Newly Acquired SC Has Rust - Need Opinions

[throwaway911]

New member here seeking opinions!

I bought my 1982 SC couple months ago. This is my first Porsche and classic! I did see some rust around the battery area which didn't look bad and other tiny rust spots which I didn't think was a major issue either. I recently had the time to do a more thorough inspection of the car on my own and found the suspension bad is rusted through on the battery side.

What I want to know is what would you guys do - besides fix the suspension pan? I'm asking because I want opinions on whether it is worth dumping money into the car given the amount I paid for it. Is my expectation of a completely rust free 34 year old 911 too high?

I got the car for $33K. COA. 85K verified miles. Very recent 5K miles ago $10k+ top end rebuild and other maint. Drives very very nice. 915 trans shifts ultra smooth. Very mechanically sound - just did a 2,500 miles trip with no issues. Interior 8.5/10. Paint three footer IMO - not concourse quality but you have to be very close to see sanding marks and some fish eyes.

Rear parcel shelf pics shows rusty sunroof drain pipe on the D side and P side shows some rust on below the window frame, both appears to be surface after screw driver test. The front windshield pic, only a tiny bit of surface rust which I already ground off and applied POR15.

I plan on removing the rear window and quarter windows soon to assess further.

[Bill Douglas]

If it was my car; I'd just spray some product on it then get out there and enjoy that car. None of it is a big deal. That underside bit, well, I'd put some underseal on it then forget about it for a few years. They are solidly built cars and aren't going to disappear or fall to bits because of a tiny bit of rust.

[clutch-monkey]

fix it up now before it gets worse, shouldn't take long at all to do, bit of peace of mind.

Welcome on the board!

The ones shown are all the usual spots and there will be more on hidden places. Take a look under the rubber at the lower B-pillar... Attack the rust seriously as soon as possible, specifically the ones in the front floor pan and the corners of the rear window.

If you leave it, or just cover it with some rust inhibitor, the rust problem will develop exponentially. If you want to enjoy your 911 for many years, you have to invest "some" time and money to keep your investment in a proper condition.

I hope you have some restoration (welding) experience to replace the rust by clean steel. As mentioned, specifically the front pan needs attention.

Don't try to solve it in a rainy weekend. If you want to keep it driving, split it into several smaller projects. But try to do it once and well. There are always Pelicans willing to help with their experience, tips and trics.

And ... please show us some more pics of your investment.

Otto

[javadog]

Take it to a good shop and get it fixed. Don't ignore it, or cover it up. Don't do it yourself, unless you do ths for a living. Skip the POR15, it's a DIY product.

Pull the front and rear glass and fix whatever you find. Make sure the sunroof drains are in good shape. Put the glass back in with new genuine Porsche seals. You'll have to pull the dash to fix the front rust problems, which isn't all that big a deal once the windshield is out.

The B pillar problem will need to be attacked from underneath. A good inspection of the underside might be a good idea, to see if there are other issues brewing.

JR

[DanielDudley]

I'm guessing that you will also find rust where the bumpers bolt to the body. Maybe also at the front of the back wheel wells.

That looks structural up by the front suspension mounting points. I'd be tempted to take care of that first as a rolling restoration, and try to hang on to the paint job for a while. Do that front pan 100%, and it would be a very worthwhile project. You may not find this to be financially rewarding, but it will preserve your car, and enhance the curb appeal for any future potential buyer.

I usually drive a car around for a bit while I am thinking about what I want to do with it. If you get into a ''I just want this car made right !'' mode, it can really snowball fast, and you can throw a lot of money at it in a hurry. Don't do that until you know what you want to do, and especially make sure that you have a good go to guy, if you are going to have this done professionally.

Nothing hurts worse than having to throw good money after bad. You find the right people, and everything will fall into place. You don't have to rush into anything, especially if it involves your check book. Take a considered approach, and RELAX...

[49willard]

I recently rejoined the Porsche fraternity having sold my previous P car, a 1961 356B just 45 years ago! My understanding is that the 911's in the later 70's and 80's (dates?)were fabricated with a zinc treated steel which were then formed and welded together to form the unibody. I am unaware that the welded areas were treated after welding other than primer before paint. All of this explains most of the areas posted by the OP showing some iron oxide. Do I have it about right? Hopefully others more knowledgable can correct/fill in the gaps of my understanding.
I am about to put my M car, a 190SL, on a rotisserie this winter. I have owned it for just 40 years. The M cars and the P cars of that era were not fabricated with treated steel and at least the M cars had numerous box structures for moisture to access. Mine is very good but getting it on the rotisseri will allow much better access for repairs.
For those areas showing just surface rust in the OP's pix, what is the concern/experience with wire brushing those areas, the welds, and then treating with a product like Por 15?

[Cairo94507]

Throwaway911- I think your problem areas are pretty minor. However, I agree with most here that the way to deal with this is now and to do it correctly. No home remedies or POR15 and under seal. Take it to a body shop that knows these cars, you will know it when you see the shop is full of older Porsches, and have the problems corrected once and corrected the right way. Then you will never have to worry about it again. Much better than battling that every couple years. Good luck.

