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Z3 Hardtop Alignment Gauges -- L vs. R

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6.1K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  FastWoman  
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#1 · (Edited)
... so I got the fancy $8.50 alignment gauges to try and correct my hardtop alignment problem. The gauges are labeled "L" and "R." Normally one would presume "L" means "left" or "links" and is on the driver's side, and "R" means "right" or "rechts" and is on the passenger side. Is this an unreasonable presumption? And yet there is no obvious way the gauges fit on these respective sides. However, if the sides are switched, with L on the right side, as shown below...

Image


... I get a snug and logical fit, corresponding to a roof alignment that does seem to work. (Note, the new alignment wasn't far from the old and didn't solve the problem with the fit. The solution is contained in another thread -- "Z-axis Adjustment on A-Pillar bracket").

Here is a shot of the alignment gauge, removed from between the body panel gaps...

Image


Again, this is the "L" part on the right side. Is this not correct???

Thanks for your feedback!

Peace,
Sarah
 
#2 ·
(shrugs shoulders)...

I don't know about the gauges (or the German Language), but I sure like the pin stripes. I'd like to see their detail on the rest of the car, if you don't mind.

I'm currently in the middle of working on another Dakar Yellow car: www.rfdm.com/gallery/album84
 
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#9 ·
For Randy...



Hi Randy,

Here are pics of the pinstriping. Pardon the tree junk all over my car and the missing couple of bits of pinstriping (soon to be patched)! ;)

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Here's where the pinstriping doesn't quite work -- where the top overhangs the body just a bit. It's not a bad problem, but just be aware of it:

Image


Peace,
Sarah
 
F
#4 ·
rj,

I'm thinking that the dye maker for these parts asked someone from BMW to tell them which was left and which was right. Someone who was careless with his thinking responded and was wrong. The dye maker did the lettering, handed over the dyes, and submitted the bill. The error wasn't considered grievous enough to through another big wad of money at it to correct. (Dyes are expensive!)

Peace,
Sarah
 
F
#5 ·
Nice car, Randy! :) I love the Tweetie Bird! ;)

I'll shoot a few pics of the pin striping when I have a few more moments. It's nothing fancy, though. But I agree that it looks nice. Overall the body is in good shape, but the paint has a few flaws in it. In addition, I added another little "detail" to the middle of the air dam when I rubbed it against a concrete bumper.:cry: I've been driving higher profile cars for so long that I forgot you can't roll the tires up to the concrete.

Peace,
Sarah
 
F
#8 ·
Hi Everyone,

I measured the hardtop alignment gauges. In hindsight, I think I would have just saved myself the $8.50 + S&H and just made myself a gauge. The gauges set a spacing between your hardtop and your car body of 6.2mm. The mounting instructions say you're supposed to measure a gap between the gauge and the top of another 0.2mm (about the thickness of two typical sheets of copy paper. Therefore the total gap would be 6.4mm. Don't measure it with respect to the vertical direction. The gauge fits flat against the body panel just in front of the trunk lid, which of course is not horizontal. I would think the job could be done quite well with a short block of wood, perhaps slightly thicker than a paint stick -- exactly 6.4mm. Just lay the thing flat on the aforementioned body panel, and see if it slides under the lip of the hardtop. I dont think it's anymore complicated than that.

And if it pleases you, make two blocks, and color them black with a sharpie. Label one "L" for the right side, and label the other "R" for the left side. ;)

Peace,
Sarah
 
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