Damage repair - BMW E28 restoration 

No one is perfect the first time they do something. You've shown a lot of resilience and determination, well done.

My two cents, please take them as tips, not critique (really dig your work!) a) It's always a good idea to build up from bare metal, especially with old and used parts. Consider using some Fertan or eqivalent on rusty parts after sanding. b) Appliying a light coat of paint for control purposes on bare metal is superflous. On the filler however, it is crucial. There are powder materials that sand way better later on. Consider using them instead of rattle can paint even if they don't come cheap. c) Applying the bondo onto the fender: Rotate your application by 90°. That way you can bend the tool according to the shape of the panel. Then glide along the unharmed surface of the fender. You will find that this way you will apply much less superflous bondo which you won't have to sand down later on. Prepare to repeat the application/sanding circle two or three times. Work in light layers one at a time instead of a single big one. Always cover the intire previous layer, don't do half overlap layers. d) Sanding the bondo: 80 Grid dry sand, 20° cross stroke. Resist the temptation to sand it smoother with anything finer than 80 grid. Don't worry about the sanding marks. The filler will take care of those. And, one thing I can't stress enough: Give bondo and filler enouch time to set. The more the better. I'm talking about weeks and month, not hours and days. Even over time periods that long bondo still contains solvents that evaporate over time. In the result you almost guaranteed will face reappearing sanding marks as the layers shrink. e) Choose a filler as close to your base color as possible, unless you're a pro aiming for some special effect or you know for sure that the surrounding panels are painted like that. f) Consider fading the basecoat out on adjoining panels to match the colour even better. I understand you're on a budget and paint in your garage. With a little more space and proper equipment the best result (besides a full respray obviously) would be: Fender and front door: base & clear, -- rear door: adjoining edge base; full door clear -- rear fender just clear. Wouldn't work with the compressor you've got available. Would run out of air halfway across the car. g) It will probably cause some lighting issues, but you may consider hanging the panels instead of laying them flat. Much less dust in your paint, I promise. You can take it even further and hang them side by side like the will be mounted on the car and paint in one long stroke over both panels. Better color match and surface texture match. h) The wrinkling base coat results from intolerance of layers. This can happen because of base coat applied onto not fully cured 2k clear coat or generally incompatible paints and materials. If possible refer to -> a) i) Garage paint jobs call for an extra layer of clear coat, because you inevitably will have to sand and polish a lot. But be careful: A properly sanded and polished surface will look better than a factory paintjob as even the slightest orange peel will be gone. (Only?) Bugatti and Rolls Royce treat their paint jobs like that. j) Reduce the risk of tiger stripes by adding thinner to the paint from layer to layer. This way the flukes can move more freely. Increrase the distance between nozzle and panel with every layer. And use a little more pressure to compensate for the extra distance. k) The color mismatch can only be explained by mixing another shade. At first I thought it was a result of the black primer/filler, but the fender looks much more fitting. It's a shame, but c'est la vie, n'est pas? And now, some non technical stuff: Love your videos, man! Love your 'one man, one car, one garage' approach and your tight budget. Seriously. It really shouldn't be like "money is no object". It's much more fun and gives you much more pride if you achieve it yourself instead of just throwing money at a bunch of pros for the "better that new" finish.

Next episode: Whole car repaint - BMW E28 restoration Jokes aside, I really enjoy the series! Keep it up! She doesn't look like a Ratrod anymore hahah

Love the fact that you show mistakes since I know most of us at home have the same issues whereas many youtubers make it look so easy. Maybe try using a white primer instead of black, I’ve heard it can effect the shade of the actual colour. Also your front tire is directional and on backwards. Love the channel 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Try buffing the back door and see how it looks. The paint is probably just faded.

"A precise diagnosis and a meticulous repair" *hits it*

The quality of this video definitely warrants for more views than it has now

This is exactly the type of content I wanna see on RU-vid. Love the project. ^^

Try buffing the other parts of the car to make the old clear coat look close to new again. It may help it match the newly painted door and panel

Finally man been waiting for decades.

