How easy or difficult is it to "pop off" the door exterior? Plus, that trim extends on to the fender and rear quarter panel.

well I meant take the inside door panel off, after you remove the armrest/handle and window bits the whole padded bit is attached just by little white plastic tabs (at least in my car a 74, not sure about earlier but I would imagine the same) that will get you at the back of the door trim but since there are 4 trim bits on each side of the car you would have to do it on both doors and the back seat panels (with the side pockets and ashtrays) that will get you half of it done then the other 4 bits are WAY easier to get to (between front tire and door, and between rear bumper and back tire)

for the front you can just reach into the wheel well outside by the tire and feel the little black rubber backing nubs

for the back, open your trunk and you can see them at the bottom in the side panels where you have your jack mounted, ( and where I keep spare bottles of oil... perfect place for those and jumper cables to fit by the way)

Cool well I will check it out this weekend and hopefully get to try it out. Thanks.

I am going to do the same thing (eventually) to my 73, but I have been told that anything other than metal (i.e. welding) will eventually dimple and show a slight indention where the hole was filled with the putty like material. If that's true, I guess it may depend on how long you want the work to look pristine/is it a racer/daily driver/show car/beater (heaven forbid!)
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1973 2002 (still) Sahara "Inga"
1982 e21 Saphirblau "Max"
1987 e30 Zinnoberrot and still nameless...

"Why would I pay that much money for a 1981 BMW that looks...like a 1981 BMW?" -Charles William Jones, Jr.

Well, I am slapping a pretty cheap paint job on it for now in hopes that someday I can afford a proper spray. I dont think possible dimples down the road with be a huge problem. I guess we will see...


Last edited by Shelby4130 on 7-11-08 03:31; edited 1 time in total

Ideally if I it was me doing it I would probably lead it like the real old school body workers did. but I kinda like the trim on my 74, I dont know why you would want to remove it, unless you have an early model car without the huge black bumper, older style bodies look nice without any trim.

I am not sure about access but a thick chunk of copper behind the hole and weld it up! Shitty metal repairs are done with fiberglass....

WELD them..

It won't be a lot cheaper if you are paying someone $80 an hour, but at least it will last!

Or learn to do it yourself, take a welding class at the local community college that lets you bring your car project in

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if you wanna budget job that'll last perhaps as long as the car does, pull all the panels so you have access behind the holes...buty a roll of foil tape...home-depot, air conditioning parts...it's used to seal duct work

put a piece tape over each hole from the inside then skim the holes with bondo or you filler of choice...

for such small work, i'd suggest 2k spot putty...it's denser and you won't have any pinholes...one tube from your favorite auto parts store should be enough
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Wanna sell the rocker trim? I also need the trim across the back under the license plate.

Let me know.

why are people coming up with the shitty way to fix things? When anyone buys a car what pisses them off the most....these types of repairs done by PO who are so cheap! Stop continuing this kind of teaching! Do it right the first time and you don't have to worry about it later. Most people know another person who can weld or a member of the group close by who can help.

don't use fiberglass other easy way out...... welding them is the proper way to do it. Also MUCH easier.

fiberglass/bondo will eventually crack.

see my build blog for 3 easy steps to smooth body lines.

http://bmw1602.blogspot.com/
or visit my site
http://bmw1602.com/

Took me about 30 mins to fill all the trim holes the right way.

before ....

just grind the area clean...

http://bmw1602.lostbrazilian.com/v1/get_thumbs_on_fly.php?imgid=5785&nw=640&nh=480

during....
simply weld the hole shut using low heat and quick short welds with the mig gun. Some people use a copper "spoon" on the other side, but as you can see I didn't use one and it came out fine. I tried to but I found it easier to not use one..

http://bmw1602.lostbrazilian.com/v1/get_thumbs_on_fly.php?imgid=5786&nw=640&nh=480

after.....
simply grind down the weld so it's flush.....

http://bmw1602.lostbrazilian.com/v1/get_thumbs_on_fly.php?imgid=5790&nw=640&nh=480

then just prep and paint....

hell if you lived close to me I do it for you....
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68' 1602
98' ///M3 Sedan

88' ///M3 Sold *
06' ///M3 Competition Pkg Sold *

http://www.bmw1602.com/

alp wrote:

When anyone buys a car what pisses them off the most....these types of repairs done by PO who are so cheap! Stop continuing this kind of teaching!

dude...not all of us are as capable as you flaunt yourself to be....not nearly as arrogant either

"why are people coming up with the shitty way to fix things?...because some of us want to cut corners, save a few bucks or a host of other reasons...it is our right to do so or don't you know that...

