1979 911sc Could I overcome quite a bit of rust?
 

Hi,
I usually post on the 964 forum but am planning on upgrading to an SC, I've heard they are great fun but also for tax reasons. Anyways I found someone selling one fairly cheap but there is some rust. The seller has been quite honest about the rust and has priced it in. I had a crack at some minor surface rust on my 964 but this looks like a much bigger job.

The front compartment has rust on the both the battery side and the other side, it looks like it isn't that deep (if thats the expression), but is widespread. There is also rust on the drivers side door jam. Is the door jam a major part of the cars structure? (well of course it is but how major?), and would it be hard to replace?

The car is a great colour and according to the owner is also a reliable runner.

Anyways thanks for looking, any advice much appreciated :)

Galen
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I wouldn't.

Run. I see $10,000 of work there to make it right.

There's more than a bit of rust:(

And the rust on both sides come from the supports of the front bumper wich have a complicated form in case you want to make patches. It's a lot of work if you do it yourself, a lot of money if you have it done properly..

Sure you can overcome the rust. It just isn't likely worth the money. Better to buy one without the rust and save yourself a never ending headache. It is a lovely color though and YOU can save it! My guess is that it would be more like $25K or more to do it right when you factor in replacement panels and a quality paint job.

If someone will spend 25K for rust repair, I'll practically build them a car from scratch. This blue car needs some investigation. Might need a front suspension pan and a patch in the rocker, no big deal.

The thing about rust is if you're going to paint the car, you've got to get it all or it will bubble later. For a nice driver, I wouldn't worry about a bubble or two. Now, what about more important issues? Has this car been shunted? If so, and with the other issues, I'd move away.

More: how are the mechanicals? Again, any 2 negatives combined make for a big project and too much investment.

the rust that i see is just surface rust. that is a big difference from a panel that is rusted through. a little media blasting, paint, and primer, and you should be good to go. of course im not a professional, and the pics are not that great.

Brilliant, thanks a million guys, its great to have so much input. I do like the idea of a challenge (this may be a bridge too far) so I might take a trip and get some proper info on the blue car. This is a project I want to do with my Dad and its either a 911 or a 928 which I've heard makes 911's look cheap in comparison for maintenance and repair!!

Go for it!
 

This is how my 1979 looked like in december 2008:

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And now:

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However on mine, the real problem were as you could see in the front...and some on the front and rear windows...

Go for the 911 instead of a 928, trust me I tried both....

Holey Moley, thats some transformation!!! Did you do all of that yourself?, did you get the paint professionally redone or did you get paint made up and do it yourself?.

I'm kind of trying to think best case the rust is skin deep and I get away with a bit of rust remedy and a can of spray paint, worst case I strip the car down for spares ( would be a shame) and am less out of pocket but still out of pocket nonetheless.

You must admit the 928 is a good looking car though?

Galen, whats the B,post like on the other side.Could be that the kidney bowl behind that post will be shot too,also looks like that at the very least the rust will be under that rubber threshold strip as well.Make sure you peel it back both sides.
If your gonna view this car make sure you get it up on a lift and have a good look.
Check behind the cill covers ,bottom of rear wings, front wings .
Check along the route of the oil lines as crude is usually trapped in there.
Check were the footwell comes up onto the front inner wing.
Lift the hood and pull out the rubber seal,check if there is any rust in there,this will give an indication of the condition of the top of the inner wings.

The rust at either side of the luggage compartment as Rana 1 said has the bumper supports at the other side,the design of these means they hold the dirt from the road and in a damp climate will always be damp,that may account for the rust here?

All of this with the correct skills or contacts is re-pairable but you will want to know the extent of it before, not after you decide to buy it.

Good luck.

Whats up with the area around the VIN plate?? Was this a black car that was resprayed in a past life? may hap they sanded the areas too hard and took off the galvanizing. I know its an old car, but with rust like that it looks more like an early car than an SC. Especially the door jamb area.

Engine and tranny problems are 1 thing... rust is completely different! Personally, I would pass unless the price is rock bottom. Then again, you are in Ireland and I'm sure the lack of 911's there may mean even the crappy cars bring a good price. If you have a welder and can use it effectively then I might reconsider if there are no other possibilities... then again you might be able to import from the US for less than you will spend to fix that car...


Best regards,

Michael

That car has been parked outside :(. I prefer a car that has a history of being pampered.

Keep looking. Trust me.

Liam O and Euro 911 sc, thanks for the input, I have attached some more photos below, it seems the door jam and the engine front are the main problems. The front footwells and the engine bay seem fine but I will have to make a trip to the UK to make a reasonable assessment. The car is pretty rock bottom by UK standards and you are right there are very few 911's in Ireland and those that are here are all overpriced!.
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If you don't mind driving a runner. Just por 15 all those spotts and enjoy for a few years. Then part it out when it doesn't pass inspections.

If you can read this thread with out running away with your head between your legs then you can buy this car ;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/426404-rust-repairs-sit-down-before-you-read.html?highlight=rust+rocker

-Michael

PS Looks like the door stops are missing...

This is my first post. But the guys here know what there talking about I have been working on a 82 for over a year now, will try and post pictures later. My pont is that rust is way worse than it looks at least it was on mine.

Right,

I bought a '79SC in about the same (maybe slightly worse) condition as yours about 3 yrs ago. The intention was always to build a RS clone.

I'd never worked on any kind of porsche and couldn't weld or spray.

The car now looks stunning. There are now no signs of rust anywhere and it's just had a full respray in red - GORGEOUS.

The point here is that these cars are not rocket science. With the help of this BBS you can do pretty much anything. During this 'journey', you will meet some fantastic people, and join a roller-coaster of emotions - some days you'll want to drag the ****ing thing to a scrapyard, the next you'll look at a panel you've just welded in yourself and think - WOW I did that!

So, if you're just about average at DIY type stuff - GO FO IT. Get a welder (about a 150amp unit from Clarke) and angle grinder, and the panels from eurocarparts (really cheap and fit well), Pelican, and ebay.

We're here to help!

G

Thanks Greasemonkey, do you have project photos you could send on. Also thanks to all the Nays as well, I will have a very good look at the car and will bear in mind the $/£/Eur when assessing the car.
Galen