New M52 "Restomod" E30 Project - SPANNER RASH

[bexwoods]

I know the feeling re cleaning the underside… hateful job but so worth it when it’s done!!
Keep going, you’ll be proud when it’s done

[spannerrash]

Cheers for the much needed words of encouragement. I'll keep at it. Just can't wait to be doing the more fun bits like figuring out that engine swap.

[AlexD911]

Nice progress, fuse box is part of the loom - whole lot has to come out unless you want to get fancy and put a milspec plug on it or something

[spannerrash]

Thanks man, and damn I was hoping that wasn't the case.. I guess I will have to think about whether I can work around it or not. It seems a bit mad to take the whole loom out of the car.

[spannerrash]

I decided to take the plunge and remove the whole carpet from the car before doing any more work on those rusty front jacking points.

The front seats are a doddle to take out, 4 nuts and 4 bolts basically which was sweet. The carpet is definitely a lot more of a fiddle but I wanted to remove it with the fewest cuts possible as it seems a shame to destroy it.

I think I made a good job of it in the end, the throttle pedal even came out in one piece:


You see so many people slicing the carpet between the gear knob and dash, but having removed the carpet now, I can't see why you'd bother, doesn't look like it makes the job any easier. Why do they do that?

[spannerrash]

I turned my attention back to that huge front jacking point rust hole and set about welding a repair in.

I had some serious difficulties getting a good fitting patch this time, just too many slight curves to deal with, and I wanted to use slightly thicker metal knowing this was goiing to be an area I'll be jacking the car up from in the future so putting accurate bends in my patch was a struggle.

I ended up making it work, but some sides of my patches are lap welds rather than my preferred butt welds. I'll have to make sure I really get good protection on these to ensure no rust grows back here.

As with all my welding so far, not the prettiest, but iti sure is sturdy! Particularly pleased with my boxes and how symetrical both sides ended up. Pretty satisfying. It'll look great when coated with seam sealer anyway!



A little bit more rust to deal with on the front end, but I'm starting to get there now in terms of rust-busting (providing I don't find any more holes!)

[BenHar]

Those "jacking points" are not for jacking the car up. They were just used in the factory for moving the cars round.

The correct place to jack the car is about six inches further back on the sill.

Ben

[spannerrash]

Cheers Ben, I'm also being schooled about that in the comments on YT, oops!

Good to learn something new about the E30, thanks for sharing knowledge.

[spannerrash]

Well, my most ambitious rust repair to date I think. Possibly a bit unorthodox in my method of repair, choosing to avoid welding in entirely new panels into the engine bay, but I'm pretty pleased with myself.


I reckon every unrestored E30 will have rust here, simply the design of it was asking for trouble, hopefully it's helpful for some people who fancy having a go themselves. I'm also starting to gain a bit of confidence with the welder and I'm no longer terrified of blowing a hole through the metal.

What did you think of this repair?

Back under the car next I think, finally got to face stripping some of that floorpan underseal off and seeing what lies beneath. I know of a few rust patches under there already but not seen anything too scary so lets hope I continue to be lucky!

[martauto]

Excellant work mate, I love watching your vids as they are so informative to nobsticks like me !!
Cheers for these mate !!

Mart.

[spannerrash]

Thank you Mart, really glad you enjoy the vids. I enjoy making them too!

[HenryM3]

I have binge read this, brilliant, great videos. Keep them coming. Can’t believe you took time off for Xmas and left all us retired bods with nothing to read. This car will still be around when your my age, hope you don’t sell it cos it’s got a good home.

[spannerrash]

Cheers Henry, plenty more to come. I'm getting there with the project, slowly but surely! I've certainly no plans to sell the car, I'm planning to drive and enjoy it, and the sooner the better.

[spannerrash]

Another update on the E30 project, the time to attack that awful tar-like schutz stuff on the underside arrived and I got stuck in with the wire brush on the angle grinder. Bloody awful job and I dont think my garage will ever be the same again as I'll be finding it all over the place for years I'm sure.



Generally it wentt quite well, the surface rust I'd spotted under there proved to be mostly just that, but unfortunately 3 holes did appear which required little patches welding in.
Lots of the rust seems to be centralised around studs such as the fasteners for the fuel feed, return, breather, brake line mounting points and also heat shield mounting points.

