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I hope you are all sitting down for this one...
i actually done some work to the e30, i am unsure if i mentioned it previously but i will hold my hands up, i curse word up. i didnt do a good enough job when i prepped the car before i put the new undercoat on.
the undercoat was not sticking almost like it was oily, the undercoat was 2 years out of date so i think it was a mixture of bad paint and bad prep on my behalf.
either way i have started to strip the bottom of the car back down to bare metal, i am trying to do a little bit of time after work atleast once or twice a week just to get a little bit done now and then.
i will update with some photos later on with a bit more progress, most the time this week was made up of clearing space in the garage to work on the old girl.
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ToolsnTrack
Posted a lot
Homebrew Raconteur
Posts: 4,128
Club RR Member Number: 134
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You know, you have to just own it. The sheer amount of fudge ups, fix ups and catch ups I need to do on the youtube stuff is surprisingly vast. A lot of it doesn't get filmed, but it still has to be done because once it's all finished you'll be left with the fruits of your labour, not a build thread. Thats what matters the most, so absolutely worth sweating the small stuff and doing it right, even if it means doing it again.
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Annoying, but, remember …
“FAIL = First Attempt In Learning”
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Alpina99
South East
Posts: 1,563
Member is Online
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Never heard the FAIL analogy before,
I'll have to remember (& use) that one,
Nigel
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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Sept 26, 2023 15:38:00 GMT
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Well this has been a while. i fell out of love with the cars, the e30 and life a little but lets get back on track and get back in the garage. The garage looked like this for a while!!  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr So first thing first is to get it looking presentable and a workable space  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr The M3 needed a bit of love so the entire front end the panels needing re-aligned and a new carbon splitter and a good clean up.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr And then i went on a trip with the boys and took the M3 out to the Nürburgring. what an experience!!!  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr Now, lets get back in the garage and attack the e30. First point of call, lets get it back on the rotisserie. |
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Last Edit: Sept 26, 2023 15:41:20 GMT by benwalsh91
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Sept 26, 2023 15:42:00 GMT
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Sept 26, 2023 15:45:27 GMT
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The main task was to get the e30 on the rotisserie but i wanted it to be in just the one bay rather than before where it was diagonal across the entire garage. So i had to move a ton of stuff about to make it fit as it was important i could have the e30 on the rotisserie and still be able to fit the m3 in the garage next to it.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr success, now lets see if it will roll over and not fall on its roof.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr Perfect. and finally lets get the m3 in the garage with it.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr i absolutely love this view, i keep going out and seeing them next to one another in the garage, my dream 2 car garage, just need to get the e30 to resemble a car again.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr |
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Sept 27, 2023 6:48:48 GMT
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Now, the painful task, just been grinding away with a wire wheel on an angle grinder. its slow, its painful, you get covered in everything. but its getting there and i feel the best way now is to take it all the way back and start from scratch,  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr |
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maf260
Part of things
Posts: 533
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Sept 28, 2023 10:41:40 GMT
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Keep at it! I've enjoyed following this from the US trip to the car coming back to England. Your M3 is stunning with the red interior.
Also thanks for the recommendation for the trolley jack a while back - I bought one and it's an excellent piece of kit.
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Sept 30, 2023 10:45:01 GMT
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Wow, what a thread. Just read it from start to finish. We did a trip to California (among other places) in 2019 and seeing your photos brought back a lot of memories. Glad the E30 is still ticking along.
Remember, it's not always about getting heaps done, it's about just getting something done. Something is better than nothing.
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Keep at it! I've enjoyed following this from the US trip to the car coming back to England. Your M3 is stunning with the red interior. Also thanks for the recommendation for the trolley jack a while back - I bought one and it's an excellent piece of kit. Thank you, i appreciate that. and glad you are enjoying the jack. i now have an x5 in the fleet so i am tempted to upgrade mine to the 3 tonne. |
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Wow, what a thread. Just read it from start to finish. We did a trip to California (among other places) in 2019 and seeing your photos brought back a lot of memories. Glad the E30 is still ticking along. Remember, it's not always about getting heaps done, it's about just getting something done. Something is better than nothing. Thank you, we are looking to go back next year for 3 weeks do another loop of the state and take our little one this time. and also thank you, i am just trying to crack on and put it into more bite size pieces as it was getting very very overwhelming. |
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jmsheahan
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 689
Club RR Member Number: 121
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Great progress!
