Any 'closet' mechanics replace their own floorpans but wished they didn't...

[awis321]

Bought the car knowing I had some floorpan work ahead of me -- behind driver's seat & small section on passenger side. Deciding whether I should attempt this myself or leave it the pros.

Despite never doing this before, I've got full access to a complete autoshop and it's owner who's been a mechanic for +20yrs, just not P-cars. On the other hand, it's been argued that 911T's aren't worth their weight in rus-toration and don't merit groundup restorations. My example is far from being a 'part-out' car. What I'd like to end up with is not a daily driver nor a concour winner, but one I could drive spiritedly every chance I get.

[HawgRyder]

Considering the access you have to the proper tools and facilities....go ahead...replace.
I would suggest taking lots of measurements both inside and out before doing any cutting (after the job is done..you will want to know if the car is still in alignment).
Also...try to keep the doors closed and tight during the work...this will help to prevent sagging of the main tub.
Good luck...and take lots of pics (I may need to do the same job next year).
Bob

[dtw]

Doing the rust repair yourself will save mega-$$$ on repair costs. And although I rarely public admit it, I really am glad I took on the rust repair myself (after an abortive session at a "professional" body shop).

Take your time and ask as many questions as you need- there are no stupid questions.

[HarryD]

Awis,

There are those on this board who will tell you if it is not an S, why bother but if you look at the numbers, there were not a whole lot of any early 911s made. I my mind, they are all gems.

I have looked at many very rusty early 911 and saw a tremendous amount of work to get them right. Before you start your repairs, look at the car very carefully and try to determien the extent of the rust. Whatever you see, triple it for the hidden stuff. IF you feel that task in still not daunting, I'd say go for it. There is nothing like driving the early 911s. While your cost may exceed the resale valve, how do you put a price on your pleasure?

Whether you do it yourself, or have it done for you, be sure you do a quality job. The overall cost of cheap repairs will always exceed the cost of the job done right the first time.


Good luck.

[Rot 911]

First make sure the rust is confined to the floor pans and not the center tunnel and inner and outer rocker boxes which are the structural members of the car. If it is just floor pans I would say go ahead and do it yourself, it is a fairly straight forward welding project. If the rocker boxes and center tunnel are not rusted you don't have to worry about alignment problems when you cut the pans out. However, I would still just do one side at a time.

[Cornpanzer]

I havent done iton a 911, but have done quite a bit on VWs in the past as well as a lot of American car panel replacement. The Porsche crowd is the only automotive group I have ever been involved in that takes such a negitive view of rust repair. I think it is a combination of the weird values of a 911 and how quickly you can spend too much $$$$ on a car that isnt worth it and also the general "helplessness" of a lot of 911 owners in the past. It seems that there is now a new generation of 911 owners that have the technical knowledge and willingness to do more than wax thier cars. Minor rust repair really isnt that big of a deal especially since it sounds as if you will only be repairing small areas. Just remember to clean the surrounding area of all paint, undercoating and rust before welding. You dont want any contamination of the weld or it will look like crap. Trim the replacement sections very carefuly so that there is very little gap to fill and dont try to weld it all at one time. I recommend that you tack the piece in place so that you can adjust the fit if neccisary and then slowly fill in the rest of the weld giving plenty of opportunity for cooling so that you dont warp it up. Most important however is that you have a LARGE fire extinguisher handy before you start cutting on your pride and joy. Dont take it for granted. Looks like you have a nice car, hate to see it go up in flames. Early 911s like yours are rapidy disappearing. In a few years people will be resurrecting rusty 911s just like they do the 356's. Might as well keep yours going.

[TimT]

I am repairing what a body shop did to repair my car. I purchased the car knowing it would need a front pan in a few years.. The PO showed me the car on jackstands the torsion tube repairs that had just been done by a body shop the repairs looked good

But some flashing then a smear of bondo and some undercaoting look good good even pass the icepick test...

I just wonder what the body shop charged for the pathetic repairs I found.... or maybe the PO paid the cheapest body shop he could find to repair the areas. In any event Im re doing all the metal work myself.

you can do the work yourself, just alot 3X the time you need to do it and and the rust will be in places you cant imagine!!

for some views of the work lookhere orhere or here orhere or even here to see the progress

[Matt Smith]

All early 911's are desirable.

I'm with you wholeheartedly on this one Cornpanzer. The 911 crowd (but obviously not all!) do take a negative view on body repairs.
It's metal, just like any other car. Use the same techniques. I must add though, these techniques are tricky and can take a while to perfect. Possibly better to do the learning on something less valuable?
The best advice I can offer is to use decent equipment. Buy or hire a DECENT mig and get some proper pannelbeating tools: hammers/dollies. Also good clamps, a powerful grinder based wire cup brush for cleaning stuff up and a lot of patience.

Think of metal replacement in a similar vein to painting; spend the time on getting everything to fit perfectly BEFORE even thinking about welding. It's tempting to zap it up and rely on the grinder to clean up the mess when you are learning these skills. Don't.

The ultimate test in my book is to be able to gas/hammer weld a large surface without distortion and with a flat, barely visable join line. It takes time and effort, but can be done!

Good luck.

[Matt Smith]

Having said all that, and having done lots of metal work, the ultimate soloution is to buy a car from a really dry place originally.

Those factory seams and spotwelds take on a whole new meaning....