'71 Targa resto begins

[Bez]

Well, I pulled the trigger on a 71 E targa roller project. Thought I'd share pics of the first phase of resto...disassembling and inspecting.

Here's how it left the 'barn':



And two days later...





No surprises (rust, screwed up wiring, etc.) so far. I'm leaning toward media blast over chem strip or sanding.

As for end result, I'm still thinking 3.2 or 3.0 (I do have the unassembed 2.2) and going with a mostly stock / mild hot rod look. Of course, I'm open to everyone's ideas!

[levdeb]

Wow... lots of fun ahead of you! Best of luck!

[mcaterino]

Hey, How'd you get pictures of my car!? Seriously, though, I'm about a year into restoration of a '70 targa that started out in very similar condition. I wish you better luck than I had in the hidden rust department. But no matter what it should be a rewarding project.

Good luck and keep the pictures coming.

Mike

[tnchris]

Looks like a great platform to build from.

[BK911]

Nice. What's the original color?

For the engine, I would put in the stock 2.2E but with 2.4 crank and rods. A period correct high compression 2.4E that will just scream from idle to redline.

[Bez]

Originally Posted by BK911

Nice. What's the original color?

For the engine, I would put in the stock 2.2E but with 2.4 crank and rods. A period correct high compression 2.4E that will just scream from idle to redline.

Original color is metallic silver (8010). I'm 50/50 between sticking with the original or going with beige grey...something about that color on old targas that looks so cool


Or silver...


Both of those cars have the look I'm after...mildly aggressive but still very original.

As for the motor, I'm still undecided to put $'s into a hopped-up rebuild of the original 2.2 or transplanting a 3.0 or 3.2. I spoke to a pcar mechanic who said rebuild the 2.2 because most 3.0s and 3.2s will also need a rebuild eventually and desire to maintain originality with the 2.2.

I'm hoping folks will chime in on all these things. Cost? Performance? Value? Fun?

[Playa76911S]

Nice save! Thanks for saving another Targa from rotting in a barn.

[Bez]

Thought I'd provide an update on my '71 project. Removed nearly everything except wiring and suspension. Today was undercarriage and fender well cleaning, inspecting for cracked undercoating, etc.

Before:





After:





About 38 years worth of grime removed in about 3 hours with purple degreaser and power washer. I have to admit, I was very happy with the results.

Replacement door, courtesy of Pelicanite levdeb. Still looking for driver side front fender.



Next step is media blasting; probably get to that in the next couple of weeks.

[KNS]

Good work on getting another one back on the road, you are to be admired!

[levdeb]

Now that is a sweet looking door! Doesn't even need paint...

Nice work so far Bez! Can't wait to see the final product!

Levdeb

[Pascal]

Nice one , good to see another 71 E Targa saved ,here's mine

[Bobboloo]

Looks like an unusually good chassis for an early Targa.

One suggestion if a may. It looks like you're replacing the drivers door. I would make sure that your panel fit is set before you proceed. Put the fender and hood back on the car and get your gaps set for that replacement door. After the door is fitted then you can pull the pins and pull the door off for painting.

[Bez]

Next step was paint removal.

Original plan was full media blast, but I decided to dive into it myself (too much coffee on a Sat morning will do that to you).

Searched a lot on this board for stripping techniques, but decided on razor blades and orbital sander because I wanted try to stop at the original base / primer coat if possible. By the way, the razor blades worked surprisingly well for me, probably because the paint wasn't so great; razor would not penetrate factory finish which was what i was hoping.

I was expecting base (silver) plus 3 coats (tangerine, dark red, guards red) on the entire car, but instead I found that most of the panels had been stripped to bare metal and painted with just the 2 coats of red over primer. The only areas that retained factory base were windshield, door jams, all the tight spaces around the car (difficult to remove paint) and the bottom 8" (rocker up) on the sides of the car.

There was a generous amount of filler on a lot of the panels, but I'm not sure why since the panels all looked very good when bare. I think I assumed the filler was the 4 coats of paint because the finish felt kind of thick to me.

Any rate, here's the pics:







Next steps:

- Bought a driver side fender which I still need to receive and inspect, then off to the media blaster for final stripping of the car. I figure my efforts (about 15 hours) probably shaved at least 1/2 off the media blast bill, but I'll report back.

- Post blast will be front pan installation and metal condition & epoxy primer throughout (shop next door to the blaster)

- Then, back to my garage for bondo work and suspension resto. Plan is to refinish undercarriage while suspension is out, then reinstall suspension prior to final painting. Any thoughts on this sequence?

- Still leaning to a 3.2 / 915 combo for drivetrain, which will be my focus during winter months.

Thanks to this board for all the help and inspiration!

[jkh2cpu]

Whoa! While you are in there, replace the bushings that attach the bananas (swing arms / trailing arms) to the torsion bar tube. I did mine this summer because the rear end went where it wanted, and was really nasty with lane changes. The old bananas would move at least six inches with gentle pressure, while the same pressure barely budges them now with the new bushings. The bushings have to be nearly impossible to swap out with the engine / transmission in the car.

You're gonna like this car.

[BK911]

Awesome job. You must drink a lot of coffee!

If I may put on my purist hat for a moment... Personally I would rethink the engine/trany combo. One reason the Es are highly desirable is because of the E engine. If you want a 3.2 and 915 get a 2.4T. A 2.2E with 2.4 crank and rods will pull away from a stock early S, SC or Carrera. Plenty fast enough and has the cool MFI. OK, rant off! She'll be a cool car either way. Just more cooler with the E engine.

[Bez]

Originally Posted by BK911

Awesome job. You must drink a lot of coffee!

If I may put on my purist hat for a moment... Personally I would rethink the engine/trany combo. One reason the Es are highly desirable is because of the E engine. If you want a 3.2 and 915 get a 2.4T. A 2.2E with 2.4 crank and rods will pull away from a stock early S, SC or Carrera. Plenty fast enough and has the cool MFI. OK, rant off! She'll be a cool car either way. Just more cooler with the E engine.

I go back and forth on this one. Here's the issue...my original motor is missing heads & cams and most of the the MFI bits. If I had all the parts, I think I'd be leaning toward the rebuild. Honestly, I haven't given too much thought to the motor yet (you can guess why ) but I do need to take a closer look at the core and box 'o motor parts and report back to you all.