e34 Guidance

[Mr.smithers]

Hi Guys I am new to this forum and require some advice, I have seen a lovely 1991 e34 for sale (520i SE) , and by biggest concern is corrosion/rust,

from what i could see during my visit at the weekend there was a small amount of rust in the corner of each of the 4 doors, and some slight bubbling just above the skirt on the passenger side.

My intention is to use the car as a daily and just pile the miles on it, and i would plan on getting the rust sorted in some time off i have next month.

My questions are:
1) (i have seen the door rust is common, but it doesn't seem major on many doors except the passenger NS door, where it has began bubbling) would welding be required to solve this issue and if i had it addressed how soon would it show back up??? realistically i will be doing bout 15K miles per year and hope it will last me a few years at least

2) if i am seeing rust in these areas how likely is it that there will be hidden rust such as behind the skirts?

3) finally how much would you guys expect to budget for the sort of work I'm looking at?

these are my only questions, i would really appreciate some decent guidance as I really want the car, i just want to be able to use it without the constant worry that its going to turn to dust.

Many thanks...

P.S i should have some pictures by tomorrow as like a moron i didn't take any

Jack

[zkd]

for me I owned my e34 touring for more than 20 years. this year I did a complete restoration, I found rust in the following areas:-

- Door sill on all 4 doors. (it was cheaper for me to replace all 4 doors, got them for like $40 each from a salvage yard)
- the front fender (wing) where it is bolted to the body right next to the front door, both sides. (again replaced them, about $45 each)
- around the seal of the windshield. that was fixed by grinding it to bear metal and putting the right paints and primers. then resealing windshield properly
- various spots around the body, again fixed.







these cars are pretty well insulated, but make sure all the little rubbers around the car are in place specially the two circular ones behind the from wheels, if they are missing they will let water in behind the fender.

the prices are in my country I don't know how much will cost in yours.

best of luck.

[Jackson42]

My complements on your Touring, ZKD - that looks really nice! I'm doing similar restoration work on my daughter's 535i, only I don't have the rust problems here in Southern California. However, all the plastic and rubber pieces get completely cooked so I'm going through it and replacing gaskets, door seals, and so forth.

[GregT53]

Rust is a difficult problem to remedy and if you undertake a project like this you can count in it being expensive unless you can do the work yourself. Going the route of cutting and welding is usually done on vehicles that have decent value after being restored. As nice as this car seems, it's not worth going to such extremes to fix the rust.

Most opt for replacing doors with good ones from a donor car and repainting to match, as noted by a previous forum member. This will be the least expensive and most long lasting solution.

Finding rust is a good indicator that more is lurking elsewhere. Rust under the skirt trim is common on the E34 and can be a lot more extensive than meets the eye. The jack points are particularly problematic as the sunroof drains contribute to keeping these areas moist and prone to deterioration. Before you pull the trigger on this car try to get it on a rack and get a good look at the underside, including the jack points.

If you are just looking to get a vehicle for daily transportation for the next few years then this could be a good buy if you don't overspend on the cosmetics. These E34s are pretty solid drivers and fairly simple to maintain. You could pick this up for a good price due to the rust, drive it, and keep your eye out for a better example.

[Mr.smithers]

Really appreciate your replies guys, very helpful, I have the pictures of the rust below, let me know your thoughts and if this will be an easy fix, also as I believe this is rust in the early stages, do you guys think at this stage it will be a more or less permanent fix

[zkd]

My complements on your Touring, ZKD - that looks really nice! I'm doing similar restoration work on my daughter's 535i, only I don't have the rust problems here in Southern California. However, all the plastic and rubber pieces get completely cooked so I'm going through it and replacing gaskets, door seals, and so forth.

good luck my friend. I hope you get the satisfaction I got when it's finished.