Author Topic: Entire roof replacement...! (Read 23875 times)

Royalratch · « **on:** August 13, 2008, 05:28:02 PM »

I've taken a deep breath and decided to attack the rust lurking in my sunroof.

Some background on the car. I've owned it for over 9 years and am very attached to it. It's very clean and I'm the second owner.

I've known about these bubbles for a while but just kind of buried my head in the sand about it as I know it spells big trouble. Especially if the rust seeps past the roof and eats into the a/b/c pillar- then you may well have to trash it.

So I took a deep breath and hacked back the roof-lining (it will get a new one anyway) and covered my head for the deluge of metal. The door seams and pillars are fine.

This is the trouble - it's localised and hasn't reached the gutter/door frames yet. Looks like I'm just in time. The windscreen would be on your right - ahead is the passenger side window.

Yuk - right where the tray meets the roofskin. Blocked drainage no doubt but BMW's original protection here is non-existent and that don't help. The rest of the roof is perfect, which is why this is so annoying.

Passenger side rear.

Drivers Side Rear

Front drivers side

One side note, those copper tubes from the motor/winder panel are just asking to be corroded.

Why BMW used UNTREATED copper tubing here I'll never know. I have a new drive panel with new tubes and hardware and they are again untreated from new. They'll need sealing/painting or coating in something.

So. I have a new roofskin ordered at the princely sum of �405 INC Vat ($800 or so)

Item 1:

There was another repair section that is no longer available which was a whole roof complete with A and C pillar and what looks like the scuttle area:

Anyway, that second repair section is not available, despite calls to BMW Holland, Germany, France, Spain and Poland, to find 'old new stock' that doesn't always show up on their database.

Also had to get a new motor housing /drive panel at �45 or so and all new sound insulation, drainage hoses and seals at another �100 or so. Some of the original stuff was re-useable but had fine powdered surface corrosion on it and there's no way that was going back in a new roof.

Once it's all back together this very clean lining and power roof panel will go over it all, along with all new sound deadening.

Matt-B · « **Reply #1 on:** August 14, 2008, 11:30:00 AM »

wow........i would have left it lol

EN318isPDX · « **Reply #2 on:** August 14, 2008, 12:00:13 PM »

Quote from: matthew-mayhem;54858

wow........i would have left it lol

After nine years i think id end up replacing it too....

Royalratch · « **Reply #3 on:** August 16, 2008, 06:13:36 AM »

Some new parts arrived:

New draining tubes, sunroof panel seals and new fixing hardware:

New motor drive panel (This is a motor drive specific one as I'm converting to power roof)

Along with a mint sunroof drive motor, relay, switch and complete loom - all for �12!

So, took all that along to the bodyshop where the monster piece had arrived:

New original roofskin with sunroof tray bonded in:

Here you can see the sunroof tray - I now have a sunroof tray surplus to this as I didn't know it came with one already - I hope BMW will exchange it for something else.

So, the next step is to remove the old roofskin and weld the new one in, brazed at the A & C pillar joins for a filler-free repair.
As mentioned before, BMW's original rust protection inside is pretty poor, as are most cars of this age. The bodyshop
had a 993 Turbo undergoing a full respray and rust repair stripped down and that also had a just a single coat of primer
on the inside of the shelll in cavity / roof areas.

This time they will etch-prime, then perhaps a another coat or two of zinc primer then 2 coats paint and then flood the
roof/cavity areas with waxoil. Hopefully it will never come back - have learnt my lesson and will blow out the drainage tubes
every couple of months which is what I should have done in the first place - Take notice people!

They will take photos as they go which I will post up in the next week or so.

monty23psk · « **Reply #4 on:** August 16, 2008, 06:20:38 PM »

Great looking parts, good luck with work. Do post pics of the progress.

jens · « **Reply #5 on:** August 19, 2008, 04:18:34 PM »

Nice job, I am planing to replace the roof on my E30 so please do post pics of the progress.

longhornM6 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 02, 2008, 02:56:52 PM »

That is an AWESOME project... I don't know that many guys that would sink that kind of money into an E30, but yours is ceratinly a very NICE E30!!! Thanks for the pics too! Had you seen any evidence of leaking before you discovered the rot? Well Done

Jimmy Lewis · « **Reply #7 on:** September 02, 2008, 08:14:26 PM »

Wow that is too cool. If there was one person who took this good of care of there cars for every five e30 owners, there might actually be a few nice ones around when I get out of college to tinker with.

Royalratch · « **Reply #8 on:** September 03, 2008, 07:09:37 AM »

They are now well on the way to becoming classics so better do it now whilst parts are still available. I wouldn't have gone to this trouble for just any E30 tho as it is a lot expense and it's not a Sport or M3 etc. But I'm very attached to it.

It's back from the bodyshop now and the interior is at the trimmers so will post more pix immediately.

ose30 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 03, 2008, 08:24:40 AM »

Great project. I can understand you very well. I have owned my other hobby car, a 1988 Porsche 951 almost ten years now. Current E30 was purhased a year ago for 100€

When Porsche is finshed i plan to make some major improvements to my E30. Engine wil be changed to S14, just bought that engine with gearbox.

Royalratch · « **Reply #10 on:** October 04, 2008, 12:24:04 PM »

Okay. So here is the new roof fitted and painted and motor drive panel temporarily bolted in.

On the inside you can see where it has been heavily seam sealed and coated everywhere with waxoil.

And on the outside. This is where it's welded in at the A-Pillar

And on top.

New motor drive panel fitted, was manual before. You can see the threaded drive tubes that the motor cog gear simply drives left or right. Really is a very easy conversion to do when you see it all exposed.

This is the spot where the rust was breaking the surface as shown in previous pix. Nice new sunroof panel seals too.

And whilst all the trim was out I gave the wheel arches and doors a good dose of waxoil - it's been 3 years or so.

Next job is to bolt the sunroof motor in and run the wiring down the A-Pillar to the special equipment supply behind the glovebox.
Will also give me a chance to tidy up the loom route for the maplight mirror.

Will relocate the Bluetooth hands free kit too, make it more hidden. At the moment it the controller is hidden in the ashtray
but the CPU bit is a mess of wires in the glovebox.

///m42 sport · « **Reply #11 on:** October 04, 2008, 02:13:18 PM »

cool, I was wondering about your bluetooth. Have you considered putting the mic behind the little knob on the hvac panel (bottom left corner)?

Royalratch · « **Reply #12 on:** October 04, 2008, 05:29:10 PM »

The best place for it to pick up mine and a passengers voice (though it's a directional mic) is on the rear view mirror.

This is because it has far less vibration than when attached to the dash and also is more in line with where your voice throws I guess.

Bunta · « **Reply #13 on:** October 09, 2008, 08:15:25 PM »

Looks good.

You were smart and got the rust before it got to bad.

Must be nice to own a car like that for 9 years.
That car definetly worth saving. Horizontal stiched grey sport leather interior, mtech 2 wheel, 2 owner car

Does it have 15" wheels?

Hunter

JHZR2 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 09, 2008, 09:13:06 PM »

Wow!!!!!!!