Working on the M3 & said a four letter word...RUST

[SteveJ]

My E30M3 garage whore has finally been getting attention. The original plan was to pull the subframes, repaint and refresh everything and get it back on the road. Engine and paint would come a little later.

As I continued down the slippery slope, Blunt will attest that I have been picking up speed, the project became a full on restoration. 25 years and 240k miles, it deserves it. Since I already had it mostly disassembled, it is a small slide down the slope to prep it for paint. The paint was otherwise good, but the PO had some damage to the passenger side & hood where the paint was now failing. Poor work or a missed step somewhere in his process.

Cut to the chase- I am pleased to find that all the typical rust spots are coming up virtually clean on this car, just a bit on the front windshield cowl. I decide to replace the torn away insulation on the firewall. I pull the aluminum heat sheild, and find that the undercoating is sagging. Wait. It's spongy. Wait. I push the handle of a socket wrench in and reddish brown flakes come tumbling down. AUGH!!!! Well, I said other words there.

It seems the PO had the floor hammered out, but some bare metal attracted the tin worm and he's been partying in there ever since. The rust was sandwiched between the heat sheild/foam pad, and the foam pad/carpet. I'll consider myself lucky I found this before I had moved ahead with the project.

Question for the body shop guys: A new passenger floor panel needs to be welded in. Possibly the boxed section underneath, as well. Would it be easier for the shop to do the work with a stripped shell on some sort of dolly/casters? Or would it be easier for the car to be resting on it's own wheels/suspension? The stage I'm at now I could go either way with minimal effort.