Saving the "Rat" - Restoring a 69T

[ej911]

By the way. My wife would always comment on your garden, saying how great it was and a fabulous idea. Tomatoes and eggplant, sounds great!!

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by ej911

By the way. My wife would always comment on your garden, saying how great it was and a fabulous idea. Tomatoes and eggplant, sounds great!!

Thanks! We were kind of worried how the neighborhood would recieve a large garden in the front yard. Sounds like it is ok If you still lived down the street I would force some of our extra produce on you!!

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by ej911

I lived on Tonya Court. Left out of your driveway. Straight at the stop sign and then first right. I said hi a couple of times. Wanted to bother you and talk about the car, but never did. I seemed to always be driving by, going somewhere when I saw you outside.
Moved to VA. Lots more work here.

Ernie

Hi Ernie!

My wife and I love walking on Tonya and the other street back by the river. I wish you would have stopped to talk. Oh well, I guess you know the story of the car now. What kind of work is there up in VA? Maybe I will recommend VA to my students.

Cheers,
Kristoph

[Classic]

When you set the front A arms before putting on the end caps the manual refers to pre tensioning.

Looks like you may have set the end caps without putting any load on them.

If you have a manual it explains it very well, in case you don't.

Remove wheels, with jack supports under the cross member;

Remove the height adjustment screws, and caps;

Get a suitable piece of wood, braced between the part where the torsion bar resides and the ball joint.

Have someone stand on the piece of wood, and set your end cap with just a couple of threads protruding from the top.

Hope that helps, and if you've already done the above I appologize for going over it again.

Looking good by the way.

Tony

[Kraqus]

This is a great project!
Long live the Rat!!!



Benny

[hun911]

Hi!

Great car, great work, great family! :-) Next time, you come to Budapest, don't forget to contact me. I would be happy to mét you and talk about the Rat and many other things! :-)

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Classic

When you set the front A arms before putting on the end caps the manual refers to pre tensioning.

Looks like you may have set the end caps without putting any load on them.

If you have a manual it explains it very well, in case you don't.

Remove wheels, with jack supports under the cross member;

Remove the height adjustment screws, and caps;

Get a suitable piece of wood, braced between the part where the torsion bar resides and the ball joint.

Have someone stand on the piece of wood, and set your end cap with just a couple of threads protruding from the top.

Hope that helps, and if you've already done the above I appologize for going over it again.

Looking good by the way.

Tony

Hi Tony!

Thanks for the tip. Pre-tensioning makes a lot of sense. Does the picture below with my "Paint" 2 X 4 look about right for this procedure? I hope that the Padawan is heavy enough for this The picture is from early on in my Rat experience, I think from 2009 when I was replacing the strut tube

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Kraqus

This is a great project!
Long live the Rat!!!



Benny

Hi Benny!

Glad you like the thread. The entire idea iz zat ze Rat will live ze long and happy life wizout ze rust ja!

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by hun911

Hi!

Great car, great work, great family! :-) Next time, you come to Budapest, don't forget to contact me. I would be happy to mét you and talk about the Rat and many other things! :-)

Hi Hun911!

Tip of the cap to you for your amazing metal work. We will be heading to Budapest as soon as the semester lets out and I will be in touch. The Padawan is actually the neighbors kid but we are planning to have our own kids soon. That is part of the reason why the Rat project is in full swing before that happens. I would love to get together to discuss Porsches over some Sor or Palinka!!

Cheers,
Kristoph

[drola]

also for me, too bad i'm not on the west coast anymore. i'd love to check out ze rat in person. over a tucher weiss of course. i know i said it before but you're doing a hell of a job. welding is the next skill for me to learn. seems like you picked it right up and it really inspires me to do the same.

