I have a 65 Volvo that I want to repair. It is rusted in tricky areas. This video is really helpful even as I am watching casually. I watched abt 4 before this one and yours stands out. Tx brother!
@@seanbeukman9563 Thank you, glad you find it useful 👍. This was a tricky area, so I took it one piece at a time, it made the whole job easier to think about.
Hi. Just found your channel, subscribed and binged all your videos! Apologies in advance for the length of this comment. You're doing a great job, and you've amassed a fine collection of tools to do it justice. I'm 72 now and probably on my last project, a 1998 E31 840Ci. It is fair to say it is killing me slowly week by week! I've been restoring for about 10 years and have done 3 cars now, including all the painting, one of them an E34 (I still have the car, it is about 3/4 finished) which has a fair bit in common with the E30. My first BMW was a 1987 E30 320i (shame you don't have the straight six), it was only 3 years old so I didn't do any bodywork at all on it during the 6 years I owned it. I'm no expert, but I've made a lot of mistakes to be learned from. You are obviously very capable, so I doubt I can teach you much, but here are a few things. I have also had issues with weld through primer, and am of the opinion that all of it interferes with the weld, which may be why it was never used during manufacture to my knowledge. There are so many products out there, but I have put my faith in these companies: Rustbuster, Bilt Hamber Laboratories, Dinitrol and Fertan. For me, they make the best products. Do NOT use POR15, it's total junk, everything I have painted with it has failed. Do not bother with etch primers, go straight for a good epoxy primer. Rustbuster do some excellent stuff, they make some 2 pack weld through primers which I have not tried, but if I had a lot more welding to do I would give them a try. Their Epoxy Mastic is fantastic for chassis and suspension parts. Fertan is the best rust converter IMO. It looks and smells different to all the others, is German designed, and comes out of the marine and oil rig background. For the bolts you mention, I presume you mean the annoying self-tapper type threaded studs welded to the body used for heat shield securing among other things. For the ones that can't just be cleaned and treated, I have referenced their position, cut them off, ground the metal flat. Then, get some M6 pan head screws the right length, for the ones that are under carpet, they don't need to be completely flush, so grind the pan head down to, say, 2mm thickness, drill a hole and weld from the other side. If you can't get to the other side, or you need a flush fit, grind them down more, drill a hole the same size as the round head you are left with and weld them in flush. For complex shapes, don't be afraid of welding a few pieces together rather than struggling for hours to make a panel out of 1 piece. Lastly, you probably already know, but YT channels to watch for inspiration are: Fitzees Fabrications, Yorkshire Car Restoration, Ben's Classic Bodywork, GT 1900 Garage, Dave's garage, Notevn, Trev's Blog, and Elin Yakov's Rusty Beauties. Looking forward to your next episode.
Thank you every much for the reply, some very useful information. This is my second BMW, the first was a e34 touring, which did have a straight six! it had next to no rust in it so a better start point, but its the e30 that I really wanted, so its time came and it went. I have been using etch primer, just because it flash rusts very quickly. My intention is to repair an area, ie the whole arch, then epoxy the whole area, rather just epoxy little bits. However having just done this to the arch, it does add some extra steps Dont worry, I wasnt planning to use por15, im still undecided if I will paint the suspension bits or to have them powder coated, the powder coated parts on my fiesta still look fantastic after nearly 15 years. I was also thinking of doing that exact thing with fixing the studs, it seems the most straight forward repair. Thanks again for the comment, glad you have enjoyed the videos 👍
For studs like that in such small numbers I prefer to find a matching but slightly longer bolt. Grind the head down until it looks like a rivet head. Shape it, but don't remove any of the diameter of the bolt head. Cut the original stud off and drill a hole to suit. Put the ground down bolt in through the back side and weld it in place. Try to get decent penetration all around because you are going to grind this down as well. It doesn't need to be flat, but just rounded over so it is relatively smooth. I realize decent penetration without burn through is tricky on such thin sheet. You can add a washer under the bolt head and weld it all if that helps, but in my relatively limited experience these bolts don't really need to hold up any ten ton anchors.
