Help tear down suspension, '72 911T for Powder Coat

[Rodney Nelson]

Hi Pelicans,

Not sure where to start here... I would like to tear down my suspension on my 1972 911T in preperation for powder coating. I don't have a press, it looks like I might need one, any suggestions on that would be helpful and the process.

Thanks for your help,

Rodney

[Porboynz]

Undo the bolt in the last photo on each side and after the tension is released everything comes apart. That sway bar is not original 72, well not on any 72 I ever looked at.

[Rodney Nelson]

Originally Posted by Porboynz

Undo the bolt in the last photo on each side and after the tension is released everything comes apart. That sway bar is not original 72, well not on any 72 I ever looked at.

Hi Porboynz,

Thank you for your reply. You are most likely 100% correct as my car had a front date done to it and now I am reversing it. I would think that the addition of a sway bar would be a good thing. I wonder when Porsche started adding it?

Can anyone identify the year?

Thanks,

Rodney

[juanbenae]

there is/was a thread recently on sway bars that bill verburg posts a chart as to when sways were available as an option staring in 74 as I recall. the easy answer is the SC run starting in 78 that they became standard both front & rear.

regarding disassembly of the front end. if you heat a-arm and the housing that the rubber bushings are in you can usually get them free. secure the a-arm in a vice, apply heat and a pipe wrench can get them spinning enough to work them out of the keepers. you will have to separate the cross member from the a-arms though. then a big screw driver can usually get the bushing off the a-arm with more heat applied.

the ball joints will be refreshed I suspect so heating them to break the castle nut free is advised. again the pipe wrench & vice are your friend.... don't buy the castle nut socket and use it to remove them as it will ruin the tool. the socket is good for tightening, but lousy at loosening. I never runined one that way, but ive read it here a number of times. you can also use a drift in the castle nut grooves and a hammer to see if that breaks them loose. the C-nuts most certainly have to be replaced with the ball joints because they are expected to get mangled during removal.


don't coat the height adjustment bolt or torsion cap piece it threads into as it will interfere with them rethreading. those two bits are cheap so with all the work you are doing buying new seems like a winner.

[juanbenae]

if you separate the a=arms from the cross member the sway bar will pretty much fall out

[Trackrash]

Sway bars were an option on '72s. Ts may or may not have had them installed.

You can look at the struts for a date, which is usually stamped there.

The longhoods, '73 and older, had through the body front sways.

[mepstein]

the A arms come apart easy with a torch. when the rubber starts to smoke, you twist it apart. wear leather gloves and appropriate safety gear.
plate or cerakote the adj bolt and cap and you dont have to worry about clearances.

[Superman]

juanbenae is right. You can just burn those old rubber bushings out. Outside the garage door. Very stinky. Go ahead and destroy the ball joints if you want, getting them out. Use new parts to reassemble.