Rust repair question??

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Bought a e30 with intentions of doing a m5x swap. Before I do the swap I want to make sure the body is in good condition so it calls for some rust repair:(. My question is from a stand point of having 0 body work experience how hard would it be to repair the rust on this car? As far as I know and until I strip her down the rust has be contained to the right rear on the wheel arch and just under the tail light. To repair this do I need to fab ne panels or will so bondo and a quick re spray fix my problem?








Sorry for pic sizes don't know how to make smaller.

[AndrewBird]

You need to cut the bad metal out and weld in new. Not something someone with no experience can do. Best to have a body shop do it.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

You need to cut the bad metal out and weld in new. Not something someone with no experience can do. Best to have a body shop do it.

Could any of it be done with bondo is the best option cutting the metal out. I know some people that could help I'm just trying I eliminate the shop cause shops charge way to much.

[M-technik-3]

I spy some Hartge multisplit. shame to see a nice early euro rusty.

[cabriodster87]

If you are determined, you can teach yourself. With the right equipment its not that bad.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

That's my plan me and my dad are going to bring this euro back to life.

[ravenlord89]

Are you looking to make a 100% perfect car, or make an awesome daily that you did all the work to yourself.

If the later here is my advice.

Go out and buy yourself a MIG welder. 110V will be fine for learning and body work. Use .023 wire and 25%/75% CO2/ Argon. sheilding gas is key here. You will not be able to do body work with a flux core welder. I have a Thermalarc 140 that I really like, but I have heard nothing but good things from Lincon and Millar. Buy a sheet of body metal. 4x8 will be plenty.

Learn how to weld on larger chunks of metal, then once you think you have the control needed start cutting into the sheet of body metal and start making some shapes with it. You will be very adept at turning metal into vapour at first. This is normal. After you are confident in your abilities start cutting the rot out.

I will assure you it will be at a minimum 2 times worse then the visible rust looks like. Once all, and I mean all, of the rot has been cut out, start rebuilding the pinchwelds and reinforcement areas. Just use basic geometric shapes and as little metal as you can get away with. After you have that finished start cutting the shapes necessary for the body and weld those into the car. Remember the fewer pieces of metal and thus less welding the better. After all that add a thin layer of bondo on top to smooth everything over and paint. Will not be perfect unless you are an idiot savant at body work, but it will be done by you and will stave off the rust.

A site I love for reference and ideas on how to bring something rotted to crap back from the dead; http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/
I've rebuilt entire rockers on a Subaru Outback and the rear drivers side quarter panel, which were both far worse then what you have.

Good luck.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Are you looking to make a 100% perfect car, or make an awesome daily that you did all the work to yourself.

If the later here is my advice.

Go out and buy yourself a MIG welder. 110V will be fine for learning and body work. Use .023 wire and 25%/75% CO2/ Argon. sheilding gas is key here. You will not be able to do body work with a flux core welder. I have a Thermalarc 140 that I really like, but I have heard nothing but good things from Lincon and Millar. Buy a sheet of body metal. 4x8 will be plenty.

Learn how to weld on larger chunks of metal, then once you think you have the control needed start cutting into the sheet of body metal and start making some shapes with it. You will be very adept at turning metal into vapour at first. This is normal. After you are confident in your abilities start cutting the rot out.

I will assure you it will be at a minimum 2 times worse then the visible rust looks like. Once all, and I mean all, of the rot has been cut out, start rebuilding the pinchwelds and reinforcement areas. Just use basic geometric shapes and as little metal as you can get away with. After you have that finished start cutting the shapes necessary for the body and weld those into the car. Remember the fewer pieces of metal and thus less welding the better. After all that add a thin layer of bondo on top to smooth everything over and paint. Will not be perfect unless you are an idiot savant at body work, but it will be done by you and will stave off the rust.

A site I love for reference and ideas on how to bring something rotted to crap back from the dead; http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/
I've rebuilt entire rockers on a Subaru Outback and the rear drivers side quarter panel, which were both far worse then what you have.

Good luck.

I'm just trying to make an awesome daily we have access to a welder. Also my moms friend does body work as a hobby and may help.

[AndrewBird]

Bondo is design for MINOR dent repair, not covering up rusted panels. If you don't get rid of all the rust, it will come back and bubble up through the paint.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Bondo is design for MINOR dent repair, not covering up rusted panels. If you don't get rid of all the rust, it will come back and bubble up through the paint.

Good to know. See I really don't know anything about body but I'm more than willing to learn.

[Gertech]

Your best bet in my opinion would be to cut those sections out of a car at the yard and weld them in to yours. Make sure to cut plenty of metal out of the donor car so you have enough to cover the rusted area of your car. This is how I fixed a similar rust spot on my car. I used a section cut from a spare driver's side front fender I had.


Rust repair 1 by Bret Gerding, on Flickr


Rust repair 2 by Bret Gerding, on Flickr

[jharrel]

i bought an entire parts car for the floor pans. mine are rusted :(

[bradnic]

Are you going to keep posting progress on this ? Very interested as I'm in the same boat. Swapping out the rad support rear tail panel and rockers on my IX coupe. Picked up a Lincoln 180 and plan to do the sheet metal replacement myself.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Are you going to keep posting progress on this ? Very interested as I'm in the same boat. Swapping out the rad support rear tail panel and rockers on my IX coupe. Picked up a Lincoln 180 and plan to do the sheet metal replacement myself.

Still in the process of deciding if I want a shop to do it or if I'm gonna tackle it I wanna get everything figured out before I strip it down and repair/repsray it

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Just a update i got to work on the car and started taking the body kit on only to find out I need a new Quarter panel and rocker panel, it also looks like I'm going to need some of the passenger side trunk floor.