Body work noob here, could use some advice.

[Dommedag]

currently driving a 1988 325i Convertible.

first step is to fix a mediocre sized dent on the right side of the car, not sure what happened to it, looks like damage from a side swipe or something similar. not bad though.

after that's done, my mission is to do a plastic conversion to the front and rear aluminum bumpers. the rear one is cracked and on the verge of breaking in half.

any suggestions of what the best choices are in terms of body modification I can do? What should I know before doing this and obviously since I have no experience doing this, would it be best to find a shop that could do the extensive modification for me?

sorry for long post, I'm not very familiar with body modification but I have an idea what I want to do and that's gotta count for something.

[Regnar75]

my 2 cents. the dent in the side depends on exactly the location and type of dent. if it has any creases in it or broke the paint then paint less dent removal probably wont work (other wise there are some mobile guys that do it with great results but can get expensive) if its on a fender or door maybe look into replacing as opposed to fixing it (might be cheaper to get a same color door from a parts car, i spent $200 on PDR for a dent about the size of a football for a newer toyota tacoma) and as for converting to plastic bumpers (im sure someone a bit more knowledgeable with verts can step in here) but if i remember correctly, 1988 e30s are pretty much plug and play when it come to DB to plastic swaps... you can save yourself a ton of money finding a DIY on this forums (theres tons of them) of people doing this exact swap, plus youll feel better when you have more money in your pocket and a great looking car you did yourself. just utilize the search function and i promise youll get results. good luck


also with paint less dent removal the structural integrity of the dented area is weakened, and while it may not be a structurally important part of the vehicle i have been warned by PDR guys that if the dent really needs to be worked out then its more susceptible to denting again, even from say power washing your car.

[Dommedag]

From what I can tell, the dent, although somewhat large, is mostly fine on paint. It looks scuffed but the paint does not seem to be removed except for a spot or two here and there that are no bigger than say a BB. I would think you could do paint less dent removal and buff out the scuffs. but it is right at the right door and rear fender, so it might be a good idea to try and fix the door and then just get a new fender.

Thanks for your advice, man.

[Regnar75]

you mean right door and rear quarter panel? not sure how you would just get a new one of those lol might be worth replacing door (again based on amount of damage) and rear quarter panel if its near a seam like window or something might be easy for a PDR guy to fix. pictures tell a 1000 words tho.


correction* just reread what you said, rear fender, rear of the fender ha ok yea might be easier to just replace depending on your car color. or hell front fenders are super thin and light. might even be able to get the dent out yourself

[Dommedag]

Yeah it's the quarter panel lol you had it right the first time. Most of the dent is on the quarter panel while there is a little bit towards the end of the door. I'll try to get a picture up asap. My initial thought was to get wide body quarter to replace the right side and of course do the same to the undamaged left side. although I'm not sure how well that would go.

[Regnar75]

i guess it all depends on what you want your car to look like. im probably one of the few people who prefers a regular e30 body over the m-body style. but in my experience some PDR guys you can just send a picture of the dent to them and they give you a quote. also maybe you can just use a plunger :P

[Dommedag]

after some looking around, it might be better to try and contact a PDR and see what I'm quoted and then afterwards just stick with the DB to plastic conversion. I don't really want to drop a lot of money on rims to fit the wide body.

Here's a decent pic of the drivers side, gotta wash it up and take some shots of the dent

[Regnar75]

looks good man, why go plastic?

[Dommedag]

looks good man, why go plastic?

No real good reason, I just like the plastic stuff a little more. Just a personal taste preference.

oh yeah, any clue if the Fiberwerkz FRP bumpers/skirts are worth the price?

[Regnar75]

not too sure, ive seen the thread on it, had a lot of questions about quality and fitment but not so many answers, or so it seemed. check out the thread they have and PM them. im sure someone has bought pieces and posted pictures or reviews

[Dommedag]

not too sure, ive seen the thread on it, had a lot of questions about quality and fitment but not so many answers, or so it seemed. check out the thread they have and PM them. im sure someone has bought pieces and posted pictures or reviews

I'll have to do another search, then. Not sure where I saw, but I'm pretty sure I saw something about like the Mtech2 rear bumpers being a little too long or something like that, might not have been the Mtech specific.

[Dommedag]

here's a quick pic of the passenger side.



hope the pic is pretty decent, it was kinda wet out when I took this and I was kinda in a rush.