A sort of barn find

[Matthew Barnes]

I'll do my best.
Thanks Flojo.



Finally got the engine off the stand (6 years later) and into the back of the car.
My guesswork at the ride height was not too far off.





The front looks like a teenage run old school pants. Even worse than 964 Factory ride-height! But the rear looks better than I imagined.



The interior - when I clear some of the crap in there - is starting to come together








And the ivory / black / oxblood....I like it.

[Matthew Barnes]

RHD is about an inch too high, and the LHD about the opposite.
Not sure how much effect the front roll-bar not being attached on one side will have?




I've always been more of a Ducktales guy. I'll leave the Ducktails to the 'RS club.



I have a plan for the fuse panel.
While I figure out the loom.
Luckily I wrapped dit up and left it as I found it, which thankfully turns out to be mostly original and in really good condition under the sleeves.






The instrument wiring is an interesting puzzle.

[Matthew Barnes]

It feels like I'm heading out of the woods.
A long way to go, but it looks like a car!

I keep getting distracted by little corners of interest.
I can't help myself.....the story of my life really.






I'm in the process of moving house, which means confronting this beast: my garage.



10 years of Porsche bits.

Anyway. Why procrastinate today when you can procrastinate tomorrow.

Door stays.
Old seat belts.




The little cleaning out I have done have uncovered these beauties. Collected on a trip to Europe when I was 10 or 11.



This is my thinking.
Driver's seat gets Martini and the passenger seat gets the Ferrari.
Ever Ferrari owner needs to experience I real sports purpose car once in their life.
I'll be happy to oblige.

[Matthew Barnes]

Last bits off to plating.
I managed to get hold of some of the bigger bits: oem silencer, alu clutch assembly still with stickers, over length wheel studs, spare mfi relays.

[Matthew Barnes]

Lots of interior plans and plotting...

Glove box.
Prototype 1.



Prototype 2 to get the profile of the dash.



Back to the front.
The leather works better than the RSR-style latches.
Little alu cover could work.




And lens retaining things. I really need these on account of the headlight housings and the FB bowls not being the best of friends. My son already knocked one out with a basketball (hence the broken lens on the RHD side).

Port and Starboard perhaps?



And most recently, a real job: cutting the paint.
The roof has had about 5 weeks to fully cure (and earns some nice patina from the cat...)
I bought a decent variable speed machine and did the 1000/1500/2000 shuffle.





Probably one of the most exciting afternoons I've ever had with the LO.
I'm starting to imagine what it will be like when it makes a noise and moves.

[RDM]

Just came across this thread. Amazing how much you can make out of so little (plus years of work). Thanks for sharing!

[Matthew Barnes]

Thanks RDM.
A little ability and lots of time can be a good recipe!
Also the pictures are low-res

[Matthew Barnes]

Have moved house, so not much progress.
A few vital jobs, I told the wife, that I need to do to be able to create the space to fix windows, doors, counters etc...

corner

[Matthew Barnes]

Cold here right now.
I say 'cold' knowing it is a relative term, especially for you Northern Hemisphere folk.
But still, working at the table in front of a fire is much more civilised than standing in a fridge.
Being banned from doing any daytime work on the LO is another incentive.
No harm in cardboard and half an hour stolen between (Zoom) meetings.

All the plating for the MFI came back.
Lovely.
Putting it back together, it feels like a shame to cover up all the shine.

Did a whole bunch of templates until I got the fit to the top of the housing perfect. Then 12mm ply.

I would kill for a mounted belt sander and a bandsaw....





Interesting to be able to see the shrinking (or stretching) with mesh.

[Matthew Barnes]

The shrinking sits below the edge of the housing.
Looks pretty cool.

But a few challenges....(obvs)




Cold start?
Rain?

All those photos you see of the 2 litre race motors, with hats and tea-strainers.
Did they all have rain hats?
Or when doing 140 MPH in the wet through Fluchplatz in a 911R, rain was the last thing to worry about?

Anyway.
There are a few solves.







Some pics of the engine bits being bolted back on.

[Matthew Barnes]

A few other odd jobs.
Pedal cluster.
A Frankenstein.

