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Messages - argy

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16
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 18, 2022, 10:21:24 AM »
Looking for a troublefree solution to connect the Alfa/Maserati/Fe outer door handles with the BMW Z3 door lock.
Would like to glue outer door panels so would be helpfull to know the locking mechanism is not making troubles in a couple of months.

regards Theo

Hi Theo, I realised that I didn't get back to you about this. I used a modified version of the pulley system that I think Jez introduced. At this time I'm unaware of a solution that uses the Z3 locks and I half abandoned my Z3 stainless door handle with Z3 lock combination because the Jez solution fitted well with the DNA supplied handles.

I'm in Grassbank today so if you get this please feel free to call me and we can discuss what it is you're looking for and I can share my handle thoughts with you... I know we are due to speak today about the Grassbank dashboard and instrument set at some point anyway. Are you looking for the full Grassbank interior (carpets, seats, console, glovebox, door cards etc) or just the dashboard and instrument set?

My modification to the original pulley system was to use a pulley with a much deeper groove. I think the original pulley is about 30mm diameter, I went for one of about 45mm and made the channel in which the cable sits much deeper. The upshot of this is that the cable is allowed to sit freely in the pulley so that it doesn't cause the dreaded deadlock situation to arise but also doesn't allow the cable to jump out of the groove. Both problems are nightmares to get out of if they happen while you're on the road (or even in the garage).

At some point I need to work out whether, by using the Z3 boot lock solution also resolves the door deadlock problem. I'll have to try to induce the deadlock problem and test it.

Russell

Cheers
Russell

17
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 17, 2022, 04:57:45 PM »
The image below is of the stainless steel grill which fits into my Harrington cowl. As mentioned above I adjusted my bodywork to take the cowl. If you did yours the other way around then the fit might need to be adjusted.

There is a bit of play built in to the design of around + / - 5mm but, personally, I wouldn't like to see too much of a gap around the edges. The grill sits on the back of the cowl. The strips are 30mm deep, front to back. They project approximately 20mm into the cowl and 10mm behind. I say approximately because my cowl doesn't sit flat when laid on its back. Anyway, there is enough float in the design to make it look good.

Because the grill is fitted from the back and because the cowl is wider at the front than it is at the back there are some practicalities which need to be considered. If you zoom into the image you will see that I have made the fit as close as possible at the back but, because of the widening mouth of the cowl, there is a bit of a gap between the front edge of the grill and the cowl at the front edge. This is the same for any rear fed grill.

The grill was designed this way to provide maximum impact front to rear without taking up all of the space where you might want to mount your fog lights.

The grill is welded by us and comes ready to fit. The two uprights, one in from the outer uprights have holes to allow the grill to be fixed to the cowl top and bottom. You can see this in the photo and this will have the effect of drawing the grill to the top of the cowl. These top fixing points should be pretty invisible. The bottom of those uprights also have holes to allow it to be fixed to the base of the cowl. If the cowl is countersunk this will further help to hide the fixings. The lower holes are on the outside of the cowl

If anyone has any questions please feel free to drop me a PM or go to the website (where it will soon be uploaded).

All of these items that I've developed have been done because I wasn't satisfied with what else was out there on the market (or just wasn't on the market). I've got a couple of other things under way (such as a very authentic reflector (essential if you plan to get rid of the MGB rear lens)). The reflector is also made from polished stainless steel and is E marked. I'll upload an image of that soon.

Thanks for looking

Russell

18
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 17, 2022, 09:07:51 AM »
Hi,

I'm talking about the egg crate grill. I also have the Harrington cowl / surround for my 250

I managed to get the cowl into the 250 by reshaping the car rather than the cowl. The expectation of my stainless steel grill is that it should fit the Harrington cowl with minimal effort. I'll try to post an image later. I'm just back from holiday at 2am this morning and am playing catch up...

The grill is made in 0.9mm bright stainless steel and is supplied built and welded... £200

I'm sure you'll let me know what you think of it when I post some images :-),

Russell

19
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 17, 2022, 01:22:20 AM »
Hi Theo,

I forgot to mention that the handle comes with a rubber gasket and a template to help to get all the fixing and opening holes in the right place.

We also have a stainless steel grill available which we presented at the show
Cheers

20
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 16, 2022, 05:10:18 PM »
Hi Theo,

Thanks for your enquiry. Both parts will be available from grassbankconversions.co.uk.

I'm waiting for the rear lenses to arrive, hopefully some time towards the end of this month.

Please note, if you want to use the mechanical switch then you will need to use the one that came with the original Z3, including the boot key lock.  We supply a bracket to mount the solenoid and we supply the cable assembly components to allow you to operate the mechanism.

Please feel free to contact us through email at the grassbankconversions.co.uk website and we can clarify all of the details.