@@rtwpsom2 Yes without a stud welder this does appear to be the way people do it. I can't get to the backside of all the studs, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks for the comment 👍
Try not to put too much heat in the panels to eliminating wrapping. I have the same problems with the welds being hit and miss. Nice section on the floor pan 👌
Thanks. It's not always stress free I tell you! But at the end of the day I enjoy the hobby, and like to share my progress! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the support 👍
Great video! It’s very well filmed, clearly explained, the sound is perfect, and your skills really stand out. I’m currently restoring a Citroën Saxo VTS, and this is going to be a source of inspiration for me 😅
@@ced64k Thanks a lot, I did enjoy this one! My parents have owned a vtr from new, no doubt it will make appearance on the channel from time to time, as Im the one to keep it maintained, and needs a touch it up here and there
The best way in my opinion is a tool we used at work. It is a stud welder or stud gun. Zip cut old studs. Replace with appropriate size studs. Easy peasy.
about the wire, make sure to try keep the hose whch the wire goes through to torch as straight as possible otherwise beeing a .6 wire might bind resulting in a poor weld. also dont step on it like i do while welding,
@@jonathancoppola8071 Thanks for the comment 👍 So I did try using 0.8 wire, but that was actually binding worse when the cable was bent too much. So it has caught me out in the past so i do try to keep it straight as possible.
So this topic seems to be debated alot! And yes, for thicker metals I do normally push the weld (You can see this in my DIY car rotisserie video if you are interested). However, at least for me at the moment, I have been getting a better result pulling while welding thin metal.
Fantastic video as always mate, thank you so much ☺️ Outstanding work as always!! You should be very proud of yourself. All the best to you & all the family mate 🙏😊👍
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it. The welder I have is a clarke mig 151te turbo, it was bought probably 15years ago (maybe more) so I can say its reliable! its simple and easy to use without tons of settings to confuse you which i like. It does need a bigger power supply it run it at full power (16A in the uk) but I run it from a normal plug for low settings and its been fine. It was a budget machine at the time, I have no idea how it compares to the market nowdays
Very nicely done. Completely agree as regards removing old crud! I do everything I can to avoid pushing deadly dust into the environment. The main problem I have is with the dust from grinding down welds now. I've started in on the bodywork of my classic mini and seem to be forever welding! I've been thinking about panel forming tools for sometime and you seem to have everything I've been thinking of: Anvil, guillotine, shrinker, stretcher, straight angle former, and round angle former. Did you get them as a job lot or buy separately? Liked and subbed!
@@webgateltduk Thank you. Yes grinding the welds down it's still messy, I am hoping over time my welds will get better and better, meaning less grinding. As for the tools, I have been buying them individually over the last 6 months or so. and they are all budget (amazon, eBay etc) no single tool cost more than £120. The only exception it's the red straight bender, this I borrowed, but will likely buy one. Being budget the do have their limitations, but hopefully from the video you can see you can still achieve acceptable results
@@malcolmchadwick4047 some of the threads will clean up, others need the metal underneath replacing. I will find a bolt/screw suitable to use as replacement.
I have a 65 Volvo that I want to repair. It is rusted in tricky areas. This video is really helpful even as I am watching casually. I watched abt 4 before this one and yours stands out. Tx brother!
@@seanbeukman9563 Thank you, glad you find it useful 👍. This was a tricky area, so I took it one piece at a time, it made the whole job easier to think about.
