revolting bolt

[Eric Schaeffer]

I have a '72 T.

I began to hear a rattle coming from the front passenger side of the car whenever I made a hard turn.

Looking under the car, it appears as though one of the two bolts that come out from the body and attach the very front of the a arm has pulled loose from the body.

Looking under the hood, I cannot see where/how these bolts are attached to the body.

Searching through Pelican Parts Diagrams, I couldn't find a front suspension exploded view for early year cars. However in the mid-year car section the piece(s) in question appear to be something similar to that in Group 8: Chasis, 8/1/1 Chasis Front, part # 28. In terms of location, in Group 4 Front Axle, 4/1 Front Axle diagram, it would be part # 16.

I realize a picture would make things easier and will try to post one this weekend.

My questions are:
what has happened?
is it easily fixed?
does it suggest a serious rust problem?
are my day of hard turns over?

Thank you...

[jpnovak]

Welcome to the board.

The front suspension mounts will be the same through the 89 Carrera.

The bolts are threaded into inserts that are welded into the front suspension pan. If yours pulled through it usually suggests there is rust present and the pan needs to be replaced. Can you weld? The parts are about $225 and are available from our host. I think a body shop would charge from $500-$1k depending on other repairs needed.

Do a search for suspension pan replacement. This repair has been documented on the board.

Where are you located? You might find someone in your area that can help you identify and possibly fiz the problem.

[Eric Schaeffer]

Thanks for your reply. Your answer confirmed my worst fears.

(Hopefully) I am attaching a picutre of the problem.

I have few more questions:
Is there any chance of finding a solution that doesn't involve replacing the pan?
If that is a possibility, is there a checklist of things I should be looking for?
I am also wondering how dangerous it is to continue to drive the car in this state. What type of further damage am I risking?
Resigning myself to what seems like the inevitable, does someone know a good bodyshop who could handle this in the NYC/NJ area?
Lastly, as love of the car overrides my better judgement and I prepare to put money into a car that I won't ever recoup, what else should I think about doing?
I've enjoyed the car as is for a number of years, now might be the time show it some gratitude.

[Rot 911]

Eric, this is not a difficult part to replace. Both Jamie, who posted above, and I have done it ourselves. Front suspension pan rust is fairly common on the early 911's. There is no simple repair. The pan is rusted so any attempt to reweld the torsion bar mount will just lead to the pan tearing further away from the weld.

[na2ub]

That sounds familiar. I replaced my front pan when the battery rusted it through in the same spot. You cannot see it from above because the gas tank support (another layer of sheet metal) covers that area of the pan. It took me forever to replace it, but it was an interesting project. I welded a temporary support from the T-bar cover to the pan above to get my by until I got my parts. I felt pretty secure with that, until I could fix it. However, some mentioned that if the front of that T-bar drops whilst driving ... bent A-arm City. I never priced getting the front pan replaced at the shop, but have heard estimates of $1K to $2K.

Doug

[Phoenix]

Eric:

When I restored my '73, I used Westchester Classic Cars & Coachworks. They're a father and son team (Raymond & Dwayne Nosworthy) who do phenominal work. Ray was worked at Austin Martin for a number of years before opeing his own shop and traning Dwayne. I think Ray is retired now and his son has recently expanded the business. They're in CT no too far north of NYC. They're pricey but do excellent work.

Hope this helps... Oliver


Westchester Classic Cars & Coachworks
7 Shalvoys Lane
Danbury, CT 06810
203-730-8240