Bought an e28 M5 with major rust issues - Advice?

[SDKeith]

Update!

I spent some time this morning with the well known owner of a SD based BMW specialty shop, going through the situation/pictures and his e28 M5s (the latter are very cool). His assessment, is the situation may not be as bad as feared (brickwhite and others who agree, Thank you!). However, the body work is beyond my ability, as I am lethal with a welder in the worst way. So I'm going to let a pro handle the body work. His feeling is that since the car is currently in middle of the county, it should go to a body shop used to dealing with rust (and also setup to do this level of work). I'm exploring his suggestions and (for now) plan on keeping the car. While I was tempted to cut my losses and sell the car, I have been convinced by this morning's discussion and the thoughts of this board to continue exploring a refurbishment.

I'll keep updating this thread as things progress and I continue to welcome thoughts and advice! Thanks all for your help thus far.

sdub and SocalM5 - Thanks for your offers of help. I may take you up on them when the car gets here!

sdub - I gave up my ME profession and went into finance many years ago. Please don't judge me, haha.

[tig]

If that agate green chassis is for real, it sounds like a no brainier... Sorry to hear this happened to you. You seem to have a healthy perspective, good on you.

Posting VIN for posterity: WBSDC9303J2791096

[tn535i]

When I looked at the pictures I was thinking that there were some obvious signs of trouble. Both the paint and the bumper conversion work looked sub par to me and as you said isn't really done right. Some of the rust I hope is surface rust and these cars rarely rust from the inside out like some older BMW's used to do.

I think if you are willing to strip the car down and do as much as you can yourself then let the pro's do the body work you could in the end have a fantastic & REAL M5. The key is to make it as easy as possible for them to do everything the way you would like to see it done. All trim and glass out and then you keep on eye on every step calling foul if you see anything wrong. You might still be in under the cost of a much nicer car with the same end result but no recovery of your own sweat and tears. It's a lot of work in that path but the people here can help you through almost anything and as you put it back together you will enjoy the process I promise you. I did that a couple times now with e30's and would like to do an e28 project and may some day do my M6. My old 2002 is also waiting for retirement.

Good luck and sorry about the deceptive and sorry @$$ seller.

[SDKeith]

Thanks all for the kind words and wishes. You are all correct that the auction displayed some warning signs. I assumed the bumper conversion was garbage and the motor would need the head done at a minimum. Given the minor evidence of surface rust, I did not anticipate the hilarity underneath (in retrospect, I should have). The support I've received from the BMW community has been awesome so far!

Update:
Since the car is currently in "mid-country", two experts have offered to meet me at a shop in IL in early January (I'll drive it there). We'll properly evaluate the car then and "call the patient". Hopefully, the effort is manageable.

The challenge for me currently, is the dearth of body shops on the West Coast (i.e. close to me) that charge "reasonable" labor rates and have experience economically dealing with severe rust. The market here seems to be a bit binary, either;
1) Shops that are economical with good reputations but no real rust experience, or
2) "Major" restoration shops that are inappropriate for this car and my budget

Upon the advice of several individuals, I'm going to try to fix the body where shops are used to cutting, forming and welding, and not replacing panels wholesale. The cost just gets out of control otherwise. It'll prob be a month before there are any updates here, but I'll be back when I know more!

[Nebraska_e28]

Good to hear you're making lemonade despite how the seller received your thoughts on the situation.

[Karl Grau]

Steve,

I don't know if it's anything you would consider but there are a couple of shops in Tijuana with great prices that the air cooled crowd seems to think highly of. I'm not sure I could do it, only because I would be a nervous wreck the whole time my car was gone.

Cheers,
Carlos

https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic ... ernatives/

http://www.livethevanlife.com/reviews/w ... ico-part-2

[demetk]

Thanks for the links Karl. Maybe I'll take a drive this spring.

