I picked up a 325e and noticed heavy damage on the drivers side frame rail. The front of the frame rail is heavily rotted until about half way down the car and it extends to where the front axle is. Is this fixable at all? Or should I just start new.
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anything is possible with time, patience, a welder, and some skills. there are some uk restorations in particular that started even worse. it all depends on how deep you want to go and where you are located. most folk in the US have access to better example dry climate cars that haven't gotten that bad. -
Anything can be saved.
Your bar for punishment may be different then someone else.
My '86 325e frame rail collapsed when a jackstand was placed like your picture.
Firewall was also rotten through, so I decided to part it out and find a better candidate.
'87 BMW E30 325is Turbo
'99 BMW E36 M3 - - - '98 BMW E36 328iComment
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As the others have said, anything can be saved. It’s only metal. But it would take time, tools and a little skill. The repair for your first photo is easy. It was the first area I fixed on my car. Not pretty, but strong.
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Just replace the front crossmember with a clean used part. Need to determine if the rust on the frame rail is just “surface” or “cancerous “ rust. Brake lines look like it needs replacement. So what you’ve shown might just be the tip of the iceberg. But it’s all fixable.Comment
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