Saving a chromie

[P_VIDDY]

So I purchased my first chromie. Car had been stood for 5 years and is in a poor state.... Here's some pictures from the advert





Fortunately once I got the car on the ramp for a full inspection it was in fantastic condition underneath. So is pretty much mostly cosmetic work.

I have had the car a few months and done LOTS I'll try and get you all up to date with progress so far over the next few days.

First thing... Interior! The interior was minging to say the least. The parcel shelf had holes cut in and had been filled with expanding foam?!?! The passenger seat was torn and was different fabric. And was stained and horrid!



Parcel shelf repair:





Rear seats and carpet just needed a good clean:


Managed to source some matching front sports seats...



New steering wheel(will have it re trimmed at a later date):



Got to do a small repair to drivers seat and fit my rear head rest then interior pretty much done.

I'll get some updates of the bodywork put up soon as lots has been done however posting images is quite time consuming haha

[KIRIEIW]

I like it! Did you also get a passenger sport seat?

[jimbom30cab]

Super car there and great work, love it !

[P_VIDDY]

Thanks. Yes I got a pair of sport seats. Pic above is passenger. I am currently repairing the worn bolster on the drivers seat.

[bss325i]

Nice!

2dr chromie 325's are getting thin on the ground.

[Simon13]

they've been thin on the ground for over 10 years, it looks lowered a touch?

nice work so far!

[P_VIDDY]

Yeah don't see many. Both rear coil springs are broken. Will be getting replaced with lowering suspension anyway.

[P_VIDDY]

Restoring the plastics...




Chrome bumpers are in great condition

[P_VIDDY]

Small patch of rust on the sill turned into a hole...

[jimmyspeed]

once you start digging you will find tonnes off rust!!! i can see some rippling on the rear arch on the photo, so more fun there, i also see you have no sunroof which will minimise alot off the internal problems definetly a good thing

impressive work on the plastics i had a quick go on my scuttle vents but got no where near as good a result - how did you do it ?

[P_VIDDY]

Rear valance turned into a massive hole...







Further battle against rust...






Most of the welding is all done now. Plan to start the prep work this week ready for the respray. I have never really done bodywork so I have a mate coming to help me and he will then spray it for me when it's done. Some times you just have to know when to call in the professionals haha

[P_VIDDY]

One step ahead of you with the arch jimmy speed haha had the car a few months now so just backdating the images so far. Trims are very easy. I just used some fine wet and dry then sprayed with satin black paint. Look standard but fresh

[Speedtouch]

Nice looking project. How many miles has it done?

[P_VIDDY]

Thanks. 139k so high but not too high. Engine runs sweet. No worn suspension. No underbody corrosion. No leaks(engine,diff etc)

I have done lots of other little jobs too it but id be here all day listing them haha I'll try keep this up to date now. This is how it stands now...

[Sanchez]

139k is probably below average, not high at all.

Lots of 5/10years old cars done that already. Nice refurb glad it's getting the treatment it deserves and back on the road.

[Jarno]

Replacing the rear valance is a surprisingly straightforward job compared to repairing small bits here and there. Well that really applies to just about any body part.
Plugging holes with pieces always involves lot of fitting (if done well), seam welding and grinding it down. In lots of cases you won't be able to grind/tidy up/paint the back side of welds, and that's where it'll start rusting again.

[P_VIDDY]

That part of the valance is accessible from the back with the battery removed so has been treated and painted both sides.

[Jarno]

Didn't mean to put down your work with that rant .

[P_VIDDY]

No worries. I know what your saying and agree. A full rear panel would have been better.

[Sanchez]

I've just repaired a small patch on the outer wheel arch as wondered how to keep the inside rust free with no access. I've fill the cavity with krust then painted zinc weld through paint and hope it will last.

[Jarno]

I've just repaired a small patch on the outer wheel arch as wondered how to keep the inside rust free with no access. I've fill the cavity with krust then painted zinc weld through paint and hope it will last.

I've no idea what krust is, but 2 component paint is the only way to go. Primer will have good contact with the metal and outer layer will make it water/oxygen proof. Bit difficult to explain what I'm getting at with my english skills. Anyway, some spraycan stuff with no separate hardener takes a year to dry/shrink, it'll never have good contact to the metal surface. And the next layers (may) peel or crack off.

End of OT on my part, not meaning to hijack your thread OP! That's a very, very good looking car you have there.

[P_VIDDY]

Chilling with a fellow chromie..

[P_VIDDY]

Managed to get a few hours in this weekend with help from Calum (zone name-mercdriver) - huge thanks a‘a

Sarted prepping it ready for paint. Sadly the car has to get worse before it gets better. But isn't that always the case





History...
27 years worth of paint haha


Further rust found and repaired





Unfortunately a keep finding more and more rust on the rear panel. Now not sure if to carry on and patch a couple more bits or if to just replace full rear panel?!



To top it off my new(used) welder is playing up so welding is a nightmare!

[Mitchen]

Personally I'd do the whole panel. Car looks brilliant though!

[P_VIDDY]

Yeah would be better it's just a very daunting task haha need to have a proper look what would be involved and decide from there

[jimmyspeed]

take a look at the e30 chat section 91 318is by splitS is doing a thorough job to the rear panels - he's swapped the whole lot

barring that a sandblaster is THE best way to remove slight rust it saves cutting out every little rusty section, its also the messiest

i don't know if you plan on removing the glass screens for the respray but its really quick, takes minutes - i haven't put mine back in yet but i can't see it being a problem either

[Duke137]

Looking good fella

[Jarno]

Yeah would be better it's just a very daunting task haha need to have a proper look what would be involved and decide from there

-Get all seams and spot welds exposed with a wire brush etc.
-Drill out spot welds, grind down that brass or what ever is soldered to the seams.
-Cut along the vertical seams so that a thin slice of rearpanel remains on the seam.
-Remove scrap metal, straighten/tidy up mating surfaces. If you're welding, apply a thin coat of weld thru zinc paint. Personally I'd use panel bonding adhesive not welding if I was doing this a second time..
-Fit new panel, check with rear lid and rear lights mounted that everything fits.
-Attach it with your chosen method, using 547 vise grips to hold everything in place.

Once you're done you'll realize that the rear panel is hidden behind lights, rear lid, rear bumper, license plate..
I recommend using 3M 08800 two part sprayable sealer on the rear panel. It leaves close to original looking surface. Looks something like this: http://petrolhead.kuvat.fi/kuvat/BMW+31 ... 105729.jpg
Picture is from my friend's car that we fixed.

[P_VIDDY]

That's a nice repair you have done. Unfortunately the rust had traveled further then what a new repair panel would of covered. A friend kindly donated a very good repair piece so I could cut out some of the patching I had already done and remove the rest of the rust. Might not be a oem repair however when it's painted it will look mint and is now 100% rust free so will not bubble again in a couple of years.

This mornings antics...

[Duke137]

Was that tail piece off Cal?

[P_VIDDY]

Yes ferg. Come in handy

[jimbom30cab]

very nice fabrication work there !!

[E30BeemerLad]

Nice work.

[Cooper87]

Love the new seas, big improvement. Can I come take a look some time?

[SilverShadow]

Restoring the plastics...




Chrome bumpers are in great condition

What did you use to restore the plastics?