BMW E30 Removable Core Support Guide | How To Convert To Bolt-On Front End With Rivnuts | 036

BMW E30 Removable Core Support Guide | How To Convert To Bolt-On Front End With Rivnuts | 036
In this video I share a comprehensive guide to converting the front end of your BMW E30 to be removable - a removable core support modification.
Here’s what I used in this video:
Rivnut Kit: ebay.us/CCyBDw
US Pro Spot Weld Cutter: ebay.us/gVjZuK
Right angle drive adapter (with the wrong hex size): ebay.us/9UriVX
Stepper drill bit: ebay.us/NJWMdt
Dewalt Angle Grinder: ebay.us/CmsNuW
Punch & Chisel Set: ebay.us/eXRYXe
Clarke Weld MIG 150 TE Turbo: ebay.us/jbdfE8 (this is the newer version)
0.8 Welding Wire: ebay.us/eQWqWx
Argon/CO2 Welding Gas & Regulator: ebay.us/7BOngD
The idea behind making the front radiator support removable is to make removing and installing the engine in an engine swapped E30 much easier.
Initially, I was a bit reluctant to embark on this removable front-end process having seen many instances where someone has started on the job only to quit and leave a half-finished mess for any future E30 owner to deal with. All indications pointed to it being harder than it first appears.
Nevertheless, knowing how much of a hard time I had removing the small M40 engine up and over that front crash bar, and knowing I’d soon be trying to lift a larger M52 6-pot motor over it for my engine swap, I decided that the opportunity while the entire front end of the car was stripped was too good to pass up.
The first and one of the most intimidating tasks to get on with was figuring out how to remove front core support from the BMW E30, knowing I’d very quickly pass the point of no return.
In total there are 32 thin sheet spot welds to deal with, plus 6 areas where there are seam welds, and an additional two connections out of thicker sheet below each chassis rail (I later decided to cut these and use them as a way to align it correctly).
The new spot weld cutter I got turned out to be a real game changer when it comes to drilling spot welds. It’s a very quick and neat way to do it, unlike any other method I’ve tried.
Once you have a very well-defined punch mark to prevent the cutter blade from walking across your panel, it's simply a case of patience. I used the 8mm spot weld cutter in the kit and only used one of the blades to do the entire job. One of the teeth snapped off the blade at some point but I’m confident it’d do more even now so I can wholeheartedly recommend that tool.
One of the obstacles to using this spot weld cutter is that at least 6 of the spot welds you need to drill are very awkwardly positioned on the car, preventing you from getting your drill onto it. As a solution to this I picked up a right-angle adapter in hex drive.
With all the spot welds drilled and the seam welds cut, your front core support is no longer connected to the car, although if its like mine, it won’t have quite got the memo yet.
I started by chopping off the lower tabs from the support and replacing them with some hefty 1.5mm plates, larger than the original tabs to accommodate the hefty M10 bolts I planned to use.
The plate ended up being 11x5.7cm in size, and I rounded the edges nicely too. With them welded on and my ugly welds ground back to look more presentable. I then drilled my pilot holes into the plates and test fitted it back on the car (something I did about 20 times throughout this job).
Knowing I was going to be drilling quite a few particularly large holes for M10 rivnuts I’d picked up a very handy stepper drill, this too turned out to be a smart move as it made cutting holes to size quite a lot easier and with neater results than I would have achieved with standard drill bits, so that’s another tool I’d strongly recommend.
With the M8 rivnuts installed, I could then mount my front core support up with all 8 bolts, and the job was finally complete, the result very satisfying.
I’m confident this custom removable front core support will be a huge plus in the future for whenever I’m doing any major engine maintenance, or even a full engine installation or removal. To make it even more useful I’m planning to modify a connector onto the headlight wiring to make it even easier to remove the front core support whenever I need to in the future.
I’m pretty confident this is the best way to do this bolt-on front core support job, and the most detailed how-to guide for how to do it. Hopefully this is helpful for those of you working on your own E30 builds!
For more helpful how-to guides and restorations: www.spannerrash.com/
As an Amazon Associate, Ebay Partner and Awin Affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Some of our links are affiliate links, and if you decide to purchase things through them, we earn a small commission. It costs you nothing but helps us to keep the content coming. Thanks for your support!
#bmwe30 #e30build #e30 #modified

[@ThePenatron]

We did this to my brothers 87is. He did go with the new front support it took some fitting and work. He used rivnuts. He now has a sick m52 2.8 aluminum block swapped e30 coupe.

