Front Pan, Gas Tank Supports

[Jeff Higgins]

No, this isn't another "how do I do it?" or "how I did it" thread. This is a nomination - a nomination as the worst damn job, the nastiest, most misserable undertaking there is on an otherwise sound early 911.

My 19 year old son Alex and I just recently dove into this project on his '68 912/911. OMFG - if we had had any idea going in... John Walker nonchalantly told us "oh, it'll kill a good Saturday..." with a perfectly straight face. Well, five Saturdays into it, I'm looking for a good Saturday to kill - myself.

Actually, we have just now rounded the corner and are putting pieces back in. I used the project to finally justify (both to myself and the CFO - otherwise known as my wife) the purchase of a nice little Miller 140 MIG welder. Welding is kinda fun, but I have a lot to learn. At least I get to learn on Alex's car (heh heh heh...).

It was truly amazing to see just how much rust was lurking around the gas tank and front suspension mounts. Even the typical patch panels are not big enough to cover what we had to cut out. We wound up having to fabricate our own little pieces to bridge gaps between the new panels and the remaining good metal. It was very, very discouraging at first, to the point that we even discussed finding a new tub. It was that bad.

Anyway, we decided to perservere. In doing so, we have both learned a lot. Seems life's better lessons are always accompanied by a fair amount of suffering and distress... Oh well, he'll be back on the road in a week or two. But my nomination stands...

[E Sully]

Where are the Pic's?

[Tom '74 911]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Seems life's better lessons are always accompanied by a fair amount of suffering and distress...

I would agree with you on this. It applies to working on our P-Cars and to life in general.

In car terms, I would put replacing my rear wheel bearings right up there as one of the most miserable and suffering filled tasks I have completed. After enduring as much as I could, I cried uncle and brought my trailing arms to a friend's shop to finish the job for me - best $112 I spent. Working on my car has taught me a lot about slowing down and being patient.

[304065]

And what will really put you over the edge is that the reproduction piece has a "bump" on the front side and a circular-shaped divot on the top, unlike what you took off. Don't know what your goals are for this car, but if you're seeking to restore it exactly, both those things have to be fixed. Not complicated, but time consuming.

[Jeff Higgins]

Sorry guys, no pic's. This one has been amply documented here by many others. Ours doesn't look any different than anyone else's.

John, it's a bastardized 912 with a 2.4 (on MFI, of course) in it. No aspirations for anything more than a good, solid, safe driver and beginning DE car for the kid. We'll be going through the suspension, upgrading brakes, installing a roll bar, seats, and all of the usual hot-rodding stuff. So "correct" takes a back seat to practical.

[304065]

Jeff, I kinda figured that. With the time you save making the repro parts look original you can seam-weld . . . This sounds like a fun project and I hope it comes out great.