Rebody Rebody Dashboard

[Duncodin]

I don't know the requirements of the MOT in Finland.....but remember no-one can 'test' an airbag. They are a 'one use only' product. They can only rely on the lights going out to prove the SRS system doesn't have any faults, which then presumes the system is operating correctly.
That can be very easily overcome with a cheap timer for the light!

Why do the original gauges need to be in place? Surely any gauges which give the correct information would suffice.

In the UK the 'rules are the rules' apply to everything, but we can get through an MOT easily with airbags removed and any gauges you like (as long as the MOT inspector can tick the right boxes on his sheet).

I don't know what it's like in finland but I do (or did) know what it's like in Germany where you could not go in to halfords and buy something like a generic bootlid spoiler. Simply didn't exist. If you own a z3 and if you buy an accessory for it then that accessory was made, and tested and come with a certificate from the OEM and/or by TUV or DEKRA certifying that said accessiry is compatible with that vehicle. In the case of a spoiler the certificate even includes wind tunnel tests results proving that the accessory doesn't have a detrimental affect on the vehicle.

On something like a dashboard. Their theory is that the car manufacturer smashed a load of cars into walls with crash test dummies. You change your dashboard and the car is no longer the same as the one that was originally tested by smashing Olaf, the crash test dummy's, face into it.

Also the tester is allowed to use his/her brain. He/she doesn't just look at a LED. They can look at a steering wheel and see that it isn't the one the car was made with and that there's no airbag behind that tiny ferrari logo in the centre of the wheel.

I don't understand how anyone in germany could every do a rebody without jumping through so many hoops that would make it non viable.

But, as I said, I have no idea what it's like in finland.

Personally I find it weird that here in the UK we can do these things having lived most of my driving life in a country where I couldn't even put different size tyres on my car without going for a TUV inspection to confirm that the new size was authorized by the vehicle OEM and entered, bynTUV, into the vehicle log book.

 

[Pond]

Also the tester is allowed to use his/her brain. He/she doesn't just look at a LED. They can look at a steering wheel and see that it isn't the one the car was made with and that there's no airbag behind that tiny ferrari logo in the centre of the wheel.

The MOT tester isn't allowed to use his/her brain. He/she has to just tick a box. Of course they will know there is no airbag, but it doesn't matter what they think; it matters what the MOT requirement is. And the requirement in the UK (at present) is that warning lights go out to show there are no faults.

I don't really see any issue with airbags, or lack of. There are still many vehicles on the road which never had airbags, ABS, safety cells, seat belts, etc. If the UK want to go down that rabbit hole, all of these older cars would need to be scrapped. And we still have the ridiculous rule of any vehicle over 40 years old not needing an MOT at all, so in theory there are lots of complete death traps driving about perfectly legally.

My car has no airbags. The ONLY person that can possibly adversely affect is ME, no-one else. If I was driving around in a 41 year old car with a rotten chassis at 70mph, perfectly legally, that could adversely affect other people.

 

[Pond]

Personally I find it weird that here in the UK we can do these things having lived most of my driving life in a country where I couldn't even put different size tyres on my car without going for a TUV inspection to confirm that the new size was authorized by the vehicle OEM and entered, bynTUV, into the vehicle log book.

Thank God we haven't got to the 'stazi' stage of Germany yet, then.

 

[Pond]

On the subject of Z3 airbags.....
Unless they have been replaced (unlikely), all airbags in a Z3 are at least 23 years old; most older. When I took my passenger airbag out, it was in a right state. The frame was rusty, the fabric was mouldy (Z3s leak) and I wouldn't be confident in it deploying if needed. Even if it did deploy, I wouldn't put money on it being of much use.

 

[Pingu]

On the subject of Z3 airbags.....
Unless they have been replaced (unlikely), all airbags in a Z3 are at least 23 years old; most older. When I took my passenger airbag out, it was in a right state. The frame was rusty, the fabric was mouldy (Z3s leak) and I wouldn't be confident in it deploying if needed. Even if it did deploy, I wouldn't put money on it being of much use.

I read somewhere (a long time ago - it may have been at work in the MOD) that the service interval for a certain vehicle (I can't remember which) included all airbags being checked and tested / replaced after 10 years. I don't know how you can fully test an airbag without deploying it, but hey ho.

[edit] Google suggests that I wasn't making it up...

Google Search

 

[Jezza]

The MOT tester isn't allowed to use his/her brain. He/she has to just tick a box. Of course they will know there is no airbag, but it doesn't matter what they think; it matters what the MOT requirement is. And the requirement in the UK (at present) is that warning lights go out to show there are no faults.

I don't really see any issue with airbags, or lack of. There are still many vehicles on the road which never had airbags, ABS, safety cells, seat belts, etc. If the UK want to go down that rabbit hole, all of these older cars would need to be scrapped. And we still have the ridiculous rule of any vehicle over 40 years old not needing an MOT at all, so in theory there are lots of complete death traps driving about perfectly legally.

My car has no airbags. The ONLY person that can possibly adversely affect is ME, no-one else. If I was driving around in a 41 year old car with a rotten chassis at 70mph, perfectly legally, that could adversely affect other people.

Well put. Sums it up precisely.