If you do not still have the original Z3 lock then there are a couple of other options which we can discuss. When I have the various other options in more detail then I'll post the information here as well as on the grassbankconversions.co.uk website.

Cheers
Russell

21
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 09, 2022, 08:06:45 PM »
Thank you

It looks good and it works well. I had a steep learning curve to travel along followed by a lot of decisions about how to make it all work but I think it was worth it.

I'd hoped to take my car to Stoneleigh but with all the work on the dashboard, instruments and centre console I couldn't get it all together in time. Hopefully next year and hopefully there'll be a few more of us.

Cheers
Russell

22
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 08, 2022, 09:08:29 PM »
Hi,

No, the lenses are not 3D printed. The manufacturing process is suited to small production runs and, unfortunately, is fairly expensive. The costs have increased by 40% since I started the project last September. The good news is that they should look as good as the original Lucas lenses but please be aware that, not being E marked, they are being sold as 'show items' so keep hold of your originals for road and MOT purposes.

I've got 10 pieces in production at the moment, due towards the end of the month / early June. This batch and probably the next one will cost £120 per lens (£240 for a pair). I'll have to wait and see what happens with the cost of the batch after that.

For those that are interested, the lens has a facility to be divided in two to allow for a brake light and a fog light. I have a polished stainless steel separator available separately if there is a need...

The Z3 boot lock works very well, I've got it on my 250 but I know that a lot of people have got either the DNA MGB handle and lock like I started with or an electronic lock so I've started developing a version to replace these if that's the way anyone wants to go. I might add a facility to mechanically open the boot without all the original Z3 stuff. That should allow those with an insecure pull cord to get rid of it.

I'm interested to hear from anyone that has an interest in these. The boot handles are already on the grassbankconversions.co.uk website. I've got one left and another couple due soon. The non Z3 item (I'm going to call it the X1), is still a way off. I'll probably finish the design at the end of May so if you do have any input then please let me know before then. Things that I need to know are the button diameter, the existing boot lid hole cutout size and any existing hole fixing centres. I'm currently working on M5 fixings on 70mm centres.

Cheers
Russell

23
2fifty Chat / Replacement boot handle
« on: May 07, 2022, 04:41:05 PM »
Hi to everyone that I met at Stoneleigh over last weekend.

Compared with previous years Stoneleigh was quite quiet this year. The weather wasn't brilliant on Sunday but wasn't too bad on Monday.

I helped out on the https://grassbankconversions.co.uk/ stand in hall 1 where I displayed my polished stainless steel boot handle (see images below) and my replacement rear lens which eliminates the boxy MGB rear lens. (see image).

I had a couple of questions about compatability with existing handles and holes in the metalwork (OK< Fibreglass) and I wanted to verify whether this stainless steel handle will cover the hole created for the MGB lock. From the measurements that I took from my MGB lock the hole in the boot is 35mm whereas the Z3 needs 37.5mm so there is enough space (I believe).

Development of the stainless boot handle was undertaken as a lockdown project with the help of Sir Percival who lent me his rubber / plastic one to judge the overall dimensions (Thank you). The one that I've developed is different in that it fully utilises the original Z3 central locking and key locking system which means no more being locked out of the car if the battery manages to run flat over winter. If you kept (or are just starting and therefore still have) your old boot locking bits then this handle (with the included bracket and gasket) will provide you with all of the security and access that the original Z3 enjoyed.

I'm developing a second version of the handle which will not need the Z3 stuff and is intended for those that have a boot button activated solenoid but which needs the key to be turned in the lock to allow the boot lock to be activated. This second version is intended to be a slimmed down version with a smaller boot hole opening. If anyone has any particular suggestions / requirements as to what size of hole this should work with then please PM me, happy to chat. I'd like to replicate the Alfa GTA look if anyone is interested...

Meanwhile, here are some photo's of the MGB lock measurements, a shot of the boot handle itself and one of the rear lens at the end. The rear lens photo is shown on my car and this is the first prototype, basically it is a space model. The actual item is currently being made using a different (tougher) material and will be the same colour at the original MGB lens.

Cheers

24
2fifty Chat / Re: 2fifty perspex headlight covers
« on: September 18, 2020, 01:46:24 PM »
Hi Smory,

I sourced a pair of headlight covers from Michael Parker. He said he might do another batch in the future but I'd be interested to know where I could get a spare set please.

As for the dashboard, I know that Justin at grassbankconversions.co.uk is developing one, I've got one on order from him but I think it's still a few months off being ready. What state of build are you at?

The grassbank dash looks very interesting, I think it corrects a few of the issues with the angle of the instruments and seems to have taken greater notice of ventilation. Justin has tended to build coupes so ventilation is important.

