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Big Al's Revenge: an OEM+, MTech1 325e restoration

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    SUB'D. Can't believe I missed this thread. Wonderful work!
    Just move to Charlotte so not that far away. Have some E30 Raleigh buds as well.
    I BUY/SELL REFURBISHED CM5907s & CM5908s

    HOWTOs:
    DB vert plastic bumpers
    OEM Keys
    MTech1 docs

    88 ix Lach/Card
    91 ic Calypso 3.1
    86 Cosmo 2.7

    OEM+ or bust!


    reelizmpro: I will always be an e30 guy.. I still do all of my own labor
    TrentW: There's just something so right about a well-built M20 in an E30
    e30m3s54turbo: I save my money for tuner parts.

    Comment


      Super impressive, Albie325 ! I agree that fixing the little things, even annoying rattles, can have a big impact on the driving experience. Looks like you are doing a great job with the body work.

      Comment


        nice job on the HVAC panel fix... making a mental note of that repair technique. Pretty sure I've got a handful of broken plastic tabs sprinkled amongst my vehicles
        '89 325i OBD2 S52 BUILD THREAD
        Shadetree30

        Comment


          Wow. Great job on that repair. I have always just done plastic welding and sometimes some reinforcement with some JB Weld. But that stuff looks like it fused with the other plastic so I will have to try it out. 04240 3M added to the list.
          How to remove, install or convert to pop out windows
          http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=297611


          Could be better, could be worse.

          Comment


            Originally posted by bradnic
            SUB'D. Can't believe I missed this thread. Wonderful work!
            Just move to Charlotte so not that far away. Have some E30 Raleigh buds as well.
            Yah i think I remember you on posting on FB, once I have the car done and running we'll have to meet up. I won't be moving to Charlotte but working there full time during the week so will definitely be around

            Originally posted by mike.bmw
            Super impressive, Albie325 !
            Thanks Mike!

            Sh3rpak!ng rzerob that stuff is great, I totally forgot I had it and didn't think to use it, I have a ton more things to fix now that I think about it. There's another faster drying product they make, 3M 04247 but the work time was way too quick (~30 secs) and you end up blowing through a ton of the mixing nozzles, and the consistency ends up more rubbery when dry. The 04240 dries to a hard plastic consistency. What's nicer about this than JB weld is JB weld is nice for reinforcing tabs that are cracked but still there, while this stuff you can literally make a tab or bracket out of nothing. I was skeptical at first but it adheres really well and is stronger than the surrounding plastic
            '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

            Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

            Comment


              I'm pretty sure I have a rust free fender bottom- will check tomorrow.
              1990 Brilliantrot 325iS Build Thread
              1989 Zinnoberrot M3 Build Thread

              Comment


                Wish I knew about that 3M product when I had my Corvette.
                Talk about a shitty plastic interior with broken tabs all over.
                I do things.

                Comment


                  Alright, some more progress!

                  Got to work sanding down the passenger fender and both doors:





                  Masked everything off in plastic to keep the dust out of the interior:





                  A nice pic showing the progression of sanding, down to original base on the top panel, starting to sand through the clear on the middle panel, and unsanded on the bottom:



                  All ready:



                  Needed a small amount of filler for a large dent that I got about 90% flat with hammer and dolly, needed a tiny amount of filler for some small door dings here and there too. Now masked off for epoxy primer:



                  Epoxy primer done:







                  Followed by high-build urethane:









                  After some blocking in 320 grit followed by wet sanding in 600:









                  Had a few small cut-through's that I reprimed and blended in prior to the finished pics, they came out looking great when all was said and done.

                  I got the fender remounted on the car just to make sure things lined up well and also to get it out of the way:







                  Then got everything covered in plastic to protect it from any contaminants as I continue working on the rest of the car:



                  I effectively have about 2/3 of the car primed, sanded, and ready for base/clear. I got a really nice project done today but I'll save that for tomorrow's post
                  '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                  Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                  Comment


                    How hard was the door trim removal mainly the top rain guard I am just about to pull the trim on mine to get it ready for paint but I am very nervous about damaging it
                    1989 325i LS Swap (Money Pit):https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=244933
                    COTM Feb 2019: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=428404