Also if you do plan on redoing the door and going back down to metal, use “aircraft paint stripper” instead of sanding, it will save you lotsssss of time

Reall y nice dude, its refreshing to see someone do everything himself instead of sending stuff to shops! Im always waiting for your vids, keep it up and youll make it big

Ohhhhh that stripe?! So painful. And then ohhhhh that color mismatch?! So painful. Great channel - because this is what REALLY happens 👍

This video was well worth the wait. I have a 1993 190E 2.3 Sportline that I also tried to DIY paint at home because the plastic bumpers looked very crusty. I ran into the very same issues as you and eventually got it right after the 3rd attempt. Good to see a RU-vidr showing the true struggles when it comes to such. Shoutout from South Africa!

never YT make me so much laugh about car restoration...

hey man, I'm by no means an expert, but i've painted a few cars in my day. Only one with metallic flake- but i had a lot of trouble with it. I used the OEM paint code and the scanned colour. Both turned out different than the car- I think it may be an issue with how dense the flakes are and how they sit once they're painted. Next time i'd suggest test painting a small piece and holding it against the car before spraying the whole thing. Some paint shops might even sell you a few cheap sample quantities of paint that are slightly different so you can make the judgement on which looks the best. Good luck with the project, I'm eagerly waiting to see how it ends up!

I love just how much love goes into these cars, myself I own a little 1.4 lupo and am in the process of bringing it to my specs (getting paint done, brake work, new exhaust) looking at this makes me happy to see love given to cars that have been neglected and fallen in disrepair, for a "young" person to buy and give the love it deserves

we thought you're dead bruh, welcome back :)

As a former car detailer, I have detailed some cars that where partly repainted like yours. If I have to guess what went wrong is that the shade of paint you did get from the paint shop was just to dark. Matching (old) paint is a real headache. Especially when it's old and you are seeing it from one same view. If you only needed to paint the roof for example, it would be way less noticeable because that's the top view of the car. This is al on the left side, so always noticeable in shade differents. Polishing to old paint won't help with the colour. But the shiny it will create makes it more blend in if the sun is at it. I admire your delegation and it's very good of you that you show your mistakes to your viewers. Keep going mate, great content!

I think I speak for all of us when I say, we would love more regular content! The production quality, and storytelling in your videos is amazing! And personally, I'd also like to see maybe some driving videos. Cheers!

Old German cars were a huge part of my 20s... unfortunately, I'm a few decades older than you, Memphis. Keep up the enthusiasm and great work!

I loved this video. You had me cracking up. We all make mistakes but you owned them and made it work. Absolutely enjoyed this series.

Mistakes happen when you are learning and experiencing new techniques. The color is amazing. Regards from Brazil, congrats on the channel.

absolutely love this series cant wait to see the finished car

I was waiting so long for a new video. Love your content keep up the great work.

Youare amaizing ! The car has the original 30/40 yrs paint and now the front fender and front door has a fresh new paint...it's normal because the original paint it's fade by sun (UV kill the clear coat and paint) i love you man...you made my day...

Love your explanations dude, your English is excellent, better than many native English speakers. Love your inclusion of the mistakes too, very honest of you and really helps us when attempting these tasks. You say you're still at school, I think it's amazing that you've managed to do so much on this E28 to a standard that's better than many repair shops. Great editing, great videography, great humour too. You are far more mature than your years appear my friend. Keep it up. I want to see you driving the end product around the Nurburgring. You're lucky to have a your welding friend too!

When you are pouring paint into the paint gun tank you should use a filter to remove the chunks

hey dude, nice job with the repairs, your channel inspires me to try doing these sorta things to my car as well

I would like to say that your an inspiration. Watching you restore your 5 series has given me confidence to work on my own car. I’m working on my 1998 c180 classic with the 5 speed manual. It’s be in the family since new and now it’s in my hands, so of course I’m giving her a second chance. She doesn’t have too many problems but there just wear and tear. I look forward to seeing more of your content.