[SDKeith]

That's a great idea, Charles. Once the undercarriage rust is dealt with, it's something I'll consider. Unfortunately for now, given the placement of the undercarriage rust (much is above the rear subframe) and other issues (Clownface von Seller's sawzall assault on said subframe) I wouldn't be comfortable with the TJ shops just yet...It's not that they don't have a fabulous reputation for great work, it's that my Spanish sucks and there will undoubtedly be complicated decisions to be made along the way. I guess I could deliver them the bare chassis on a cradle, but that's prob. hassle than I'm interested in.

Best,
Keith

[SDKeith]

For anyone still following (sorry it's been awhile), here's the latest. The short version is several experts have inspected the car and (as many of you here suggested) the situation is not as dire as it first seemed (though it's not good). So, I've decided to keep the car and dive in with repairs. The undercarriage will require substantial fabrication to repair the rust and the motor definitely needs the head done. I'm not naming shops yet (I'll wait for their permission), but a well-known BMW engine guy and relatively new classic BMW restoration shop in mid-country will be taking on the jobs. It will take awhile as I'm at the back of the queue, but I'm excited and cautiously optimistic. The fabrication work is simply too much for me to take on personally and it just made sense to have the head done where the car currently is.

This will likely be my final post to this thread. Once things get going I'll start another one to document the repairs for anyone interested. The help I've received from the BMW community has really been unexpected and heartwarming. Thanks again to everyone and I'm excited to move forward.

Best,
Keith

[wkohler]

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to further updates on the progress!

[demetk]

Good luck with the car. Bummer about the rust, but it should come out fine.

I'm tempted to drive mine down to Tijuana to do body and paint.

[ahab]

Good luck with the rebuild, sounds likes solid plan.

[tig]

Please keep us posted on this "adventure"... We're in it with you!

[tschultz]

Shame to hear about the unfortune... it should have been disclosed before purchase!

[TurboChris]

Hey Keith, if you don't already know...Jims Upholstery in Kearny Mesa is where you want to go when you're ready to do the interior.....Amazing work and the price is right. They redid my seats front and back for I think, $1500. They're, in my opinon..about as good as it gets and being in your backyard is a big plus. Usually you can make an apppt and drop it off in the morning and pick it up at the end of the day or the next day at most. Good luck with the build!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/jims-auto-upholstery-san-diego

I posted pics in this thread showing the work they did on my car.

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=98348&start=25

[funfunfer]

Glad to have stumbled across this thread. Other than the aquisition phase, my M5 is in a similar state and I've been kicking the "restore or run" can down the road for a number of years. This thread has me leaning towards "restore", enjoy it, then let the heirs decide what to do with it.

[stuartinmn]

If you haven't yet committed to the shop that will do the body work, and if you're willing to leave the car in middle America for a while, I'd highly recommend the shop that restored my M535i a few years back. They're in SE Minnesota, so not all that terribly far away. They do have a pretty long lead time (at least they did when I had my car done) but once they were able to fit it into their schedule the work progressed at a good pace. http://www.bremsethbodyshop.com (there's a picture of my car at the bottom of their 'projects' section.)

[Burnze]

As your resident Tex/Mex Spanish-speaker, I'd be happy to help if you decide to get work done south of the border. I'm in Los Angeles.... and I just bought a car that needs paint too, so maybe we could get a deal.

That's a great idea, Charles. Once the undercarriage rust is dealt with, it's something I'll consider. Unfortunately for now, given the placement of the undercarriage rust (much is above the rear subframe) and other issues (Clownface von Seller's sawzall assault on said subframe) I wouldn't be comfortable with the TJ shops just yet...It's not that they don't have a fabulous reputation for great work, it's that my Spanish sucks and there will undoubtedly be complicated decisions to be made along the way. I guess I could deliver them the bare chassis on a cradle, but that's prob. hassle than I'm interested in.

Best,
Keith

[rallyfreak202]

Any updates? Just read through this and admire the effort you'll be putting into resurrecting this M!

I am curious to pick your brain on a small subject on your car; the Euro bumper install. I will be completing this and want to make sure it's not a shoddy job. Can you tell me what he did that wasn't top quality? If this isn't welcome on your thread, feel free to PM me, I'd appreciate it.