Those who take their car seriously for cosmetic looks and performance too---just wondering if anybody else has rust. I got all worked up about performance items this spring and bought headers, and just about to buy springs/shocks. I car is so damn fun to drive and is running great but i have rust thats coming back all over my rear wheel wells and corners of both doors. Not to mention still have a bad floor and bad spots right by my hood latches. I really need to make a decision on wheteher or not to put any more money into this car or to just leave it and let the body go. Or try and trade and find another 320i with a clean body...as a student its hard to find funs to put into bodywork...AGAIN...(got it done two years ago) new metal on rocker panels-which are fine but they musta bondo'd the wheel wells or just sanded down by the door edges. This is my major problem and I'm ust wondering if anybody else faces continuing with their car or not.

I have a tiny little dime size spec of rust under my left tail light. :dunno But thats about it. And about 3% on my roll cage.

Do the body work yourself. Its a pretty simple task that can done with simple tools you buy at the store...

I'm gonna have to show you guys some pics of what I'm dealing with. I'm gonna need to cut out a lot.

I got a rot hole under my spare tire. But that will be cut out ad a new piece of sheet metal welded there.

Maybe I should insert my recent threads???
Sorry guys, but he DID ask!!!

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488833
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=480230
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=471906

I got a rot hole under my spare tire. But that will be cut out ad a new piece of sheet metal welded there.

Wow. I feel like total crap right now. I just cut out my entire spare tire well and bolted up a steel cover over the giant hole. If I had known, I would have given the old well to you. It had no rust at all. I just threw it away last week.

Boot/Trunk lid corners and just below the roundel, door- lower panel - hopefully thats all for now. Had all rust treated two-three years back but rust came back at these places.

Currently stripping the trunk lid and looking for a good welder to cut and weld the rusted areas. Trunk lid perforated at one of the corners and the lower roundel area.

little round one of the tail light gaskets, few little bubbles coming up over the car. Only tiny so far, look like little pimples :)

Strip metal, treat, cut, weld, treat, seal, paint. Only way worth doing it :)

I've got small rust spots on all the doors, gas filler door, trunk edges, rocker panels, wheel wells, etc etc etc....

Once I'm finished school and have some extra time and money, I'm gonna do a good restoration on all of the rust. But for now, I just grind it down to the bare metal (if any...) and use touchup paint on it.

trunk edges, left tail light edges, found some inside the bottom of the passenger door panel - and a few rusted scratches/dings on the body

luckily that's most of it right now...

i wish i could say "we'll see what we're dealing with after it gets back from media blasting" ala chip foose...

yea no kidding after watching overhauling it makes me sick looking at my rust. Well this has helped me out a bit knowing I'm not the only one.

Well.

I had a ton of rust. I had to cut out and remove and replace lots of stuff including the floorboards and quarters, tail panel, door, hood, and roof.

Scrap the car. Get a solid one.

I got rust rith above my rear bumper, more on the left side tapering to none on the other side, also a bit on the bottom of my doors & front fenders

none in floor, a little bit under spare

when I got it 5 years ago, it only had a spot under the left taillight that's an actual hole now

I only drive it as a winter beast, when it falls apart I will find another beater, I've put 75k on it, 321k now

I prefer to be on 2 wheels

I got rust rith above my rear bumper, more on the left side tapering to none on the other side, also a bit on the bottom of my doors & front fenders

none in floor, a little bit under spare

when I got it 5 years ago, it only had a spot under the left taillight that's an actual hole now

I only drive it as a winter beast, when it falls apart I will find another beater, I've put 75k on it, 321k now

I prefer to be on 2 wheels


Me too, I want a mid-90's Ninja

Dime sized spot of surface rust in drivers side door jamb where door stop connects to. Plus one small, but slowly advancing spot creeping out from below driver's side tail lamp. Where quarter panel and tail light panel meet.

I am fixing some spots that have devoloped on my e21. Small area by the passenger jack location on the rocker and a spot on the drivers side wheel well. Nothing big but you have to take care of the rust before it gets bad. As long as the car is mainly solid, its worth fixing.

Heck my Firebird Project I replaced both quarters, both doors, full ds floor, ps floor patched, tailpanel, fender, hood and radiator support. I have owned it for 16 years and it was my High School ride. I can't get rid of it so I dumped a ton of cash into it. Its only money:cashwalle

Scrap the car. Get a solid one.
NEVER!! This is how u fix rust.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/579000-579999/579694_19_full.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/579000-579999/579694_18_full.jpg

After I replaced everything -including the roof and repainted it.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/579000-579999/579694_28_full.jpg

I am fixing some spots that have devoloped on my e21. Small area by the passenger jack location on the rocker and a spot on the drivers side wheel well. Nothing big but you have to take care of the rust before it gets bad. As long as the car is mainly solid, its worth fixing.

