Building a rotary powered BMW Z3 show car with very little mechanical experience… how hard can it be?
I’m Sam, a professional video producer and presenter within the automotive scene, but it’s time to practice what I preach… so join me here on my personal channel as I bite off more than I can chew with my Mazda 13b engine swap, explore car builds and dive into car culture from a new perspective.
QUESTION - IM GETTING A LOT OF CLAPPING ? CLUNKING FROM THE REAR SHOCK MOUNTS AND IVE UPGRADED TO HR COILS AND ECS TUNING SHOCK MOUNTS. ANY IDEAS? THANKS.
Beautiful build! I own a 02 z3 3.0… if I may, can you speak more to the wheel, suspension, camber setup please? I’m looking to do a staggered tuck fit with a pair of 18”/8.5 by 18/9.5 and am looking for the best fitment… cheers!
Thanks! Nice car, the 3.0 is a great engine 🤙 Your car has a wider body than mine, allowing for a wider rear wheel but here’s what I’m running: Front - 7.5/17/ET35 Rear - 8.5/17/ET20 I’m running a slight stretch on the tyres with 225/45 on the rear and a 215/45 on the front. To get the 8.5” to fit the front, you’ll need some camber for sure. With your suspension, If you go for coilovers with adjustable top mounts like BC then you might have enough adjustment. Your rears should fit fine as your car is wider and the rear camber increases as the car is lowered. Any questions, let me know 🤙
I’m using Vogtland coilovers. They’ve still got some room to go lower at the front, and the rears are as low as I can get with the spring perch removed too. I have no camber adjustment on this setup.
Fun fact if you have the facelift (at least on my 3.0i) there is an extra cold air tube that goes behind the fog light. In the M roadster this is open but in the case of the 3.0i this close of with a plastic thingy and also there is the fog light in the way. But if you remove both of them then you get an extra true cold air intake into the OEM box which is pretty neat :)
That old wheel is slippy and not ideal. Since this track day, wheel has been changed for a smaller Sparco one. I’m now able to turn it without shuffling to avoid hitting my knees 🤦♂️😅
Thats cool but what about the rear…? The front there are plenty of option i was trying to see about the rear what did you do to have bigger brake in the rear?
Generally big brake upgrades are just the front as these are doing most of the work, but for the rear you’re best upgrading the discs and pads but keeping the same size.
Hey for the z3 you need a chassis strengthening bar. You need the chassis to be stiffer so the suspension can do its job or else the body is doing the moving. Good luck have fun!
Big z3 fan having a little z3 1.9 M43B myself. Just always nice seeing someone doing something abit different. I like the off the cuff stuff and you just working on the car. A track day here or there is cool. Other cars is always nice to see too. Keep it up.
lovin this, did you go to cars and coffee at apm yesterday? if so I think I saw you coming in as I was leaving in my z3😭 . hopefully see you at another in the near future 👍
Enjoying the ride. We’ll see where it leads. Two thoughts as I watched: 1) protect your lower back. Especially since you have kids. There’s no rebuild or replacement on your spine and you only get one (and you are going to want to put a lot of mileage on it). 2) slowly escalating brute torque is less effective at loosening a bolt than a quick burst of torque on the wrench. Keep up the adventure. Your production quality and personality are very engaging. Pulling for your success in both of your public endeavors (and parenting adventure). Cheers from San Diego, California USA!
Thanks so much for your feedback! Noted on both points, I can struggle with my back a bit at the best of times 😬 Next step is a big hammer and some heat! Thanks again for your support. I’m sure the little man will make a cameo appearance soon. Ahh San Diego, probably my favourite city. I’ll definitely find myself back there 🤙
The crappy, horrible, unsatisfying labor that will ultimately bring pleasure. Thanks to technology, you’ll be able to appreciate the success even more because the memories of these labors won’t be lost to time. You’re feckin’ crazy, but I like it!
Having owned a 1.9 Z3, a rotary sounds like a magical swap for that chassis. The rather unresponsive 4 popper was always the weak spot of that car for me. Subbed, cant wait to see how this turns out!
