BMW E30 Front Subframe & Steering Rack Restoration | BMW E30 325i Sport Restoration S1 E2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2025
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In episode 2 of the BMW E30 restoration, I restore the front subframe and steering rack along with a few things attached to them.
I started by removing the main pieces from the car and dismantling them further on the bench. Some parts were quite the task. I then degreased everything in preparation for blasting. As mentioned in the video, I will soon be able to film this process. Once blasted, I set about cleaning up the subframe and welding up a small opening created by excessive rust. As the sway bar didn't do well in the blaster I decided to paint strip and sand it down manually.
Once the main pieces were cleaned of any dirt, rust or paint. I covered them in Jenolites rust converter to ensure any rust left over would be removed and converted ready for paint. I then etched, primed, sanded, colored and lacquered them. Whilst I was waiting for those to dry, I made a start on the nuts and bolts. These can be surprisingly expensive to replace from BMW, so I feel taking the time to restore them is worth it.
I then had to wait 48 hours for the passivate to dry. In that time I cleaned up the steering rack, repainted the tie rods, repacked the ball joints and rack with grease and reattached the rubbers. I had to buy new control arms, drop links, bushings and bushing mounts as these parts are cheap enough to replace. It was then a matter of reattaching all of the parts to the car just for time being until they come off again for chassis blasting.
That about wraps this one up, stay tuned for the next episode. I'm not doing this series in any particular order so you never know what's next.
If you would like to send me something to restore, tools to use or anything to support Restore It, please send to:
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Tools & equpitment used:
Quartz Lacquer - goo.gl/8PTVKM
Base Coat Paint - goo.gl/mWhufG
Rust Remover - goo.gl/13gopW
Moldex Full Face Mask - goo.gl/NNYGrv
FGL 5 Spray gun - goo.gl/Acg5rd
A.N.I. R150-T Mini Spray gun - goo.gl/cHTJS2
Colad Washable Overalls - goo.gl/3Css9E
Colad Mixing Cups - goo.gl/8DYmE8
Colad TurboMix Sticks - goo.gl/cYZfks
Colad Synthetic Paint Strainers - goo.gl/H79ZgL
Steel wire bits - geni.us/keyaD
Rotary Tool - geni.us/HGed
Concentrate Degreaser - geni.us/yUn9
Mannesmann Socket Set - geni.us/HCDZ
Thanks for watching!
Disclaimer: I am no professional. I am completely self-taught and would appreciate any feedback, advice or constructive criticism.
I don't add music to these videos so that you can choose to listen to what you like if you would like to.
#BMW #E30 #Restoration
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I'm very excited to bring you the next episode of the BMW project. I'm going to start really focusing on this. Expect to see pretty much every single part be restored one way or another. Also, this video was filmed last week. The paint camera is lying! Cheers guys.
So nice to see it all like on hand!
Its hard to imagining doing stuff just with explanation, your videos are best! Many regards man. sub
I am interested in that Touring you have. Also, I am looking for an rhd steering rack that can be shipped to the US. Can you help me?
Restore It are you going to rebuild the engine or transmission?
I noticed the timestamp on the painting section of the video was from 2017, have you completed the restoration?
Is that electric impact any good?
You put the bolts for the steering rack in from the top, be sure to put em in from the bottom, once the engine is in, you’ll never be able to get em out without dropping the subframe or raising the engine.
😎
Good point!
Will you be doing the engine restoration also? Please do
I think that would be beyond the scope of what someone can do in their garage/shop. He would have to take it to an engine shop to get the cylinders honed at the very least.
Ofcourse he can, I restored my engine in my driveway this summer
Rebuilding your engine, so long you don't discuss flying the surfaces or reboring the cylinders is a job someone can make in their bathroom. Seriously, there's no magic involved, and aside from keeping clean and following instructions like torque and order, it's easy.
My first rebuild was done in a tent in my yard, 10 some years ago, and the Merc it belongs to still runs strong to this day.
I think it depends on one's confidence level. If you feel comfortable tackling it, go ahead. If not, nothing wrong with handing it over to pros. You're good either way.
