bmw back to life project-need guidance

[omkar]

hey. im new to the forum and im about to start my project tomorrow.
my father in law is giving me his OLD bmw (1976 3.0L)
its been parked in a storage garage for over 12 years and i decides im going to bring it back to life. the outer shell is in pretty good condition with some bubbles popping up in a couple places but the underbody has alot of holes (im guessing from the dirt that was under there acting over the 12 years).

this is the first time im doing this and actually the first time doing any sort of metal work whatsoever so i'll be learning everything as i go along.

my first guess is that i'm going to be doing 12 years of maintainance work on the mechanical parts of this car from wheel nuts to wiper blades. but im very lost to how i should approach the body work.

can the guys who have some experience in auto restoration give me some technical advice.

i would also like some advice on any mechanical work i need to do. i know this is a welding forum but any mechanical advice i get will be highly appreciated.

my first question is - what type of material (guage and composition) should i be looking to get to do my undercarriage.

 

[langy]

The same gauge as what it was made in, If your stripping out the car completely i would get a rotiseree (spelling ?) It will make welding under the car a breeze

 

[Chickenjohn]

The best thing you can do is get some skills. Look up the websites for your local colleges and enrol on a night school in vehicle body restoration. They will teach you everything you need to know to restore this old beemer.

As for mechanical advice, I would re-build the brakes as they will almost certainly be siezed after 12 years standing. However, start by removing the old underseal to see how bad the rust really is on the car and try to find a source of replacement panels, floor panels, sill panels etc. You need to establish if it is viable to restore the car before dealing with the mechanical parts.

 

[omkar]

heres the thing...i moved to belgium 4 months ago from trinidad. that means i have to learn dutch. i checked out welding and restoration courses in the schools and they tell me that i have to complete a dutch cource for technical professionals before i can enrol. but it takes me atleast 4 more months before i can complete that course. also because i cant speak dutch right now, it means i cant look for a job just yet. basically this means that for the next 4 - 5 months i have all the free time in the world to learn how to mig weld and restore on my own (before i can officially do a course on it).

i just used my last 750 euro to buy a mig welder and mask on thursday, so i already took the jump, im just waiting to hit the water.

what i was also thinking is that while im learning how to weld i could try making some nice gates as small projects. to practice alot in these 4 months ahead of me. so that i could probably make a little income on the side. i worked construction work for a while making steel reinforcement cages for foundations so bar bending is a little more familiar to me than auto body work...

my goal ultimatly is to modify cars, like taking a old beat up sedan and turning it into a porsche replica, and making modified motorcycles.

i totally get what you are telling me about the courses but right now i have nothing i can do except learn from the internet and do some trial and error and probably look for a garage who is willing to take on an apprentice who can speak as much dutch as a 4 year old.

i'll try to have photos up of my project soon for you guys. i really hope you can give me some furthur advice, thanks guys

 

[Chickenjohn]

Spend the time perfecting your Dutch!

"my goal ultimatly is to modify cars, like taking a old beat up sedan and turning it into a porsche replica"

I hope you've not been inspired by a certain awful show on Discovery channel???

Other than that, read all the excellent tutorials on this site, get some 0.9-1mm steel and start practising till you can butt weld pieces together and post the results on this forum under the "learning Mig welding" section.

 

[omkar]

thanks

thanks alot for the advice. i hope to recieve my welder tomorrow. and i already have a practice plate i got from a garage. i think its .8. i´ll post the pics as soon as i can

 

[Chickenjohn]

Your home work for tonight is to read all the articles here:- http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/mig.htm

several times!!

I wish there was something like this invaluable resource on t'interweb when I was learing how to weld. Had to work it all out for myself by trial and much error and by pestering everyone I know who can weld for information!

