So how many 'un-molested' E30's are there...

[tomislav]

bss325i, surely even yours, at some point, is gonna have to be pigeon welded back together? I know its a very low mileage one (read a bit of your resto thread) and i assume you only take it out when the weather forecast is 100% no rain due but still...

[daimlerman]

Options certainly were not good enough

But I would expect that every E30 has had paint at some time,if,or perhaps when,it went through a dealer AUC it would have had stone chips and bumper scuffs removed,for example.

Welding?

Any E30 that has been restored has been welded,be it by the owner or by an expert.Blokes like our own Beardymat are artists in their own trade,Matt can repair a shell in such a way that it is all but impossible to tell that he has been there,but it's still a welded and repaired car.

We have all seen the way that RWD Escorts have taken off in value,even just the V5 for a two door Escort is worth thousands...unlikely,in my opinion to happen to E30...why?
BMW are happy to supply most parts,those that have run out of the original build have been re-ordered,front wings,brake back plates,front indicator lens,the list goes on.

But at the very least,this means that I can go on enjoying my molested E30's whilst I am still fit and able to keep them repaired.When I am unable to do this,I shall be looking to modify a mobility scooter.....

[bss325i]

bss325i, surely even yours, at some point, is gonna have to be pigeon welded back together? I know its a very low mileage one (read a bit of your resto thread) and i assume you only take it out when the weather forecast is 100% no rain due but still...

Its use is limited to the summer months but its still used in the wet.

Indeed it will need to be welded at some point and i know exactly where.

Where the rear panel meets the battery tray near the tow eye. The lip of the rear panel where its folded over the bottom of the battery tray has opened up by a couple of mm so this will need addressing this year.

There is also the tiniest of scabs at the bottom of the OSR wheel arch that will just need grinding back and treating.

This year the car will be undergoing some major work to the underside of the car along with some overall changes.

It will then become a fair weather car only.

[clipper]

Indeed it will need to be welded at some point and i know exactly where.

Where the rear panel meets the battery tray near the tow eye. The lip of the rear panel where its folded over the bottom of the battery tray has opened up by a couple of mm so this will need addressing this year.

This is exactly where my previously unwelded car will need its first bit of surgery..... No coincidence surely.

[paul13899]

I'm new to the e30 world but mine will have a couple of minor blemishes sorted out next week, full service and then locked in the garage for hibernation.. although i am tempted to lower it....

[daimlerman]

Indeed it will need to be welded at some point and i know exactly where.

Where the rear panel meets the battery tray near the tow eye. The lip of the rear panel where its folded over the bottom of the battery tray has opened up by a couple of mm so this will need addressing this year.

This is exactly where my previously unwelded car will need its first bit of surgery..... No coincidence surely.

There's no doubt that through the '90's and later,huge steps have been taken to make car bodies more resistant to rot,my '98 Siecento is proof of this,no visable rot at all,not even when I had the rear bumper off and pressure washed the hidden bits was any rust un-covered.

Sadly,E30's have several known rot spots,the battery box mentioned is just one.

[bss325i]

Indeed it will need to be welded at some point and i know exactly where.

Where the rear panel meets the battery tray near the tow eye. The lip of the rear panel where its folded over the bottom of the battery tray has opened up by a couple of mm so this will need addressing this year.

This is exactly where my previously unwelded car will need its first bit of surgery..... No coincidence surely.

No coincidence at all. This is a very common place for E30's to fester.

[BHadley]

Mine needs welding, still good for 22 years old car if it were a ford there would only be the roof unwelded other than that all the factory m tech stuff is there.....

[The_Diddler]

Indeed it will need to be welded at some point and i know exactly where.

Where the rear panel meets the battery tray near the tow eye. The lip of the rear panel where its folded over the bottom of the battery tray has opened up by a couple of mm so this will need addressing this year.

This is exactly where my previously unwelded car will need its first bit of surgery..... No coincidence surely.

No coincidence at all. This is a very common place for E30's to fester.

Indeed mine was shocking, visually didnt even look that bad, remove the paint and wowwwwwww

I still have the piece that beardymatt cut out, absolutely no rust protection behind that immediate area......

[Green]

Pfft! I don't agree - it's similar to gluing the handle on my tea cup - when I used it, it broke and scolded my balls!

Pics ? of the teacup ?

Tea cup long since binned - shame I didn't keep it to illustrate my very strong point regarding welding...

I can supply plenty of pics of my teabag, if you're interested?

This reminds me of when I had a similar situation, the cup fell off my handle at work



I solved the issue though, I guess in car terms this would count as the the fibreglass fix?




In relation to topic though my E30's has had loads of welding on it in various places, as well as a poor rear arch repair and painted quarter that's slightly off colour and not blown into the roof too brilliant... you barely notice it though, looks prestige

[Simon13]

Mines been painted but not welded.

Five panels are not original though.

Sunroof tray because it has started to rust a the rear drain tubes

Sunroof panel because someone dropped and bent it when the car was being painted.

OSF wing because some c*nt drove into if and f*cked off without leaving a note or anything.