[Dpmulvan]

How much cash can you afford or want to dump into it? Your going to find more surprises the more you dig into it, take the front fenders off and have a look where the welting slides in between the cowel and fender. I couldn't sleep at night knowing there's por 15 on my Porsche, that stuffs for your winter rat if you live in the rust belt. Fix it proper, or sell it and buy a rust free car. If you have some skill get a mig or tig welder some cut off wheels, a good compressor and a sandblasters and go to town. Plenty of threads here on rust removal. Good luck and congrats on your new Porsche.

[sugarwood]

As a stop gap, it will turn rust to black.

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81756-Rust-Dissolver-Gel/dp/B0007TQW5G/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1474213930&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=RUST+JELLLY

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81773-Rust-Treatment-oz/dp/B000HBNX38/ref=pd_sim_263_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WHE7DGPH4Y9MBHBRMDS3

https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Naval-Dissolver-16-Fluid-553472/dp/B000C016OC/ref=pd_sim_263_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WHE7DGPH4Y9MBHBRMDS3

[notfarnow]

I think it depends on how you intend to use your car, and how much it will bother you to have the car taken apart and fixed properly.

My SC has WAY more, and way worse rust than that. I continue to drive it every day, rain or shine. I keep the affected areas coated with Fluid Film, and I don't let it haunt me.

If I took it apart now, I'd be *years* getting the car back together. In 3-4 years it will make a lot more sense for me to strip the car down and restore it as a fun project with my kids. Until then, I'm enjoying it

[RichardNew]

You've only found a little bit of the rust. 911 Rust in like an iceberg - You can only see about 10% of it.

I'm surprised to see an '82 with this much rust. Those of us who own long hoods are used to this sort of thing. Welcome to the Rust Club.

Pull the upholstery in the rear seats back. The seat pans are a common place for rust to form.

Here's mine:




Here's a thread on the whole project.

Richard Newton
My Garage is on Fire! Now What?

[Frosticles]

That's not rust, Come to the UK & you will see rust!!!!!! Treat, paint then forget about it & enjoy the car

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by notfarnow

If I took it apart now, I'd be *years* getting the car back together. In 3-4 years it will make a lot more sense for me to strip the car down and restore it as a fun project with my kids. Until then, I'm enjoying it

Refreshing to see this attitude. I've seen too many threads where the guy sees a cobweb, takes apart the whole car, and then it sits for a decade.
Way to life life in the present, realistically.

[49willard]

I think that you have gotten some good advise here, only you can decide what you want to do. I would not cut out anything that is surface rust but just treat those areas. The cut out and replace would be those areas that are rusted thru or too thin. Any structural areas obviously should be cut out and properly replaced. I have been doing these type of body repairs for 45 years (as a hobby). I sandblast to clean metal whenever I can. No matter what you are restoring, I always recommend finding the best body/sheet metal that you can find. I live in Maine and none of my collector vehicles came from Maine. On my more modern driver vehicles I spray annually underneath with either 2 cycle oil (it atomizes well) or Fluid Film. I have also been doing that for about 45 years (fluid film more recently).

[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Refreshing to see this attitude. I've seen too many threads where the guy sees a cobweb, takes apart the whole car, and then it sits for a decade.
Way to life life in the present, realistically.

Thanks. When I first joined this forum in '04, there were a lot of guys who used SC's as daily drivers, fixing what needed to be fixed and *maintaining* their cars... this was back when a really good, sorted SC was 12-15k, and we snickered at people who wanted 20k (because that was longhood money!)

One of the unfortunate side effects of the prices doubling, is that any "driver" quality car is now a restoration candidate, and we pick apart the flaws against that standard.

The rust on the OP's car would be a major deterrent to a lot of people who wanted a PERFECT car that they take out (on dry Sundays) to cars & coffee. That's fair... but it's also not a huge deal and I think we need to be careful to not make it a bigger issue than it is.

[javadog]

It's hard to say, since none of us can lay hands on the car, but the front pan rust can be serious. He could be years away from problems, or it could come apart on the next drive. If nothing else, a pro needs to look at it in person.

As for the rust around the windows, it's hard to know how bad that is, but waiting never makes it better. Keep in mind that it's caused by water ingress from failed seals. That will continue, even if he doesn't drive it in the rain. It happens when he washes the car.

I wouldn't strip the car for a restorations but I'd sure fix the pan rust and nip the rest of it in the bud. It could be in and out of a shop in a week.

JR

[86 ssinit]

Your getting great advice here. Mine is to fix the front suspension pan. If it's rusted through its got to be fixed if it's not it soon will be and again fix it. All the parts are available through pelican. I had this problem too. Knew I had rust there when I bought it but didn't think much of it till the winter. When I finally looked at it it was rusted all the way through. Seems to be a common battery problem. They leak acid and the pan rots out. I bought the front support pan and a lower pan here for around 5 hundred and had a local body shop do the work. This is a straight froward job for any good body shop. The metal is made to fit. Cut the rust out match what is needed from the pan weld it back in. Think it cost me under 2k to have it done. For the money you paid for the car I would do this and than drive it and fix what's left as you can. Good luck and let's see some pictures of the car. Also if you would like pics of what I had done pm me.

[faverymi]

[faverymi]