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Messages - argy

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1
2fifty Chat / Re: Door can't be opened from the inside or outside!
« on: December 17, 2023, 07:41:09 PM »
Hi Mechman,
How did you get on with this?

The message subject suggests that you have access to the inside of the car. Do you still have the door top push button and if so, can it be raised?

When you pull the interior door handle lever, does it move or is it jammed?

Typically the cause of this is that there is a bit of tension on the cable between the push button and the door latch mechanism when the door is locked. Usually the door can be unlocked by raising the push button and operating the interior door handle.

The original DNA door handle components add a bit of weight to the door latch mechanism, there are a couple of bits of metal that clamp on to the latch lever. Either these alone or the additional bit of tension on the cable can cause the lock to deadlock.

I'm interested to understand the situation gets resolved.

Cheers
Russell


2
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement for the DNA supplied door handle
« on: August 01, 2023, 04:31:25 PM »
Thanks to Jez for your input.

I can see that the size of the cutout required for the Mustang handle's lever system is of such a size and shape that it lies a few millimeters outside of the shape of the Z3 Italian style handle. Because of this I think it doesn't make sense to have something which uses the same fixing holes whilst still requiring part of the original Mustang hole to be filled and painted.

As a consequence, although the design has been completed it doesn't make sense to enter production. On the other hand, we (grassbank) have re-structured the price for our handles to come in at under £300 for a pair of mirror polished stainless steel handles with the built in lever to operate in the same way as the Mustang handles.

Thanks for looking...

3
2fifty Chat / Replacement for the DNA supplied door handle
« on: July 30, 2023, 06:10:43 PM »
Hi,

I'd like to understand if there is sufficient interest in making a replacement for the DNA supplied door handle which I believe is from the Ford Mustang.

We already have a drop-in replacement for the original Alfa / Ferrari / Maserati handle (https://grassbankconversions.co.uk/product/classic-250-style-door-handles-in-stainless-steel/)

That one is best suited to new builds as it will operate both the door lock and, through a turn of the key, the central locking system (Handy if your battery is flat...). It can also be supplied with the boot handle such that both locks use the same key.

The proposed item will look the same but rather than having fixings at 165mm it will have the same fixing location as the Mustang handle (which I think is about 148mm). Unlike our existing handles the new one will not have a key, just a push button but will include the built in lever so it should be straight forward to attach the handle to your existing latch release mechanism.

You can see that the Mustang handle is 17mm shorter than the Italian Job but we can follow the same Italian shape but just make it shorter. And, depending on the size of your door lock hole, I should be able to align the fixing points so that the existing hole is fully covered.

Having built a number of the Z3 / Italian Job handles I expect the price for the DNA / Mustang handle to come it at around £265 - £295. The benefit of this handle along with the improved looks and simple installation will be that these handles are built from mirror polished marine grade 316L stainless steel so no rusting and no bubbly chrome.

If you think this is of interest and if I can get five or more interested parties then I will go ahead with getting some made. Either PM me or leave your comments here.

Cheers
Russell

4
2fifty Chat / Re: Rear Lenses (Thanks Sir Percival)
« on: July 30, 2023, 05:39:58 PM »
Hi Perce,

Sorry for the delay, I just PM'd you with my phone number. Please call me and we will sort something out. The grill probably needs a bit of discussion: I'm unsure how consistent the Harrington mouth piece is. Our standard stainless steel grill can be used so long as Your grill cowl (mouth piece) isn't any bigger than mine but there are other factors to consider which are more related to how you completed your build rather than just the size of the Harrington grill.

The link to the grill is here https://grassbankconversions.co.uk/product/stainless-steel-grill/

I'll upload some more images to our website soon.

Please give me a call when you have a minute and I'll talk you through the options.

Cheers

5
2fifty Chat / Rear Lenses (Thanks Sir Percival)
« on: June 03, 2023, 07:43:21 PM »
Hi Percy,

It was great to meet you at the Malvern Kit Car show today (and Julie). Thanks again for lending me your boot handle at the start of lock down. You can see how the handle looks on Ian Fife's car a couople of posts down.

What did you think of the show? I've only been going to the show for the past 5 years and to my mind Stoneleigh always seemed to be a much bigger and well attended event with much more to see in the stand area. I wonder if it wasn't as well attended because it clashed with the FA Cup final or because of the rail strike (unlikely given that it's a car show) or some other reason... I also wonder if tomorrow will be busier...

As discussed, I'll have a new batch of the rear lenses in a couple of weeks. You can also see them on Ian's car :-)

As I mentioned, I now have a small number of the mirror polished stainless steel 250 style door handles with the built in mechanism which is designed to interoperate with the Z3 locking system. The push button releases the latch and turning the key will unlock the central locking system which comes in handy if you ever get locked out because of a flat battery (The boot lock also operates the centrasl locking system).

The lenses are a drop in replacement for either the 3D printed ones that you have or for the original 'boxy' MG lenses. You can see more images of all of the above on the grassbankconversions.co.uk website.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Russell

6
2fifty Chat / Re: 250 boot lid
« on: March 13, 2023, 12:54:34 PM »
Hi Ian,

Did you get around to wiring up the boot lock solenoid? I've got the details for my solenoid and I've also built a mockup system so hopefully I can help you to get yours working.

