My 316 touring

[AndyB]

Hi everyone I thought I would share my journey with you

[Cloggy Saint]

Pictures aren't working!

[AndyB]

i realise ill start again !! lol

[AndyB]

Hi everyone I thought I would share my journey with you
People may or may not be interested but if it helps anyone it's worthwhile

I bought this touring around 3 years ago with M.O.T with intentions of just using it but decided it needed sorting a little

So I put the front up on axle stands to do the holes in the floor
But realised I have opened a world of pain!

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Its not brilliant but I have seen worse

Andrew

[AndyB]

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[AndyB]

I have never welded before this project but decide to give it a go!!
Please go easy on me

I think i done a fair job... at least its more solid than it was

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[AndyB]

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Bought Lots of new parts to go on but think i jumped the gun a little

[AndyB]

As you can also see im learning how to create a Thread at the same time

[iDemonix]

Hi from FB Andy!

If your car was silver I'd say this thread was a clone of mine! I've finished the O/S footwell, doing the N/S this week, then it's on to under the ABS unit and washer bottle, then sills!

On your floor corners, have you (or are you going to) weld an additional piece for the lower mounting points/holes of the wings?

[AndyB]

Hey dan!!

Yeh im going to try and recreate all neccessary fixing points for the wings
Also need to fix some little suds that the inner liner fixes too ... them little threaded studs because mine all came off

Like yourself i feel this becoming a long journey
Was hoping to have this on the road by the end of next month so if i want that to be possible i need to get busy!!

Your welds look a lot better than mine im wondering where im going wrong

[iDemonix]

I'd say our welds are pretty much the same, yours look smoother in places!

Those studs also crumbled away the second I touched them on mine. I was thinking of drilling a hole, banging a small piece of threaded bar, spot weld to hold it and job done.

[AndyB]

I did grind them down a lot to make them look something
need a bit more practice before outer bodywork

I was thinking maybe get some thin screws then cutting the head off then tacking them on then cutting to length.... maybe that will work

[iDemonix]

Something like that, as long as it works! Need to source the little black top hat plastic screws as I've loads that need replacing...

[AndyB]

just bought those off ebay under 4 quid for 20
I just searched "BMW E30 plastic nuts" funnily enough worked out

[AndyB]

Just a small update and looking for some advice

Bought Some good second hand panels from Brutus on here ready for when the welding is finished

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2 genuine wings in excellent conition also a valance in ecellent condition
Plus a bonus that they are all stone chipped and primered ready for paint

Also got a touring tailgate off of Paul Ivatts ( Not sure of Zone name) Is very good condition with miminal rust in my colour too

Also the advice i need is how do i go about repairing this section?

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It seems it will be tricky shaping a peice of steel to suit...Is there a repair panel for this part or will i have to just try and shape it out of flat steel?
If anyone has any pictures of the process it will be greatly appreciated or any advice is welcome

Andy

[iDemonix]

Hi Andy,

I did this exact repair patch on mine, on both sides - I just finished the N/S this weekend, and the O/S was the first welding I did to the car a year or so ago. My advice is just keep wire wheeling and then start stabbing with a screwdriver, cut all of it out in as neat, straight lines as you can, then just make patches out of sheet metal. Get the washer bottle removed, headlights, strip that area and see what you're left with.





Not perfect, but it was my first patch and it's held for a year and looks the same as the day I finished it.



Here you can see all the patches/welding I did. After this pic I primered it all again, then some silver metallic aerosol + lacquer, should hopefully last...

[AndyB]

Hey looks good
Now I have seen how you have broken it down it looks a lot clearer and feel a bit more confident

What seam sealer are you using?
I need to get some really as at the moment I'm just spraying with zinc primer and using 3m underseal spray which I'm concerned hasn't sealed it properly

Thanks

[iDemonix]

I'm using U-Pol Tiger Seal on mine. I use weld-through zinc primer when I need to weld in an area again, but once done I spray a couple of layers of epoxy primer, then either silver aerosol + lacquer, or stonechip + waxoyl. No idea if this is the best method, but it's what's working for me.

[rix313]

I'm using U-Pol Tiger Seal on mine. I use weld-through zinc primer when I need to weld in an area again, but once done I spray a couple of layers of epoxy primer, then either silver aerosol + lacquer, or stonechip + waxoyl. No idea if this is the best method, but it's what's working for me.

This is great info for me! Thanks

[rix313]

Actually my next question is what thickness material did you use for the repairs?

[iDemonix]

0.8mm sheet metal and a mix of 0.6mm and 0.8mm wire.

[AndyB]

I used 1.2 mm for underneath with .8 wire

[rix313]

Thanks guys. I’ve got some 0.8mm pieces but was recommended 1.2 as well by some one else I guess I would rather use 1.2 for the strength, see if I can get my hands on some.