[@SPANNERRASH]

Awesome, the M52B28 is what I'm planning to swap in too, its still on the stand waiting for its day in the sun 😆 Soon I hope!

[@motorcademotorsport206]

From doing this a number of times, I would suggest not using rivnuts, they are not meant to be used for structural work. What I end up doing is making a reinforcement plate, behind the holes, with nuts welded on, that way you sandwich the weak thin panel. You can still do it, simply just remove the rivnuts. Those mounting spots of the rivnuts will simply bend around the rivnuts and most likely loosen up over time. 8 or 10 spot welds are far greater strength than just 4 rivnuts! I do custom car building for nearly 20 years and done a couple of E30s, so I know the materials you are working with. My biggest concern is that you weakened an already weak panel, and then fitting a more powerful engine by the looks of it. Not trying to bash your work, see you go into great detail, but don’t want you to end up having to redo it, after it fails and your project is done.

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thank you for highlighting that, from what I know the front core support doesn't do much in terms of structural integrity, but I won't claim to be an expert. I think if I need to go back and modify it I can in the future, but for the time being I'm going to run with it. What you're suggesting sounds quite doable to me so thanks for the detailed recommendation on that. I'll keep a very keen eye on the rivnuts I used and report back if I notice any issues with them coming loose. I'll be quite surprised though... Ultimately it's a lightweight NA E30 build, I won't be running much more power than the chassis was built for. 👍

[@mingkong8350]

To understand this part of the chassis is a structural component or not, I would suggest you to watch more crash test videos. BMW designed this body with 40+ years ago at that time, the best technology to provide a safe and reasonably priced small sedan for their customers. We as a technician or a restorer, we should not alter this safety feature for convenience.

[@ihopethiscommentisntabusiv4670]

@@mingkong8350 ok Mom

[@justinbest9429]

Do not listen to this person dude! The panel you have cut off has little to no structural importance to your car, the chassis legs, strut towers and subframe are the important parts. This is purely there to latch your bonnet, hold the headlights and radiator etc in place. Simple example is a Citroen saxo, you can bend the front panel with your hands on those and other similar cars. Strength is in the legs, bulk head, strut towers and subframe. I know what I'm talking about, I'm a fully qualified car body repair and paint technician, I've worked in the automotive accident repair industry for over 20 years very successfully. I would only reinforce the single skin or thinner gauge areas that the front panel bolts to ie inner wings. You can weld so I'd definitely use a captive nut welded to a thicker gauge plate. Super easy! I guess rive nuts would be ok but again I'd have reinforced the area they're placed plus counter sunk the area around the rive nuts so the front panel bolts flat to the adjacent panel. Right now your front panel is bolting tight to the surface area of the rive nut only. You could also just tack the rive nuts too after you've pressed them, just as a secondary security measure. I have known them to spin over time. I think I'd have used more that just four bolts too. Definitely the most important part of the front panel is the lower cross member to the underside of the chassis legs which You've now got dangling in the wind. You'll find this is the thickest gauge or even double skinned area of the front panel. You've done a top job though, well done 👍🏻

[@michaelsidhu4079]

Nice job on making that core support removable.

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks Michael! Really happy with the result on it.

[@michaelfirth1075]

Quality work young man.😊

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks Michael! 😃

[@crisd3817]

Brilliant job mate! That tool works wonders! Really apreciate the content of your videos ! Keep up the good work!

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thank you Cris! Hope the vids are useful for you. 😄

[@eberaladar5530]

Amazing solution! Thank you for this new episode! 🙂👍

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thank you mate! 😃 I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@tolmanmedia318]

thanks for the video on this, Definity made that look easier than ever thought lol, great job love the in depth videos !

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks! Good luck to you if you're planning on doing it yourself. I'd say it's well worth it.