It's absolutely miserable griding off old underseal and crud - breaking it down into bite size pieces is the way forward as you say. That rotis should at least take a little pain away.
Keep at it, it's looking great!
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A great read, Stripping the underside is a thankless task but if you knock it off a sqm at a time it doesen't take that long really, usually the disheartening bit is all the corrosion you find.
A tip I was given a few years ago is to paint the underside a light colour then go over with a dark wax like dynax UB, that way you can easily spot the areas the wax is getting thin and touch them in. We did in on my son's minor and the underside is wearing much better than the top!
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Great progress! It's absolutely miserable griding off old underseal and crud - breaking it down into bite size pieces is the way forward as you say. That rotis should at least take a little pain away. Keep at it, it's looking great! Thank you, it is miserable indeed but i just chuck some headphones in and get at it, now i am starting to see it come off its making me more and more eager to get more, i go in and start and i say to myself "i am going to do this area" and keep going until thats done, i have already marked in my head the next area i am going to attack. A great read, Stripping the underside is a thankless task but if you knock it off a sqm at a time it doesen't take that long really, usually the disheartening bit is all the corrosion you find. A tip I was given a few years ago is to paint the underside a light colour then go over with a dark wax like dynax UB, that way you can easily spot the areas the wax is getting thin and touch them in. We did in on my son's minor and the underside is wearing much better than the top! Thankfully, where this is a california car i am finding very minimal rust on it, finding some cracks in the floor where things like the subframe mount on but i guess thats typical bmw i guess. thank you for the advice, i am currently looking into what the next steps would be, i presume etch primer the entire underside when its raw metal. leave to properly dry and cure. then it will be seam seal then primer again. once thats done i can look into what coating to put over the top but trying not to get too ahead of myself as that's when i get overwhelmed. i notice you are also in Essex, i am over in Tiptree, just outside Colchester. |
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maf260
Part of things
Posts: 533
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Keep at it! I've enjoyed following this from the US trip to the car coming back to England. Your M3 is stunning with the red interior. Also thanks for the recommendation for the trolley jack a while back - I bought one and it's an excellent piece of kit. Thank you, i appreciate that. and glad you are enjoying the jack. i now have an x5 in the fleet so i am tempted to upgrade mine to the 3 tonne. You should be fine with the existing jack unless you're planning on lifting the whole X5 at one time. with it! Even if the car weighs 2500 kg and you're lifting one side at once your jack is more than capable. Save the pennies for the E30 or some M3 goodies! |
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Great progress! It's absolutely miserable griding off old underseal and crud - breaking it down into bite size pieces A great read, Stripping the underside is a thankless task but if you knock it off a sqm at a time it doesen't take that long really, usually the disheartening bit is all the corrosion you find. A tip I was given a few years ago is to paint the underside a light Thankfully, where this is a california car i am finding very minimal rust on it, finding some cracks in the floor where things like the subframe mount on but i guess thats typical bmw i guess. thank you for the advice, i am currently looking into what the next steps would be, i presume etch primer the entire underside when its raw metal. leave to properly dry and cure. then it will be seam seal then primer again. once thats done i can look into what coating to put over the top but trying not to get too ahead of myself as that's when i get overwhelmed. i notice you are also in Essex, i am over in Tiptree, just outside Colchester. Yes I'm in Great Baddow not far away, there are many opinions on how to paint bare metal, etch is a common answer but some people are now moving towards epoxies, particularly the zinc enriched ones, it sticks really well and is waterproof unlike many primers which absorb water. |
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jmsheahan
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 689
Club RR Member Number: 121
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As Kevins has said, I'd be inclined to go with an epoxy for longevity. I'm using Rustbusters Epoxy Mastic (surface tolerant and has a bit more 'build' than a straight epoxy primer.
If you're after an aerosol for speed, Bilt Hamber's Electrox is a good zinc primer (and not porous from memory).
Lots of good undercoating info on the mig-welding forum.
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As you are going to stone chip over it you can brush epoxy on, in some ways this is better as you can push it into seams and hidden areas. Also with autumn approaching there is more risk of condensation, I would be inclined to brush a coat on as you go to prevent it flash rusting.
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