@@aserta A Merc isn't the same as a BMW, and you didn't mention the year, car model or what type of engine used. Your blanket statement is inaccurate and potentially misleading. Someone who doesn't know what they're doing could damage or cripple their engine. If in doubt, leave it to professionals.
IT SEEMS LIKE YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT CARS .I HAVE WATCHED YOU FOR ENTIRE BMW E 30 YOU PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. GOOD JOB .THANKS
just a tip for those lower control arm bushings, never use any lubricants on them, they dont seem like they can spin on you, but I've seen it happen before, in bmw technician training they recommend using glass cleaner, it does a good job on the install and dries up completely
Thank you for this Collin, good to know.
You should also have the cars weight on the ball joint when you torque it to spec to prevent under or over torque.
Isopropyl alcohol works wonders on bushings and grommets. Dries faster than windex with no residues. Also works for sliding wires through tight harnesses and connectors.
I did that, works great
Use p080 rubber lubricant. That’s what the assembly plants use
Thankyou for your responce yesterday, means alot that you'd taken time to read and reply, look forward to the next update. Cheers James
As a Brit tinkerer, it is comforting to know that great things are being achieved in sheds and lock ups all over country, from Mars Rovers and Hover bikes to Beemers and Tilley lamps.
you are the best mechanic and restorer I ever have seen. I wish the best.
Some of the best work on youtube. Always a pleasure!
Thank you Craig!!
I have rarely watch a more inspiring series on TH-cam than yours. Now I desperately want to restore an old BMW...
by far the best patience and attention to detail ever. I had a BMW e30 i miss it.
Woah man, your the only e30 series of restoration. Good work man.
Once you are done i think your car will be the worlds most protected and detailed vehicle. Keep it up the great work!!
Thank you!
Best video ever, my favorite part was the electrolysis of the bolts and nuts! Looks great.
Thank you Noah!
when you're welding up holes, dont even try weld to them, just get tiny little tacs/weld onto the side of it, once you got that all the way round, you can just hold the welder down for 3 or so seconds and it'll all melt together and hopefully not blow through, will look a hell of a lot better also!
Just dropped a load of E30 parts to be sand blasted. These videos have been such a huge inspiration to me!
Great job! I have the same car stored in the garage and plan to restore it completely in the future. Your videos are extremely helpful and informative, don’t stop filming absolutely every step. It is amazing!
Hi. I just want to point out something that I noticed on this chapter of your restoration. I am an industrial blaster and painter in the marine industry by trade and just thought I'd make a suggestion to you to possibly help you moving forward with your restoration. With bubbling rust that you had on the frame that you chipped off and then used a polishing disk on it followed by a belt sander, just be careful doing that. If the metal surface has started to decay like that, depending on how deep the rust was, you may end up just polishing the rust and not actually remove it. If that is the case, it will come back. And in some cases, worse. Grit blasting, even though significantly harsher on the frame work, rather than glass blasting, would be better as grit has a deeper penetration than glass and removes higher volumes of material. You can follow that with your polishing pad to get your material back to a reasonably smooth surface for painting. Just don't forget to cross etch the surface to allow the paint something to hold onto. Hope your restoration works out well for you and I hope this suggestion helps you.
Always so thorough with the prep and painting. Not only is it satisfying to watch but the finish in the end product is always spot on.
A funny saying I heard about welding: A grinder and paint make me the welder I ain't! Nice work as usual!
true, but im reminded of another saying, "Good enough for the girls I run around with."
My favourite is "If you grind your welds, you're not a welder, you're a grinder" ;)
I laughed when you put down your welding ability. I wish I had a tenth of your confidence. I’d be scared shitless taking all those parts apart.
Never get tired of watching these!!
Thank you!!
TH-cam doesnt have a LOVE IT button or else i would've click on it. Theu way you do things... Is the right way. Cant wait on working on my E30 M3 proyect, it is going to be just like yours. Congratulations
You’re a great painter and you’re gentle with the parts. Great restoration techniques. That being said, the only thing I would have done differently was to send that sway bar to a powder coating facility. That’s why the media blaster wouldn’t touch the paint!
