IMO as long as the car makes you (me) and others happy.
 
Pond said:
. . .
. . .
Both presumed it was a real cali. I immediately told them that it was a fake, but it didn't detract from their appreciation of it.
. . .
. . .
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If somebody has the cash to buy a multi-million £££ car, yacht or whatever then people might be impressed by the wealth or even jealous. But being told that it's your blood sweat and tears that put the car there is a whole different kind of appreciation.
 
Duncodin said:
If somebody has the cash to buy a multi-million £££ car, yacht or whatever then people might be impressed by the wealth or even jealous. But being told that it's your blood sweat and tears that put the car there is a whole different kind of appreciation.
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I am learning a lot about how 'other people' think with regard to cars (and obviously my car in particular). I honestly don't think anyone cares how much effort, 'blood, sweat and tears', or money anyone has put into the car. All they care about is that it looks 'nice' and makes them happy to look at it and appreciate it for what it looks like.
I do think, with mine certainly, that the 'Ferrari' badges draw people in, as literally everyone knows the name Ferrari and that it is synonymous with 'class' and 'exclusivity'. But IME they don't care 'how much it's worth, mate' (I very rarely get asked that question).

I always, always tell people it isn't 'real'. No-one I have told cares. They just like it 'cos it's purdy'. Simple as that.

There was a McClaren LP640 (I think), in bright yellow at the 'show' I was at yesterday. Virtually no-one was interested in it, they knew it was just an expensive car and thought the owner would be a 'look at me and how wealthy I am' type. My car never gets that response. Never. Even the people who think it's 'real' (which are quite a lot) aren't jealous, or dismissive because they think I may be a multi-millionaire. Which I most definitely am not.

It is really odd but absolutely everyone I have encountered when with my car has been happy to see it. And many of them want to talk about it. If I said it was beginning to get a little tiresome I would be lying. I absolutely love it! :thumbsup:
 
Another NoseJob. Third one if I'm not mistaken.

Top picture with the original grill shape as supplied in the body kit.

Bottom picture. Bonnet is a bit longer and lower in the middle and the two halves of the grill are now closer together and quite a bit lower on the outsides.

Z3_with_507_body_kit.jpg
 
Duncodin said:
Another NoseJob. Third one if I'm not mistaken.

Top picture with the original grill shape as supplied in the body kit.

Bottom picture. Bonnet is a bit longer and lower in the middle and the two halves of the grill are now closer together and quite a bit lower on the outsides.

View attachment 361143
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I clearly remember two years ago (pretty much to the day) you were chastising me for procrastinating about getting on with my car!
Two years later mine has been finished for 8 months and you are still messing about with front grilles! =)):poke:
 
Pond said:
I clearly remember two years ago (pretty much to the day) you were chastising me for procrastinating about getting on with my car!
Two years later mine has been finished for 8 months and you are still messing about with front grilles! =)):poke:
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You are correct - but if you remember you were spending most of your time whinging about having to actually do some work to make your body kit fit and I felt sorry for you and thought that you needed a kick up the ar*se to get it moving. :poke::p

I, on the other hand, am just loving the build so don't want it to end.
 
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Pingu said:
You'd best not tell him that the bumper is on the pi$$, or he'll be on that til Christmas =))

One of the reasons I don't have them :D
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If you mean the bumper is wonky then it's not the bumper - well, it might 'also' be the bumper but the main reason it looks wonky is that the bonnet release catch/spring things aren't adjusted correctly so the passenger side of the bonnet is riding a bit higher than it should.

Going back to the bumper though - yes. That is on my ToDo list too. The Tribute bumper mountings removes the towing eye. I want to redesign my bumper mountings to refit that towing eye.
 
I agree about towing eyes.

It's probably why I've not taken mine on a trackday, and my retisence has nothing to do with every track day has cost me a new paint job :) . I was lucky that Le Mans didn't insist on towing hooks - it was a big concern leading up to the event, and a question I didn't want anyone to ask :eek: .

