My WAY over budget /backdate/lightweight/hot rod.

tdw28210 · tdw28210's Garage

All,

I really don't like to type. But despite this, I am going to try and create a manageable thread here on my current project. Thanks in advance to John Helgesen at Stahlwerks, my body/paint guy, this forum and my wife for letting me indulge in this project.

FYI, I've done my share of small to medium sized 911 projects, but never anything of this scale. I want to work on these cars when I am retired, but don’t really have the skills or tools to do it right. I figured this project would be a decent low-risk learning opportunity. Well, this "low-risk" project has turned into something more – and I am certainly learning.

What was going to be a "rolling restoration rat rod" is now on its way to becoming a dream car for me. Not so much a Singer-inspired project as much as a Lightspeed Classic. RSR front and naked rear-end.

My goal is to sit this thing next to my buddy's Singer car and have him wonder a bit. My body and paint guy think we can do it. We shall see.

First, the car. A '77 911 S coupe acquired via Craigslist advert. A 50-foot paint job, ratty interior and beaten down 2.7 motor.

Typical rust up front, bad gas tank, etc.,etc.

John Helgesen confirms the motor is garbage, so I acquire an '86 3.2 motor out of California (LA Dismantlers) that seems more appropriate for a flared, wanna-be hot rod. The motor arrives 10 days later and we use my '85 Targa as a test bed for the motor. Other than a leaky fuel line, she purrs like a kitten. The motor is a keeper and now the budget is officially BLOWN.

I get a lift installed at my house after a fortuitous purchase and eventual sale of some 4.5” Fuchs wheels to Harvey Weidman. Spend most of the summer tearing down the car and bagging parts. Probably should have been more careful there. Already have a few "what is that?" parts sitting in boxes.

I end up meeting a guy 10 minutes from my house that is an old-school Porsche/Audi/VW body guy. He agrees to do the paint and body work. We work out a deal where I will assist him in on the body work repair, prep and paint - commence with the education.

The car gets stripped of most all of its parts and put on a rotisserie then hydro-blasted (sooo much sand), primered and massaged.

The hydro-blasting won’t cut through the US dealer applied undercoating (the tar-like crap on the outside) nor the Shutz underneath the tar. That all has to be ground down by hand with some help for dry ice and a myriad of tools.

At the same time I am grinding, my paint/body guy is welding up the replacement panels and fabricating some pieces you can’t buy for the front pan repair and eventual long hood back date.

I decided I want the sunroof removed, so here we are positioning the panel so it can be welded into place.

I am at the 10 pics per post limit, so to be continued...

tdw28210 · tdw28210's Garage

I know it is out of order, but here are some more pics of the car pre-hydro blasting.

And another right after is was shot with Glasurit ($ouch$) primer.

billh1963 · billh1963's Garage

I'm liking this!

KevinB_NJ · KevinB_NJ's Garage

Totally subscribed!

Porchdog · 12-14-2015, 07:44 AM

I'm in!

Thanks!

Sebscst · 12-14-2015, 09:40 AM

Ha, when i saw the title i thought my wife started a thread on my build. Good luck keep us posted.

pdtweeks · 12-14-2015, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Ha, when i saw the title i thought my wife started a thread on my build. Good luck keep us posted

I second this thought

Carry on TDW !!

david c. · 12-14-2015, 10:11 AM

I think your writing style is great! Just the right amount of good humor and wit to balance out the technical detail and explain the photos, which are well done, too. It sounds like a rewarding project is underway.