Rust Repair: 1987 BMW 535is

 
Happy Friday!  It’s a beautiful day, one perfect for a Cruise-In!  We hope you’ll join us this evening starting at 6pm!  Bring a chair and your favorite snacks!

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It’s been another warm and busy week!  While I was in and out of the shop this week, this is what I captured…all with a common theme…RUST!

This 1986 BMW 325es 5-speed with just over 383k miles on the odometer came to us for a post-purchase inspection.  On the list of work to be done: front subframe, control arms, control arm bushings, sway bar links, steering coupling, tie rod assembly, engine mounts, oil pan gasket, rear subframe bushings, differential mount, and last, but certainly not least, an alignment.

 

 

Remember that common theme I mentioned at the beginning of this post?  Well, this is one rusty subframe!

 

Take a closer look…what a hole!  Thankfully, the new owner made it safely home after buying this bimmer in northern Ohio!

 

You may recognize this royalblau-metallic 1987 BMW 535is from the blog.  This bimmer always gets so many compliments when it is here, as well as many inquiries about being for sale.  Unfortunately, it is not for sale.  And once all rust repairs are complete, this 5-series will be even more coveted!

 

She’ll get betting a new front fender…

 

…since there was a bit of rust made its home along the rocker:

 

 

A look at the repair area on the driver’s side:

Time for a close-up:

 

To tackle this area, Reggie removed the front seats and console, pulling back the carpet to expose the pesky rust.  Fun fact: While removing the interior, Reggie found that this bimmer had been pre-wired for heated seats.  Cool!

Once the rust was exposed, Reggie pounded with a hammer to knock soft areas loose to see just how big of an area he’d be dealing with.  Below you can see the hole on the driver’s side from the inside (left) and from the inside (right):

 

As for the passenger side, the faulty area was quite a bit larger, as seen from the outside (left) and inside (right):

A torch was used to help remove sound-deadening material.  Regardless, it would need to be removed since welding through it just won’t work.

 

 

The rocker panel on the passenger side is also being repaired:

 

Another view of the affected area on the passenger side once the rust was removed:

 

Here is the driver’s side rocker panel:

 

And corresponding view once the rust was cut out:

 

Just a few of the tools for this job!

 

This area is almost ready for a patch panel!

 

First, Reggie pounds the repaired area to achieve as smooth a surface as possible:

 

 

 

The plasma cutter makes quick(er) work of cutting out a panel for the driver’s side:

 

Reggie lines up the panel and gets it held into position so he can spot weld and then weld it into place:

 

 

 

Be sure to come back next week for more on this project and more around the shop!   If you keep tabs on our Facebook page, you may have seen progress on these repairs throughout the week as well as a custom hose reel and peek-a-boo hood!

Have a great weekend!