when a person buys a car...it is his or her car, not yours...how they maintain it is their prerogative...not yours

when buying a car, as you inferred, expect anything and everything but if you buy it, don't bitch because of how it's previous owners) tended to it
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lots of people look for the easiest way out without trying to do something the right way. The right way is not always that hard or expensive. usually it ends up costing you more in wasted time and money to fix the job a second or third time when the crap falls out or cracks. Ask those who have learned from repairing crappy fixes and you will see. Like was posted above it took someone 30 mins to fix all the holes the right way. You would spend more time, money and effort to glass it over. It is not arrogance just tired of seeing people within the group help people with suggestions on how to fix something the crappy way. Instead we should be helping people to gets things done or learned the right way. My garage is always open to anybody in my car group to come by and use my tools, or if I can help. By raising the levels that we restore/fix our cars it raises everything about us/our cars to a better level.

I did it on my 69 8 years ago and they still look awesome.
I know 2 other guys who tried fiberglass and bondo. They looked great for about 2 years but both showed evidence of pitting, shrinking our "outlining." Doing the work again and painting is not worth it.
If you don't really care how the car looks, then I don't think you should remove the trim and close the holes. If you want to sell the car, let the new owner make the decision on the trim holes. If you want to keep the car and like the trimless look (like I do) then do it right and weld them shut. It's worth the minor additional work.
_________________
Pierre
69 2002 (track/canyon carver)
74 2002 tii (toy)
74 2002 (for sale)
74 2002 (project)
76 530i (continuous running project)
79 323i (toy)
97 M3 4-door (wife)
89 325i (DD)
91 318is (DD)
O==00==O
And Chris Culpen still owes me $950.

Get a cheap welder from harbor freight, they work well enough for this kinda stuff. They are usually less than $200, and you can practice by getting some sheet metal at a scrap yard or home depot and drilling holes in it. Putting a piece of copper, i.e. pennies, behind the hole helps. Weld up the front reflectors while you're at it.

Or you may be able to rent the equipment for a day or two....

this link may be helpful

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

Good luck

yeah, if you're bothering to paint,
it's not a brutal job to weld.
Think about door dings, too- nothing like a small dent with a hole in the middle, eh?
Esty's skim coat of bondo's really asking for it, but the 'glass would be ok.

Having said that, I like the look (and function) of the trim, so if I ended up
with your car and you bondoed it, it would make me happy-
a few minutes with a drill and touch- up paint, and the trim's back on!

off to make a mess,
t
_________________
I have a car disease. There is no cure.
I'm not even managing the symptoms very well...

TobyB wrote:

Esty's skim coat of bondo's really asking for it, but the 'glass would be ok. t

you guys miss the point of my response...the guy didn't ask for the best way or most appropriate way...he obviously already found that out when he got a quote to weld the holes...it's apparent from his question that he was looking for a cheaper alternative...instead of doing it the more expensive way..

given that someone asks for tips, hints suggestions, wouldn't you agree all suggestions are or should be welcome....by providing an alternative does not imply that alternative is the right way to do something...just another way to do something

the final decision rests with the owner...what and how he does his work shouldn't be condemned simply because you would do something differently

when i filled the holes left from those dumb square fender lights...i dimpled the metal at each hole, backed them as i described, filled with epoxy, then bondo'd...almost 3 years later and there's no sign of the repairs....

my car...my money...my time...my way
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Esteemed FAQ'ers,

I have a rusted, crappy painted '74. It ain't no museum piece. I am doing a refreshening on the cheap.

I am filling all hole with fiberglass. The Nason single stage Chamonix white will be more forgiving on the redneck bodywork. The car is down to to factory primer. Everything will be as smooth as possible, before painting.

My lower "knee' trim is gone, as are the sidemarker lights and reflectors.

The guy who is spraying the car is a hobbyist body and paint guy. He has done BMWs for himself and his kids. He'll be doing the final prepping, sealing, and such before painting.

I'm just doing the grunt work and buying stuff like glass seals and weatherstripping.

Regards,
Randy Bryant
Elkton,VA
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"To live life without belief is more terrible than dying...., even more terrible than dying young." Joan of Arc

"It is not a sign of good health to be well adjusted to a sick society." J. Krishnamurti

I'm about to do this as well, but I don't have access or funds for a welder.

I was thinking about using metal reinforced body filler- supposedly it doesn't have the moisture absorption issues that Bondo does... http://www.spaceagepaint.com/product_detail.aspx?id_product=1436
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~Rob
'73 2002 (runs!)
'76 2002 (parts!)

rtheriaque wrote:

supposedly it doesn't have the moisture absorption issues that Bondo does...

as long as the bondo is primed after you finish with it, moisture isn't an issue with any filler...

if you're going to take the "forbidden" route, as small as the holes are, the type of filler you use will be insignificant

i would however dimple each hole so you have a small cup of filler instead of just a thin sheet over each hole
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