Do you know what this is?

[Sonjay]

I've restored Porsche for 35 years and this is the first time I've ever seen this. They are weights from the inside one left and one right of the front bumber of a 1968 911L as you can see by the pictures they have a 901 parts number and each one weights about 30LBS and they are tuck insdie the roll on the bumper on each side of the bumper mount very strange. What do you think.

[Pazuzu]

I've never seen them personally, but I knew that they put lead weights in the front on early cars, and based on your pictures and weights, those are very possibly lead (I know that a plate, about 3/4 inch thick, and 6x10 or so in size is just about 30 pounds).

I'm surprised you've never seen them before. I wonder if shops started removing them soon after they came out.

[Laneco]

Those, like the cocktail shakers on 60's american convertibles, look like something that should be tossed.

Don't toss... You might not find them again and they are part of a proper restoration of the early cars.

angela

[John W.]

I just registered so I could reply to this. I'm just learning to turn a wrench but am having fun doing it on my 89 targa. I have read about the history of the 911 and when they first put the engine in the rear they had handling issues from the weight imbalance so the quick fix was to add weight to the front. I forget the year but they corrected it by moving the rear axle back so they could eliminate the front dead weight.

Here's the toy.

[JT912]

I hoping you didn't find out the hard way. Seeing that car in the air, I hope you were expecting the extra weight and had able help while removing the bumper. When I removed mine, the weight of the bumper was quite unexpected and I'm lucky I had good padding on the ground.

[rouxroux]

Originally Posted by Laneco

Those, like the cocktail shakers on 60's american convertibles, look like something that should be tossed.

Don't toss... You might not find them again and they are part of a proper restoration of the early cars.

angela

Spot on Angela...we've got them in our '66 convertible (at all 4 corners)!

[moneymanager]

Frere covers this in detail.

[Carmel Skip]

Not lead but cast iron,factory installed to provide better handling

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by John W.

I just registered so I could reply to this. I'm just learning to turn a wrench but am having fun doing it on my 89 targa. I have read about the history of the 911 and when they first put the engine in the rear they had handling issues from the weight imbalance so the quick fix was to add weight to the front. I forget the year but they corrected it by moving the rear axle back so they could eliminate the front dead weight.

img]http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads14/911+11237262069.jpg[/img]

+1
According to what I've heard and read, this is the correct explanation

Not the most elegant solution to improve handling if I may say so.

[Fast Corners]

Gary,

I had these on my '67 911S. They were added by Porsche to correct a high speed instability that is associated with the early model 911's. IIRC, they were 25 lbs each. As there were no spoilers or other devices developed at the time to counteract the aerodynamic lift on the early cars the Factory added the ingots inside the front bumpers in an attempt to keep the front end more firmly planted at high speeds.

On my '67, I removed them for weight savings and ran the car for a short time. I can say from experience that at speeds north of 100 Mph the steering got so light that I sometimes wondered if the front tires were even touching the ground. Understeer in high speed curves was unbelievable. I ended up re-installing them and they do help.

Rhet