1972 911 Rust concerns... What would you do?
 

So there is clearly some rust bubbling up under the paint just in front of the driver's side door towards the wheel well (picture).

My concern just got a bit higher. I'm getting ready to put in a new carpet set. There was some rust in the rear floor pan that I have dealt with and I uncovered a bit more when I moved to the front floor pan. My concern is that there is some rust on the inside area that corresponds to the area of those bubbles on the outside. Am I looking at replacing the whole front quarter panel?

For context - this is a 1972 911T Targa that will never be all original or concourse. Currently it has a 3.0L engine from a late 70's - early 80's SC and has fuel injection. Overall the car is very clean and in great shape and has been in my family for the last 35 years and is a joy for me to drive during good weather.

I have some skills and experience, but welding is not one of them.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1754163433.jpg

Looking up from under the wheel well
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1754163446.jpg

Looking at the driver's side front floorboard
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1754163457.jpg

To repair the left front fender properly a shop will have to cut out the lower portion of the fender and weld in a new piece.

The rust in the lower corners of the front fenders are quite fixable. However that usually indicates other rust, particularly around the tops of the headlight buckets. If those are still solid, scrape and sandblast the hell out of that area and use copious amounts of primer to preserve them.

The front fenders do not indicate that rust has passed through to the footwell. The front fenders have a reinforcement rib along the back edge, and that collects mud, water, and salt, which causes them to rust through at that point. Look closely up in between the fender and footwell and clear any mud that has collected there, so you can see better what's going on.

What would I do. I would seek out a shop that does restoration level work. Have them do an evaluation with you. One hour on a lift with a knowledgeable technician should reveal a list of areas that need attention. I suspect some of those areas could be addressed by you. Such as clean prime and paint.
The after market has a specific patch panel designed to address the rust issue on your lower rear fender area.
Rob

Thanks everyone. I’m arranging to head in to a shop and see what is affected.