[@e30mark]

Brilliant job, one of the many jobs on my list 👍

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers Mark! It's a fiddly one this but I'm sure I'll thank myself down the line. If you're doing an engine swap I think its a no-brainer.

[@roum22]

You made a massive high precision job look easy. I noticed the heads of the rivnuts supplied with the tool sit quite proud of the panel. A firm called Northern Precision supplies a vast range of rivnuts including ones that sit fully flush when fitted, which can be very useful for some applications. I would have posted a link, but KZbin doesn't seem to like showing posts with links in.

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers! Yeah the rivnuts were a bit of an issue at first until I sloped the brackets slightly. I'll check out that company you mentioned, perfectly flush rivnuts would be brilliant for this job! 😄

[@daraprak6498]

One of the cleanest I’ve seen yet… Looks great man… hoping to tackle this job in the future with my e30 🙏

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers Dara, I can't recommend it highly enough so far. Check out my recent video where I fit the engine to see this removable front support in action. It's a godsend! 😃

[@Cur7is1]

I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you, im at about the same stage as you and I was contemplating not doing the removable Rad support, but im running a turbo and it makes so much sense to have it. you made this daunting job seem so easy and achievable. I completed this on my S1 E30 today thanks to your video mate :)

[@SPANNERRASH]

Awesome congrats on getting the job done on your own E30. 😃 Really glad the video helped you out. I was also daunted by this job, and sure enough it was difficult but totally doable with patience. I reckon like me, you'll be glad you went to the effort in the future when you're working on the turbo engine. 👍

[@Pro100Ickpa]

While you still planning to make a connector, consider tucking the whole front wire lume into a left pillar support, it's now worth nothing but makes huge difference in looks and cleanace of the underhood

[@SPANNERRASH]

That's a nice idea, I'll have a look into that and consider it myself, thanks for the tip! 👍

[@Alanlanger1959]

really good workmanship and a lot of thought has gone into this which most people would would avoid due to the time you have put a lot of thought into what you want and be able to do service wise later on

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks so much! It definitely took a lot of back and forth to get it how I wanted it. I must've taken the core support on and off 100 times by the end. 🤣 It's worth it though, very pleased with the result.

[@georgeclements2742]

Top class planning and work, but I'll never lend you my screwdrivers. Best wishes for the continuing project.

[@SPANNERRASH]

Haha! Thank you George. I do like to test tools to their limit at times. 😂

[@mariosnikolaou5212]

Awesome idea

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks Marios, I'm happy with the result on this one. It was more work than I anticipated though! 😅

[@ihopethiscommentisntabusiv4670]

Looks awesome, should've used some cutting oil to save that poor saw though :)

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers, haha noted for next time! 😆

[@kirilchuk]

Great job .

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers Artem!

[@mattcapper9488]

Great mod this . . .got me thinking about mine now

[@SPANNERRASH]

Yeah it's proving to be very handy already, and that's before I've got to putting an engine in. I know I'll be thanking my self down the line.

[@Coyote27981]

I havent finished building my car yet, but this mod is one of the best things i ever did to my e30. Every time i put in and out the engine with gearbox attached, i thank the day i did this.

[@SPANNERRASH]

I bet I will think the same! It's already proving very useful having the support out of the way. Cheers! 😄

[@Coyote27981]

@@SPANNERRASH btw i used captive nuts welded to a plate, thats stronger than the rivnuts. Keep in mid there is some serious effort on that part while holding the hood at speed.

[@SPANNERRASH]

@@Coyote27981 my rivnuts do feel very solid but I'd probably do it the same way as you if I did it again as I've had mixed recommendations and better to be save than sorry. I'll be keeping a close eye on them in the meantime. 🤞

[@TheNorthernmunky]

Awesome work mate

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers Logan, feels like another big milestone in the project getting this radiator support job done.

[@TheNorthernmunky]

Let me know soon as you’re ready for the next challenge! My MR2 needs the same

[@e30_318is_project]

Great solution. Love the spot weld tool! Made it a much cleaner job, without damaging it too much. Cant wait to see the engine going in from the front. Also gonna do a little engine bay cleanup? Love the shaved bays to a certain point, not too much, thats too clean in my opinion. ✌️

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks Marco, I'm glad you encouraged me to do the job, even though it was a tough one I'm very satisfied with the result. 😃 I'll have a think about whether I'm going to remove anything from the engine bay to tidy it up. I'm not planning to do a fancy bay but I do want it to look presentable and not have unnecessary brackets etc. The trouble is, I'm not 100% sure which I will and won't use with the engine swap yet. So it might be a project for a later date.

