just another newbie saying "hi" with another project SC

[jmitro]

I've been building a BMW M3 racecar over the last 4 years. Needed another project, so I bought a 78 911 SC roller and sourced an 83 motor and gearbox. Thanks to this amazing site (forums, technical articles, and parts supply) the car is nearly ready to get back on the road. Thanks to many of you pelicanites for the help in answering questions so far.

The chassis is mostly rust free (except for minor rust in the battery box) and was repainted from original chocolate brown to guards red sometime in its life. The paint was poorly done....it has orange peel all over the body, but the rest of the car was in decent shape. I like tinkering, and the satisfaction of making the car streetable again.
The chassis previously had a 2.7L motor with carbs, and the fuel lines/fuel pump were non-stock. So that took some sorting out.

Projects solved so far:

fixed broken door latch
removed ugly peeling window tint
repaired non-functioning sunroof with new cables, guides, and seals
cleaned up interior including new driver door panel
hood and decklid shocks
replaced missing sugar scoops and headlights
16x7/8 painted and polished Epsilon mesh wheels (replaced Etoiles)
new Bosch fuel pump
repaired/revised all fuel lines to accomodate new motor (serious PITA )
new air/oil/fuel filters
new spark plugs
new clutch disc/ PP/ clutch cable/ TO bearing/ pilot bearing/ fork/ omega spring
new flywheel seal/ breather and top end seals
valves adjusted and new upper/lower valve cover gaskets
all new vacuum lines
carrera chain tensioners and cover gaskets
new heater motor and heater hoses
new heater box cables and heater to heat-exchanger ducting
new rear motor mounts
new Bursch catalytic bypass pipe
new Bosch O2 sensor. Installed lambda control unit and all wiring and relays (serious PITA #2)
new Bilstein rear shocks. Waiting for Pelican Parts to get some front Bilstein strut inserts

on to the photos:

car as purchased:




Newly repainted Epsilon wheels:


Motor being unloaded (had to rent the forklift). Motor came from wrecked 83SC, supposedly rebuilt 100K miles ago.

[jmitro]

cheapie old rear shocks:



Project underway. Motor and clutch mods going strong:





Look closely and you'll see the silicone gel applied to the fuel injectors by the wonderful previous owner:



New rear shocks and assortment of non-stock fuel lines and hoses:





Lovely orange peel:

[jmitro]

more orange peel. This is all over the car. Any paint and body guys feel free to speak up. I don't believe this indicates rust, as it is spotty and spread all over the car, primarily on the left rear fender and right door.





Hm, where does all this go?



Had to holesaw a passage for the lambda harness in the rear of the chassis:





Valve covers off. Intake valve clearance was all perfect. Exhaust was all a bit tight.



My trusty companion, in addition to the Bentley manual:

[flat6pilot]

Welcome to the Porsche side!

Looks like a fun project.

[jmitro]

Finally sorted out the fuel lines.....a major PITA given that the car previously had carbs, the fuel lines and fuel pump were jacked up, the filter and accumulator were missing, and the stock flare fittings from the 78 chassis were completely opposite of the flare fittings from the 83 motor!!!



New heater hose and heater cables:



New fuel pump and clutch parts:



Gearbox finally reinstalled with all new parts:



Some interior shots:

[jmitro]

And finally, a question about the right rear frame rail. This appears contorted, and I'm wondering if it indicates crash damage. OTOH, it's also near the oil lines, so it could be simply chassis relief impressions for the oil lines. What do you guys think about these impressions in the frame rail?




Next step after getting the motor installed......fire it up, check timing, and take it out for a spin!!
After that, I plan to eventually replace the suspension bushings, front strut inserts, and lower the car to euro ride height.

So, nothing fancy here....just a simple SC project. Thanks for looking, and thanks for any comments or advice!!

[Flieger]

Looks normal to me. It is a longitudinal section of the uni-body, not really a "frame rail". There are lots of contoured sheet metal stampings spot welded together.

[jmitro]

Ok thanks. The motor mount and tow hook on this side look normal, and I don't see any buckling of the floorpan.

[nr!que]

looks awesome so far. Keep up the great work! *thumbs up*

[911Freak]

Originally Posted by jmitro

Lovely orange peel:

Great project and excellent write up!!

OK, tough to tell exactly, but I guess from experience that this is from 1 or 2 things:

#1. (Most likely) The results of filler/bondo shrinkage in an area that saw a grinder wheel. The filler didn't have enough time completely harden between layers of filler and/or before enough time had elapsed to gas out then was primed/sealed/painted over.

OR

#2 This also could be contamination, most likely from something like a shop rag/dirty final prep towel etc that touched the surface prior to application of the top coats. When I was a painter I saw this all the time from sub-standard shops pushing the products as well as decent shops stretching supplies and pushing the delivery time.

Either way it's got to be ground off, down to metal, properly metal etched, re-apply filler, block, prime, block, prime, block, seal, paint...

Are there other areas with this type of failure? I suspect there are, maybe not as noticeable. You might be able to refinish these areas and color sand the repaired panels to match the orange peel of the other panels. More pics?

PM me if you need any direction/suggestions for paint repair etc. I haven't painted as a professional since the late 90's but I still tinker in a friends paint shop painting my own Porsche parts and keep informed of the current products etc.

The process of producing a quality paint job and properly color sanding/finishing the job while keeping excessive costs down has pretty much stayed the same.

Good luck and keep posting the evolution of this 911!

Cheers

Jason

[jmitro]

thanks Jason,
I posted several other photos on this thread:
help diagnose these paint defects - Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum

These spots are almost exclusive to the right door and left rear fender. I don't think they are rust.
The car's paint does not match on all panels, so it's not a concours car. Maybe one day when I get the car running again, I'll worry about the paint defects.

[kiwiokie]

Looking good. See you in May at Hallett? :-)

[Coldface]

Nice project. I am currently in a similar boat trying to assess how to proceed with my '78 Targa. As far as paint, I think it is #1 from 911freak's response. Whoever painted it though, really did not let the bondo dry much at all.

To double check, get a weak magnet and drag it over the rough spots on a paper towel. If it loses grip and falls off, that is your indication that there is bondo under the paint (greater distance between paint surface and metal).

- Sergei

[jmitro]

thanks for the responses

Originally Posted by kiwiokie

Looking good. See you in May at Hallett? :-)

possibly....if I get my BMW racecar completed I'll be racing there every month.