Heck my Firebird Project I replaced both quarters, both doors, full ds floor, ps floor patched, tailpanel, fender, hood and radiator support. I have owned it for 16 years and it was my High School ride. I can't get rid of it so I dumped a ton of cash into it. Its only money:cashwalle




Did you get laid in this car for the first time or something?:redspot

god I change my mind every day. Theres an e30, 318 with a new ranny and clutch and about 175,000 kms, 5 speed 4 door. Guys asking 2000 and its safetied so i'm thinking bout maybe trying to sell the 320 again...but then some of u guys say keep the car and restore. I'll get some pics up soon of my rust and u guys should let me know if its worth fixing

only a small bit on the bottom of the drivers door. about the size of a 20mm washer(the seal was fixed)

and the prevous owner had the rust fixed just under the tail light..and was quick to tell me that. i have had the car in pieces a few times and only found a little in the boot where the seal went. other that that it is a very clean car

It would be easier to describe where the rust isn't on my car....

Did you get laid in this car for the first time or something?:redspot

There was some hot action in the car when I was younger...:eek: J/K

I just really like the car. I work for a classic car dealership. I have driven just about every kind of muscle car that was built and I still like my Formula the best. I guess you can say its sentimental. Also, how many times have you heard people say "I still wish I had my car from High School"? I can never say that...

Heck, its only costing me twice as much to restore as if I went out and bought one done! Anyone can buy a car but a real car guy builds one. Right jjgbmw323?:help

Restoration = Preservation

i live in california so i have no rust :redspot

There was some hot action in the car when I was younger...:eek: J/K

I just really like the car. I work for a classic car dealership. I have driven just about every kind of muscle car that was built and I still like my Formula the best. I guess you can say its sentimental. Also, how many times have you heard people say "I still wish I had my car from High School"? I can never say that...

Heck, its only costing me twice as much to restore as if I went out and bought one done! Anyone can buy a car but a real car guy builds one. Right jjgbmw323?:help

Restoration = Preservation
Rust with my 323i - before I restored it. Well and ignorant state inspection station put the bloody jack right threw the floorboard.
I had liquid nails and roof flashing for a while. It was so rusty both floor boards and rockers where shot. I bascially reskinned
the whole car, the only panel orginal are the trunk, and the passenger door.

Action? With my 323i when I was young? Yes. It was a chick magnet.

The only action it gets now is with the dust mites, but thats about to change. I have been trying to get it to run after 11 years.
It will rise again. :)

I am not sure that a real car guy builds a car, but my 323i is a dream of mine.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b297/jjgbmw323/DSC00606.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b297/jjgbmw323/25a07880.jpg

Joe I'm going to buy you one of those damn magic duster things.

Joe I'm going to buy you one of those damn magic duster things.

Thanks. I have a feeling it will be out this year. For real.

I live in Scotland so have lots of rust. :shifty Under the rear left light, the rear right fender is riddled with rust after someone crashed into it, various spots in the engine bay, the floor panels, the front spoiler, the rear under spoiler and I have small rust spots on the chrome bumpers. Once I can find somewhere I can store it and strip it down to the shell, I'll start repairing it.

Okay so here are the notorious pics I've finally had time to post These are my pics of rust spots I've been wondering about and if they're easy to repair. Post away! P.S. Thanx for all the reply's...makes me feel a bit better that my car aint perfect.:cool
http://bmwccmanitoba.com/gallery/album33/000_0270
http://bmwccmanitoba.com/gallery/album33?page=2
http://bmwccmanitoba.com/gallery/album33?page=3

jjgbmw323 - What more needs to be done before shes driveable again?

As for me I have a tiny hole in the passenger rear area and a little surfact rust.. good thing I live in Socal, I'd hate to imagine what horrors my 2002 would have otherwise.

jjgbmw323 - What more needs to be done before shes driveable again?

As for me I have a tiny hole in the passenger rear area and a little surfact rust.. good thing I live in Socal, I'd hate to imagine what horrors my 2002 would have otherwise.

Body is painted and totally ready. Have to put in the glass and interior, and fiddle with the fuel pumps. I put a new exterior one in, and the guy working on my car claims its clogged.

So, I got to put that in, and just swap in the 2.8 liter stroker.

Okay so here are the notorious pics I've finally had time to post These are my pics of rust spots I've been wondering about and if they're easy to repair. Post away! P.S. Thanx for all the reply's...makes me feel a bit better that my car aint perfect.:cool
http://bmwccmanitoba.com/gallery/album33/000_0270
http://bmwccmanitoba.com/gallery/album33?page=2
http://bmwccmanitoba.com/gallery/album33?page=3


That is all fixable. Its not as bad as a lot of the e21's I have seen for parts or in bone yards. Its up to you if you want to fix it or not. Take it to a body guy and see what they say for cost. I am not sure where you live but I know a few guys in Jersey that do nice work for reasonable prices. I am getting mine fixed up in a couple weeks. Its best to take care of it now before it gets any worse.