EDIT: and the front valence as i retrofitted A/C.

and the boot lid because my original one was twisted.

Barry fails to add, which in his true knit picker style is...............

Sunroof trays are held up with...... 2 spot welds! so the migs been here too boys rest easy.

[polsta]

Tech 1 no previous welding or painting. But now needs both ( not as much as polsta or jim) phew!

you wont know how much until you strip the car ! mine didnt need much welding really and is far from a patchwork car, didnt need a re spray, but to have a much nicer end product it was all done for the good, old siver panels dont match/look great when bits and pieces are re painted

[bss325i]

Mines been painted but not welded.

Five panels are not original though.

Sunroof tray because it has started to rust a the rear drain tubes

Sunroof panel because someone dropped and bent it when the car was being painted.

OSF wing because some c*nt drove into if and f*cked off without leaving a note or anything.


EDIT: and the front valence as i retrofitted A/C.

and the boot lid because my original one was twisted.

Barry fails to add, which in his true knit picker style is...............

Sunroof trays are held up with...... 2 spot welds! so the migs been here too boys rest easy.

Uh uh!

I only had the rear half of the tray replaced and it was bonded on, not welded.

[DanThe]

No rust in mine, no welding been done or needed, the only paint its had is where I had the front wing repaired due to a nasty dent. If I was being really picky and highly anal I would have the lot repainted in the original gloss black but with a clear coat for easy maintenance, there are a few scratches and scrapes but thats it, it would have to be a full on proper A* job though, all panels removed and stripped down, all glass/trim removed, would take the sills and valances back to primer/steel due to broken sealant, engine out and full bay job, I would probably fold the arch lips too along with a few other slight mods, £2k + realistically at mates rates.
But at the moment I have lots more to throw my money at

[kieran325]

Mines been painted and welded up, went into BMW for the work.

It's been garaged for most of my 19 year ownership and they still need looking at so don't fooled they're all perfect.

[Kedge]

I've had a small patch by the fuel filler next bracket done, one in the driver side footwell which the exhaust heatshield sits under, the battery tray needs doing and the rear 1/3 of the passenger sill. Found plenty of suface scabs underneath and in the driver footwell, behind the factory seam sealer, which have all been taken back to bare metal and re-sealed. In the scheme of things it's a bloody clean shell!

It will also need a full blow over since every panel has a dent or scratch so no point trying to blow them in

[bss325i]

It will also need a full blow over since every panel has a dent or scratch so no point trying to blow them in

Exactly why mine was painted. To many marks to keep local so just did the whole lot for a perfect match.

[polsta]

It will also need a full blow over since every panel has a dent or scratch so no point trying to blow them in

Exactly why mine was painted. To many marks to keep local so just did the whole lot for a perfect match.

same here

also, kedge, the taking back of the sealant- a mass percentage of the mint no rust never been welded, brigades cars , have never looked and would all have issues if they took all the sealant and floor back !!

[DanThe]

It will also need a full blow over since every panel has a dent or scratch so no point trying to blow them in

Exactly why mine was painted. To many marks to keep local so just did the whole lot for a perfect match.

same here

also, kedge, the taking back of the sealant- a mass percentage of the mint no rust never been welded, brigades cars , have never looked and would all have issues if they took all the sealant and floor back !!

Most of the 'mint' brigade have never had the carpets up, let alone poked at the funny shaped floor sections on the underside!

[polsta]

even my floor looked ok and at glance could of just done the jacking point and put the carpet back down, was only in stripping the deadening that a few little issues were found, that if id left would of got worse, glad i hunted it all out, and like kedge, luckily only a few surfacy bits under the sealant on insides of the arches and a little bit on the bottom of an a pillar needed some attention

[bss325i]

Exactly why mine was painted. To many marks to keep local so just did the whole lot for a perfect match.

same here

also, kedge, the taking back of the sealant- a mass percentage of the mint no rust never been welded, brigades cars , have never looked and would all have issues if they took all the sealant and floor back !!

Most of the 'mint' brigade have never had the carpets up, let alone poked at the funny shaped floor sections on the underside!

I've had every last thing out of the inside of mine bar the loom.

[jimbom30cab]

Hey Barry, interesting to hear that your motor is a patchwork turd in the making like the rest of em hey, the thing is rust is like an ice berg, you only see 10 percent, the rest is hidden, suggest you strip those arches back to reveal the real extent of the rot.

[ajay]

Tech 1 no previous welding or painting. But now needs both ( not as much as polsta or jim) phew!

you wont know how much until you strip the car ! mine didnt need much welding really and is far from a patchwork car, didnt need a re spray, but to have a much nicer end product it was all done for the good, old siver panels dont match/look great when bits and pieces are re painted

.

The carpet was removed and cleaned many years ago ( not found its way back in yet) no patches/ repairs. underneath has been stripped of all components inspected/cleaned/ coated, no welding patching or repairs reqired (i would like to replace the front "jacking pads" as evidence of rust is there this part was not treated but exposed upon inspection and remains to be done. Nowhere near some of the horrors shown on here, the main body work has a bit of crust,but the worst is dents from the car being garaged for years with stuff constantly falling on it. Dash currently being replaced all good there too, It still needs A lot of work and ££ to get it up to scratch but definatly not been molested.