 

[tomsutton529]

you want to learn from the internet I hear thee yell.... then you have found the best site..

your next best friend on the internet is some form of BMW owners club, some are kept to regional areas some cover the world......

the final friend you have is time. Spend some time learning techniques, spend time reading what people tell you and dont ignore what they say, keep trying its not the easiest thing in the world to do. CLEAN THE METAL, get some Gas....

posting on here is always going to get a response so dont be shy.. post some pics and people will let you know how your doing.. dont be put off when they say your welds are rubbish, we all did a bad weld or twenty..

Dont bother with a course if you need to learn dutch.. spend four hours a day reading this forum and practise... along with your welder you need some Gas, grinder, wire brush, decent gloves and some overalls..

good luck.

 

[omkar]

just got my welder

just got my welder and finished the major setting up work ( wheels, gas line etc.) im going to try my first welds tomorrow. hopefully i can have some pics up for you guys to look at tomorrow. thanks for the advice guys.

 

[tomsutton529]

just got my welder and finished the major setting up work ( wheels, gas line etc.) im going to try my first welds tomorrow. hopefully i can have some pics up for you guys to look at tomorrow. thanks for the advice guys.

good luck Omkar, get those pics up asap so we can have a laugh... sorry I mean offer some help.

 

[omkar]

photos of first welds

first i had a pic done of me in my welding position. im wondering if my position is approiate since i see a cloud of smoke right under me ( im sure i inhaled it)

the first welds i did were on a piece of 4 mm flat steel i got lying around the shop. i adjusted the wire speed and power until i did what i felt was a comfortable weld. second i tried welding on with the settings i got from the tutorial from this site. the welds came out taller than the first set of welds i did with the same amount of penetration.

second i tried my sheet welding. first i did some welds on the sheet. the first pic is the upper side and the second is the underside.

after that i tried doing some tack welds to join two pieces of the sheet. the first two pics r of the top side and the third is the 3rd 4th and 5th are the underside.

all this was done using .8 wire.

i h

 

[Chickenjohn]

Butt tacked together pieces look good. LEt's see you fully weld those pieces, if they are 1mm thick or less (which they should be as your aim is to repair an old car!), then use the "thin metal technique", like this:- http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/thin-metal.htm

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/flash/controller-stitch-weld.htm

As for the smoke, if you can, open the worksop doors/ windows when welding to ventilate the area, If you can't do this, get a mask that will protect you from the vapours. In my case, with main and side garage doors open, the breeze takes the fumes away.

 

[slimjim]

maybe you need to look here

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=usetharch&action=display&thread=70135

and here

http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=88328

 

[wyn]

You might need to be a bit carefull as the last few pics seem to show a white'ish sort of deposit around the weld. This could well mean the steel has some sort of coating on it and the fumes won't be good for you. Maybe grind the steel a bit to see if any sort of coating or galvanising comes off.

 

[Chickenjohn]

-snip- the last few pics seem to show a white'ish sort of deposit around the weld. This could well mean the steel has some sort of coating on it and the fumes won't be good for you.-snip-

Last few pics look like Zintec, as i said above, a well ventilated workkshop/ and or mask are sensible precautions. I would not grind the zinc off, ezpecially if going to be welded onto a car!

 

[omkar]

question about the welds

i noticed the welds on the 4 mm steel has what appears to be flux.
im not saying it is flux. im saying i see two different things when i look at the weld. some spots look like something flaked off to reveal shiny metal.

what could have caused this. was this the result of me holding the torch a little too far at these spots? i remember that at certain points i lifted the torch a little to re adjust my posture

 

[grandads_shed]

LOOKS LIKE THE METAL has a coating of some sort, maybe galvernised????

needs cleaning bk to metal before welding if this is the case

 

[omkar]

weld cleanliness

oh, i see. besides aesthetic does this mean the weld itself is contaminated and thus weaker

 

[Country Joe]

oh, i see. besides aesthetic does this mean the weld itself is contaminated and thus weaker

They're not good for you. the fumes, that is.
CJ

 

[omkar]

thanks

oh, i see. thanks alot for the advice guys.