When I saw the trim issue and the paint color mismatch I wanted to hug you trough the screen

Really enjoy your videos man. I almost bought a VW like yours, and seeing more of your E28 reminds me so much of the Volvo 240 I ended up with instead. Please keep up the good work, you're a massive inspiration.

extremley inspirational to see you pushing forward no matter what the results are, or may be. always looking forward to your next videos, keep up the hard work!!!!!

oh man...i felt your pain...well done for sticking with it to get it done properly!

Really good first try. It does look much better. You are right the fender looks quite a good match.

Man this video shows your channel should be much bigger. Genuinely enjoyed the journey from start to end in this video. Keep it up man. Cheers.

You live and you learn! Keep up the good work!

Bit late because I was saving this video until now but I love the honesty in this. Yeah it's slightly off but it still looks great and you've obviously learned a lot so thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Loved every video of yours so far! Always happy to see you upload

Great job! very good videos, I bought recetly a E28 (528e) and watching your videos just wants to start working on the car right now! Keep it up!!

best episode yet! thanks for sharing mate! wathing all of them!

Eventualy a great job!! Congratulations!

Caught wind of your channel from the barn build and found myself watching your other vids and enjoying them. So I’m gonna subscribe man 👍

For your first time this is not bad at all, we all learn from our mistakes, loving the series😍👏

Thanks for another informative, entertaining and funny video. I love that it comes with warts and all, since that is the reality of life.

Dude, I can feel your pain. I was in similar situations a few times and it can be a real pain in the ass. You put way too much effort into this and that's what I admire. It doesn't matter how many times you fail, it matters how many times you rise and try again! Nice channel btw!

Good job 👍! Don’t be discouraged your on the right track! 😎🇺🇸

That patience what you have is incredible.

Mmmm, that feeling when you have spent a whole day or even a week working on your ride and the results are disappointing 😃

20:58 comedy gold right here

Really enjoy your channel bro.. I really appreciate how much works and effort you've been spent..

I really love this channel first you are from europe for a change and sendly you are learning same way I learn by doing mistakes and just not letting them stop you. (buffing the rest of the car might help to mitigate or at least make the difference less noticeable)

Great video as always Memphis The best way to learn is through mistakes but hopefully not expensive mistakes.Never be disheartened by negative comments as you are brave enough to entertain us with your channel I look forward to more content for 2021 Happy new year from Ireland 🇮🇪

Love your videos, your determination is inspiring, and your editing is better with every video. Been waiting for this video and will be waiting for the next. Keep it up

Don't worry fella, you are trying your very best and doing a fabulous job. Great videos

Great video. Keep up the good work and killing it.

Keep the laughs and episodes coming....I think you got something here!

Great work. Keep going!

Wow you did a really great job, regardless of the different shade. Hard work pays off! Thank you for documenting your progress, it will definitely help me with restoring my e28. :)

I just found your channel and this is the first video I have watched! I really like the format and content! Subscribed! Keep up the good work!

Superleuke video ! ben blij te zien dat ik niet de enige ben die altijd stomme dingen meemaak met aan de auto te werken.... nog veel succes met alles wat je doet !

I really enjoy watching your videos! Keep it going ! Nice projects!!

Well done, Memphis. The paint not matching is likely because it was a different batch. Back in the 60s and 70s, many General Motors cars in North America came from the factory with the hood and front fenders looking a different shape because the front clips were painted in a different paint booth, then installed on the car.

you showed much determination man, keep it up, I also restoring an '88 White 520i

Chapeau gast, goed bezig! Dat ge dat allemaal durft op uw eigen auto en dan nog toont waar het misloopt, echt sterk!

Awesome to see a new video. Keep it up, we love it!