[@jimmyjamal2392]

Great job .... your a patient man car will look great once your done !!

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks Jimmy, it was a tough job this one, but I'm glad I took the time to get it spot on. I hope you're right. 😁

[@jimmyjamal2392]

@@SPANNERRASH i have been watching the whole build .... car looks tidy for a u.k car .im from Australia and our climate is much warmer i have a rust free 323i coupe manual in original condition.

[@SPANNERRASH]

@@jimmyjamal2392 Ahh nice, you're very lucky to live somewhere that cars don't just rot to nothing. Your 323 will probably last forever if you look after it in that case. 😀

[@nobiazcustomsinc5030]

i wish i could start my whole build over after watching this. My e30 was crashed when i got it so I basically had to wing it lol

[@SPANNERRASH]

Yeah I imagine that was very difficult if you'd lost all your reference points! Must've taken ages to get it in the right spot. 😵

[@medievilassassin]

Great work mate , what you should have done is we’re the rivnuts go , use a socket slightly bigger and hammer a counter sunk mark for the flat heads to sit in so they are not proud , also etch prime over the rivnuts and seam seal the backs to prevent rust

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers Jason! That's a great idea about the socket, but I'm not sure I could have hammered that chassis leg without making a bit of a mess, it's a heavier gauge than I expected there to be honest. There's probably a nice tool which would dimple in. I was surprised how much the riv nuts protruded, but with some fettling, I'm very happy with the fitment of it now. Funny you should suggest that as I actually had the same idea and seam sealed the backs of the rivnuts off camera afterwards! I'd hate for them to start rusting straight away. 😆

[@medievilassassin]

@@SPANNERRASH yeah I’m working on a W202 Mercedes, most of the captive thread parts that hold fuel lines on and such snapped off so I cut them all of and used rivnuts then used primer and seam sealer . They are a great invention also use copper grease on the threads buddy

[@SPANNERRASH]

@@medievilassassin Nice! Yeah now I've finally got a kit I'm sure I'll come up with plenty of creative ways to use it too. Really great tool! and 100%, seized fasteners are the absolute worst!

[@Dennis-eh2vx]

Brilliant job, but I hope it’s just as strong as all the welding points. When it’s welded, the strength is maybe divided over more places, but I’m not an expert by any means. It just crossed my mind. Keep up the good work man 👍

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thank you Dennis! It may not be as strong as the 30+ spot welds, what you're saying about stress being divided between them will certainly be correct. But I think with the hefty M10 and M8 fasteners I've used, along with the 1.5mm plate mounting points, it'll be solid. It certainly feels it when bolted on currently. Plus, from what I've read the front core support on these cars is not a key structural piece, so doesn't come under much strain. I've seen people do a much flimsier job while running a lot more power, without hearing of any woes. We'll see how it goes! 😀

[@philipkoller3007]

On these cars the core support is only there to hold in the hood, lights, radiator and that stuff. The hood will probably bei the biggest stress factor as it's the heaviest part and also moves a bit while driving, and as long it holds that firmly in place he'll be just fine, and he seems to have done a very good job 👍 In case of an crash the crash bar behind the bumper is keeping the frame rails from pulling apart, thats way more structural than the core support. On most new vag cars the whole front core support is plastic, which immediately breaks apart in an crash and they still get 5 Star ncap ratings cause it's not structural

[@SPANNERRASH]

@@philipkoller3007 Cheers Philip! That's very reassuring.

[@johnpappas7271]

Μπράβο βρε μεγάλε

[@SPANNERRASH]

Ευχαριστώ! 👍

[@wurslegumage]

Loving this build so far this is really helping me with my E30 build! Just wondering what grey primer are you using after grinding things back/welding. What brand of weld through primer are you using?

[@SPANNERRASH]

Cheers Kieran! I've been using just cheap autotek zinc primer as weld-through primer which works well if you put it on light. I've tried a few though and been a bit frustrated by how "weld-through" it is. Concluded that this stuff is as good as any.