[bss325i]

Hey Barry, interesting to hear that your motor is a patchwork turd in the making like the rest of em hey, the thing is rust is like an ice berg, you only see 10 percent, the rest is hidden, suggest you strip those arches back to reveal the real extent of the rot.

Sorry Jim but you are mistaken. My E30 will never be a patchwork turd like the rest of them because a, its never been a rusty pig and b, it will never be left to turn into one.

I certainly don't need a lesson in rust from you or anyone!

There is no rot, just some minor bubbling of the paint in the lower part of the lip, see the 3rd to last pic below.

Another update which ties in with the thread about wasted journeys and 325i sports.

An unpleasant but extremely necessary job was carried out today. The much maligned/revered tech 2 body kit had not been off since the car was painted in July '07 and the car had been used on a regular basis up until sept '09 in all weathers so i thought it was high time i removed it to take a look, clean and re wax oil the relevant areas prone to rust.

Last winter/spring i had already removed all of the interior and boot trim so areas like the sills and boot wells, inner arches were wax oiled then and also around this time i replaced the front valence for an Air con type in preparation for the Air con retro fit. During this time the front end of the car was in bits so all this area was cleaned and waxoiled so this just left the the rear of the car to do.

Rear bumper and all side panels of the tech 2 kit removed.



As you can see, the beather pipe cover thingy is covered with surface rust and looks skanky but over all, relatively clean in the arch with no thick lumps of mud like most cars.





So with the vent pipe cover, splash shield and fuel vent tank removed it is was time to get wet and dirty! Jet wash to begin with then a nail brush and hose with some TFR to scrub inside both rear arches and along the sills.





Then afterwards back on the ramp. On the return lip of the wheel arch is were wet mud builds up and sits which in turn seeps into the seam and then rots the arch from the inside out. Even after a thorough clean out as described above, there was still a layer or mud right in the crease of the arch so i set to with the nail brush, a tooth brush and some brake cleaner to get the remaining mud out as its pointless applying waxoil here unless it is spotless as spreading waxoil over the mud will just lock it in and defeat the object of preserving your arches!



And the result of all the scrubbing was this, spotless beige factory underseal!

This is where the vent tank sits and on a lot of E30's have holes here, some big enough to fit you fist through!



Nice wheel arches!





Behold! An end of sill/wheel arch thats still there! Note the slight bubbling of paint here.



New vent pipe cover, vent tank and splash shield cleaned and back together.



The whole of both arch lip returns were waxoiled after they were spotless.

So, after a thorough inspection and clean up, no rusty surprises to be found thankfully but there are a few bubbles in the bottom of the arch lip as shown so a job to be done soon is to rub down the whole arch lip, rust treat then blow some localised paint in.

One thing this has made me want to do even more now is to do the whole underside of the car peado style as in remove everything, powder coat, paint, passivate where necessary along with all new fittings as this is now what is letting the car down and all other areas up to scratch.

Back together and on the deck.



Tune in nxt time for some Old Skool audio action!

[jimbom30cab]

Looks nice, do you think that minor bubbling can be removed and re painted retaining the original arch metal or is a new section needed ?

Got any pics of you factory jacking points ?

[bss325i]

Looks nice, do you think that minor bubbling can be removed and re painted retaining the original arch metal or is a new section needed ?

100% no new metal needed.

[polsta]

^^ looking good ajay,looks nice ! is that a new heat shield ? thats on my list to replace

[jimbom30cab]

Flipping heck say that looks perfect, you have done a super job of that, much respect due

[ajay]

^^ looking good ajay,looks nice ! is that a new heat shield ? thats on my list to replace

I wish it was new, no just cleaned/painted. Cheers Lads

[bss325i]

One for the diddler!

This was taken around the time the were inspected with an endoscope and thoroughly waxoiled.

[polsta]

looks great,i aim to get mine like that, it looks pretty good anyway and prev owner did a lot of work underneath refurbing/replacing bits, but a full underside strip and powdercoat of parts etc will be done

[jimbom30cab]

Which parts are you getting powder coated Carl?

[polsta]

rear beam,control arms, the fuel tank maybe (or a new one/s) and bits like that, new/refurbed heat shield, just a total gleam up underneath when the engine and box,diff,exhaust etc all removed,just to get it bang on the buck, maybe an engine re build aswell, the diff and gear box were all refurbed and all new bushes and gear linkage and drop links and track rods and all that sort of stuff plenty of nice clean/new parts under there, it looks nice underneath but still room for improvement and more refurbing

[Kos]

Malcolm, you missed a choice out.

Painted but never welded.

and the dulux option is missing

[capri_rob]

One for the diddler!

This was taken around the time the were inspected with an endoscope and thoroughly waxoiled.

Its had 6 winters since then Baz

And that ARB bracket looks scabby - oh the horror

Get it garaged !