You are the example of not giving up tanks bro you are very good and i cand learn a lot from.you

Thinking myself of getting E34. Your channel is soooo inspiring. Keep goin'

Good job dude, I had the same problem when I was spraying e30 delphin grey spoiler and kit. Hard colour to match

I following you from a while and this is the best video you made

I respect the courage to do this yourself. Most people are scared to do oil change themselves these days... Best of luck with the build. :)

Amazing work even if the color isn’t matching . I really like to watch your videos they’re excellent, keep going 👍🏼

Great work on cutting the slot for that trim piece !!!

Awesome work !!!

Excellent job man! You did it perfect for been the first time

Thanks for sharing this, really enjoyed it!

Great videos. Much better than watching TV.

Haha die reactie van jou wanneer je het kleur verschil ziet is echt geniaal😂😂 Maar goed het resultaat is echt heel mooi, knap gedaan. Als ik jou was zou ik de hele auto spuiten dat zou echt zo mooi zijn. Dan is die weer als nieuw.

So happy to see a new video! I have been waiting for one for a while. You can try to sand/polish the other panels' clear coat. This will possibly give you a better panel match :)

To long to wait for a video makes my day

Loved that you left in the part of not catching the side trim. Ouch! Shit happens. That made me cry. (with laughter) I think we've all made mistakes when restoring a car. I did a brake job on an old Ford Thunderbird and I forgot to put on the spindle lock nut and cotter pin. Needless to say, I didn't get very far before the wheel flew off. I thought well, I'm never going to do THAT again!

Oh boy 😂 I can relate to that kind of problems 😂😂 and welcome back😝😂👍🏽

Man I really feel for you on this one. Exactly the kind of stuff that stresses me out working on my Volvo 850. Hours spent to fix something only to realise you have the wrong part etc. I guessed before you said that they didn’t do the aged Color match on the second can so it’s probably just the OEM paint colour. Sick videos though man. Keep up the great content and the mishaps only make you stronger.

Great job man, keep it up!

Don't these things happen to all of us? I like that you didn't edit your fail out, because that is just the way stuff goes when working on cars - always :D

Fantastic video, I really enjoyed watching it well done

Good call on replacement parts and not dealing with the mangled stuff. And still doing the inside of the door which will be covered up is a good way to dial in your gun and checking the color/mix fyi. And the trim issue - dont beat yourself up, we all have done it. The E12 vs E28 based cars use different sized glass on the E24. Ask me how I know.

I love your videos, keep up!

You will be the best master , i wish you the best , respect for you and your work👍👍👍👍👍👍

Love this kind of content, and i think you done really well do fix the mistake (one i can see myself making myself as wouldn't of expected someone to of done that to a door). Well done, and thanks!. Sorry about the colour matching, the door doesn't even match to the new wing. Must of happened in the mixing. Never the less, top effort.

Mate, I've just found your channel! (Garage build series). Nice job with the paint, I'm impressed. It's not easy to do well. That paint lift I would put down to incomplete setting of the primer, or possibly wax and grease remover not completely flashed off. As this was a year ago, I'm sure you've learned more since then!

great work man keep it up

Hoi Mempis, ik heb de serie met heel veel plezier gevolgd!! Het eindresultaat mag er zeker zijn!! Hopelijk dat je in de loop van de tijd weer energie kunt vinden voor een nieuw project! Voor nu, heel veel rijplezier gewenst!! :heart:

Awesome and fun videos!!! Go on!

Great work Memphis as professional as it's funny well done. You did a top job here, I'd try T cutting the other panels on the car although I think you're right when you say that the fender is closer to the colour of the other panels. Good luck with the project we're all looking forward to the next installment!!

Keep up the spirit. All of us do mistakes. We are all learning from youe videos..well done...👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

The BMWis getting more and more beautiful :) great job

Welcome back bro!

I don't comment on youtube vids much, But this is a great channel you have. Really respect all the work you've put into these cars, its time consuming and I love the way you show all the mistakes etc because we can all empathise with it, we've all been there. The dry and dark humour has me in stitches!! Keep up the great work, you've earned a new sub. Much respect from the UK :-)

That “After looking for my nuts” part confused me