89 325i LS Swap (Rust Repair & Respray Underway)

[JCarp90]

Oh ha. You still have this car?

[2mAn]

So exciting to see the carnage being removed

[Pootis]

The carnage continues. So my buddy separated the inner wheel well arch from the outer fender to find we have even more damage hiding in the quarter panel.....Luckily the patch panel I bought contained 90% of what was needed for the inner wheel well arch and the outer covers all of the damage. He informed me that he will need to build from the upper wheel well down to the battery box which will hopefully not take too much. The good thing is that after this section the battery box and passenger side footwell corner are the last big rust spots to fix. Also someone needs to start making these vent covers out of fiberglass for cheap.

He said it looks like they just stuffed metal squares in and stick welded it to the inner fender to get things reattached and then they just squeezed as much glue and seam sealer in as they could.










Also took the time to repaint all of the trim with SEM Trim Paint and spray down the valve covers and brake booster parts with wrinkle black. Can't wait to get the car back and see it all together again






Not getting much here as far as comments but hope you all are enjoying the thread

[Pootis]

The partial rear quarter panel showed up today. Looks like it will eliminate all of the damage that was hidden under the bondo. I went and dropped it off and checked on the car. My buddy is moving right along with it. All of the dents have been pulled on the drivers side and roof. He also fixed the dents in the hood and deleted the windshield washer sprayers. Hoping I will be picking the car up mid August right now. Yes I told him to mask off the key hole lol.

[Pootis]

Amazing looking car. Congrats on the kid. I can't wait to see the car out of paint.



I don't think that's for the steam port. I think it's for an overflow tank?

Lol yeah I found that one out the hard way. Went for a test drive and steamed my engine bay with coolant.

[iansane]

Amazing looking car. Congrats on the kid. I can't wait to see the car out of paint.

So I have been dealing with coolant hose issues with the ls and things just not working correctly so I decided to give the cx racing hard pipe kit a go and let me tell you this thing is a piece of garbage. I had to cut 1" off of one side to get it to fit. The nipple for the steam port vent is on the wrong side and to top it off the cap that comes with it does not seal. Overall do not buy this. Additionally while I was moving my electric fans I popped a hole in my radiator so had to pic up a new radiator as well (haven't installed it yet)

I don't think that's for the steam port. I think it's for an overflow tank?

[Oddjob]

Great looking car.

[Pootis]

I've also decided to replace the headliner while I have the glass out. I am going to give the JF Customs headliner on ebay a try. I will keep you all posted on how it is

[TeXJ]

having a baby will turn your world upside down...but in the best way possible!

[Pootis]

Thanks Everyone! Yep first baby due July 23rd! Don't know what we are having either so it will be a good surprise among all the shitty surprises 2020 has brought us

[2mAn]

This is exactly the fear I had with repairing the damage that was on the Datsun.

Congrats on taking the leap and congrats on the July baby. My birthday is in July too!

[TeXJ]

dream build!

[mike.bmw]

A few things:
- congrats on the baby! Your first?
- it has to feel good knowing that once all the body work is done there won't be any surprises lurking underneath. It'll all be perfect.
- great progress tearing it all down and getting it ready for paint!

[Pootis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiCtFOLr_Ug

Video of the damage

[Pootis]

Got the car loaded up and dropped off at the shop



Dropped it off on Friday and get a call Saturday from my buddy who is doing all of the work. He said that he had to know what was behind the passenger quarter panel and well.....the pics were shocking




He tells me to start sourcing a passenger side rear quarter because this panel is f'd. He said that there isn't a straight piece to be found and the worst part is he found the original paint under the body filler. He said the filler was over a 1/2" thick in certain spots. Now most of the horrible repair was done under the previous owners care but I am annoyed the shop I took it to didn't mention anything and just cut out the rust and put more filler on. Lucky for me some higher power was shining down on me because a seller on ebay had the exact piece I needed for $130.

That is it for the update. The new panel should be here by this weekend and I am hoping to have the car back in August. Baby is due July 23rd so hopefully I find some time to put the thing back together. Anxious to see the final product!