Ruh hastası etti beni yeminle izleyip izleyip arabayı söküyorun 😎
I love the super-quiet impact gun. Need to get myself one of those. Could do with picking up a silent hammer while I'm at it too. The ones I have are far too loud.
EDIT: Great job by the way! I think these types of videos have to be classified as the new "Most Satisfying Videos on the Internet".
Thank you for the skillshare membership!
Thank you so much for making these videos. You are saving me thousands of dollars. I'm excited to see the e30 put back together. I have few mechanic skills but luckily you are showing me every step. I start hunting for my e30 as soon as I sell a bike and a jet ski.
You've put the bolts for the steering rack the wrong way, bolt from below, nut on top. Otherwise you would not be able to take the rack out with the engine on subframe.
Sorry I don't want to sound like a douche bag, great work on the restoration, I'd entrust you with my E39 :)
Haha I have been thinking this since I out them in! It was a 50/50 guess. I'll get them changed over right now thanks!
Amazing work! Your attention to detail is next level. One thing I wanted to mention is that those plastic zip ties on the steering assembly rubber boots with fail eventually. Swap those out for some metal ones.
Brilliant work! Makes me want to restore my E60 530i. Then I remember that once I take something apart and reassemble it, there are always a few extra parts that are left behind and I go back to watching your videos 🤔
Haha! I have to film the disassembly to remember how to put it back again! It's the only reason for this channel.
I'm really enjoying your automotive restoration videos. It's really satisfying to watch, I have a 1968 Mercury Cougar and I'm constantly sitting around taking 50 year old parts apart and cleaning them, whether or not if I can save them is a different matter. lol
I'm very happy about all the parts you restored on this episode. Great job!
Thank you!
Great video! I get really excited everytime someone restores a classic car! I wish I could start restoring my car the soonest!
best bmw restoration I've seen, congratulations man.
Thanks very much Jose!
You make it look too easy! Keep them coming, it inspires the rest of us.
Thank you loads to come!
Absolute perfection with the attention to detail.
Looks so good, hyped for this build
I always get amused with your videos. Keep it up man!
This is a amazing job, Every detail is perfectly done, just continue
This is so therapeutic to watch.
Love this series, i feel like this was missing from youtube 😍👍
But this series makes me feel so bad for my poor e39 standing outside in the rain, with tons of worn out parts 😂
The weld seems a little cold, try turning your amps up :) Great progress so far
Thanks Nicke! :)
Restore It no problem- I am a welder by trade and thought it might be helpful
+sodder bridge Yeah you were born an expert welder dude...unnecessary crap comment...the guy assumes he doesnt know how to weld on this and other videos so cut some slack. my guess is that he works as a painter..i see much emphasis on the painting part of his videos...so its a natural thing having little welding experience. he will improve
Any hotter and he would have way more burn through. It's near impossible to have a nice well on thin metal that has a hole in it like that. Best he could have done if he wanted to turn up amps is to weld in a patch.
Any more heat with all the underside/inside rust and he falls right through into his secondary frame with the newly pooped on weldspot. So I'd weld it like he did, grind it flat and weld another, slightly hotter layer ontop of that. Lots of work, but nothing compared to wetsanding an undercarriage part before multilayer spraypaintin' it 😂
Nice work by the way, and thanks for sharing 'restore it' !
Detail level: expert. Very 👍🏼 nice
Hey mate! Awesome video as usual. Just few tips: while you can - give proper maintenance to steering rack, it will be very hard at later stages; replace rubber boots for new ones, for same reason; don't use plastic buckles.. they will collapse in few years due to nature of material. Keep up the good work! PS: you dedication to dyeing is amazing!
Great! I love these careful reforms. As much as possible, I have always done the same in my old cars in Brazil.
That is a solid work dude. Excellent job! Greats from Argentina
Great to see the development of your skills along with your workshop. Keep up the good work.
Thank you CJ!
Nice job! But one tip: with springs from H+R and usual yellow additional shock absorbers it's possible that your car later will "lay" on these. I did the same mistace :)
Two options: Buy the smaler ones from M3 E30, or cut out the "middle ring" of your ones and stick it together again (actually you have M3 E30 bumpers then :)) Greetings from Germany!
I'll see how it all goes... cheers for the pointers.