Cheers! Trying something different with the workshop “vlogs”. I want to show the real issues and how we overcome them… or don’t overcome them 🤦♂️😂 another short update should drop later this week.
done the 13b swap (the channel is The rogue ones). well it's not completely done yet but it's in the final stages. might be worth a look if you're really interested in doing it.
Yes, I’ve been chatting with Don a bit. His ITB setup is 🔥 aside from that, I think one was done in NZ but not seen much of that for years. I’m going into this with much less knowledge than Don but should be a good learning!
Really good quality videos mate, surprised you don't have more subs! I just got a 1.9 Z3 (1997) in December, not really touched it yet and don't know a great deal about cars but want to start learning... what you you say are the essential upgrades to look at doing? My mate thinks coilovers to start with? thanks!
Thanks! Still early days for the channel so hopefully will grow as the build gets going 🙌 plenty more track time lined up too! Awesome! It’s a great car to learn on. That’s exactly what I’ve done. First up, do all the maintenance stuff. Drop the oil, coolant flush, brakes, check bushes, replace gearbox and diff oil. After that definitely suspension. Don’t make my mistake and go for crazy cheap eBay coilovers, but spend a little more on something more quality. Im running Vogtland now (still not crazy expensive) and the difference is night and day. If you’re after a bit more sound, ditch the airbox and get a cone filter instead 👌
The facelift rear is superior to the pre facelift rear, great chassis nonetheless. I owned a facelift 2.5 for a few years when I was younger and it was my favorite out of all 9 cars I've owned so far.
😱 I have to disagree there 😂 but definitely agree on the chassis! I think they’re really underrated cars that deserve more love and recognition. I think we’re seeing perceptions change now
The prefacelift with the wide ass is the best. The 2000-2002 has an ugly rear end. They tried to make it look like the 507 but ruined it. 97-99 wideass rules!
Dude, I just found your channel and I am surprised you don't have more subscribers. I purchased a 2.5 1999 Z3 Roadster about a week ago and you are inspiring me to get some stuff done to it.
Thanks bro! 🙌 channel is still quite new so hopefully we’ll see some growth this year. Stoked to hear you’re working on your Z3. It’s a great car and the last of the simple(ish) to work on/fault find yourself. Enjoy the journey with it and reach out if you need any advice 🤙
Yew! Car is looking sick mate. Great quality footage and edit too. Sometimes I wish I went the sports car over the 4WD option just to be able to hit up a track.
🤙 cheers Tommo! Plenty more fun to come on this build and there will be some 4x4 content coming at some point 😉 where you live a truck is a much more sensible option… keeps you up high away from the snakes and spiders! 😂
I've been considering a track day in my Z3 3.0 at Mid-Ohio roadcourse. I know it would be crazy fun, I just don't want to hurt the car. Enjoy your video.
Thanks! Your car will be great on track. Just make sure the suspension, brakes and tires are all good. I don’t think you’ll hurt the car. Just take it easy and enjoy 🙌
Have to say I know nothing about Rotary so good luck. I have a 99 pre face lift 2.8 manual with 43k on her. I watched your first video and I was hoping you would go down the ITBs route as I want to fit them on mine. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how you get on. 👍🇬🇧
Oh that sounds like a gem of a car! Such low mileage for the age 👌 you should definitely look into ITBs, I might be wrong, but I think you have more options with your engine than I had before. At least from a kit point of view. My plan with the rotary is to convert it to ITBs too 😉 even more noise! Thanks for watching 🤙
Hello, yes I will as I love the sound they make. I fitted an Eisenmann Race cat-back which sounds the business. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how you get on. Cheers
Thanks, I spent a while researching and testing g to get this fitment 🤙 Wheels are 17” all round. Rears are 8.5” wide et20 with 215/45/17 tyre. Fronts 7.5” wide et35 205/45/17 tyre. Fronts are running a 20mm spacer.
