Oh Noes!!! The Bimmer Just Turned Into A Bummer!

So I started noticing some weird applications of foam on the underside of my recent purchase. So i prodded at it a little bit, turns out some friggin' idiot did some shade tree rust repair.

These are the front passenger floor boards...

This one is the drivers side fender well where it meets the firewall...

And IF I end up keeping this thing... Im thinking the fenderwell area could be easily cut out and patched by welding in a steel plate as the area is completely flat, here is a simple template.

Not sure how to fix the passenger side problem though... UGH... FAIL

First the educational aspect: You'll never again buy an old car without crawling underneath and prodding everywhere. Lesson learnt.

There's a variety of ways to "fix" and one way to correctly repair this. It involves an angle grinder w/ cutoff and flap wheels, aviation snips, a few body hammers, mild steel sheet 20 ga, and a MIG welder. Cut back to clean metal, grind paint off, cut and form a a patch, tack in, weld, POR 15, repeat.

motomoron wrote: First the educational aspect: You'll never again buy an old car without crawling underneath and prodding everywhere. Lesson learnt. There's a variety of ways to "fix" and one way to correctly repair this. It involves an angle grinder w/ cutoff and flap wheels, aviation snips, a few body hammers, mild steel sheet 20 ga, and a MIG welder. Cut back to clean metal, grind paint off, cut and form a a patch, tack in, weld, POR 15, repeat.

That was actually the plan lol albeit MUCH more explained... OR cut up one that doesnt have rust there. But its unlikely here in rust-or-bust Ohio. Luckily I have a MIG welder, Its the metal working that I dont know how to do. Good time to learn I suppose lol

How much have you paid into it so far? Better to part it out and start with a solid car.

Kiponator wrote: How much have you paid into it so far? Better to part it out and start with a solid car.

HM.. About $430 now. The rust is only limited to these ares though, frame rails and suspension related areas are all solid. If I was planning on tracking the car Id be more worried... but the intent was to see if I could get it running as a DD, im sure eventually I would have gotten carried away but that wasnt the intended use.

Kiponator wrote: How much have you paid into it so far? Better to part it out and start with a solid car.

Yes, as tough as that may be it may be the answer. Sorry to hear that..........that is a bummer.

All 2002s rust there. It's not really a bad fix.

What model BMW is this?

All three of mine had rust in that spot. Other areas to check are rear strut towers and spare tire well and rear subframe mounting points. None of these spots are anything close to parting the car if you've got a mig welder. Replacement panels are available or just fab up your own.

stuart in mn wrote: What model BMW is this?

1986 325e.

oldtin wrote: All three of mine had rust in that spot. Other areas to check are rear strut towers and spare tire well and rear subframe mounting points. None of these spots are anything close to parting the car if you've got a mig welder. Replacement panels are available or just fab up your own.

WHAT!? WHERE! Thats awesome! I have a MIG, replacement panels would make this so much easier.

My bad...was thinking it was a 2002. Really looks like one from the pics/radius of the floor. 325s were more of a single formed panel, so a patch is the way to go. Still a pretty easy patch - just cut back to clean metal.

Yeah, those holes aren't enough to scrap the car out. The one on the passenger side will take some more work, but it's just a matter of welding in patches. I just went through the same thing with my e28 M535i.

Depending on your plans and budget, riveting the patches in place may be good enough.

There's good epoxies too - as strong as welds.

Crap... I was thinking this could be done easier...

Riveting and using epoxy sounds easiest but if im going to go through all the hassle of metalwork I might as well just weld it considering I have a MIG and rarely get to use it. Just gives me an excuse to practice again. Now I can go through the old article in GRM about welding and getting the most out of it. Thanks GRM! lol

Im going to have to go down to the junkyard and see if there is one down there that isnt too rusty for the corner radius. The metal work on that will be a huge pain unless I just sort of box it off.

if you are freaking out over a couple of holes that size, then it's time to either find another hobby or just stop poking and prodding.. that rust is nothing compared to what the average 10 year old car looks like in MN.

novaderrik wrote: if you are freaking out over a couple of holes that size, then it's time to either find another hobby or just stop poking and prodding.. that rust is nothing compared to what the average 10 year old car looks like in MN.

HAHA... naaaah, I'm not freaking out. Ive just been spoiled/lucky up until now. Ive owned two cars so far that are known to rust early. The one was a cream puff 1986 AE86 that had absolutely ZERO rust and was in amazing condition. I should have never sold that car...

But yeah, not freaking out, just unsure of how to take care of it correctly.

Oh, and when to make time for it being that I am a college student.

Could have sworn it was an 02 by the sill plates...must be getting old....

Man that stinks :( sorry man. I see another problem as well in the last pic, bud light

DirtyBird222 wrote: Man that stinks :( sorry man. I see another problem as well in the last pic, bud light

lol OH dont worry. Thats just the "cheap go-to" drink... or the, "Hey lets just get trashed" drink. I branch out often and LOVE trying different beers... Though I stay away from IPA's...

cxhb wrote:

DirtyBird222 wrote: Man that stinks :( sorry man. I see another problem as well in the last pic, bud light

lol OH dont worry. Thats just the "cheap go-to" drink... or the, "Hey lets just get trashed" drink. I branch out often and LOVE trying different beers... Though I stay away from IPA's...

Solution: Bud Ice. 5.5%, and nobody's noticed that it's really a malt liquor yet (as I'm sure the Anh/Bu marketing department planned ), so the public doesn't stare at you like you have a 40oz Olde English 800 in your hand. And a case of Bud Ice will "do the damage" of three cases of Lite.

I recently discovered that besides the cost benefit (Ice & Lite both go for 8.50 a 12 at my local corner store), the storage space it takes up is also valuable. I didn't realize Road Atlanta got its pouring licence back (after what must be Thirty Berkeleying Years!) when I attended the Mitty last spring, and had to figure out how to hide it in the hatch of my Corrado (small, and already packed with camping gear). If I can find the bodywork for my Golf, I'm taking that to the Petit.

Absolutely astonishing, the things I've learned after getting `Divorced With Children'..Al Bundy got nuthin' on me, y'all..