[95avblm3]

Originally Posted by kkinzli

I am glad you are enjoying the project! One of the reasons I posted here was to hopefully get in touch with some local people for events, help and advice, etc. It sounds like you have the same "bug" that I had back in 2007-2008. If I hear of any good cars down here or elsewhere I will let you know. Although the 924 and 944s are cool cars they do not compare with the old 911s. I think you are well on the path to madness which is good to see

I also get a kick thinking about how these cars were made and manufactured. I always marvel at the craftsmanship that went into these machines. I also think about the people that built them and that many must have passed on by now. I originally wanted to be an automotive engineer before I decided that getting a job was quite difficult and prospects would be slim. My goal during a part of highschool was to go to GMI, Michigan Tech, or Harvey Mudd for automotive engineering but I opted for the more prudent choice of civil engineering. Anyway, being engineers we have almost 2.5 years of the same undergrads in common

Thanks for the tip on Cayo Costa and Ding Darling. We have gone to both and have been back to Ding Darling several times to paddle (We also have two 16 foot Tarpons). We actually like living in Heaven's Waiting Room and I wasn't ripping on Florida earlier on in the thread. We do have a disproportionate amount of elderly citizens down here but I like them more and more. Most of them are active and enjoy the outdoors and the beach and I hope I can do the same when I get old. They also help our economy tremendously , not unlike Texans that go sking in jeans in Colorado

If you are ever down here shoot me a PM and maybe we can get together for a beer[img]

Kristoph, I tried to post yesterday but my post got sucked into MOD approval land and didn't seem to make it out. Not sure what I did wrong, so sorry if this post and another one very similar to it wind up in your thread.

Anyway...

Your weld beads are looking better and better. I am inspired to pick up a welder and learn to do it myself. By the way, earlier in your thread you talked about the negatives of POR-15, which seems to be pretty widely used amongst Porschephiles. I am looking at a car that had its floors POR-15'd right now. Is there anything in particular I should look out for?

The 944 and 924 were cheap fun when I owned them, 2003-05 and 2005-07, respectively but these days I have a little bit more of a budget and so a 911 resto is now in the realms of possiblility.

Likewise on dropping me a PM if you ever make it up to Tampa. I'd love to kick tires over a beer and I can introduce you to my neighbor with the '71T coupe. Off the subject of P-cars briefly, we are right on Tampa Bay and my wife and I both have kayaks too but these days the outboard seems to get more use. I'd be glad to share some great places to boat and kayak within 2-4 hours of you.

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by drola

also for me, too bad i'm not on the west coast anymore. i'd love to check out ze rat in person. over a tucher weiss of course. i know i said it before but you're doing a hell of a job. welding is the next skill for me to learn. seems like you picked it right up and it really inspires me to do the same.

Too bad indeed! Hanging out on the retirement coast is a pretty relaxing gig. I feel like I am on permanent vacation here! Thanks for the compliments. The positive reinforcement and encouragement is wonderful and lends much needed energy and motivation to the cause. I am just a welding Padawan myself but I can say that is the same as learning any new skill. It just takes a lot of practice (and the helpful advice of fellow Pelicans). Drola, I would heed the advice of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about welding:

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

Cheers,
Kristoph

[Classic]

Kristoph,

That's it exactly, and the manual states;

With the shock absorber strut attached, push the wishbone down until the limit stop in the shock absorber is reached. Push the adjusting lever onto the torsion bar as close as possible to the adjusting screw stop on the sub frame.

That should give you a better starting point.

Tony

[Classic]

Doesn't need that much weight to extend the strut.

There was a link to a set of manuals for our early cars online that I'll try and find for you, really handy for times like this.

Tony

[Classic]

sorry it doesn't work any more..... I'm a little bit ahead of you with my 69

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by 95avblm3

Kristoph, I tried to post yesterday but my post got sucked into MOD approval land and didn't seem to make it out. Not sure what I did wrong, so sorry if this post and another one very similar to it wind up in your thread.

Anyway...

Your weld beads are looking better and better. I am inspired to pick up a welder and learn to do it myself. By the way, earlier in your thread you talked about the negatives of POR-15, which seems to be pretty widely used amongst Porschephiles. I am looking at a car that had its floors POR-15'd right now. Is there anything in particular I should look out for?

The 944 and 924 were cheap fun when I owned them, 2003-05 and 2005-07, respectively but these days I have a little bit more of a budget and so a 911 resto is now in the realms of possiblility.

