The Viper E -- or what I've been doing with my spare time

[techweenie]

Got this car a couple years back as a bare -- really bare -- shell. It had a little rust under the rear window, but was straight and had a '72 E VIN with pink slip. I slapped a Carrera suspension under it and eventually sold it to a very imaginative fellow who asked me to supervise its reassembly. He subcontracted the paint and I've been putting it together with parts from a '72 donor ever since.

I'm working in a start-up, so 70 hour weeks are typical. But I can usually find a few hours to chip away at this puppy each week.

Interior was Tobacco and I was lucky to match the vinyl perfectly. Still looking for matching carpet material. A few odds & ends I've been sourcing here on Pelican have ended up on this car.





Viper Green has to be the hardest color to get right on a computer screen. In person, this color drops jaws.

[speedracer]

Looks great Techweenie! Keep us updated with the progress!

[Facey]

looking good!!!

[techweenie]

Thanks. One of the next steps is installing a new OEM dash pad. So far, it looks like a good 1/2 day of grunting & groaning.

[the]

Very nice! A 72E coupe in Viper Green is a special car, indeed.

[Evans, Marv]

Looks like a fun project. If you don't have the windshield in, putting the new dash in shouldn't be a 1/2 day job. I bought some better plastic inserts - the ones that anchor in the dash & go through the holes in the top of the under-dash. They did a better job than the OEM ones at a fraction of the cost.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by Evans, Marv
Looks like a fun project. If you don't have the windshield in, putting the new dash in shouldn't be a 1/2 day job. I bought some better plastic inserts - the ones that anchor in the dash & go through the holes in the top of the under-dash. They did a better job than the OEM ones at a fraction of the cost.

I'll be putting in the dash without the w/s in, of course. The new dashes don't fit well and I plan to do what it takes to make this one fit.

I'm interested in those plastic inserts -- where did you find them?

[t6dpilot]

Looking good! I love Viper Green. Good luck finishing the project. I can't believe you can do that and work 70 hour weeks.

[jkarolyi]

Looks great tech! Would like to see pics of the interior when you're done...tobacco looks great and is pretty rare. What kind of engine is going into this one?

[techweenie]

Thanks, Jay. The interior is lagging because I can't find the perfect 'Tobacco' material to use for the carpets.

:-/

[BK911]

It's always nice to see a car start to look like a car again. Especially one with as much potential as this one.

I almost like the steel wheels better, but on an E I guess you almost have to have fuchs.

[jkarolyi]

I don't think anyone makes a new set of tobacco carpets. You might want to look into re-dyeing a new set of tan carpets. I've heard of this being done successfully using the same type of dye used for leather (like Leatherique), but getting the right color dye to do the job would be hard.

Any ideas for the engine? If it were mine, I'd put a 3.2 in it unless I had a real 911E engine lying around.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by jkarolyi
I don't think anyone makes a new set of tobacco carpets. You might want to look into re-dyeing a new set of tan carpets. I've heard of this being done successfully using the same type of dye used for leather (like Leatherique), but getting the right color dye to do the job would be hard.

Any ideas for the engine? If it were mine, I'd put a 3.2 in it unless I had a real 911E engine lying around.

Dyeing would be the final option.

The owner of the car is thinking of putting in a 3.2. I had gotten a 2.4 E engine to go in it, but he wants a bit more performance.

[mjshira]

so is this one going to be for sale?

[techweenie]

Originally posted by mjshira
so is this one going to be for sale?

It was sold in the 'before' phase. I'm assembling it in a sort of 'compensated hobby' mode at a nominal rate.

[porsche911girl]

Awesome car! I *so* want to do something like that one day! I love the before and after photos! Great job! I envy you.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by porsche911girl
Awesome car! I *so* want to do something like that one day! I love the before and after photos! Great job! I envy you.

The Viper car was at the German AutoFest 2-1/2 years ago, and nobody wanted it. Later, it 'grew' doors, hood and sunroof panel and I snapped it up. Sometimes it just takes a vivid imagination, but sometimes it's more of a matter of determination not to let something as rare as a Viper E just sit and rot.

I enjoy doing this kind of work, but I've been doing it occasionally for 30 years, so I know a few of the tricks. Anyone who does it for a living is going to be much faster, but the owner of the Viper car isn't in a hurry.