1970 911E restore questions - long

david482 · 02-08-2008, 11:42 AM

I have been working on my 1970 911E for a couple of years and at least from an engine and MFI standpoint it seems to be in pretty good shape. I still have a list of things to do but I wanted to get some opinions on how to proceed with the rest of the car. I have been driving it and having a blast but there is a leak at the rear window and so I have pulled out the rear interior and plan to use a wire brush to get rid of the rust I find, almost all just surface and then use Por15. It is coming in at the corners of the rear window so I figure I have to pull the window and see what I find.

Some other issues are both door skins are rusted at the bottoms but the frame and rockers appear to only have surface rust. The car sat in a barn for about 13 years and has been in my garage since. I do not have a lot of experience with bodywork but want to keep things as original as possible and not spend a fortune (or at lease not a large fortune). I am not sure what the best approach to surface issues would be. Should I try to start sanding etc and then put on a primer or would it be better to have a body shop really go at it and do it properly (I am not even really sure what that should entail)?

There area also the issues that surround the suspension which was replaced in 79 by the PO, the E suspension was replaced by the S components. What should I start looking at in terms of a priority list to fix/replace. The car seems to drive well and the PO (father in-law) seemed to think it drove much like it did when he drove it last - 15 years ago?

I know this is a long post/question and I have been doing a lot of research and searching but now would just like to see what opinions I can get from the experts out there.

I also want to thank everyone for helping thus far. It is only through your help that I have begun to understand the MFI system and actually got it in pretty good shape – what a kick

Thanks.

dtw · 02-08-2008, 12:00 PM

Cleaning up rust in the door gutters and re-painting doesn't tend to work out well. A friend of mine tried this approach on his, he had a bare metal respray about 2 years ago and unfortunatley already has new rust bubbles down there. There are a few options:
-replace the doors with good clean doors - this usually requires varying levels of fitting/gapping work
-re-skin the lower portion of the door - panels available for this
-re-skin the entire door - panels also available for this. I am finishing a looong restoration of a '72 coupe, and getting the re-skin to look 'pretty good' easy; getting them to look outstanding took many more hours.

Suspension - if it drives well, just check over your components for wear/tear. Start with the bushings - four on the a-arms, four on the spring plates. Two on the trailing arms (actually four when you go to buy them, IIRC). Also check sway bar bushings front and rear. The trailing arm bushings are probably some of the most overlooked suspension maintenance items out there, as they are buried deep under the car and aren't particularly easy to replace.

The torsion bars should also be inspected, especially if any bushings are found to have failed. When the A-arm or spring plate bushings sag/fail, the torsion bar can begin to rub, eventually leading to (very nasty) failure. See this post I did a few weeks ago:
So - how sure are you that your torsion bars are in good shape? (Carnage pic)

Shocks should also be checked for proper function/leaks etc.

Other components to inspect include tie rods, ball joints, front and rear wheel bearings, CV joints, steering column bearing, I could go on but it would start moving even more out of suspension & into more brakes & drivetrain...

Got pics of your car?

LakeCleElum · 02-08-2008, 12:09 PM

I have a '69 project awaiting to be tackled. The rear window leaked for a lot of years. On mine, the damaged included a hole in the rear passenger side floor and a fist sized hole in the roker panel on that side. I would suggest you check those areas with an ice pick or poking with a screwdriver to ensure the metal is sound....

Scott Clarke · Scott Clarke's Garage

Have you removed the engine sound pad and the rear deck upholstery? the rear deck is very prone to rust, and a rear window seal is a key agent in this. As mentioned, the damage can extend down to the rear seat area and the floor. I replaced my rear deck (also a '70E). Fortunately, damage to other areas was very limited, but the rear deck was shot. It's a lot of work, but they can be replaced. I'd take a good look before moving forward.

david482 · 02-08-2008, 12:40 PM

I have pulled the rear deck upholstery but not the sound pad. The leaking has just been since it was pulled out of the barn and on a couple of occasions it was left out with a mechanic (very long story). It appears to be only surface rust around the edges. I have probed with a screw driver and cant ind any holes? Thanks for all the other info my project list just keeps getting longer. I will post some new pics when the weather gets a bit better and I can get it out of the garage.