 

[AndersFIN]

The regulations are not as tough and heavy her as the TUV in Germany but tough enough.
Reason why I was thinking about replacing the gauges was that all warning lights(which are needed to work during MOT) would be visible.
I was thinking of doing a dedicated adapter cable set for the gauges and replace the original dash with original gauges temporary during MOT and then install the GRP dash back after approved MOT test but it seems to be too much work what I hear from you guys.

The only way I would get it approved would be to contact BMW for a procedure and description of removing the dash airbag, which has turned out to be extremely difficoult, if not impossible.

 

[Pond]

The only way I would get it approved would be to contact BMW for a procedure and description of removing the dash airbag, which has turned out to be extremely difficoult, if not impossible.

When you say 'dash airbag', do you mean passenger or steering wheel?

 

[Pond]

I was thinking of doing a dedicated adapter cable set for the gauges and replace the original dash with original gauges temporary during MOT and then install the GRP dash back after approved MOT test but it seems to be too much work what I hear from you guys.

I can tell you from bitter experience that changing dashboards and wiring is NOT something you want to do on a regular basis. Once was more than enough!

The dashboard change on mine was the most difficult job of the entire build. There is a lot of wiring behind there!

 

[AndersFIN]

When you say 'dash airbag', do you mean passenger or steering wheel?

passenger yes,steering wheel is easy to replace

 

[AndersFIN]

I can tell you from bitter experience that changing dashboards and wiring is NOT something you want to do on a regular basis. Once was more than enough!

The dashboard change on mine was the most difficult job of the entire build. There is a lot of wiring behind there!

yes this is what I understood.I have understood that it’s not easy - and very time consuming

 

[Duncodin]

The MOT tester isn't allowed to use his/her brain. He/she has to just tick a box.

That's the biggest problem with our UK mentality. We don't use brains. We just tick boxes. Prison guard has a notice to release a prisoner at 9am and tick the box. The guard isn't allowed to look out the window to check if immigration services have arrived yet waiting outside.

 

[Pingu]

Looks can be deceptive.

Read into that comment whatever you like .

 

[Duncodin]

I will post 'actual' work in my build thread but just wanted to give you guys a feel for where I'm going.

First, let me remind you what a 507 dashboard looks like

View attachment 351709

Determined to keep the Z3 instrument cluster exactly where it is - changing only the overlay - I come up with something like this.

View attachment 351711

All I can do now till I trial fit this in the car and make the cut for the steering column and start scratching my head with the centre console.

 

[Pond]

All I can do now till I trial fit this in the car and make the cut for the steering column and start scratching my head with the centre console.


View attachment 353783

View attachment 353785

Looks good, sir. If you can make that and get it to fit well, the centre console will be easy peasy IMO as there is a lot more space without anything too much in the way.

 

[Duncodin]

Looks good, sir. If you can make that and get it to fit well, the centre console will be easy peasy IMO as there is a lot more space without anything too much in the way.

It fits !

I wanna keep as much of the center console as I can ie rather than making a whole new one. Not sure what to do yet. Likely chop the boomerangs and line up with bottom of the dash.

 

[mittaw]

That looks really good. Nice work sir! I want to create a new dash for mine but wanted to go restomod rather than full on replica. What did you make it from and does it just sit on the z3. Dash or have you taken all that out. Im really interested in following this

 

[Duncodin]

That looks really good. Nice work sir! I want to create a new dash for mine but wanted to go restomod rather than full on replica. What did you make it from and does it just sit on the z3. Dash or have you taken all that out. Im really interested in following this

Can't you use the ferrari 250 style dash? This needs you to cut away quite a lot of the Z3 dash leaving just a stub, a few inches near the de-mist vents where the 250 dash is attached. There's a few posts here on the forum where ferrari look-a-like builders show how that's done.

In my case though I did start with the 250 style dash but I cut the ferrari binnacles off it and kept more of the Z3 dash including the Z3 binnacle so that I could 'wrap' the 250 dash around the Z3 binnacle.

Then I build my own 'flat top' dash on top of the 250 dash out of GRP. The front pale coloured panel is also GRP.

The centre console is work in progress too. It's not immediately obvious but the z3 centre console is tilted slightly towards the driver. So that needs to be chopped so that it can be straightened up and then sloped back so that it fits snug under the new dash. That's where I'm working at the moment. I'll post pictures of that once it's done.

 

[mittaw]

Thanks for the explanation. Very helpful. I could use a GRP 250 style dash but im not making replica and fancied a more retro/ semi modern look. I might buy an old dash and mock something up before going to far. Have a good Christmas.

 

[Duncodin]

Thanks for the explanation. Very helpful. I could use a GRP 250 style dash but im not making replica and fancied a more retro/ semi modern look. I might buy an old dash and mock something up before going to far. Have a good Christmas.

The reason I started with a ferrari 250 style dash piece is because it fits. No need to wory about how it mates up to the original z3 stub. The main dimensions are already there so I could start work adding my own design on top of the 250 panel without going in to the car at all.

I bought a z3 dashboard off ebay and used that as my base.

So even if you don't want a ferrari 250 style dash I would still suggest you start with that then add your own look and feel to it.