Opinions Please- Is My CSI Too Far Gone?

joe2612

joe2612

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Hi Guys,


I bought this CSI off my uncle who had it for 21 years, who started restoring it before he fell ill.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h17kkoou99vnzyo/AACuuavL7rLrcFlHgEJxN146a?dl=0


I sent the following pictures to Munich Legends here in the UK. I asked if they could quote for doing the bodywork and returning the car to me as a shell. The main rust parts are:

1.Nearside inner and outer wing ( worst part)
2. Offisde doesn’t look too bad
3. Minor spots on tops of the wings
4. Spots here and there on sills. Underside looks ok
5. Rear valance
6. Rear floor pans
7. Boot floor is ok
8. Rear wheel arches towards the rear
9.Offside rear sill where it meets the arch
10. Bottom of door skins

They replied with the following:


"We have had a chance to go through the pictures with the workshop and Bodyshop unfortunately the corrosion is far worse than we expected and no Bodyshop could cost effectively repair this shell and guarantee it for 20-30 years, it’s worth knowing that new BMW shells were having problems with corrosion before they were even 2 years old the only advise we could give with this project is too acid dip the shell and then reassess, to run through the details please feel free to give Stuart a call at your convenience."

I'd really appreciate your opinions on whether you think it can be saved or not.

Cheers all, Joe
 
Last edited:
feasibility

Joe,

Having gone down this road myself and, without seeing the entire car in person, I am sorry to say that I would not be inclined to recommend that you proceed with a restoration. Leave it to some rich widower recently retired insomniac bodywork bloke to do it. Walk away. I know. I've been there (3x). If you require further convincing, please call me on 07860 515049. Best wishes, John
 
Joe,

nothing is impossible, the question is whether its cost effective. since we don't know the purchase price, just as a wild ass guess, you've probably got $35k+ to get the rust remediated and the body painted ... plus everything else you would have to do to put it back together. it would probably be more affordable to buy another coupe - swap out the best parts onto the new car ... sell the rest.

there is a lot of surface rust, but there also appears to be some significant structural rust.

good luck
scott
 
After reading your verbal description of the corrosion issues (points #1 - 10 in your first post), and considering that this car belonged to a family member and as such might have some sentimental value, I was going to advise saving it.

But, after seeing the pictures, I have to agree with jvrenaudon: that shell is just too far gone to repair. Virtually every bit of metal on the body needs to be replaced or patched.
 
My sympathies. The car is just to far gone...

Not to brag on the topic, but many of us here in the US of A are so blessed with a dry climate and are not faced with this type of oxidation....

So sorry.... DCG
 
Run.

If there were only a handful of these in the world, then yes, it would be worth saving. I think $35k is not nearly enough to do the job. There are still many coupes out there in much better shape and you would be ahead pound-wise finding a better one to start with.
 
Agree with all posts below- as Scott said (I paraphrase), if you have your heart set on an e9 then get another and use what parts you can off this one thus preserving any sentimental value you may have for the "donor".

Very sorry, these can be lots of fun to resurrect but this is not going to be worth your efforts in any way, shape or form.

Peter
 
Here is an idea. Since the consensus seems to be that it is too far gone and yet it has a sentimental value for you, instead of fighting the rust, embrace it!

At the Mullin museum here in California they purchased a Bugatti that had been found at the bottom of a lake in Switzerland. Since it was too far gone to rebuild, they made it into an art piece and highlighted the rust instead of hiding it. If you have a spare room....

Here is a little overview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP57D2-mlnY
 
Seems in slightly worse shape than mine.

As in all questions, the answer is - "It depends"

  1. Who have you got to do the repair work and do they see you coming?
  2. What is your budget & timeline?
  3. Are you married, and want to remain so?
  4. Do you have the patience of Jobe?

If you hand this over to a professional restorer, then the numbers won't work out.

Mine is progressing at a fraction of the cost of those quoted here. Its a risk in some ways but seems fine so far. PM me if you need more info.
 
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