Front fender to cowel seals and fender fitment

Tom '74 911 · 04-24-2006, 07:51 AM

Could someone please tell me which fender to cowel to use and when? There are (2) different widths avail. from our host - 4.3mm and 6.5mm.

My car is a '74 911 coupe. I am replacing the front fenders w/new (to me) fenders from a later car (mid 80's I am told). The old seals were the 4.3mm variety. I ordered some new 4.3mm seals, but the newer fenders don't look like they're fitting quite right, so I was wondering if they might require the wider seals? The description in the PP catalog says they are BOTH for 911(74-89), but doesn't differentiate any further. When might one need the wider seals?

I'm almost at my witts end w/my car. I tried to mount the fenders this weekend and also ran into some other fitment issues - like the gas cap hole is different between the old fenders and new fenders. Is there is no gas vent in the later cars? Also, what's that flange at the windshield res. filler for on the newer fender? It's never easy is it?

Old Fender Top View:

Old Fender Side View:

New Fender Top View:

Please help! I still haven't worked out my windshield reinstall as I asked about in another thread, but I gave it another go over the weekend and at least got closer.
Thanks,
Tom

cali74 · 04-24-2006, 08:05 AM

Found This so far...

FRont Fender to Cowl Seal. 6.5mm or 4.5 mm

I'm not sure about the flange thing as mine's a 74 also

Coincidentally I just recieved the smaller size of the seals...I hope they fit when I go to install the fenders! Luckily shipping is quick in cali-fornia

DarrylD · 08:13 AM

Here's the secret... the fender to cowl bolts that clamp the rubber strip in place are the first ones you attach and tighten down. You get that gap correct and then wrestle with the fender alignment along the flange bolts working your way down and forward. You might need to use an awl to move the 'U'- fold extruded nuts in the fender flange to align with the holes in the cowl.

Tom '74 911 · 04-24-2006, 10:58 AM

cali74 - thanks for the links. It appears that I at least have the correct seals.

DarrylD - I'll try starting w/the fender to cowel bolts first and see if that bears fruit. Thanks for the tip. ps - amazing job you're doing on the 912.

Anyone know what the flange on the newer fender is?

Thanks,
Tom

Evans, Marv · 04-24-2006, 11:11 AM

Tom'74,
Thanks for posting, and thanks to Darryl for the advise. I'm currently having the same problem with fitting the fenders on my '69. And those are replacement (good used) '69 to '73 fenders!

DarrylD · 04-24-2006, 11:30 AM

Hey thanks re: the 912 and the advice was straight out of the factory manual!

Tom '74 911 · 04-24-2006, 03:47 PM

Just out of curiosity - Daryl and Marv - are you guys using any butyl tape or "Terostat Ribbon" when reinstalling your fenders?
Tom

DarrylD · 04-24-2006, 05:17 PM

Hey Tom!

You couldn't have asked your question at a better time, today I was test fitting the fixed "potato chip" fender using the new, wider Porsche cowl seal you were having problems fitting. Things went pretty well but there was quite a bit of pounding and flexing required to get it all to align... as I guess would be customary with a "hand-built" body.

I also got to play with my new toy from the Eastwood Company, one of those spot stud welders that weld a pin that allows use of a slide hammer to pull dents without drilling holes. The tool works GREAT, even thru 3M weld-thru primer, and I just twisted the stud off with a pair of pliers when I was done, barely leaving a mark!

To answer your question about Porsche butyl tape, I'm planning on using good old (and cheap) 3M body strip caulk instead. Pretty much the same stuff, but you can buy a lifetime supply of the stuff for about 1/4 what Porsche wants for enough to do one fender! A thin bead shouldn't effect the hood gap spacing, or that will be my intent when deciding how much to use.

DW SD · 04-24-2006, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DarrylD
Hey Tom!

You couldn't have asked your question at a better time, today I was test fitting the fixed "potato chip" fender using the new, wider Porsche cowl seal you were having problems fitting. Things went pretty well but there was quite a bit of pounding and flexing required to get it all to align... as I guess would be customary with a "hand-built" body.

I also got to play with my new toy from the Eastwood Company, one of those spot stud welders that weld a pin that allows use of a slide hammer to pull dents without drilling holes. The tool works GREAT, even thru 3M weld-thru primer, and I just twisted the stud off with a pair of pliers when I was done, barely leaving a mark!

To answer your question about Porsche butyl tape, I'm planning on using good old (and cheap) 3M body strip caulk instead. Pretty much the same stuff, but you can buy a lifetime supply of the stuff for about 1/4 what Porsche wants for enough to do one fender! A thin bead shouldn't effect the hood gap spacing, or that will be my intent when deciding how much to use.

WOW - I would love to be a fly on the wall watching you do your thing. You could have your own for - pay - webcast, kind of like the naked sorrority chicks living in the house wired with 100 webcams, but for DIY Porsche guys!

seriously, Darryl is the man! More awesome work!

I've found myself scrolling through your BLOG to check out the latest in your shop.

As far as this thread, I just installed my front fenders, too. I ended up shimming the lower rear bolts a bit, so the gap remained the same along the door. I used plastic washers between the bodyparts so the paint wouldn't rub. I also found you could move the fender a bit with the awl if you installed the sheet metal bolts from inside the trunk, but didn't tighten them much. From there, you could use an awl of a punch to move things around, slowly working to even out the gaps. Seemed to work for me, but then again, my fenders fit well before.

Doug