I've again not stripped all the underseal off to bare metal, I'm still really paranoid that I'll start the car off rusting if I remove all the e-coat. I've got it sat in etch primer for now waiting to do a bit more before i finally underseal it with Dinitrol 447 like I did the rear end.

Wheel wells next, can't wait for this underside stuff to end so I can be on with the fun bits!

[martauto]

Great work as ever mate

Please bolt the bloody vice down, they do hurt when they fall off and they fall off very fast !!
I know

Mart.

[spannerrash]

Cheers Mart! I have actually been considering fixing the vice onto the bench with some hefty bolts, but then part of me thinks it might get in the way at times. Maybe I can come up with a way to clamp it on while keeping it easily removable.

[martauto]

Cheers Mart! I have actually been considering fixing the vice onto the bench with some hefty bolts, but then part of me thinks it might get in the way at times. Maybe I can come up with a way to clamp it on while keeping it easily removable.

It`s only three bolts and believe me when I say it hurts .....................................

Mart.

[spannerrash]

More E30 build progress - I finally got my exploration of the front wheel wells over and done with. To be fair, I didn't come off too badly this time, minimal rust, less than I anticipated when I'd seen some poking through the thick underseal.



Still a pig of a job taking the underseal off though, takes forever. I don't know how people have the stamina to do full bare metal. I'm pleased I decided to avoid getting carried away with that now, and hopefully I don't live to regret that decision!

I also got a bunch of holes some wally had drilled into the passenger side wheel well when fitting an alarm in the past welded up, and in doing that discovered the power of the copper block. Wish I'd known about that one before. I think it's a game changer for welding thin panels to avoid warping and blow throughs. I'm even pretty pleased with my mini DIY copper welding block made from an old bit of pipe!

Underseal next, I remember it being a tough gig when I did the rear end, lets hope I've learned from my past mistakes with that.

[AlexD911]

More E30 build progress - I finally got my exploration of the front wheel wells over and done with. To be fair, I didn't come off too badly this time, minimal rust, less than I anticipated when I'd seen some poking through the thick underseal.



Still a pig of a job taking the underseal off though, takes forever. I don't know how people have the stamina to do full bare metal. I'm pleased I decided to avoid getting carried away with that now, and hopefully I don't live to regret that decision!

I also got a bunch of holes some wally had drilled into the passenger side wheel well when fitting an alarm in the past welded up, and in doing that discovered the power of the copper block. Wish I'd known about that one before. I think it's a game changer for welding thin panels to avoid warping and blow throughs. I'm even pretty pleased with my mini DIY copper welding block made from an old bit of pipe!

Underseal next, I remember it being a tough gig when I did the rear end, lets hope I've learned from my past mistakes with that.

I replaced all my rotten threaded studs with Rivnuts.

Also using those type of wire wheel i found wasnt that great for removing underseal, i used a big fucker like this: https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-wire-w ... lsrc=aw.ds

Because its 150mm you get a much much faster surface speed at the tips of the wire and it literally slings it off, pretty sketchy using it on a grinder but did the job for me pretty quick.

Nice work on the welding wish i knew that copper plate trick for some of the bits i did

Alex

[spannerrash]

Yeah you can even get rivstuds I've seen. I was definitely tempted to do that myself, but as i've only had to fix a couple I decided to wing it first, and to be fair what I've done will definitely work, and probaby won't even be obvious once the underseal is on!

Ahh nice, I didnt even know you could get wire wheels that size, great tip, I'll pick one of those bad boys up. I was using one more that shape but smaller at first but didn't get any footage of that part.

And indeed, wish I'd known about the copper block sooner. You live and learn!

[spannerrash]

Another E30 build update, I got the seam sealer, Dinitrol 447 underseal and also the cavity wax done.



The seam sealer went well with my credit card trick, but I had a hard time with the underseal again, the bloody gun kept blocking up on me. I think if I ever do this job again I'll pick up a spare schutz gun so I can hot-swap them, rather than getting into battle mid-undersealing. Nevertheless, I'm really chuffed with the results, its been hard work getting it to this point but I'm super confident in this underside now, I don't think it could be much more protected than this.

I'll soon be working on the top side though and not raunching around on the deck.

[spannerrash]

At risk of it being a diversion from the actual goal, I talked myself into doing the conversion to removable front core support. With the plans to M52 swap this E30 build, it seemed like something I'd thank myself for down the line.

