***FINAL STAGES*** rust repairs - sit down before you read this....!
 

My beloved Carrera is in for some restoration work to cut out some rust that has been lurking in there for some *unspecified* period of time.

There are two know problem areas, the RHS inner wall under the fender and the sills.

This is what we found when we removed the fender and scraped away a bit.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405368.jpg

A bit of angle grinding and fabrication and welding, we now have this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405431.jpg

Today the mechanic started on the RHS sills. You know there is a problem when he calls on the mobile after you know he has started. "You better come back, the rust is more than I expected". We all know the rust you can see is only the tip of the iceberg.

So, after seeing this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405563.jpg

and this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405626.jpg

After the mechanic started grinding out the problem areas, we are now faced with this:

La-la-la-oooh!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405771.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405834.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405911.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219405962.jpg

In the words of Magnus Magnusson , "I've started so I'll finish" all we can do here is ride out the wave, cut it all out and weld in new metal and hopefully at the end of this journey I will have a pretty much sorted Euro Carrera that will be good for years to come.

Pretty much in every other aspect this is a great car mechanically and cosmetically,

There is something slightly alarming seeing your pride and joy cut to pieces, but I think what could be the situation 3 or 4 years down the track I'm really glad I am doing this now.

Will post some updated pics soon.

if anyone wants to dial out some free sympathy, I'm sure my 911 would appreciate it.

RG5.

Poor car! Went in to have a couple of cavities filled and ended up getting a bunch of root canals! Hope it all turns out well, and is not TOOOooo costly!

Rust never sleeps!


K.T.
1973 911 E 2.4 MFI
1983 911 SC
1978 911 SC
1965 Devin "D" / 1967 912 Power Plant
1998 GMC Serra 4X4 Z71
John Deere LT166
Money Can Buy Happiness........Buy A Porsche......a

Where are you located? Where is the car from?

You should try owning an MGB, I cut out and welded in more inner and outer sills and doglegs than I can remember. I could probably do them in my sleep.

I am located in Australia, the car is a UK Carrera but was imported in the late 90s.

I have a few rust bubbles that I am trying to stay in denial about. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me awake at night. :rolleyes:

Been there before. It's ugly but it really is not that bad of a job.
I bet if most people popped there fenders off they would see the same thing.

Good luck with the project. How did your front bumper supports look?

yeap - few rust bubbles and that is the starting point. This was picked up by my mechanic who gave a thorough look over the car when he first had it in for a service. Its when you start poking around you see the demons behind the surface. Mine is a long term view on the car so I would rather take the plunge now rather than later when the job is a lot more severe.

Bumper supports look OK. When you grind all the rust out, it looks bad at first but all is involved is a bit of skill with galvanized repair metal plate and a welder. Then it can all be put back together and refinished.

Still, you would want to be sitting down when you get the invoice. I think I will take my own chair just to be sure...

wow, i've heard that galvanizing has a limited life span but not sure i've seen rust that bad on an even an early car before. the nice thing about rust (?) is that you can get into those closed off areas and rust proof them and also the replacement metal is all new and sound when done. good luck!

What year is the car?

Look at the bright side, at least it didn't make it to the rear torsion bar tube. If that had happened, the engine and trans would be out and the car on a suspension jig.

Is this a 70s car?

I do believe that is a 3.2 Carerra.

I don't care what anyone says about driving her all year long. That is why I have a garage queen!

That much rust on a 3.2 Carrera is odd. I'm guessing that it's a 1974-75 Euro Carrera or a Carrera 3.0 from 1976-77? Hard to tell from the photos...

-Wayne

Can all this be deleted please?http://forums.pelicanparts.com/suppo...eys/loki16.gif

A little sympathy
 

I can say with some degree of certainty that I know how you feel . . .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219426724.jpg

And all I wanted to do was fix a rust bubble . . .

Ouch! Not much else to say.

I thought I had quite a bit of rust in my LH rear fender-to-rocker area ... but it was clean by comparison.

The holy part was surprisingly thin ...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219426934.jpg

luckily, the area behind the fender was just surface rust.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219426959.jpg

Shade Tree fabrication of a decreasing radius bend using sophisticated metalforming equipment:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219427058.jpg


"Good as New"
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1219427083.jpg

I feel like some invisible bugs is crawling on my skin.

Thanks for all the replies and the interest.

The car is a 1985 Carrera 3.2, originally delivered in the UK.

Whether or not the amount of rust is unusual, the cancer is there, and is currently being cut out.

From some of the comments I have read, this reinforces why it is such a good thing that I bit the bullet and did this now.

Hopefully in couple of weeks the worst of this will be all behind me.

RG5

Only problem with that kind of rust repair is that you are now married to that car. If you decided to sell it at some point and disclose (as you should) the repairs, it will greatly devalue the car. If you choose to not disclose, well that is a whole different kind of bad karma.

Fix it, and drive the hell out of it.

that is strange for a galvanized car, but it is what it is,.. must have been driven only on salt laden roads and never washed!

It's like I'm looking at my '66 in your pictures

All you need is a valid vin, alot of metal, and time :)

Thanks for the comments - there are a lot of positive things about this car, like the mechanical condition and the originality and pristine condition of the interior. I am happy to be married to the car as I don't think I would change it for another Carrera as I like this one. If I fancy change, I would probably buy another 911 such as a 993 or a 930.

So, what I am doing now is really fixing problems now so that I can keep the car for many years and not have more troubles down the track.

