Time for an overhaul of my 1.9 '98 BMW Z3 Individual

[Jack Ratt]

cheers mate...I never gave it a thought before, was just going to get M8x22!.. I inherited my Dad's tools and part of that is a box full of "come in handy" bolts....I wonder!

The grade should be marked on the head of the bolt. IE, 8.8 is grade 8, 10.9 is grade 10.

Don't know if you're aware, but the second number denotes the bolts yield value. On a grade 10 bolt "10.9" means the yield is at 90% of ultimate tensile strength. The first number, 10 means it's ultimate tensile strength is 100kN/mm2

 

[Matt Barnes]

The grade should be marked on the head of the bolt. IE, 8.8 is grade 8, 10.9 is grade 10.

Don't know if you're aware, but the second number denotes the bolts yield value. On a grade 10 bolt "10.9" means the yield is at 90% of ultimate tensile strength.

wow....thanks!.. I know I definitely have some 8.8 bolts..so I'll have a rummage!

 

[Mazza]

Just been reading all this Matt …..Fun isn’t it

I’m not a million miles away in Bognor if you need a second pair of hands at any time

 

[Matt Barnes]

well.... today was the day.... took off the heatshield and I must have had the gods looking down on me.. none of them snapped

so the new exhaust I had fitted a few years back came with a O2 sensor that was clearly not made for my car !.. it was swinging in the breeze !

underside is very tidy I must say

dodgy sill I need to attack with Bilt Hamber @DrWong !

I think the pipes are original as when I scraped off the black paint... the pipes were clean copper underneath

driveshafts are still very decent !

Needed "The Persuader" for the Propshaft bolts

Crimped, then cut the brake lines... fixings weren't having it

Slightly precarious but it worked ....complete with my Parkside Nugga !!

aaaaaaand.... wallop.... subrame out

Used the Anti Roll Bar as a handle !!

dragged it on planks into the garage

so now starts the strip down.. underside of the car is remarkably clean... ends of the sills need a few sessions of Bilt Hamber but nothing really on the body that worries me at the moment

 

[Matt Barnes]

Just been reading all this Matt …..Fun isn’t it

I’m not a million miles away in Bognor if you need a second pair of hands at any time

cheers Malc.... yeah getting to you for the Tank straps didn't take as long as I thought... My Aunt lives in Bognor but must say, before coming to you I hadn't been there in donkeys

 

[DrWong]

Excellent work mate and does look very clean under there. You may find the rust has gotten in under the thick seam sealer and travelled further back under what looks like good paint. At least that was my experience. You'll soon find out when you start stripping the obviously nasty stuff. I found rust under the seam sealer from the front of the sills to at least six inches into the floor pan. I stopped at that point because it was getting cold (for the time of year) with the intention of going back to it.

 

[Matt Barnes]

Excellent work mate and does look very clean under there. You may find the rust has gotten in under the thick seam sealer and travelled further back under what looks like good paint. At least that was my experience. You'll soon find out when you start stripping the obviously nasty stuff. I found rust under the seam sealer from the front of the sills to at least six inches into the floor pan. I stopped at that point because it was getting cold (for the time of year) with the intention of going back to it.

yeah I'm just going to focus on the back end for now..was going to flip it round once I'd done the back to start the front..but might wait.... oh..and the car is now SORN'd which will save some pennies !

 

[Matt Barnes]

in terms of undersealing...what are peoples weapon of choice?...I'll end up using lechlar as an epoxy primer, but is there a 'go to' underseal?.. or gravel paint?.. cheers

 

[DrWong]

Internet says Tiger Seal, but it's expensive and any similar polyurethane sealant should do the trick. I used Everbuild Puraflex 40, which is available for £3 off eBay having just checked. It's held up fine on my car.

Resealing a tube of sealant to use later(e.g. jabbing a screw into the nozzle) rarely works in my experience and it always just goes off in the tube regardless. On that basis, I reckon best just to cheap out, i.e. better to throw away half a tube of £3 Puraflex vs. half a tube of £10 Tiger Seal.

 

[DrWong]

I went bare metal > Lechlar epoxy primer > Puraflex 40 underseal where it was needed > Lechlar on top of the underseal to act as primer > colour coded rattle can for top coat > rattle can lacquer

 

[Matt Barnes]

I went bare metal > Lechlar epoxy primer > Puraflex 40 underseal where it was needed > Lechlar on top of the underseal to act as primer > colour coded rattle can for top coat > rattle can lacquer

cheers mate....I'll go bare metal on the sills definitely...underside looks very solid apart from a few places where the seam sealer has split..I'm quite liking green undercarriage.... sorry @DrWong did you mean that as seam sealer ?....or underseal ?

 

[Matt Barnes]

So after yesterday's euphoric progress, today I hit my first hurdle.... was intending just clearing up from yesterday, and the driveshafts were just staring at me.... "undooooo meeeee...undooooo meeeee".... so I did..... Torx bolts came out simple enough (I'd already bought the correct socket).... then thought I'd use the nugga on the wheel nut, accidentally picked the wrong socket (32mm) and rounded it off... tried a 30mm and a breaker bar but no dice......guess I could try drilling into the side of it to weaken it maybe

 

[Mazza]

Is your socket 6 or 12 point? Looking at the nut a Six point should work on it ?

 

[Matt Barnes]

Is your socket 6 or 12 point? Looking at the nut a Six point should work on it ?

Hi Malc.... the 32mm was 12 point and I have a 30mm 12 point and one 6 point... tried both... tried the 6 point with a breaker bar..it catches, then pings off.. might try it with a nugga...the nut is shot anyway... if that fails I might need to drill into it.... cheers

 

[Matt Barnes]

well...... the 30mm on the nugga turned it into a perfect circle....

so when technology fails..you resort to human basic instinct...... violence..

used progressively larger drill bits to create a cavity... then trying crow bar and hammer to split the nut...it's not budging so far... but it will !!

 

[Matt Barnes]

massive thanks to @Alan Slade who has taken the time to pop to my house with some nut chisels !! think I managed to break through, now I just need to prise the bloody thing off.... thank you so much Alan.. great to meet you !!!

 

[Althulas]

I used the epoxy paint primer and tiger seal using a mixture of a sponge, roller and a brush cut short to achieve a stippled effect but I also used some stone chip spray which was rather good and over paintable but can not remember what make it was and used some 3m stuff that I had to remove after over painting it caused a reaction. If you have a compressor you can get the 3m Schultz stuff that will give you that perfect oem finish.

 

[Matt Barnes]

I used the epoxy paint primer and tiger seal using a mixture of a sponge, roller and a brush cut short to achieve a stippled effect but I also used some stone chip spray which was rather good and over paintable but can not remember what make it was and used some 3m stuff that I had to remove after over painting it caused a reaction. If you have a compressor you can get the 3m Schultz stuff that will give you that perfect oem finish.

cheers mate...I'm not professional enough to have a compressor...I can blow pretty hard though ....think some form of stone chip could do the job

 

[Matt Barnes]

So in the latest round of Man v Hub Nut.... the scores are in

Man - 0.... Hub Nut 3 drill bits, 4 Dremel bits one bent punch....but i think it's getting smaller

 

[Mint]

It's definitely fighting you to the end. Of course once you get the nut off the next fight will be getting the hub and drive shaft apart
But on a positive note, you're doing a great job and I'm following your progress