Russell

7
2fifty Chat / Re: 250 boot lid
« on: January 10, 2023, 04:50:48 AM »
I found this image on eBay which shows which wires go where, hope it helps.
Russell

8
2fifty Chat / Re: 250 boot lid
« on: January 10, 2023, 01:37:11 AM »
Hi Ian,

What state is your solenoid wiring in? Have you got the two connectors? There should be a largeish 2 wire connector which provides the power to the solenoid and another 3 pin connector which provides control. This has finer wires than the 2 pin connector.

The control connector has a 'centre feed' which when briefly connected to either of the other two wires will instruct the solenoid to either extend or retract. I have a full wiring diagram that I can share with you but I can't get access to it until the beginning of next month. Having said that I'll take a look at the Z3 wiring diagrams to see if I can remember how it all fits together.

If you do have the two connectors it could be quite easy to just trace everything back to the original wiring...

Cheers
Russell

9
2fifty Chat / Re: 250 boot lid
« on: January 08, 2023, 08:06:11 PM »
Looking good Ian  :)

That version of the lock is designed to work with the original Z3 solenoid so that the central locking system will give you the same level of access as the original Z3. The key is intended for 'occasional' use, such as when the battery dies. (No more secret bits of string)  ;D

I kept a note of the key number for your boot lock, once I complete the door handles then you'll be able to open the doors and the boot with the same key.

The handle that I'm currently working on is also stainless steel and is a drop in replacement for the original Italian handle. I've designed a second version which is the same shape and size as the Italian Job and is intended to work with the Z3 central locking system. I've built and tested my 2nd prototype of that and it works really well, just got a few tweaks to make.

The Grassbank handles are on the left in the attached image, this is a photo of the Z3 version. The original chrome Italian Job is on the right, the chrome is already quite flakey... You can see the built in lever for the Z3 door opening system on the Grassbank version, you can also just see the extra lever for unlocking the door with the key on the driver's side handle. LHD and RHD versions will be available.

I'm going to look into building a hybrid handle which will be a drop in replacement for the DNA supplied door handle but which will have the appearance of the Italian Job. The fixing centes are different, the DNA handle is massive in comparison and, in my case, I had to butcher quite a bit of the door panel to het the locking system in place. I haven't started work on that version yet...

How did you find the boot handle installation process?

Cheers
Russell

10
Hello,

The plan is that it should be a drop in replacement either solenoid or key based.

Let's have a chat later, I'll tell you what I'm planning and how I think it will fit in with what I saw of your car. And you can let me know if I missed something.

My aim is to create a solution for the existing users that need an updat.

Russell

11
To clarify my previous post.

This second version of the boot lock (I refer to this as the X1) is purely key operated. It does not rely on the central locking system in any way. If the doors are locked with the central locking you will still be able to open the boot with the key that comes with the lock. By the same token, you will also have to physically lock the boot with the same key. I'm unaware of how the alarm system functions if the boot is entered whilst central locking thinks it should be closed. It might be that you would be better of unlocking the car with the central locking key before opening the boot.

How does your existing system function in this respect?

The original version (which unsurprisingly is called the Z3 ) behaves exactly the same as the original Z3 does and will continue to be available for anyone that kept their original boot locking mechanisms. .

Hope this helps.

Russell

12
Hi Ian,

The plan is to eliminate the micro switch (unless you really want to keep it)

The boot lock push button will mechanically activate the boot release lever. If you really want to keep the solenoid and micro switch then it could easily be arranged to have the boot push button actuate the micro switch.

My aim is to have a secure, reliable mechanical means of opening the boot.

Russell

13
Hi Ian,

Glad you like the lenses. Do you want Justin to bring any to Tatton?

I picked up quite a bit of interest in a boot (and door) lock system. I'd half developed one but halted work on it after I'd fixed the Z3 boot lock design and made some mods to Jez's door opener.

My current plan is to develop a key operated boot lock which will cover the MGB hole opening and eliminate the need for a 'get out of jail' cord for access to the boot. The new solution will not use / need the original Z3 lock and mechanism. The added bonus is to be able to use the same (or similar) mechanism for operating the driver's door. I've got a target of 6-8 weeks to make a prototype along with a couple of commercial samples.

I will use a new version of the existing stainless steel boot handle but tweaked to do as outlined above.

The intention is to develop a set of push buttons which will look very similar to those on various classic 60's cars but optimised for a Z3 environment.

Once this is working as desired then I plan to develop a pair of door handles in stainless steel in the style of classis 60's handles.

Hope this helps. I'd like to hear your feedback on my plans...

Cheers
Russell

14
2fifty Chat / Replacement rear light lens / cover for Lucas L676
« on: May 21, 2022, 10:39:47 AM »
Another follow up from Stoneleigh.

The delivery of the replacement rear light lenses happened yesterday and I'm pleased with the results. See the images below where I compare the new lens with the MGB lens (Lucas L676).

The lenses are on the grassbank site here https://grassbankconversions.co.uk/product/gb-676-replacement-rear-lens/ There are more pictures there as well.

Also on the grassbank site are the reflectors which you might need if you swap out the rear lens. The purpose of developing the lens was to remove the boxy reflector section which is why you might want the new reflectors. There's a link on the grassbank lens page to the reflectors.

Cheers
Russell

15
2fifty Chat / Re: Replacement boot handle
« on: May 18, 2022, 10:29:22 PM »
Hi Theo,

Thanks for your PM, let's follow up offline.

There are options for the grill which we can discuss.

Catch up later.

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