Likewise on dropping me a PM if you ever make it up to Tampa. I'd love to kick tires over a beer and I can introduce you to my neighbor with the '71T coupe. Off the subject of P-cars briefly, we are right on Tampa Bay and my wife and I both have kayaks too but these days the outboard seems to get more use. I'd be glad to share some great places to boat and kayak within 2-4 hours of you.

Thanks for the compliment on the welds! Picking it up has been just a matter of practice and following the advice of Pelicans is always easy. Starting on the battery boxes was the key as those welds will never be seen and allow you to improve your skills. As Obi Wan said earlier in the thread he has a 68 where the floor pan was painted with POR 15 and ended up as only two flexible pieces of plastic with the metal inside rusted away. I would check if the previous owner painted over rust or painted onto clean metal. If painted over rust you will most likely have to replace the floor pans in the future. This would be easy as plenty of folks here have done that. If POR 15 was painted on clean metal it will not have stuck right and need to be repainted with epoxy primer. You should never paint over rust. It should be cleaned and removed so you have shiny metal and then covered in two part epoxy primer.

I think getting involved in the 911 scene is a great idea!!! Shoot me a PM of the car you are looking at and I would love to give you my 2 cents. I will PM you about places to kayak in the next couple of weeks

Cheers,
Kristoph

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Classic

Doesn't need that much weight to extend the strut.

There was a link to a set of manuals for our early cars online that I'll try and find for you, really handy for times like this.

Tony

Hi Tony,

Thanks for trying to find the manual for me!

Cheers,
Kristoph

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Classic

sorry it doesn't work any more..... I'm a little bit ahead of you with my 69

Your beautiful Albert blue? whale is much further along than the lowly grey rat I think it looks fantastic and keep up the good work. Looks like your steering wheel is on the wrong side

[Classic]

Thanks, it's actually Ultra Blau #6827 rather rare after doing a little bit of investigation.

The steering wheel's on the correct side if you drive on the other side of the road!!

I have to get my head around driving on the right hand side of the road, as my wife and I are spending 4 weeks later this year driving around California and Navada.

I agree with your opinion of Por15 if you can get rid of the rust and epoxy is a much better idea, I did some testing before I started my resto and every piece that I painted with Por15 when I looked closely you could see the rust still working under the paint.

I tried media blasting some parts before doing the Por15 process, but as you stated it doesn't stick to clean metal very well.

I've been very happy with a product called Picklex20 which is just a rust converter, I basically had the entire car in bare metal with a coating of Picklex on panels for over a year, without any signs of corrosion returning.

Having said that I still had the car media blasted before laying down epoxy, call me paranoid about rust, but I live about 300 meters from the Pacific Ocean.

Keep up the great work.

Tony

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Classic

Thanks, it's actually Ultra Blau #6827 rather rare after doing a little bit of investigation.

The steering wheel's on the correct side if you drive on the other side of the road!!

I have to get my head around driving on the right hand side of the road, as my wife and I are spending 4 weeks later this year driving around California and Navada.

I agree with your opinion of Por15 if you can get rid of the rust and epoxy is a much better idea, I did some testing before I started my resto and every piece that I painted with Por15 when I looked closely you could see the rust still working under the paint.

I tried media blasting some parts before doing the Por15 process, but as you stated it doesn't stick to clean metal very well.

I've been very happy with a product called Picklex20 which is just a rust converter, I basically had the entire car in bare metal with a coating of Picklex on panels for over a year, without any signs of corrosion returning.

Having said that I still had the car media blasted before laying down epoxy, call me paranoid about rust, but I live about 300 meters from the Pacific Ocean.

Keep up the great work.

Tony

Hi Tony,

I was of course just kidding about the steering wheel. You California-Nevada trip sounds like it will be a lot of fun. In terms of rust removal and rust protection before painting I have been using Ospho and have been very pleased with the results. It is primalrily phosphoric acid and creates a zinc coating on the surface of clean metal. i think it is similar to Picklex I have left several parts in Ospho and they do not flash rust at all! I live 3 miles (4.8 km) from the Gulf of Mexico and am pretty paranoid about rust myself. Who did you have to kill to live 300m from the Pacific and why did they have a 911? Beautiful restoration and can't wait to see your car finished

Cheers,
Kristoph