Porsche Discovered

[jhlasserre]

I took a right turn on a lark and happened upon a blue 911T in a man's field, just sitting there. As a kid I loved the 911 and even did a school history project on Porsche, built all the models etc. It is a lifelong dream to own a 911, one that I'd mostly put to bed, out of reach; I got into wrenching volvo turbos, wagons even had a '67 123 and a '72 1800-great cars. Back to the Porsche-Well I'm excited as hell. I knocked on the door of the only house near the car and - eventually a man came out and was incredulous that I'd be interested...I asked what the story was on the car and he said "you don't want to know..." but from what I gather he's been holding it for a pal in the airforce that parked it in his field then moved to Alaska - in 1982! So it's been sitting there the whole time. So I did the only thing I could-offered him $500 for the thing and am now working to help the owner who my new pal contacted and who has agreed to sell though I must get a duplicate title application and fee to him and wait for him to mail it in to Florida then have him sell it to me officially then I'll have title. Over the last few weeks I've been pouring over restoration sites this board etc. to gain knowledge much like I did with my previous vehicles; thank goodness for this board-I am WAY excited for this project and can't wait to dig into it-I even have the wife's blessing. I ordered Wayne's book and have been warned off of MM. Cursory inspection shows a rusted suspension pan and a hole through the passenger floor-there will be some cutting/patching involved the B pillar at the rear also has rust-the spots seem localized and I won't know the whole story until I tear into it; other areas seem fine like the engine bay door jambs and the floor pan (surprisingly). It has a full chrome trim package that I don't see much, it is metallic blue; all of the engine bay stickers are there, the ODO reads, 12, 500 (112,500?). I am unsure of the direction of this project-restore to original, rgruppe, sleeper on steelies- I dunno. I do know that I want to rebuilt the engine and trans, rebuild the suspension with Elephant parts-I want to have a very well running and performing original looking ride.

[jhlasserre]

So this is a 2.2 911T with Zenith carbs?

[tazzieman]

Originally Posted by jhlasserre

So this is a 2.2 911T with Zenith carbs?

Whatever it is , it's a project (at the right entry price)
Find the engine number.
Best of luck and say hi to the rodents!

[jhlasserre]

Anyone know of Porsche group in Austin, TX?

[Joe Bob]

For group analysis or wrench help?

[zippy_gg]

At the very least POR15 will be your friend! I hope the rust did not eat through everything.
Can you post pics of the interior?

[911s55]

Sitting for 30 years, parts car. If the wheels are 15" maybe $1,500, '72/'73 exterior mirror if decent $150. Misc. glass and trim depending on condition, it does have wheel well trim, sought after by some?

David

[Hnichols]

Well, as the previous post says, you have more than $500 in parts if worst comes to worst.

I would personally hold off on getting my heart set on it -- I shudder to think what the body work will cost.

It's a shame they left it parked on organic matter instead of asphalt. Condensation has been working away at the undercarriage for 30 long years.

Best of luck, though. It looks like a lovely car if brought back to its former glory ...

[mcaterino]

For $500 you can't go wrong. It looks more solid than it has any right to be, after that kind of neglect. You'll undoubtedly find more and worse rust than you can see now. But just about anything's fixable, for a price. You should expect to drop 25-30K at the very least for a pretty bare-bones restoration (including engine rebuild, probably necessary), doing most of the work yourself.

Regardless, it'll be fun and interesting to get to know the car intimately. Just don't spend any more than necessary before doing some serious disassembly and seeing what you're really dealing with.

Post lots of pictures, and good luck!

Mike

[porsche930dude]

you guys are so pessimistic! Me and my brother could have that driving down the road and looking good in a couple weeks with nothing more than a can of pb blaster and a couple cans of paint beauty!

[GWP911T]

This project hits close to home-- I started with a blue 1970 911T years ago. It didn't have that much rust but was missing the engine and transmission. I was in your shoes and didn't know which way to go. So I just went to the store and bought several matching large see-through containers and various sized ziplock bags. I broke the job into sections and started dismantling. I took my time and saved just about everything and marked it too. It was immensely fun and enjoyable taking that old car apart and after reading your post I think you will too. Make it a hobby; not a job.

IMHO I would try to build the car back to stock if possible. You have most of the parts and the good folks at the Porsche factory did a pretty good job putting that car together in 1969. Once you get her on the road, then you can decide what if any upgrade you want.

Good luck!

[matt f]

What are the 2 steel rails coming out perpendicular to and under the front end?
Was car towed by these with rear wheels on ground?

[porterdog]

This is going to end in tears.

[E Sully]

It can be done if you are ready for what it takes.
DarrylD's Porsche 912 Project Rust Repair Pages

[Cattler]

Originally Posted by porterdog

This is going to end in tears.

Come on! That'll buff right out!

[tijnes]

Wayne will be able to buy his next 959 after this is done. He must love these threads.

Oh and don't worry I've been there and done that and enjoyed it all the way!

Good luck

[Dublinoh]

Check the structural areas for rust first, under the battery, rear torsion tubes, front suspension mounts. You will need to cut and weld I would guess. How is the interior? Was it relatively dry? With the right budget, time and space this could be a lot of fun. Good on you for saving the poor thing.

edit: I forgot to welcome you to the forum, keep us up to date with lots of pictures, restoration threads are very popular.

[wayner]

Before doing anything, get it up on a lift.

You have already assessed the suspension pan (not that big a deal)

Also prod around the torsion tube in the back to make sure it is solid. One more likely structural area is the rear frame rails that go up and over the rear suspension. They can fill with water and it makes itself an escape rout through the bottom of those rails. That is a multi-ply section so just repairing the outside rust may not be enough.

Those areas will be the heart of the car. If you are willing tackle them, then the next not as extreme areas will be caused by leakage at the bottom of the windshield (possible rot under the dash and the door hinge post) as well as the rear glass leak (possible rotted out parcel tray and rear seat pans.

Then there are the relatively (compared to the other areas) easy things like floor pans and inner and outer rocker panels (longitudinals)

If this car required heroic efforts and you decide to go ahead, I'd want to make it original so that you can recoup your investment. If those areas are good, you could potentially make some money. If they are bad, you have a few hours ahead of you.

Either way, the find is exciting!

[jhlasserre]

Originally Posted by porterdog

This is going to end in tears.

Or BEERS!

[jhlasserre]

Originally Posted by wayner

Before doing anything, get it up on a lift.

You have already assessed the suspension pan (not that big a deal)

Also prod around the torsion tube in the back to make sure it is solid. One more likely structural area is the rear frame rails that go up and over the rear suspension. They can fill with water and it makes itself an escape rout through the bottom of those rails. That is a multi-ply section so just repairing the outside rust may not be enough.

Those areas will be the heart of the car. If you are willing tackle them, then the next not as extreme areas will be caused by leakage at the bottom of the windshield (possible rot under the dash and the door hinge post) as well as the rear glass leak (possible rotted out parcel tray and rear seat pans.

Then there are the relatively (compared to the other areas) easy things like floor pans and inner and outer rocker panels (longitudinals)

If this car required heroic efforts and you decide to go ahead, I'd want to make it original so that you can recoup your investment. If those areas are good, you could potentially make some money. If they are bad, you have a few hours ahead of you.

Either way, the find is exciting!

Regarding the rear torsion bar area. So the bar goes through the body here right? The bar is removable and you want me to make sure that the structure that surrounds the bar is solid right?