Someone said, which also confirmed my mechanics view, that the galnanizing only works for so long. There may well be some hidden nasties if other people started looking under their fenders a little more closely.

RG5

IXNAY ON THE USTRAY!! They're all in denial. We're trying therapy before shocking them back to reality with vehicle inspections.

The guy who is working on this car, a local specialist Porsche mechanic, has owned over 15 911s in is time from early cars up to 993s. He has done this kind of work many times before, and on his own cars, fixed things car worse than this. So to him, this is quite a routine repair - perhaps a little more involved that we originally thought - but certainly fixable.

He is also of the opinion, that by the time he fixes it to his own standards with proper galvanized metal, the car will be in as good as original condition so there are no reasons why the car will be greatly devalued. It certainly would be more valuable in my eyes compared to the condition the car was obviously in when I purchased it a few years ago. Hmm I wonder how the car dealership is doing with this bad karma hanging over them...

I say onwards and upwards and lets get it sorted, so I can start my early morning drives again!!!!

That says it all. It will be a good car for you and others to come if you move on someday.

Actually, I don't find this particularly unusual. It doesn't take a salty road to do this, just a lot of wet days. Cars that get used as daily drivers and especially cars that sit outside and get rained on are prone to this. Water gets in the nooks and crannies and sits, for a long time. It takes a lot longer for a car to dry after it gets wet, than most people think.

Galvanizing isn't permanent. It's a sacrificial thing. Put two pieces of galvanized metal together, get them wet, and come back a few days later. You won't like what you see.

Porsche intended for the car to get an annual inspection, including the underside of the car, for any defects in the paint that would allow water to get under the paint. Few people ever did this. Fewer still do it today.

JR

slowly things are taking shape. I don't mind slow too much, so long as the repairs are OK.

before:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220363860.jpg

After:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220363912.jpg

before:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220363975.jpg

After:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220364059.jpg


And here is a pic of the repair on the RHS sill:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220364128.jpg

Some people on this list have questioned why this amount of rust exists on my car, given it is a galvanised Carrera 3.2. My mechanic commented that I should not 'bag the manufacturer - it is a testament to Porsche quality that the car has survived harsh conditions in the UK and is not worse that this. Look at how many 1985 cars are on the road in the UK and you probably get his drift!

Anyway, the repairs are looking good so I will post more pics soon.

RG5

Mine is from sweden not galvanized, original antirust coating, and yet you cant see a single rust spot in any place, even on the suspension parts :) I love that car for this :)

Waiting Room Talk
 

RG5 - As a owner of a recently purchased 1985 911 Carrera Coupe, and a suddenly avid Pelican 911 Tech. Forum user (read: "lurker"), here's my take on this:

What you are hearing embedded in the questions about the severity of your car's rust is plain and simple comradery. It appears to me that the responses and reflections are out of concern, sympathy, and an in-depth fear of having to experience the same sort of pain that you are so responsibly dealing with. In short, it is just "waiting room talk"

"How could this sort of thing Happen?"
"She is only 24 years old!"
"Wasn't she galvanized!?!"

Hang in there and please keep us posted.

Rick

I am in the process of moving my family to the coast;

Being 12-24 months away from putting my mid-year in to a shop for body restoration, I dread to think what the salt water is going to do to whatever is lurking beneath the old poor-quality respray... Yikes!

Great progress RG5, you are giving this old gal a new lease on life, can't wait to see how she turns out!

More pics from today's visit to see how the car is coming along. Hole in RHS fender now repaired

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220697162.jpg

There is now hope:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220697220.jpg

Bill of filler on this and we are ready for painting:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220697275.jpg

Underneath on this side:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220697333.jpg

sill panel reading for filling and painting:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220698216.jpg

Next problem area on this side to be tackled:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220698307.jpg

Hi Richard,

Sorry to hear that you found more problems than expected, but it looks like you are well on your way to getting it all sorted.

Just think of those beautiful days that spring and summer will bring us to enjoy our cars once it is finished.

Looking forward to catching up for a drive once you are back on the road.

cheers,
Bryan

Could have been a lot worse. It must feel gratifying to see the metal put back. Not to alarm you, but my gut feeling is thet you should pull the front bumper at some point, and rust treat between the body and where it bolts up.

Kudos to you for taking this on. :)

It does feel gratifying. Although it looks bad at first, when you see the bad metal cut out and new metal welded in and sealed off, you start feeling a lot better.

The front bumper is actually off the car and the mechanic has had a good look in there and there are no issues that we know and as we can see.

I'm think the other side of the car isn't in the best condition either particularly around the sills.

Thanks for the words of support Bryan, wil be great to go for that drive and lunch as we previously planned. Hopefully only a few more weeks to go now.

Richard

Not much to report as I haven't managed to get up to see the car for a while. Apparently the RHS sill area is repaired and closed up again.

Here is a pic or two of something I have been looking for for quite a while. It is the original blue-white pinstripe velour seat fabric. I found a place in the UK (Southbound Trimmers) that sells the original fabric sourced from Germany.

I purchased enough to recover the front two seats. I intend to recover the driver's seat when finally get the car back.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1221895782.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1221895917.jpg

Well I managed to get back up to see the car after a couple of weeks away.

The oil lines are back on and it is starting to look a bit more like a car again. The sills on the RHS have not been repaired and resealed up.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1223710974.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1223711128.jpg

The mechanic said it should be finished by the end of the month.