Crazy rust

[ravenlord89]

Mine was worse.

Go buy yourself a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder, the best 140 MIG welder you can afford with gas, a few spools of .023 or .025 wire, and 20 gauge steel sheet 4'x8'. Also a bench vise, many pairs of vise grips, body hammers, and a sheet metal break if you can afford one (cheap harbor freight will do), drill with many drill bits... I am forgetting lots but you get the point.

Dismantle the car as far as you can/ are willing to. Ideally all of it. Find all of the rust. There is more than what you have found. That isn't discouragement, that is fact. There is always more and it will run deeper then what you think.

Watch this in its entirety; https://www.youtube.com/user/badobsessionmsport

Read all of this; http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/mig.htm

Then start cutting, forming and welding. Prep work, good cutting discs and flapper wheels will make life much easier. Cut it all out. Leave nothing that is even slightly suspect behind.

Post results on forum, bask in praise.

[Jeff2886]

I had similar rust in mine. I just cut out the front floors and welded in a flat panel.
Check under your rear seats too. I had 4 holes above my gas tank and I just discovered one at the bottom rear edge of my transmission tunnel under the sound deadening.

Looks like you have a great opportunity to practice using an angle grinder, welder, and perfect those single arm (beer) curls.

[Stanley Rockafella]

...just part it out and be done with it.

[_JDizzle_]

Is this a question?

I dont understand how the rust got thos bad if theres no water getting in

[Stanley Rockafella]

We just got some rain and i went to go check if the inside was wet...nope bone dry.???

Is this a question?

[_JDizzle_]

We just got some rain and i went to go check if the inside was wet...nope bone dry.???

[15Michaeljoseph]

It's bad, but it's pretty contained, and fixable.


--Mike

[_JDizzle_]

the wind shield.

[_JDizzle_]

this is in the wheel well
This last one i dont see any other place that shows where water is getting in. Other than the wind shield but there is only a tiny little peice missing.

[rturbo 930]

Best bet is to get a plug off another car with a good one. Maybe this dude can help you out - see if he can cut out the floor, and plug for you. He's in Socal so there's probably no rust. http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=345365

[_JDizzle_]

Yeah, thought so. How badly is it pitted where it hasn't rusted through? Looks like it's not too bad towards the rear, and only gets really bad towards where your feet rest. Can you tell what caused it to rust, ie, bad windshield gasket, leaky heater core, etc? Reason being, if you don't address the cause, the rust is just gonna come back again later. And before you do anything, take out your wheel well liner, and see what it looks like where the wheel housing meets the firewall - seems like it's common for that to be an issue on E30s with bad rust, but it might not be showing on the inside yet. Check the first post here: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=225093 I'm just wondering if there's a hole higher up on your firewall that's letting water in.

Depending how much you have to replace you could probably replace it with some sheet metal (not ideal, but it would be work), or if you need to replace the entire area, it might be better to get someone to cut the floor out of a wrecked car with good floors. And then of course you need to weld it in - a MIG will work.

The fender is off. At the back of the wheel well there is a small hole where it meets the firewall right behind the clutch pedal. Its not too bad where the seat is but on the side closest to the door is gettkng bad but its still solid i knocked anything that wasent solid out and scrubed with a 1 dollar wire brush so i could address it. The previous owner attempted to rally it so maybe something went through the floor? Otherwise i have no clue what caused it theres no signs of anything leaking accept maybe the windsheild gasket. Its not in the best shape. Thats probably what it is because the passenger side is spotless. But also right behind the seat there is a plug and its rusted out too im not sure what caused that maybe water from the front got pushed back? Anyone know where i can get a new plug for that? Old one is beyond saving.

[rturbo 930]

Yeah, thought so. How badly is it pitted where it hasn't rusted through? Looks like it's not too bad towards the rear, and only gets really bad towards where your feet rest. Can you tell what caused it to rust, ie, bad windshield gasket, leaky heater core, etc? Reason being, if you don't address the cause, the rust is just gonna come back again later. And before you do anything, take out your wheel well liner, and see what it looks like where the wheel housing meets the firewall - seems like it's common for that to be an issue on E30s with bad rust, but it might not be showing on the inside yet. Check the first post here: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=225093 I'm just wondering if there's a hole higher up on your firewall that's letting water in.

Depending how much you have to replace you could probably replace it with some sheet metal (not ideal, but it would be work), or if you need to replace the entire area, it might be better to get someone to cut the floor out of a wrecked car with good floors. And then of course you need to weld it in - a MIG will work.

[_JDizzle_]

30 minutes with a wire brush

[_JDizzle_]

Okay update pulled the driver side carpet the rust has only started up the fire wall so its just the floor pan

[_JDizzle_]

You probably can. Floors aren't too complicated, honestly, unless you want to be really anal about replicating the original shape. But it might extend up into the firewall and frame, and depending on the overall condition of the car, it might not be worth it. And you need to have some idea of what you're doing. If you're willing to learn to fix it yourself, a welding class might not be a bad idea.

Think i could do this job with a mig welder or not?