It turned out to be a much longer job than I anticipated, I must've taken that front radiator support on and off the car in excess of 100 times before the end, but I'm actually really pleased with the result. This should defiinitely make putting the engine in and out a breeze in the future.



Next is to think about painting it up with proper epoxy primer rather than just etch in a can, then I can stop worrying about it trying to rust on me straight away.

[BenHar]

Excellent skills on display!

Are eight bolts going to be as strong as all those original spot welds?

Ben

[spannerrash]

Thank you Ben! I've definitely gained a lot of confidence along the way on this E30 build so far.

They're hefty 8.8 strength M10 and M8 bolts and I used 1.5mm steel for the mounting plates. It all feels absolutely solid. But in truth probably not as strong at the 30+ spot welds that were holding it on before as any strain is divided between them all.

From what I've read, and the advice from others more experienced than myself, the front core support isn't particularly structural so doesnt get stress put through it. Obviously it depends on who you ask, but I've seen no complaints from those who did a flimsier job of it than I have, despite them running a lot more power than I plan to.

Fingers crossed my feeling on this one is right, but time will tell! Needless to say I'll be keeping a keen eye on those rivnuts into the future to be sure.

[Alyman]

Amazing work - I've been watching some of the Youtube vids - really well presented and informative. I've learnt a lot!

I'm just in the process of reviewing and starting to deal with some problem areas on mine. Have been applying the ol' wire brush here and there and will be etch priming / seam sealing / top coating as appropriate. I'm conscious that I'll need to move under the car soon enough though - floor pans / front rails are starting to look a bit suspect here and there. Hopefully nothing serious, but it's a sign that stripping it back to investigate properly will be necessary soon.

If there are no actual holes (i.e. welding required) I'll probably try to deal with it myself - I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on potentially using the Dinitrol 447 underseal in aerosol format - I know you used a compressor/air, but I don't have access to one. Could you picture doing the job with aerosol instead of an air gun? Do you think it would present any additional challenges?

[martauto]

Hell that`s very impressive mate
Glad to see you are keeping the rev`s down when using cutting tools as they are only HSS at the very best but try and use a bit of lube such as WD40, this will give you better performance and longevity too.
In a front end collision you are looking are "shear" force for the original spot welds so what you have done is just as strong in my opinion.
Well Done that man

Mart.

[spannerrash]

Amazing work - I've been watching some of the Youtube vids - really well presented and informative. I've learnt a lot!

I'm just in the process of reviewing and starting to deal with some problem areas on mine. Have been applying the ol' wire brush here and there and will be etch priming / seam sealing / top coating as appropriate. I'm conscious that I'll need to move under the car soon enough though - floor pans / front rails are starting to look a bit suspect here and there. Hopefully nothing serious, but it's a sign that stripping it back to investigate properly will be necessary soon.

If there are no actual holes (i.e. welding required) I'll probably try to deal with it myself - I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on potentially using the Dinitrol 447 underseal in aerosol format - I know you used a compressor/air, but I don't have access to one. Could you picture doing the job with aerosol instead of an air gun? Do you think it would present any additional challenges?

Thank you, really glad you've been enjoying the vids!

I'll cross my fingers that none of the suspect areas on your E30 turn out to be rust holes, best to catch anything as early as possible though before it takes hold so wise to get on it. I consider myself very lucky with this shell, and even that had plenty of holes. So you'll be doing very well if you find none!

To be honest I've not got any experience using Diinitrol 447 from a can, but I suspect it still goes on well or they wouldn't supply it. I expect it'll be a fair amount more expensive per litre though which is probably the key point of difference.

I actually had some difficulties with it blocking the schutz gun between changing cans when using the compressor and schutz gun, so a plus to aerosol cans of it might be the avoidance of all that as you'll be on a fresh nozzle with each can.

Generally I've been really pleased with the results with 447, we'll see how it holds up over time, but all indications so far are positive.

[spannerrash]

Hell that`s very impressive mate
Glad to see you are keeping the rev`s down when using cutting tools as they are only HSS at the very best but try and use a bit of lube such as WD40, this will give you better performance and longevity too.
In a front end collision you are looking are "shear" force for the original spot welds so what you have done is just as strong in my opinion.
Well Done that man

Mart.

Awesome thanks Mart! I'll have to take note of that WD40 tip, not sure I've tried with that before but if it makes the tools last longer then ideal.

And I hope you're right about the bolts versus spot welds. All I can say is it feels rock solid when nipped up on the car. I'm expecting to have no issues at all, but we will see. There's always a few nay sayers with modifications like this.

