Revive a wrecked or rusted 325ix??

[Jonathonml]

Hey all, Looking for some insights on which route I should take for restoring one of my iX’s.. I have two 91 iX’s, one very rusty iX planned on using as a winter beater that runs and drives and another crashed iX because it came with a manual swap set. I’m thinking about doing a full restoration on the crashed iX.

Other than the front end damage, which has frame and inner wheelhouse damage the car is clean(no rust, great paint and clean interior) and has service records back to ~100 miles. The previous owner bought it crashed with intentions of restoring but only got as far as drilling out the front valance before selling it to me. I will have to either pull some of the frame from my beater car or source new, NLA, parts to pull the frame and replace the inner wheelhouse, covering plate, fender, etc.

Am I crazy for wanting to restore the crashed iX? I could just drive the beater until it rolls out of the rusted shell but I’m itching for a full restoration(last one was a 1979 Chevrolet Monza) and if it doesn’t put me in the hole too much, I want to start diving in. I’ll attach photos of the damage so you can see what I’m working with.

Let me know your guys thoughts, especially if anyone has went through front end repair on these. Talk me into it or out of it. Thanks in advance.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rzerob]

I say as long as the shock towers are straight, go for it. Sell the other ix and fix this one for a winter beater.

[ForcedFirebird]

That's not as bad as it looks. Find a good shop with an experienced frame machine operator. I have seen much, much, worse than that come back and live again - several of them Spec e30's. We have a local that does a lot of the guys' race cars - he is pretty versed in e30's by now, he has straightened two for me personally (one strut tower had to be moved almost 1/2").

[Jonathonml]

That's not as bad as it looks. Find a good shop with an experienced frame machine operator. I have seen much, much, worse than that come back and live again - several of them Spec e30's. We have a local that does a lot of the guys' race cars - he is pretty versed in e30's by now, he has straightened two for me personally (one strut tower had to be moved almost 1/2").

I’m gonna have a frame/body guy come look at it this week. Do you think these strut towers are salvageable given the front portion being crinkled? I would have thought I would have needed the whole inner strut tower/wheelhouse assembly but not positive. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rzerob]

I’m gonna have a frame/body guy come look at it this week. Do you think these strut towers are salvageable given the front portion being crinkled? I would have thought I would have needed the whole inner strut tower/wheelhouse assembly but not positive. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It is hard to make that call from pictures much less the pictures that you have provided unless it is obvious. Just wait until the frame guy comes and checks it out and see what he says.

[Jonathonml]

That’s fair, thanks for the input. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ForcedFirebird]

Yup, leave it to the professionals. One of my buddies race car needed the strut tower welded in, but again, a quality frame guy can make it like it never happened. I seen a whole trunk grafted on, many radiator supports, several frame stretches etc. Don't take the lowest quote, get a few, prices will be all over the place, ask to see work etc, all the usual. Just a little more difficult to find ix donor metal. We have an ix at the shop right now that's got "Fred Flintstone" syndrome, and we are saving it in spite if frame rail damage. :(