Stripping down car for rebuild - what to keep?
 

Hey all, I've begun dismantling my rusty 1970 911T to a bare tub in anticipation of metal work and a ground up rebuild. Right now I've only gotten to major body components (e.g., lid, hood, bumpers, fenders, doors), but I'm about to get into minor components and mechanicals.

The car is pretty rusty so most things will be be replaced with new parts where possible (seals obviously, but also hardware, latches, etc.). But I'm curious, what can I not find new that I will need?

For example, I know Porsche doesn't make new window frames so I will definitely be keeping those. I'll also be keeping all suspension components. I also hear original horn grills fit better than recreations and may be worth keeping. Is there anything else that is critical to keep (interior or exterior), either because the original is better and worth restoring or because the part is not currently produced?

Quick edit: Also, would love any callouts for things worth keeping because the newly manufactured part is exorbitantly expensive.

Keep everything until you replace it and know you don’t need it. Even if you think you won’t need something, better to have a backup than be SOL.

Label everything too. In fact, take photos of stuff so you k ow where it’s from and how it goes together. The PET will be helpful but nothing like a photo.

Exactly this.
Even when you are getting new, you want to have a reference to know the replacement is correct.

As others have said, save everything, label it, make a spreadsheet, ziplock bolts & hardware with paper descriptions inside, etc. One thing to keep in mind is many times new Porsche parts are inferior to restored original parts.

Good advice here and I would express agreement.

As for pictures....when you think you have taken far too many, then go back and do more. Take pictures of orientation of parts, where electrical comes out and what orientation. Keep old carpets to act as patterns and label, label, label.

Main thing I did not do which I regret was to record the fasteners I took out and note then ones which are special, either they are 10.9 or funny length or whatever. I have had about a million times where I could not find a particular fastener and should have kept and replated the old ones.

Another thing I wish I would have done more of is to do a mock assembly of all the sheet metal, especially doors prior to paint. I did some of that, but I found a few problems on one door...purely warpage from the door stop repair and which now is pretty well impossible to fix. Not a biggie, but 2 minutes with a BFH and a block of wood would have solved it pre-paint...

D,

Zaxxon - Based on your fairly recent join date and few posts - you may not know that Shaun @ Tru6 above does restoration of Porsche and other make parts. He's certainly someone to keep in mind should you have any parts that need refinishing.

THIS x 1000!

You will find the temptation to buy new parts nearly irresistible, but often times they are simply inferior quality or don't fit. Very frustrating. If something can be refurbished, refinished, rebuilt, and reused, it's almost always the best bet.

Thanks for all the replies. To be clear, I'm defiinitely planning on cataloging and saving everything until the build is complete. But my question is a bit more specific.

Hardware aside, I'm trying to identify the parts that are commonly known to be worth saving. I want to be able to put those parts aside during dismantling so I can begin the restoration process on them ASAP while the car is in metalwork. I know window frames take a long time to restore. I figure other parts worth saving (engine grill maybe?) are the same, so I'd like to parallel path as much work as possible here.

It really depends. In the SW, rubber trim gets sun baked, in the NE, metal gets corroded. Every car is different and you will figure it out as you break it down and really inspect each piece.

• Some electrical connectors are not available, so if you're restoring the harness, save those and splice them in.
• Rubber trim never fits as well as the original, although URO is constantly upgrading theirs as they find new ways to make it fit better.
• The dashboard that comes out will have the studs in the right place, whereas new (OEM or aftermarket) ones will be off be up to 25mm.
• There's apparently quality differences in modern vs original glass, with the original being superior.
• Replacement seatbelts seem to "lock" too early compared to the originals.
• Glass to replace original transparent plastic on the gauges seems to be an improvement many people like.
• The particle-board in the footwell is seldom worth saving, and aftermarket aluminum replacements fit well.
• The A/C system is pretty universally recognized as garbage, but if you don't want to upgrade, it appears to be difficult to find some of the components.
• The choke/handbrake combo is not available new anymore and rarely needs more than a respray.
• The pedal assembly isn't available new, but plenty of used ones are out there in good nick.

For the most part, you can get anything you want brand new for these old cars. I would only recommend doing that if you're upgrading. The old parts fit. The new ones sometimes don't. Each car is uniquely tweaked from 200K+ miles of rough roads, and they're not like modern cars - torsional rigidity isn't there. Tolerances back in the day were HUGE by today's standards. You can take a perfect door off your car and put in on another person's Concours-ready car, and the lines will be all wrong. You'll notice when you take the car apart that unusual fasteners are used everywhere. Porsche didn't give a damn - they just sheet-rock-screwed right up through the floorboards into the cabin like a drunken redneck and called it good. 9mm nuts must have been on sale, because they're randomly scattered throughout despite not being used on any other vehicle I can think of.

As for new parts that are absurdly expensive? EVERYTHING. The P-car tax is real. It's worse than Ferrari. A dashboard for a Nissan is like $400. It's $1200 for a 911. Need a new head for your Subaru? Expect to pay ~$600. Porsche price? $1100 without valves. Oh, and you need six of them. Heck, "cheap" door cards made out of a piece of fiber board and some vinyl, not even OEM, sells for $250. The fancy ones are $3500! There's a very good reason that so many Porschephiles are all about that DIY attitude - you'd go broke if you didn't.

Keep everything, put it in totes. Break car down by systems, fuel, brake, suspension, et et et. You might think vinyl or carpet is trash and throw it out only to realize you could have used it for patterns down the road.

...actually just doing that now. The removed carpet was pretty junky and dirty, but I was able to fit it into the car, make it fit with all the changes including putting in a centre console and then use it as a pattern so I only cut the brand new carpet once and accurately.

I also kept almost every bracket, arm, bolt, washer, clamp and ran them through my media bowl cleaner and sent them all out to the plater. My plater basically works by the batch, so whether I do 10 bolts or 100 bolts is is pretty well the same price....so the more the merrier even if you don't use them.

Vast majority of them came back looking like new and saved untold dollars in new parts.

For example.....the washers on the seat belts are a strange 13 mm size and while only about 6 bucks each at Porsche, you need 8 of them. I have 4 of them from the replating and so only need to buy 4 new ones.

Similarly with those seatbelt shoulder bolts....like $20 each but all mine replated perfectly. zero cost.

D

My 2 Cents
 

So far, all the input is dead on.

Not that you fit this profile, but some guys get way in over there head. If there is a chance your going to lose steam in the middle of the project, dont start.
It takes time, money and a solid commitment. When you lose one of the three, it stalls. Years later it's sold as a basket case with stuff everywhere.

My suggestion is you do it in phases and sections..
I would start with the rust repair. As your doing the rust repair, start buying some of the stuff you need.
Example: i bought/exchange a rebuilt pedal cluster from Bruce Stone here on the forum. I also had John Bell rebuild the gauges. I sent the gas tank out to get pressure cleaned and resealed.
It's a great way to gain traction and minimize the frustration.

All the best on your adventure.

Cheers, Louie

Unless you are super emotionally attached to that particular car, or are a glutton for frustration and want to get the full experience, save yourself a lot of money, time, and headache. Sell it and buy one in the condition you want. Especially if you haven't done something this extensive before.

No one ever saved or made money restoring a rusty 911.