[spannerrash]

I'm back with another E30 project update! I took the plunge and decided to spray the entire engine bay in 2k Epoxy Primer.

I've been deliberating about that and have been tempted to just leave the bay as a future project. I'm glad I decided to bite the bullet and spray it out though, it actually looks a million bucks all in one colour, even if just primer grey.

I really rate this Novol 2k Epoxy Primer, it's been brilliant to work with on various other projects over the years, and it delivered again for this engine bay. Despite the fact I was using the wrong spray gun really, and only just had the right amount of paint left to get it done!



As I say in the video, I'm feeling inspired to decide on a paint colour for this car so I can go ahead and get a colour on it. If you've got any interesting colour suggestions, do let me know because my mind is all over the place on it right now. It's one of the big unknowns for this build and it's turning out that I need to make a decision faster than I thought.

There have already been some good ones in the comments on the video. I'll keep you posted!

[chatstar123]

How about one of the TVR pearlescent colours? It's about time they came back into fashion!

[tha881]

In regards to the colour, are you attempting to do an oem looking build or something more custom looking?

First decision is do you go with a bmw colour? Secondly, do you go with an original e30 colour?
For a more retro look there are plenty of early e30 colours that help give the classic look, for example Henna Rot seems to be the most desirable red.

It also depends what interior you have to hand as that would play a large part in the decision.

My personal favourites are Dunkelblau, Zobelbraun or the alpina green and blue also

[flybynite]

In regards to the colour, are you attempting to do an oem looking build or something more custom looking?

First decision is do you go with a bmw colour? Secondly, do you go with an original e30 colour?
For a more retro look there are plenty of early e30 colours that help give the classic look, for example Henna Rot seems to be the most desirable red.

It also depends what interior you have to hand as that would play a large part in the decision.

My personal favourites are Dunkelblau, Zobelbraun or the alpina green and blue also

I agree, you have to decide what look you want. Ask 10 people what colour and you will get 30 results

Personally I think retro colours don't go well on a facelift. I have a henna chromie and would not have it any other colour but would not paint my faceift henna.

I think as it is a facelift with a modern engine I would use a modern colour. E36 engine how about E36 colour? Dakar yellow or Estoril blue?

But the original colour is not that bad either

[fixedwheelnut]

I'm back with another E30 project update! I took the plunge and decided to spray the entire engine bay in 2k Epoxy Primer.

I've been deliberating about that and have been tempted to just leave the bay as a future project. I'm glad I decided to bite the bullet and spray it out though, it actually looks a million bucks all in one colour, even if just primer grey.

I really rate this Novol 2k Epoxy Primer, it's been brilliant to work with on various other projects over the years, and it delivered again for this engine bay. Despite the fact I was using the wrong spray gun really, and only just had the right amount of paint left to get it done!



As I say in the video, I'm feeling inspired to decide on a paint colour for this car so I can go ahead and get a colour on it. If you've got any interesting colour suggestions, do let me know because my mind is all over the place on it right now. It's one of the big unknowns for this build and it's turning out that I need to make a decision faster than I thought.

There have already been some good ones in the comments on the video. I'll keep you posted!

I am a bit biased but I have done mine San Marino Blue, a modern 2017 colour but I love it, Calypso Red Metallic is also beautiful

As for your welding it is great don't worry, Sometimes pretty welds don't penetrate far enough, a good functional weld does the job Getting it pretty and functional is where the professionals earn their money



PS I don't mean this but you'll enjoy it

[fixedwheelnut]

At risk of it being a diversion from the actual goal, I talked myself into doing the conversion to removable front core support. With the plans to M52 swap this E30 build, it seemed like something I'd thank myself for down the line.

It turned out to be a much longer job than I anticipated, I must've taken that front radiator support on and off the car in excess of 100 times before the end, but I'm actually really pleased with the result. This should defiinitely make putting the engine in and out a breeze in the future.



Next is to think about painting it up with proper epoxy primer rather than just etch in a can, then I can stop worrying about it trying to rust on me straight away.

Would a C101 plug have enough pins in it for a wiring connecter? as well as being insulated it would look neat and period too

I took my M30 3.5 out of the top but going back in after paint I opted to put it in from underneath on the subframe, a removable front would definitely make maintenance a lot easier.

[BenHar]

Calypsorot!

Ben