complete Bare shell restoration,

[e30topless]

Has anyone done this ?

I have been looking at a company that strips the paint/underseal ect away and back to bare metal.. they then coat the whole shell in another rustproofing dip or something,

I sure I read somewhere on the zone that they had a shell done and it came back fooked dented and twisted

this is the company I might use.. http://www.surfaceprocessing.co.uk/index.html

and this is how it's done...


http://www.youtube.com/user/surfaceprocessing

[DanThe]

take a look at X works thread

[adit]

erm...how's that exactly Steve?

[DanThe]

Probably the same company, it was defo somewhere in Dudlllaaaaayy

[e30topless]

Probably the same company, it was defo somewhere in Dudlllaaaaayy

thought I had seen it somewhere.. !

[jaymos]

How much does it cost to get this done?

[e30topless]

£700 to dip it and £800 to coat it ,

[jaymos]

£700 to dip it and £800 to coat it ,

On that basis, im out!

[gjj107]

practical classics mag have just done this to a mk2 jag its a serious bit of restoration i reckon and only for those prepared to spend far more than i can!!

[daimlerman]

I guess that this sort of process,properly carried out,gives your resto project the kind of life-span that a current build car enjoys.

Take a deep breath,drop trousers and think of the years ahead with a rot free shell!

[jaymos]

I guess that this sort of process,properly carried out,gives your resto project the kind of life-span that a current build car enjoys.

Take a deep breath,drop trousers and think of the years ahead with a rot free shell!

that is true, its a big hit on the wallet but just think of a nice rot free shell. ahhhh bliss.

[Rodderz]

If I had the inclination to strip my car down completely I would deffo go down that route!

[mick_318is]

Before you do check out some other forums!

I was also thinking of getting this done and did a bit of research.

I am not entirely against it, however its worth reading about some of the negative experiences as well.

On the plus side I did notice in this months Practical Classics they are now offering a guarantee of several years as well.

[e21Jason]

I think the issue was the shell picking up a few dings as it gets shifted around the factory.

[e30topless]

Before you do check out some other forums!

I was also thinking of getting this done and did a bit of research.

I am not entirely against it, however its worth reading about some of the negative experiences as well.

On the plus side I did notice in this months Practical Classics they are now offering a guarantee of several years as well.

the coating they use looks good, excellent way to do it , inside the box sections ect....
I would imagine I would still need to seam seal the joints and use an underseal, would be nice to replicate the BMW stuff but that's difficult,

my latest car has been stripped down to the bare bones but I would like to go that bit further with my next one,

just read from page 3 on, of the x works M3, it's very inspiring stuff !

[spook]

If your planning on keeping the car for a long time you might as well go for it, is it the 333i Steve?.

[max_crox]

I'm currently restoring a mk2 Polo (www.mk2polo.co.uk) and this had crossed my mind. I think it depends on how much rust is on the car to start with. If its not too bad then you might as well just grind/cut it out. And its not just the cost of dipping you have to add to the restoration but the time to get every single bit off the shell and putting it back most likely with new ones i.e. all the sound deadening, clips, dash, etc and then transport to and from the place. It soon adds up.

Also they dip it and the coat it in zinc primer stuff and then you repair it but then you really should coat it in zinc again to cover all the repairs. You also have to add in the cost of adding all the under seal again, etc.

It does give you total peace of mind but and a cost!

[Rallyprep_UK]

x works M3 is off the hook, check it out if you are reading this and have not !

[e30topless]

If your planning on keeping the car for a long time you might as well go for it, is it the 333i Steve?.

yes it is Chris,

OK so after a bit more research it seems there are quite a few companies that do this,

Surface Processing of Dudley are the leaders in this field, but on a lot of different Forums.. chaps are complaining about extra holes being drilled? and dents/forklift marks in the roof
they also have a 7-9 week waiting list ! fook that,

I have found another firm they have a reasonable time scale !
http://prostrip.co.uk/content/view/14/28/

and a company only a few miles from me have a system where they "bake" all the paint off ? has anyone heard of this system ?

http://www.paint-strip.co.uk/strip_auto.html

[Simon13]

kind of wish sometimes i'd done this on mine now. But it wasn't a complete tea bag

not sure the bottom link looks as good as the other one?

[Dezzy]

Folk lift marks and extra holes. No thanks!!!

Steve you will never own it long enough to get the benifit. You know what your like

[daimlerman]

Thing is though,that this process,properly carried out,and the car properly built to a high standard,should be reflected in it's value if it is ever offered for sale.

Of course,as proper enthusiasts,we do not consider the potential re-sale value of a project whilst throwing all of our available cash in it's general direction!

With E30,as with most elderly BMW models,we enjoy an almost unrivalled parts availability,BMW's refusal to re-manufacture body shells will force the concours restorer down this route in time anyway....

[HenryM3]

Think now many people admire a good E30 today, think how few there will be in another 10/15 years and if you had one that was still vertually rust free and over 30 years old you would look back at the money you spent today and I'm sure you would feel like you made the right decision. Compared to what it would cost for a new car today of the same quality as your E30 it probably isn't that expensive. aaaThe new car you buy now, in 10/15 years it probably wouldn't get a second clance(if it was still on the road) but your E30 would probably draw a crowd.

[e30topless]

I have owned these turds for quite a few years I got my first in 1989/90 I intend to still own one in another 20 years, sadly there seems to be a massive decline in "good cars" in the last 6 or 7 years , nearly every E30 I see is rotton !

I personally don't think you can do enough to stop/fix rot, these shitters hardly need an excuse to rust

[HenryM3]

surely all the more reason to do a full restore, especially if your still going to own one in 20 years. Because things have moved on ie anti rust treatment zinc dips etc the car restored today will actually stop rusting (at least for a few days) and last even longer.

[scott180gtb]

It makes me laugh when you see cars advertised as rust free! Unless these cars have been in japan (No salt) garaged and never driven in the rain, then if you looked hard enough I'm positive you could find rust on nearly all e30's out there.

Proper restoration takes deep pockets. I think there are a lot of turds out there that look shiny until you get close and get you screwdriver out. (stand back)

How many turds are going to make it through the next winter with all the salt that's been slung down?

One thing is for sure e30 numbers are only going one way.

There is also a lot of repair work that is sub standard. Its no good welding a plate over already rusty metal. Cut and paste is what is need and done properly it costs.

I'm still not convinced on the shell dipping thing. It takes balls to completely gut a shell and can you ever replace the factory look?

Steve is doing some serious restoration work and I tip my hat to him. I am personally going to be keeping a close eye on his efforts. We could all learn a thing a two about the dipping if he takes the plunge.

Ball's of steel Steve (and rust )