Russell

25
Sales and Wants / WANTED Z3 boot lock
« on: March 14, 2020, 10:17:56 AM »
I'm trying to use the Z3 central locking mechanism with the DNA provided external boot lock. My kit didn't have the complete DNA lock set so I decided to attempt an improvise...

I think I'm making reasonable progress but in the process I've fooked my original lock. There must be plenty of these lying around in people's come-in-handy bins and I'm hoping that someone will have one that they would like top recycle in my direction?

I'm talking about the aluminium bit that the key fits into and to which the central locking mechanism also attached.

If you have one that you don't need, please PM me.

Thanks
Russell

26
Sales and Wants / Re: WANTED: 2fifty perspex headlight covers
« on: March 14, 2020, 09:32:36 AM »
Thanks for your responses.

DNA no longer exists and the people who ran the business can't help.

My kit came with headlight covers but I've over trimmed them. FWIW I'm looking into getting some made so if you too need some then please pm me. The more we order the lower the individual cost as the tooling gets shared amongst all of us.

Cheers

27
Sales and Wants / WANTED: 2fifty perspex headlight covers
« on: March 03, 2020, 09:33:31 PM »
Does anyone know where I can get a pair of these or who makes them?

Anyone got a spare pair kicking around :-)

Hopefully someone can help me out with this.

Cheers

28
Hi,
I think a couple of us want to get made some of the lower section of the MGB rear light cluster to replace the bulky / boxy version. I'm talking about the red section.

Is there anyone else out there that might be interested in getting some and we'll see if we can get a bulk order placed?

Please PM me if you are interested.

Better still, please PM me if you have any for sale  :D

Russell

29
Build Threads / Re: Russell's 2fifty build
« on: February 22, 2020, 12:45:06 PM »
Solved,

The problem was two fold.

1. Not knowing which coloured wire did what
2. Not knowing how the "clever" wiper system works

There are 4 wires from the original BMW Z3 / E36  and combinations of how these are paired together by the control system determines what the wiper motor does.

What I needed to know was where to connect each wire on the 5 terminal connector on the wiper motor and the answer is as follows. Please refer to the above photo for the connector pin numbers.

The Z3 wiring diagram shows the colours using German short codes, I've translated these into English full colours and then mapped what the original harness uses to what I had available. I've ordered a 5 pin Lucas plug from Car Builder Solutions and will use that rather than using the spade connectors once it arrives.

The photo below shows how I set about adding the extra earth to terminal 2 of the 5 pin connector which I think is a better solution that the long cable that the DNA video recommends.

So the colour scheme is

Pin 1. Earth BN (Brown) I stayed with Brown
Pin 2. Also earth. This is the cable that DNA suggest making long enough in case you need to remove the wiper motor in the future. I just coupled off pin 1 with another brown cable
Pin 3. This controls the fast wipe setting. SW/WS/GE (Black / White / Yellow) I went with Blue
Pin 4. Switched 12V from ignition. This is the thinner of the four cables BR/GN/GE (Brown / Green / Yellow) I went with Yellow / Green
Pin 5. This controls the normal speed wipe. SW/RT/GE (Black / Red / Yellow) I went with Grey

The second issue was the behaviour of the system, I had read (and ignored) somewhere else on the forum that the wiper system behaviour is speed dependent. At slow / stopped speeds intermittent position seems to stop and the first / normal speed seems to become intermittent. The second (Fast) speed behaves as normal. When I tested the wiper behaviour when the car was static it didn't behave as expected. When I lifted the car and got it in 2nd gear then it behaved as expected.

I hope this helps anyone else that struggles with this.

Russell

30
Build Threads / Wiper motor wiring
« on: February 21, 2020, 05:03:56 PM »
Hi,

My kit didn't come with any wiring harness / connectors so I'm having to work out how to connect the 4 wires that come from the Z3 bulkhead connector to the wiper motor's 5 way connector.

In the DNA 2Fifty video there is a clip which shows (at 25:43) the wiring for the 5 pin plug (see attached) but I don't see how that relates to the original wiring.

My original wiring consists of:
A. Brown (Looks like earth)
B. Brown / Green / Yellow (Looks like switched live and is thinner than the other wires)
C. Black / Red / Yellow
D. Black / White / Yellow

The Video shows the 5 pin connector as

1. Brown
2. Earth
3. Black & White
4. Green & Yellow
5. Black

Here I'm using the pin numbering protocol from the wiper motor manufacturer's data sheet (see attached)

The manufacturer (Car builder solutions) tells me that the motor wiring is:

1. Earth
2. When the wiper switch is in park mode this should connect to pin 5
3. Fast wipe
4. Switched live
5. Slow wipe

I understand that I have to run a long earth cable to one of the pins, but not sure which of the earths.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

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