                    Comment


                      I love it. One guy is spray painting his car and you're going the completely other direction. and theres nothing wrong with either of them!
                      Simon
                      Current Cars:
                      -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                      Make R3V Great Again -2020

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by Pootis
                        How hard was the door trim removal mainly the top rain guard I am just about to pull the trim on mine to get it ready for paint but I am very nervous about damaging it
                        If you don't plan on painting the jambs, I'd just leave the rain gutter trim on and mask them off. It wasn't hard to remove them per se, but you need to be VERY careful and go slowly. A thin non-marring pry tool or a small flathead and a towel helps. Start from the front where the side mirrors are and work your way up lifting up while you gently twist/rotate the metal off the gutter, you'll need to slide the little chrome cover between the pop-out window and chrome trim forward first also. See Jordan's writeup on removing the trim: https://www.r3vlimited.com/tech/wind...windowtrim.htm .

                        Also, plan on pooping your pants at least a couple times as you remove them as every time a section of the chrome releases from the rain gutter you'll think you've bent it.

                        Other than the top rain gutter trim, the rest was pretty easy.


                        Originally posted by 2mAn
                        I love it. One guy is spray painting his car and you're going the completely other direction. and theres nothing wrong with either of them!
                        Nothing wrong at all, I just hope you'll be able to tell the difference otherwise this is a whole lotta work for nothin' ha


                        So as you've read, my driver's fender had a small rust hole in it that I intended to weld in a patch for. Then I toyed with the idea of just replacing the fender after asking some others' advice. Well no one seems to have a nice rust free fender available at the moment and I don't want to waste a bunch of time waiting around on one. AWDBOB reached out to me the other day and said he had a nice fender bottom that he was willing to cut off and ship to me, so rather than having to mock up my own section from scratch I figured it'd be a lot easier. Then I was on the phone with Big Al (my dad) about finding someone he knew with a welder, and he asked me why I didn't just panel bond the new piece in place instead? For non-structural components it's supposed to be stronger than most welds and also seals out any corrosion, unlike welding. I checked into it and decided to give it a shot yesterday.

                        Started by cutting out the rusty spot to see how far it extended before hitting good metal:







                        I initially was just going to cut a piece to fit in the small rectangle, but when I went to go hammer and dolly the bottom section straight I found that the metal had a bunch of pinholes that I could see through and figured it'd be better to patch in a larger section.



                        I wanted to keep all repairs below the trim line where the red paint meets the black textured rock chip guard as that area is covered by the MTech sideskirts anyway. I also wanted to keep some of the landmarks and body lines intact to make sure the patch panel aligned correctly and to give it some added strength, attaching at more than just one edge. I ended up with this:







                        On the inside of the fender near where it meets the door there is a perpendicular strip of metal that acts as a mounting and reinforcement strip. The edge of the fender is rolled over it and it is sealed in place with seam sealer. I cut a section of the old reinforcement strip out and bent the rolled edge of the fender back so that I could fit the new panel section in there and have it be more cosmetically seamless:





                        I cleaned up any rust as best as I could. I then cut the patch panel to fit leaving a section of extra reinforcement strip intact. This will overlap with the one on the original fender for more strength, effectively giving me three edges of attachment instead of just one.

                        Here's the replacement section, thanks Bob!



                        And here's how I cut it. I rolled the fender edge off the reinforcement strip so that I could cut the fender metal while leaving the reinforcement strip intact:









                        At first I tried keeping the body line intact thinking I could just lay the new patch panel into the "gutter" of the original fender. I didn't like how it fit and so ended up cutting it right where the black rock chip guard meets the white paint:

                        Test fitting it in place:







                        In order to correct that overlap and to avoid using a ton of body filler, I bought a flange tool in order to bend the edges and allow the panel to sit flush with the rest of the fender. Also pictured is the 3M 08115 panel bonding adhesive:



                        I did a final trim and taped off the edge where I needed to make the flange to line up correctly:



                        Hard to tell in the pic, but it's now sitting nice and flush:



                        I cleaned up all edges with a 50-grit metal sanding disc:







                        Then cleaned the surfaces with wax and grease remover. The 08155 has a 90 min work time, 4 hour clamp time, and 24 hour cure time. You're supposed to coat all the bare metal on both mating surfaces first to seal out any corrosion:







                        Then you put an additional bead along all edges and clamp in place, squeezing out a nice bead of excess adhesive around all the metal. Once all clamped in place, you use a spreader to smooth out all the excess to almost act as a filler:








                        After 4 hours I removed the clamps. I covered the ends of the clamps with tape so they wouldn't stick in the adhesive which is the yellow squares you see here, once I sand it down they'll come out. Once you start clamping the halves together you aren't supposed to move them or you'll create air pockets compromising the strength of the panel bond. I couldn't show it in the pics above for this reason but I fit the new patch panel into the edge of the fender I had lifted up earlier, then rolled the little lip of metal back over to create a nice seamless repair.











