Rust on perimeter of windshield

[mikejungle]

Sad stuff, but the car has rust. Small spots on the rest of the car aren't too bad, and I can make temporary fixes, but the previous owner put some weird aftermarket windshield seal that allowed water to seep in easily and hold it quite easily.

So there are holes in the a pillar and along the bottom.
What can I do? I've seen that amazing and exhaustive thread of work on a rusty black m3, but I'm looking for instructions, because I don't know how to shape the patch pieces properly. Or should I just send it to someone?

Most searches just tell me to use a patch and bondo, and I'd rather not have to use bondo on this car.

Help please!

[HANDBLT]

You have to get the glass out and all the metal cleaned up to see what you really have. I will post a couple before pics and then some pics of what it actually took to fix it 'once in there'....









All of that lead to the the holes in the firewall, which lead to holes in the floor boards.

T

[JEDM3]

Tony, does the vin on this car end with 33188? Just curious because it looks a lot like my old car. Sold 7 years ago or so.
Cheers,
John

[Split_S]

Get it done by a pro - because if you're talking bondo to fix rust you're much better off not doing the work yourself! (no offence!)

Do it once - do it right.

[M-technik-3]

Do it once or the rust worm will continue to grow in size and eat some strange areas.

[JOEBMW]

This can be a good amount of work, glass removal, possible dash removal depending on degree of rust, rust removal, metal patch work, body work, painting.

You can get away with just painting roof and not other panels. So that will cut down on costs a bit.

I suggest you have someone that knows what they are doing take care of it.

[HANDBLT]

This can be a good amount of work, glass removal, possible dash removal depending on degree of rust, rust removal, metal patch work, body work, painting.

You can get away with just painting roof and not other panels. So that will cut down on costs a bit.

I suggest you have someone that knows what they are doing take care of it.

Amen.

This is what the little hole under the windshield led to on mine........

[njboy]

Nothing like fresh new steel!

[mikejungle]

can i just buy complete panels to cut down on the individual cutting I have to do?

I can tell that windshield removal is a must, but if i could just cut out four (for example) parts of the a pillar and weld in just at those spots, it'd be easy, but i don't know if BMW offers that like they do with new roof skins.

I think a pro might be the way to go, especially because I don't have experience welding thinner sheet metal and i might blow out the weld, but I'd really want to try to take a stab at it myself first so I wanna gather the necessary info first. I'll try to post pics soon for reference

thanks

[HANDBLT]

I wish. The cowl is not avail for the M3 right now.

T

[Mike185]

try to find a junk yard with a e30 and you can cut out the sections you need or search CL for a cheap parts car and sell the rest. The only difference on the m3 is the lip on the cowl is slightly extended where the windshield bonds in. Or but a e30 cowl but if you need sections of the a-pillar you need a parts car.

[HANDBLT]

also if you 'need' the whole cowl, it has the VIN stamped in it. Take pics of yours before removal because that will be needed later if the car is ever sold.

T

[njboy]

can i just buy complete panels to cut down on the individual cutting I have to do?

I can tell that windshield removal is a must, but if i could just cut out four (for example) parts of the a pillar and weld in just at those spots, it'd be easy, but i don't know if BMW offers that like they do with new roof skins.

I think a pro might be the way to go, especially because I don't have experience welding thinner sheet metal and i might blow out the weld, but I'd really want to try to take a stab at it myself first so I wanna gather the necessary info first. I'll try to post pics soon for reference

thanks

Welding thin steel is not a big deal. Use the lowest setting on your mig and go from there. Limit heat by spot welding long sections. Use gas not flux core.

[mikejungle]

ok, i'm feeling a little more confident about the welding itself, but does anyone know of any good guides on how to shape the metal perfectly?

it's not exactly as if this is a flat section where I can just cut out another flat piece of sheet metal. there are some "crazy" curves. crazy for an amateur.

with a hammer and whatever might work, but otherwise, Mike's suggestion of just finding a junker e30 seems to be the better way to go right now. do other peeps agree?

[13blackknight]

My opinion, I've weleded before, but based on the prices these cars are worth today, I would go to a professional because if you don't form the metal incorrectly the windsheild will leak again and you be at the same point as before. If there'sa hole in the cowl it can be much worse on the firewall and floor.
Invest in the car, do your research on shops that have restored these cars and get them to do it. It will pay for itself in the long run.

[mikejungle]

hm...any tips on what type of guy does this job best?

i don't really know what to google...

even better would be if anyone knew of guys in Southern California, but if not, I'll go to a mechanic locally who would probably know a good body guy