Hi. Just found your channel, subscribed and binged all your videos! Apologies in advance for the length of this comment. You're doing a great job, and you've amassed a fine collection of tools to do it justice. I'm 72 now and probably on my last project, a 1998 E31 840Ci. It is fair to say it is killing me slowly week by week! I've been restoring for about 10 years and have done 3 cars now, including all the painting, one of them an E34 (I still have the car, it is about 3/4 finished) which has a fair bit in common with the E30. My first BMW was a 1987 E30 320i (shame you don't have the straight six), it was only 3 years old so I didn't do any bodywork at all on it during the 6 years I owned it. I'm no expert, but I've made a lot of mistakes to be learned from. You are obviously very capable, so I doubt I can teach you much, but here are a few things. I have also had issues with weld through primer, and am of the opinion that all of it interferes with the weld, which may be why it was never used during manufacture to my knowledge. There are so many products out there, but I have put my faith in these companies: Rustbuster, Bilt Hamber Laboratories, Dinitrol and Fertan. For me, they make the best products. Do NOT use POR15, it's total junk, everything I have painted with it has failed. Do not bother with etch primers, go straight for a good epoxy primer. Rustbuster do some excellent stuff, they make some 2 pack weld through primers which I have not tried, but if I had a lot more welding to do I would give them a try. Their Epoxy Mastic is fantastic for chassis and suspension parts. Fertan is the best rust converter IMO. It looks and smells different to all the others, is German designed, and comes out of the marine and oil rig background. For the bolts you mention, I presume you mean the annoying self-tapper type threaded studs welded to the body used for heat shield securing among other things. For the ones that can't just be cleaned and treated, I have referenced their position, cut them off, ground the metal flat. Then, get some M6 pan head screws the right length, for the ones that are under carpet, they don't need to be completely flush, so grind the pan head down to, say, 2mm thickness, drill a hole and weld from the other side. If you can't get to the other side, or you need a flush fit, grind them down more, drill a hole the same size as the round head you are left with and weld them in flush. For complex shapes, don't be afraid of welding a few pieces together rather than struggling for hours to make a panel out of 1 piece. Lastly, you probably already know, but YT channels to watch for inspiration are: Fitzees Fabrications, Yorkshire Car Restoration, Ben's Classic Bodywork, GT 1900 Garage, Dave's garage, Notevn, Trev's Blog, and Elin Yakov's Rusty Beauties. Looking forward to your next episode.
Thank you every much for the reply, some very useful information. This is my second BMW, the first was a e34 touring, which did have a straight six! it had next to no rust in it so a better start point, but its the e30 that I really wanted, so its time came and it went.
I have been using etch primer, just because it flash rusts very quickly. My intention is to repair an area, ie the whole arch, then epoxy the whole area, rather just epoxy little bits. However having just done this to the arch, it does add some extra steps
Dont worry, I wasnt planning to use por15, im still undecided if I will paint the suspension bits or to have them powder coated, the powder coated parts on my fiesta still look fantastic after nearly 15 years.
I was also thinking of doing that exact thing with fixing the studs, it seems the most straight forward repair.
Thanks again for the comment, glad you have enjoyed the videos 👍
For studs like that in such small numbers I prefer to find a matching but slightly longer bolt. Grind the head down until it looks like a rivet head. Shape it, but don't remove any of the diameter of the bolt head. Cut the original stud off and drill a hole to suit. Put the ground down bolt in through the back side and weld it in place. Try to get decent penetration all around because you are going to grind this down as well. It doesn't need to be flat, but just rounded over so it is relatively smooth. I realize decent penetration without burn through is tricky on such thin sheet. You can add a washer under the bolt head and weld it all if that helps, but in my relatively limited experience these bolts don't really need to hold up any ten ton anchors.
@@rtwpsom2 Yes without a stud welder this does appear to be the way people do it. I can't get to the backside of all the studs, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks for the comment 👍
Try not to put too much heat in the panels to eliminating wrapping.
I have the same problems with the welds being hit and miss.
Nice section on the floor pan 👌
Thanks, im really happy with how the floor turned out
Came out nice chap! I need a roller/shrinker/stretcher in my life!
@@YootubeUK Thanks, and yes they have proven to be very handy tools!
Hello just come across your channel and subscribed! Loving your stress free easy style and attention to detail. Great video 👍👍👍
Thanks. It's not always stress free I tell you! But at the end of the day I enjoy the hobby, and like to share my progress! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the support 👍
So glad your channel popped up in my feed. Another e30 owner here and always pleased to see one getting restored. Great work!
@@rosscato8745 Thanks, I'm trying to do it justice, without spending an excessive amount of time or money... Let's see how that turns out!
For a split second, I thought you were working on my E30!
@@Bruceanddenise No matter what engine or model, you can be sure they all have holes in the same place!
Really beautifull job mate !!!
@@jorgemercatali9319 Thanks, I was really happy with this one 👍
thats a perfekt Job man
@@vonfersen2021 Thank you 👍
You've made a really nice job of that floor, well done.
