Cabrio Owners.. What should I do with this??

[IminDiegoTriick]

So I bought an e30 cabrio. Has alot of problems that im trying to tackle one bye one since the previous owner neglected her deeply. Restoring it is a daily tackle when time allows it. The previous owner had the electric top operating and was on the freeway. He activated the top as he was at a speed and the cover for the top flew up and created a cavity as seen in these pictures. What the Eff can I do to fix this in a clean and efficient manner?












Yes it is really noticable.

[reelizmpro]

What an idiot. No common sense I guess. So you got a vert huh? cool. Do I see a hardtop in that last pic? That is part of the body itself. Hammer that shit back down, touch it up and get a new gasket.

[nadodude111]

That is very wierd as the top is programmed not to work when the car is moving faster than 2mph...........

[CorvallisBMW]

damn, sucks dude. I'd try and hammer it all back in to place, touch up with OEM touchup paint and get a new gasket. You'll probably have to hit it with primer too before paint, maybe so some sanding/filling to get it mostly straight. Probably need professional work to get it perfect though, unless you're some kind of bodywork guru.

[IminDiegoTriick]

Yeah.. Honestly I don't know what happened for sure. The PO lied about ALOT of things. Well I just tried hammering it with a rubber mallet. Im scared to use an actual hammer. :( That piece of the body is preventing me from keeping the top down, as that part acts as a channel to keep the top down closed and concealed. Oh well I will see what a body shop can do. thanks.

[N2MYE30]

That looks like a job for a hammer.

[e30rapidic]

use a piece of wood against the body and bang with a hammer.

[Cabriolet]

a body shop will charge you a fortune to fix that... i would remove the lid and lift motor and then heat the metal. use vice grips to bend back down. then finish up with a hammer.

[AndrewBird]

Don't use heat. You WILL warp the panel if you do and create and even bigger mess. Light tapping with a hammer will put that back in place. Go slow. If you just pound away at it, you are more than likely just going to dent more of the panel further out, so TAKE YOUR TIME.