I think the only way to tow mine from the front is a rope on the lower wishbone, although I could raise the bonnet and support it to gain access to the actual recovery pin holes. The only way to tow from the rear is a Y rope around both rear swing arms with a central pull.

I have a recovery frame that may work on the front, but I'm not sure what damage would be caused to the front of the car. I'd probably have to unlatch the bonnet to prevent damage to the bottom of the bonnet clamshell.
 
Duncodin said:
Another NoseJob. Third one if I'm not mistaken.
... Bonnet is a bit longer and lower in the middle and the two halves of the grill are now closer together and quite a bit lower on the outsides.
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As I also agonized over the grill, I can imagine how much observation you have done. I am rooting for your beautiful 507.
 
Park Jong Hyuk said:
As I also agonized over the grill, I can imagine how much observation you have done. I am rooting for your beautiful 507.
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Absolutely. I'm really glad that my body was just delivered to me complete. If I'd been involved in the actual shaping I'd still be there with the sander and the body filler.

Even if I came up with a totally original shape that wowwed the world like the Muira or the GT40, I'd still find fault.

It's much easier to live with (blame ;) ) someone else's decision.
 
Just wanted to add little more detail to that dashboard build.

First, take a dashboard, bought off the bay in case it all went pear shaped and start chopping

Z3-507-dash-1.webp

z3-507-dash-2.webp



Then take one GRP dash from a ferrero based rebody. . and chop that too.
z3-507-dash-3.webp


Modify that so it can 'wrap around' the z3 binnacle
z3-507-dash-4.webp

z3-507-dash-5.webp
z3-507-dash-6.webp


Also wanted to use as much of the original centre console as I could but that needs a lot of chopping too because, in the z3, it's twisted slightly towards the driver and stands too far away from the new dash. console side pieces - Boomerangs - get straightened as does the console itself

z3-507-dash-7.webp



z3-507-dash-8.webp


Trial fit
z3-507-dash-9.webp


z3-507-dash-10.webp


One day I'll add a glove box to the front of the dash but, in the meantime, the original under-dash box still fits so that's where most of the junk will go.

I know this is Marmite. Many will hate it. I won't be offended if you say so. But I like where it's going. The wheel, by the way, is rebuilt by hand, with wood. I will fit a (much cheaper) more period looking wheel if (and it's a big 'if') I ever show the finished car. In the meantime though the missus bought me that one and of course I like that too - just need to blacken the old rubber and fit the side covers
 
Duncodin said:
Just wanted to add little more detail to that dashboard build.

First, take a dashboard, bought off the bay in case it all went pear shaped and start chopping

View attachment 363049
View attachment 363051


Then take one GRP dash from a ferrero based rebody. . and chop that too.View attachment 363053

Modify that so it can 'wrap around' the z3 binnacle
View attachment 363055
View attachment 363057View attachment 363059

Also wanted to use as much of the original centre console as I could but that needs a lot of chopping too because, in the z3, it's twisted slightly towards the driver and stands too far away from the new dash. console side pieces - Boomerangs - get straightened as does the console itself

View attachment 363061


View attachment 363063

Trial fit
View attachment 363065

View attachment 363067

One day I'll add a glove box to the front of the dash but, in the meantime, the original under-dash box still fits so that's where most of the junk will go.

I know this is Marmite. Many will hate it. I won't be offended if you say so. But I like where it's going. The wheel, by the way, is rebuilt by hand, with wood. I will fit a (much cheaper) more period looking wheel if (and it's a big 'if') I ever show the finished car. In the meantime though the missus bought me that one and of course I like that too - just need to blacken the old rubber and fit the side covers
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If and when you do the glovebox, I happen to have a spare GRP glovebox front (why is a long story) if you want it. It has a chromed catch attached (I have spares if you want any). It is the same as the one in the attached picture IMG_0070.JPG
 
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