Really you have alot of problems there,and then there all the other jobs if you decide to drop the subframe and tank.The are 2 problems at a minimum the brake pipes and the hole.The brake pipes are about £50 for a kit on EBAY.The welding is possible i think in place maybe £200 max.The pipe support bracket can be fabricated,i was thinking of removing mine and bolting/riveting on a bracket for the front brake pipe support,as its a rust trap.The more you can do the better removing the rust and paint to define the repair will help with getting a firm price.Well thats my opinion.

 

If that area has gotten that bad the rest of the car isn't far behind

325CIs aren't worth much here, you have to decide if it's worth sorting or if the car's just gonna be a money pit

This is also why I never buy a car of this age without looking underneath

 

You can get rear brake brackets from Redish.
Redish Brackets
As mentioned there's a lot going on there, not least is there metal to weld the bracket too.
Get a good look under the whole car and decide if recommended work is worth the money.
Looks like at minimum dropping/removing the tank to do any welding as well as new brake pipes, brackets and clips.
Best of luck

 

So I’ve had someone take a quick look and a poke around and it just seems to be that area and a few other possible bits all at the rear end which are rusty but nothing in fixable, nothing much up the front luckily too. I’ll likely need to replace the rear brake pipes, the fittings are gonna be way too rusty and that’s a job & a half to run those to the front. I think I’m gonna be able to get someone to sort it to get it through the MOT & then go from there once I’ve had a look how much it’ll cost. as much as it might be a money pit I don’t wanna get rid of it, luckily I have friends that can help me do the actual work to keep the cost down. But then again I also don’t know if I’m gonna run into anything major and have to bin it anyway…

 

But then again I also don’t know if I’m gonna run into anything major and have to bin it anyway…

Honestly I would argue you already have. Don’t wanna be a party pooper but if these spots are that bad this car is not long for this world. You could patch it and get it to pass for sure, and maybe that’s the right move right now, but I would be looking to get out of that car pronto.

 

This is one of those areas where you need to remove everything to get proper access. Why? cos what looks rusty and how far the rust has ACTUALLY spread can be very different things. The undercoat can mask a heck of a lot of rot. Glad you have mates that can weld and fabricate as this won't be a weekends worth of work to remove everything and put it all back together.

 

Like I said I'm getting it MOT ready first just to keep me going in the mean time, and I've seen just how much work it is to remove everything to get there, the original idea was always to turn this into a drift car, while learning how to work on and modify cars, and have something else to daily. But as much as I want to keep this car it is becoming less and less likely unfortunately, which is a shame as I've wanted an E46 for years and of course I've gone and bought a bogus one

 

But as much as I want to keep this car it is becoming less and less likely unfortunately, which is a shame as I've wanted an E46 for years and of course I've gone and bought a bogus one


Buying an old BMW is always a gamble. But you're definetly not the only one running in to rust problems. If the car has no (emotional) value to it I might suggest maybe parting it out and getting some of your money back. Other thing one of my friends did was buy a cheap 316Ci without rust, and engine/drivetrain swapped the M54B30 and transmission in to it that came out of his other E46 that was also rusted more than he first thought. Ofcourse that's a big and time/money consuming job, + you'd have to get another E46 which can be a risky move as we've seen..