Rusty inner arches

Post Sat Sep 24, 2005 11:38 pm

Hi, i have an E30 320i its a G reg 1990,

the inner arches are rusted through on the rears i want to know if this is structural or not, i.e. will the car pass its MOT?

i havent had the car on the road for a while but to get the work done it would be a lot easier if it was legal on the road to take it to bodyshops for quotes and what not.

Thanks in advance, Tobe

Post Sat Sep 24, 2005 11:42 pm

how bad is it?
if its the inner arch lip then thats ok but of its rusty up round the shock mount or down by the front towards sill then it will need some work

Post Sat Sep 24, 2005 11:56 pm

hmm its pretty bad but towards the outside, where the inner arch meets the lip, its not near to the struts. if i could figure out how to post pics then it might make it easier to tell, any ideas how i do it?

Cheers, Tobe

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:09 am

use a site such as www.imageshack.us to host the pics, then copy and paste the image link into your reply message on here

i find it best to copy the "direct image link" then paste into message,
highlight the link and click Img tab and it will insert the tags if not you can type them manually like this... [img]image%20link%20here[/img]

re the rusty arches, if its just the inside lip then its not like mot failure but i would get them sorted either properly with new metal or even with some fibreglass filler then underseal as long as you get rid of the worst rusty metal, at least that way it wont get worse with the wet weather coming

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:20 am

sweet thanks, ill try it

This is the worst of the 2 arches, pics taked looking towards the rear of the car.

Thanks for the help

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:26 am

think its too big for the site, maybe use the thumbnail link...

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:29 am

looks quite bad that arch mate, and the outer lip doesn`t look too clever either.

hows you car bodywork skills? new metal to weld in or a mega bodge with some glass fibre filler i think mate.

also have a check in the boot behind the wheel arch carpet trim and check for rust around the shock mounts

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 3:14 pm

ill have a check on inside the boot mate, thing is the car is at home and im at uni at the minute so its not easy. my welding skills are ok, so i might try to weld some new plate into the worst areas, do as good a job as i can with that then maybe use fibre glass to smooth it all over. working inside the arches is such a nightmare tho just because of the position you have to get in.

The car is actually for sale but most people are well put off by the rust and the fact that it has no MOT but i am desperate for the cash but looks like i might just have to be patient and get the work done before an MOT, then i can decide if i want to keep her or not.

Car is mint apart from the rust, 54k, 1 owner from new, Full SH just wish it was tidier.

Thanks for your replies, Tobe.

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 4:09 pm

Hi mate,
if it was me i would do the work.
jack the rear up and support on axle stands, then take off the wheel and get busy with the grinder, then weld in some metal, smooth over with filler then underseal the whole arch,

i would drain the fuel tank or make sure its fairly empty as you will be welding near to the tank

Post Sun Sep 25, 2005 6:11 pm

thats how mine are aswell mate, exactly the same from the looks of it. not got round to welding them yet... since its a lovely awkward shape

Post Mon Sep 26, 2005 12:31 pm

I had a fair rust hole on the inner arach through to the boot. As I can't weld myself I paid for it. Ãƒ”šÃ‚£120 I think it cost...I then painted it myself. I now have confidence though that my strut isn;t going to break free from the arch on a track day, and that it is not going to rust again for a while!