                        The 24 hour cure time had elapsed by the time I got home from work today, and lemme say that stuff is STRONG. I was bending the fender itself rather than the bonded edge when I tried flexing it, and it ain't goin NOWHERE. I'll need to sand down and probably add a little bit of body filler to achieve as perfect a cosmetic result as possible, but honestly I am pumped with how well it came out as-is. I may even be able to just re-apply the rock chip guard and call it a day, we'll see. Big ups to Big Al for making the panel bond recommendation, and to AWDBOB for the patch panel, I can keep the progress rolling now!

                        '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                        Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

                        Comment


                          Nice work on the fender (and everywhere else too, obviously)! I've heard good things about Lord Fusor body adhesives as well.

                          Comment


                            Glad I'm not the only one who epoxied metal parts back together.
                            I do things.

                            Comment


                              From my understanding 3M revolutionized the body adhesive process to the point that these adhesives are stronger than welding in some cases.
                              Paynemw
                              1986 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - Sold!
                              the ebb and flow of 325is ownership - In RVA
                              1988 BMW 535is - RIP but my dream BMW

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by mike.bmw
                                Nice work on the fender (and everywhere else too, obviously)! I've heard good things about Lord Fusor body adhesives as well.
                                Thanks brother!

                                Originally posted by Melon
                                Glad I'm not the only one who epoxied metal parts back together.
                                Originally posted by paynemw
                                From my understanding 3M revolutionized the body adhesive process to the point that these adhesives are stronger than welding in some cases.
                                I believe it, I was impressed. Nothing wrong with making do in the name of progress, I ain't mad at it Melon!



                                So after getting the panel bond cured, I got the fender smoothed out with some filler, sanded, primed, and wet-sanded:







                                Also coated the back with some rust bullet:



                                Then got it mounted up to see how everything lined up. Not too shabby:



                                Since I was going to have to spray some epoxy primer on the exposed metal on the fender anyway, I figured there'd be no better time to drill the holes for the sideskirts so I could coat the drill holes in epoxy as well. I didn't have a drilling template, so I ended up using pieces of tape on the skirts, marked the holes, and then transposed the tape onto the car as my makeshift template:





                                The MTech 1 install manual states the front mounting bracket holes as well as the holes along the rocker panel should be initially drilled using a 3mm bit, then gradually expanded to a final diameter of 8mm.

                                Getting the front 2 mounting brackets lined up. The brackets in front are required since the thinness of the front fender lip won't allow you to drill directly into it, instead the front sheet metal screws end up catching the hole in the bracket:



                                Not the most scientific method but it worked:







                                The rear fender has a thicker lip, so you can drill directly into it and fasten in place with plastic pop rivets. These holes end up with a final diameter of 5mm per the instructions:





                                Same process on the other side, then coated the metal in epoxy to prevent any rust:



                                Then I got the fender in high-build:



                                Followed by blocking/wet-sanding:



                                What repair???





                                Very happy with the end result!

                                I also got a replacement sunroof panel that I prepped, primed, and sanded. Basically only needed a scuffing, no filler or metal work at all:



                                Zero rust:



                                Took only about 5 minutes to block sand straight:



                                Epoxy:



                                And after final wet sand:





                                And more stuff is ready for paint!

                                Got this all done about two weeks ago, started a new job so garage time has been scarce the last week or so. Have done a few other small odds and ends that I'll post up later this week, plan to start sanding the roof/rear of the car this weekend






                                '86 325e Zinnoberrot /// '02 325ci Schwarz II /// '18 M4 Azurite Black Metallic ///

                                Albie325 Build Thread | Albie325 COTM Jan 2021

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