A sort of barn find

[Matthew Barnes]

Been a reader for a few years now.
Have lived vicariously through the rebuilds and restorations featured here.
So perhaps it's only right that now I begin to give back...although it will be hard to live up to the likes of Speedo, Jury and Fishcop (let alone that mad genius who lives near a bridge) I'll give it my best shot.

This is what I have found:
- 1970 rolling targa chassis
- 1967 912 with a 2.7 and 915
- 1970 2.2 targa under a rather nasty flatnose bosy kit
- a spare 2.2 E engine

The cars were at the end of a parts lead I chased down; left over from an RS rep project.
They've been standing for 5 years - in a shed at a steel mill in a high and dry part of the country thank goodness. Probably stood for 5 years before that.

A mate and myself are going halves - he gets the targa, I get the swb and we split the rest, reuse or sell. He's most interested in the smooth top headlights from the 912 for the 66 S factory prototype he found in a garage last year! Theres a thread detailing that around somewhere.

The 912 is rhd and I was thinking of an R (not another one!). The aforementioned mentors and their diy efforts can take the blame. Some minor resto work on my SC (right before it was smashed) has given me the courage (and perhaps stupidity) to take on the project.

I have a wonderfully eccentric mechanic up the road who will help me with the mechanical stuff, i.e he'll drink beer while I spanner, but the rest I'm going to attempt to do myself. I have assembled a garage of pre73 shiny bits over the last year...not with a project in mind, but mainly because I couldn't afford a whole car. Those will come in handy.

Here are some pics. T-minus 3 years. Start the clock!

The roller targa


The 912 swb with burzel


The 70s beauty buried under an 80s beast


The spare motor. 2.2 E with correct mfi


I'll upload some more pics in another post.
Cheers,
Matthew

[Matthew Barnes]

'76 2.7 on k-jet. Rumours of a rebuild in the past...


Burzel will go. Burn me at the stake but I've never been a fan.


Someone's beach buggy is missing seats!


Barbara Striesand eat your heart out.


Tiny smuggler's box...for a 1967?


15" 5.5s that I might hold on to.


Not good. RHD pedal pans are an endangered species.

[Matthew Barnes]

Front of the trans tunnel looks the worst


Young at heart


Rear seat pan


Rear bulkhead - not bad on the surface*****


Car comes with a lightweight interior


These look factory to me (the thot plickens...)


Rear wheel arch


What lies beneath....I'll hazard a guess!


Oh well. Was bound to break through somewhere


5 dials in a 912?



So there you have it.
A quick tour of yet another butchered and abandoned 912.
I have a sneaking suspicion this car has a story to tell already:
- fresh paint on the nose
- 912 vin number
- 6 cylinder engine mounts (and no sign of 1600 side mounts)
- 5 period gauges

Might well have had a smash and had a 912 front end, with vin, welded on. What we here in the South call a code 3. All opinions welcome.

Cheers
Matthew

[ThomO]

five guages is what a 68 should have only earlier cars had three a left over from the 356 days

[Matt Monson]

By 1967 lots and lots of 912s had the 5 gauge option. Mine does (Prodate 10/66). If you look at the two left gauges, they are different on a 912 than they would be on a 911. If you post of picture of those two, we can tell you more.

Show us your shift knob too, 4spd or 5spd knob?

[redstrosekNic]

I'm fairly sure one could order a 912 with 5 gauges. Cool finds

[redstrosekNic]

Matt, you must type faster than I do...lol

[JT912]

Looks like a 912 tach. Can honestly say I've never seen a 3 gauge '67 912. 5 gauges were standard on the 912 in '67

[Matthew Barnes]

And so the learning begins.
Rules out conspiracy theory number 1.
What about those engine mounts?
Surely the car would have had round side mounts?

[CCM911]

Those mounts look like 911 mounts. A 912 engine mounts well forward of the 911 mounts. It almost looks like there is a little "shelf" in the back of the engine compartment due to the smaller 912 engine.

[JT912]

I wouldn't rule it out. Usually it is the other way around though, passing a 912 off as a 911. Certainly a quick cleaning will help show if the old mounts were removed and new texture was sprayed. Might even have been rear ended and a rear clip from a 911 installed? Any funky weld lines running through the rear wheel wells?

[JT912]

The area circled looks to me like it might have been altered. I found a couple shots on the internet showing someones swap from 912 to 911 mounts. It can be done in a way to make it very difficult to spot.

[nineball]

is that a hardtop sitting on the targa? would love to see some shots of the bottom of that.

good luck with the project!

[Dooodahman]

All your cars are "Barnes finds"!

[Matthew Barnes]

Barnes finds indeed!

A quick update:

Have managed to swap steel panels on my car for a full set of fbr panels off a 912 R that a chap wants to return to 912 look. So front fenders, bonnet with centre filler, centre filler tank, bootlid and full set of bumpers.

2.7 engine will be swapped for two 901/911 gearboxes, one of which is e/s spec.
I'll then trade the spare 901 and the mag case 915 in the car for labour towards a rebuild of the 2.2 E on MFI and the matching spec gearbox.

So essentially the target is 850 kgs with around 160 hp.

All I need to do now is finish my garage so I can start stripping and stare the inevitable rust in the face (with no hint of fear!)

The reference at this stage is this little monster:



For those who haven't seen it. This is a great reference site for R's / T/R's ST's etc.

[fbarrett]

You will love the 2.2 E engine...

Frank

[Matthew Barnes]

Engine out without any fuss.



Graham (the chap in the middle) is keeping the 2.7 in exchange for two boxes. One of which I'll keep to put onto the spare 2.2E



Which leaves me with a mag case 915 and 901 to trade for the labour on getting the 2.2E and matching spec box into running order.



The 2.7 engine will go into his targa so the targa's 3 litre on carbs can go into the 908...many hours have been spent plotting the trade.



Then pushed the car down the road whilst holding the door closed with one hand, steering a knee and operating the semi-functional handbrake with the other hand.
And onto the lawn...



P.S. The zero carbon emission drive was done during daylight hours.

The reason for the lawn is that the garage looks like this



Original colour



Under 46 year-old bitumen sealant spawn of satan



Pedal cluster is nasty



Parcel shelf hiding something...

[Matthew Barnes]

Scrap found under the dash pad (which I managed to damage )



Hand made.



Dials out. Lovely things these early dials. Speedo absent on account of tiny screw holding the trip adjuster...always one tool short of a completed job.



Aforementioned speedo in the background, original colour revealed after chipping away sealant with a scraper and a mallet, and footwell....I'm afraid it doesn;t look good the further forward you go.



Pedal cluster out. Just as I was about to order try a thermo nuclear bomb it surrendered and emerged. Might be able to save the clutch pedal. Mounting panel needs surgery.



Started stripping the engine bay. How does one get the harness through the tunnel - both ends sprout forth multiple trunks?



Started in the corners near the hinges and this



Turned into this



View from the top (same on both sides)



Fibreglass patches from underneath. Good solid crappy work executed with real intent.

[Matthew Barnes]

Finished up 12 kilos lighter with aching hands and a crick in my neck. Marvellous.



Some inspiration affirmation on Sunday night.







Pick up my traded R parts tomorrow. Swapping bits off this car and body panels from my pantry for front fenders with R indicators, rear lights, bonnet, engine lid, front and rear bumpers and centre filler tank. Painted, sorted, score.....all I have to do is another six months of bodywork.....

[Bear911]

Matthew you have been holding out on the PPAS brotherhood! I demand the punishment to be swift and painful!

I need to come visit you.