Working with a very simple principle of industrial operation: colour coding.
Green for go.
Red for stop.
Yellow for change.
And everybody is gonna feel alright.

My homemade gas pedal.



60 grit



All three members of the band



Like The Police, I'm hoping they make a sound much greater than the sum of their parts.
I also hope they stick together longer...

[Matthew Barnes]

Spent a few years trying to figure out the fuel filler approach.
Ruined a decent gas tank, and almost ruined a fender in the pursuit thereof.
Despite the deep, dark valleys, I have emerged successful.
Well, I think so.

A plastic funnel from the local plastic shop.
The overflow nipple from a junk plastic 944 water bottle.
A overly intricate racing filler neck in alu with an aviation cao.
Some epoxy and a little alu bracket to hold it to the strut brace....





Now some some welding gloves stitched into a diamond quilt as a fender protector?

[Matthew Barnes]

This last weekend I managed to barter a completed compost heap and re-installed cupboards for a few hours with the custard slinger.

The results are not bad.
Not as 'wow' to me (considered I am the amateur who layed the paint) as the roof, but amazing none the less.
My wife was equally impressed: "This is the first car you have ever painted" she said, running her hand over another almost sanded flat run.
"Yes, but this is the 5th time I have painted this car" I replied.

The roof was sprayed final coat with a 50/50 colour / clear mix.
The white just 2k white. No clear in the mix, or over the top.
In truth my painting is not good enough to lay clear on top of.

It's not meant to be perfect.
I'm a patina over concours guy (convenient considering my skill-level and budget).









The plan is to cut the rest of the car and make sure I don't to repaint anything major. It's had 12 weeks to cure and settle.

Another full day to get the other side done, along with the bumpers and a few hand-painted details.

The minor imperfections are part of the story, so they'll stay.
Polish and rubbers and glass.
It'll no doubt get a few scrapes and scratches as stuff get bolted on and in.



I couldn't get the light, but the cut paint (Ivory White) with the black roof and this interior is starting to come together.

[Bigtoe32067]

Man talk about perseverance. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your baby (ies) coming to life.
But how did your wife talk you into a new house with such a small garage?
Tony

[Matthew Barnes]

Good question.
She did all the talking and I did all the listening!
Short-term sacrifice means long-term gain: a bespoke 2 car workshop at some point in the future.

[ToySnakePMC]

My language was impressive.
I am the weakest link.
Confirmed, once again.
What a wild and entertaining journey! Somewhat new to this community, and read through all 18 pages these past two days. Your perseverance and quality results are just fantastic. Nothing weak about your efforts here! The interior door panels are, to me, so aesthetically pleasing. V4 specifically. What a great hot rod this is going to be someday soon! Thanks for sharing.

[Trackrash]

Impressive work. You are a master at bending tin. Very creative and with good results.

And what perseverance.

[icarp]

Wow what great work . I love it . Just a thought about your MFI screens , they can knock off as much as 30% of your horse power , The world of racing stopped using that type of protector back in the mid 60's because of what it did to the horsepower .
I love what you are doing . Just adding a little info
Ian

[Matthew Barnes]

Originally Posted by ToySnakePMC

My language was impressive.
I am the weakest link.
Confirmed, once again.
What a wild and entertaining journey! Somewhat new to this community, and read through all 18 pages these past two days. Your perseverance and quality results are just fantastic. Nothing weak about your efforts here! The interior door panels are, to me, so aesthetically pleasing. V4 specifically. What a great hot rod this is going to be someday soon! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much. The door panels give me great satisfaction. I am a little disappointed though, that Singer did not credit me as a designer when they did their Lightweight Dynamic Study car interior. Pretty sure they stole my idea....

The idea of the car actually driving under its own power is quite a strange concept. Can't wait either.

[Matthew Barnes]

Originally Posted by Trackrash

Impressive work. You are a master at bending tin. Very creative and with good results.

And what perseverance.

Thanks Gordon.

To be honest, when you're up to your ass in Alligators, the only course of action is to drain the swamp! The bending of tin is an art form. I wish I had a bit more patience and experience, but then I suspect even the experts feel the same way - no matter how good you get, there is always more to learn.

Thanks for the comments.