[@nobiazcustomsinc5030]

heeeey you took my advice with the copper block! lol works great doesnt it?!

[@SPANNERRASH]

Yep, its definitely a game changer, I speak a bit more about it in the previous video where I used it more. Really great tip that, thank you! 👍

[@renehoefnagels2123]

Awesome idea, but the bolt thread sticking out farther than the rivnuts will corrode, and when you go to remove them a few years down the track it will bite and spin the rivnut or snap the bolt, very common on offroad belly plates etc.

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks for that tip, that's a bloody good point! I'm using copper grease on the threads which might help. Although I can't quite remember if I used stainless bolts or not. If I did then I think it shouldn't be an issue, otherwise you're 100% right and I will probably change them to stainless ASAP. 😃

[@joelaurieri9065]

Artic Blue

[@SPANNERRASH]

Interesting, is that recent colour BMW Arctic Race Blue?

[@joelaurieri9065]

@@SPANNERRASH It is pone of the standard E30 colors from the catalog as well as Lapis blue... IMO BMW has made the nicest blues of any manufacturer

[@SPANNERRASH]

@@joelaurieri9065 Ahh nice I will look that up, thank you!

[@steveairey1060]

Would a C101 plug have enough pins in it for a wiring connecter? as well as being insulated it would look neat and period too :)

[@SPANNERRASH]

Good idea! It should do actually. There isn't a ridiculous number of things which need to cross the front. The only other thing to think about is the bonnet latch. That one might have to stay the way it is. 🤔

[@steveairey1060]

@SPANNER RASH how about five series bonnet cable. They use a joiner on the inner wing?

[@bigboostable]

how have the rivnuts worked for you? did they loosen over time or are they still holding up strong?

[@SPANNERRASH]

Great question matey, however I am going to wait to have driven the car before I can report back on that. 😅 I am quietly confident though, they're solid.

[@gotboost15psi]

which size spot weld bit did you use? the small or larger bit?

[@SPANNERRASH]

I used the US Pro Spot Weld Cutter here: ebay.us/gVjZuK I only used the smaller one for this job, it's a great kit for the money.

[@nobiazcustomsinc5030]

The time lapse cannot possibly convey how much of a PAIN IN THE ARSE removing the old support is lol

[@SPANNERRASH]

Haha! You're not wrong mate, took some time to get it out, have to be extremely patient otherwise its easy to get annoyed and start making a mess of it.

[@freakboy9189]

At the 11:40 mark, that's when I decided I wasn't going to do this job :D

[@SPANNERRASH]

Haha!! Yeah I knew this was going to be a harder job than it looked! If you've got the time though, it works well. I'm pretty pleased with it. 😃

[@VR6NAVYVW]

Your going to replace welds with rivnuts? On a structural member? Not the smartest. If you welded nuts in I would have said ok.

[@SPANNERRASH]

I don't think its particularly structural on an E30 to be honest. And yeah I considered welding nuts on. If I have a problem with these rivnuts that's probably what I'll do. But feeling how sturdy it is, I doubt that will be necessary! We'll find out though! 😆

[@VR6NAVYVW]

@SPANNER RASH it is structural. It has torsion under cornering. It may not need to be hefty but it does need to be mounted firmly. I would think after several hard corners it may start walking the rivnuts out. Rivnuts are great for mounting components but shouldn't be used in something that required weld and glue to hold together. I will say you may want to add a strut tower brace. That will take that torsional load before your rivnuts do. Still not right but may save you.

[@SPANNERRASH]

@@VR6NAVYVW Good idea regarding the strut brace, I actually have one on the shelf waiting to go on at some point so that's lucky. I will keep a very close eye on those ribnuts and if they back out like you're suggesting I'll make sure to report back on that. Ultimately I'm making this content to help fellow enthusiasts out, so I'm keen to give the reality of it. I'm quietly confident about them though, they're really hefty and solid. More than I expected.

[@zamszz]

MIG OR TIG?

[@SPANNERRASH]

I was doing MIG, but TIG would have been great. Maybe I will try TIG one day, it looks like fun.