Great video! It’s very well filmed, clearly explained, the sound is perfect, and your skills really stand out. I’m currently restoring a Citroën Saxo VTS, and this is going to be a source of inspiration for me 😅
@@ced64k Thanks a lot, I did enjoy this one! My parents have owned a vtr from new, no doubt it will make appearance on the channel from time to time, as Im the one to keep it maintained, and needs a touch it up here and there
congrats man im building my e30 along with you thank you
Thanks, I think more E30s are being built than driven!
Nice welding.... Subscribed, Regards Andy
@@TheFuneralDirector It's been a steep learning curve! Thanks for the comment 👍
nice work mate from Australia !!!
@@jughtful Thank you 👍
The best way in my opinion is a tool we used at work. It is a stud welder or stud gun. Zip cut old studs. Replace with appropriate size studs. Easy peasy.
@@KenCoates-ih6ez That sounds like the best method, but for the relatively few studs I need to do, I can't justify the cost of one.
Nice repair!
Cheers from rusty nissan rs13 200sx
@@mix1806 Thanks, I was happy with this one! Gives me more confidence moving forward
about the wire, make sure to try keep the hose whch the wire goes through to torch as straight as possible otherwise beeing a .6 wire might bind resulting in a poor weld. also dont step on it like i do while welding,
@@jonathancoppola8071 Thanks for the comment 👍 So I did try using 0.8 wire, but that was actually binding worse when the cable was bent too much. So it has caught me out in the past so i do try to keep it straight as possible.
just a tip push the mig torch intot he weld rather then dragging it away from the weld
So this topic seems to be debated alot! And yes, for thicker metals I do normally push the weld (You can see this in my DIY car rotisserie video if you are interested). However, at least for me at the moment, I have been getting a better result pulling while welding thin metal.
cut bolts off drill a bit bigger hole grind down 2 sides of bolt head . elongate hole on 1 side with a small round file fit in and weld gas weld
@@boomer3305 Thanks. That's definitely will give the stud a lot of extra strength!
Fantastic video as always mate, thank you so much ☺️ Outstanding work as always!! You should be very proud of yourself. All the best to you & all the family mate 🙏😊👍
Cheers Wayne 👍
Get a stud welder to replace the bolts.
You might be able to hire one.
Cut off the old studs and weld on new ones.
@@RPaton Thanks for the comment, and it would be nice, but I can't justify the cost of them, not for the relatively few studs that need doing.
Great work, enjoyed this video, just subscribed. What welder do you have and would you recommend it, just about to buy my first welder
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it. The welder I have is a clarke mig 151te turbo,
it was bought probably 15years ago (maybe more) so I can say its reliable! its simple and easy to use without tons of settings to confuse you which i like. It does need a bigger power supply it run it at full power (16A in the uk) but I run it from a normal plug for low settings and its been fine. It was a budget machine at the time, I have no idea how it compares to the market nowdays
Trevs blog here on youtube did a video before about fitting those bolts you were asking about at the start of the video
@@BillyShears275 Thanks, I will check it out 👍
👍
Very nicely done.
Completely agree as regards removing old crud! I do everything I can to avoid pushing deadly dust into the environment. The main problem I have is with the dust from grinding down welds now.
I've started in on the bodywork of my classic mini and seem to be forever welding! I've been thinking about panel forming tools for sometime and you seem to have everything I've been thinking of: Anvil, guillotine, shrinker, stretcher, straight angle former, and round angle former. Did you get them as a job lot or buy separately?
Liked and subbed!
@@webgateltduk Thank you. Yes grinding the welds down it's still messy, I am hoping over time my welds will get better and better, meaning less grinding.
As for the tools, I have been buying them individually over the last 6 months or so. and they are all budget (amazon, eBay etc) no single tool cost more than £120. The only exception it's the red straight bender, this I borrowed, but will likely buy one. Being budget the do have their limitations, but hopefully from the video you can see you can still achieve acceptable results
Can you not run the threads again with a tap and die set on the studs. Replace some with bolts and weld the hex nut from inside.
@@malcolmchadwick4047 some of the threads will clean up, others need the metal underneath replacing. I will find a bolt/screw suitable to use as replacement.
size of weld wire and voltage
@@boomer3305 The wire size is 0.6mm, I have no idea of the voltage
cut or drill the bolts out and replace them welding them back into place...
@@blastingweevil2968 This is likely the route I'm taking, thanks for the comment