Great job mate. Your videos are hypnotising and inspiring me to get on with my rest jobs. Keep it up buddy.
Thanks, RIch, good to hear.
another tip, if you get the car blasted, get epoxy, not etched, epoxy is what they use on boats etc, epoxy mastic 121 is the brand to go for, tougher than powder coating, never rust again. :)
Sweet good to know thanks Nick!
Do not powdercoat important structural parts anyway (like underbody parts or underside of car), metal decays underneath the plastic and You first recognize it when it's waaay to late. Important parts (not visible from above...) I do paint white to see when it starts rusting again early.
manfred schmalbach i said epoxy, not powdercoat :) i have seen whole cars powdercoated, wonder how that'll last. the professional way to do it is to spray hot melted zinc on the underbody then epoxy after, but epoxy alone will be more than sufficient.
I said "anyway" ... sorry for the confusion I added.
Just can't warn people often enough to not powdercoat. 😂
Did resell vintage cars for some years and stopped to get/take in ANY restored or repaired car with powdercoat even on a bullbar or bumper. Anything powdercoated usually was rusted out underneath.
Most of this stuff is in amazing condition for its age. My 2006 Ibiza has way more corrosion on the suspension components. Another cracking video, love it :)
make sure to torue the suspension nuts when the car is on the ground. Btw awesome video!!!
Skillshare is dominating the youtube marketing game. I am interested how they will grow over the coming years.
On the steering gear, replace the plastic collars with metal ones. Plastic is very weak, soon water will fall under them.
That's the first time I've seen you use rust reformer! either way great job!
You always do a high level of restoration. very well done indeed!!!
Hi there.. I've been enjoying your videos for quite some time now. I think you're doing an awesome job and I also think that we're all learning from each other.
I'd like to suggest you use an l-handle or breaker bar to loosen those nuts first before using the ratchet wrench in them. You ratchet wrench will thank you for it. All the best my friend.
sweet looking resto so far my dude
Looks cracking !
Good luck with the re-build ! 👍🏼
Thanks Drd!
Good attention to detail. You should try epoxy primer then a direct gloss on top save some time. No iso in epoxy only the direct gloss so safer too. Keep it up.
Awesome, as always! Keep up the good work, cheers.
Great job man looking forward to the rest
Very skilled, carry on with the good work.
I'm really impressed by the work you put in to this, and also showing your welding. A lot of people would only comment negatively on the welding part just because they can instead of giving some tips or help. I'm horrible at welding and would never show my welding on TH-cam or whatever so hats of for you mate. Exited to see what's next. What are your trade if I may ask? Best wishes!
Cheers autoK. I appreciate this comment a lot. I'm hoping I get better over time and people will be able to see the progression. I don't have a trade, I'm completely self-taught, so I'm flattered. TH-cam is a very helpful place as well as the internet as a whole.
@@RestoreIt very well done indeed I'm very impressed, would've sworn you where pro auto painter or something like that. Top job. Also impressed that you found time to reply, considering your subscribers reaching 265000. Remember me when you hit 1mil 😉
torch is a mans best friend
nice work! Great series, E30's are such a classic BMW . Keep it up 👍
I love, love this restoration and I’m learning so much from you you are meticulous and nothing is boring I wait anxiously for your videos o can’t wait to see the body work on that car there is a lot of holes and rust but it’s gonna look great! I’m a mechanics daughter and I’ve always loved seeing my dad repair cars he is retired now so I get my fixes on TH-cam so does he we both appreciate all the hard work! Great job your doing awesome work can’t exit for the next video!!!
Thank you Sel. I really love this comment! Loads more to come and I never want to stop! :)
Another great video love these BMW videos. I wish I had the space to do something like this, looks like a good little setup you have! Keep them coming!
Great work!!! It's very interesting to watch all you are doing!
Great !
You really should use new tie rods! You only put in new tie rod ends. Your tie rods look really worn too. Im a German mechanic, here the its called KFZ-Mechatroniker. In German:
Du solltest die Spurstangen unbedingt auch erneuern. Man kann sie von dem Lenkgetriebe abschrauben. Die Gelenke nennt man hier auch Axialgelenk. Bitte erneuere die auch, es tat mir in der Seele weh zu sehen das du sie behalten hast. By the way: Genuine BMW parts is always a good choice espacially in electronic parts. Parts for the chassis i want to
recommend the german brand "Lemförder". Its the producer of most chassis parts that are used from the factory of BMW and other car brands
Thanks for the advice Patrick. I plan to do a z3 rack swap so will do a full tie rod change then:)
agreed. I was just about to give the same comment.
I think the e46 m sport has the purple rack too if thats what you're looking for
What do you think of topran, febi, and meyle parts? Which one is the best in your experience?
Avoid Topran (Hans Pries). I had so many warranty and issues with their own build crap and they never admit its their fault. Avoid Topran at all cost. It super cheap for a reason. Sometimes they sell leftovers from brands, but there's a reason those brands toss those parts away.
The car is gonna be amazing man
oof that body rust, looking forward to seeing you restore that!
Coming soon! It will be professionally blasted and ill film the whole thing!
Nice work, dude!
Oh god YOU ARE THE BEST MAN regards from Spain please continue whith THE proyect
Thank you, Carlos! Loads more to come. I plan to finish the project IN SPAIN! Had enough of miserable old England.
@@RestoreIt Cambiar a español
Hopefully I can one day restore a car like you are doing and be able to see your BMW when it is finished. You are one of the most skilled people that I have seen encouragement and continue to crack. If you come by Madrid or Toledo it would be great to meet you even though the language .... 🤣🤣🤣. A great greeting
so much to do in one lifetime :)
great work so far, im very curius about the final car :)
thanks for sharing. amazing video restoration.
Instant like. Thanks for the video, I am learning a lot from this series. It’ll help me a lot with my own car :)
Awesome video as always!!!!!!!! The tie rod inners look fairly loose. You may consider replacing them if the steering feels a bit sloppy
Thanks Giuliasprint. I'm going to be swapping the rack for a z3 one down the line so didn't want to go crazy with it.
Pretty great video. I'm taking this series as inspiration to help convince me to continue fixing my car. I should have gone the same route as you did with the sway bar since I don't have a blasting cabinet. I also should take note to use lacquer as a final coat on suspension components since the new paint is rubbing off on the suspension.
Perfect just perfect love to see this bmw finished great job man keep it up
Nice job , as always, man.
I really appreciate these videos, it is unique!
Thanks, Zestor, I appreciate ya!
Great video, can't wait to see the next one in the series.
I love you Restore ❤🌷
Love the vids! Don’t forget to grease the stabilizer bushings and paint those outer tie rods!
Cheers Jeff, all of this is coming back off again and those things will be done :)
This guy does the best videos
Inspiring!
I was wondering why you put all these things on the car already... but i am glad the body work is to come.
Good Game!
Thank you!!
Its a really cool project, I probably use undercoat for the frame and other lower parts
Your videos are awesome! You should do some "specials" about your zinc electroplating and spray painting technics. Really curious!
Thanks! That video is coming soon actually :)
Hey good stuff! At 6:41 it seems like there is a crack starting in your subframe, check on it later so you can catch in time if it goes further! A tip from me: - It seemed pretty scary as you removed the bushing with those bits in your wise (it can fly out and hit you pretty easily), I usually cut the rubber and put a saw through so I can cut the inside ring, after that it comes out easily by hitting it gently with a cutter. Also I would have replaced the inner tie rods as well, the inner joint that you greased can wear out pretty bad.
I'll check it out cheers repcsi!
Also I would recommend using new bolts, as stress from tightening can weaken the bolts
I was so ready for sway bar mounts to be painted orange! The project seems to be coming along pretty quickly though
Cool restoration!
Great work, but I would reinforce the swaybar mounting points, as they are prone to bending (I once had a subframe crack, using a stock 20mm swaybar!)
Nice job. Hope to see this bmw on the road
Me too, cheers man.
Ты как всегда КРУТ, всегда смотрю твой канал!!!!
YES always wanted to see your e30. Love it.
Glad you like it Nolte!
Keep up the good job. I leave my dream in your videos.
Looks awesome like usual should replaced those inner toe rod ends though just cause you were right there