lessons learned with a '69

[cbbest]

Well, the car is on its way. After 500 mi. on a new (mostly) engine, I can comfortably say this car is going to make it for awhile.

Here's the story... About 9 months ago, we (my fiancé and I) purchased a 69 912 to restore as her dream car. As a Detriot-steel-weekend-warrior-wannabe-motorhead, I was horrified. "Going to the dark side", my friends would say. "How about a Falcon ragtop?" I tried. No luck - Porsche it was going to be. I gave in, and off we went.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to find our car. A friend of ours had located a 69, original owner, straight car, but in need of an engine rebuild and paint. Perfect candidate! White, black Ca plates, 4 spd. And stock as a rock. Actually, the originality of the car is almost spooky. Until a year ago, this was the only car the PO had ever owned! Wow. Owner's manual, radio manual, Porsche service record book, tool kit, original spare, Etc. - all there. The PO even kept original parts that had worn out, such as the fan belt and plugs. $1700 later, we had it in our garage, and the process began.

Anyway, to keep this short, a lot of lessons have been learned so far. The biggest on being that Porsche 912's are NOT "just like a vee-dub." Learned that one the hard way. What I expected to find was a sloppy, inexpensive engine. What I got was a well built, precise, but expensive engine. And, it is truly a wonderful car I have learned to love. Other observations...

· These cars are a joy to work on. I have yet to strip a nut. I cleaned the case in the garage sink. Engine comes out in ˝ hour? I might just drop the engine to replace the plugs...

· These cars are also a hoot to drive. Dark-side, schmark-side, this car is fun! It gets driven every day. I had owned sports cars as a kid, and forgot how much fun it is. I gotta say, my beloved Mercury has been doing a lot of sitting in the garage these past few weeks.

· The road to recovery often involves a parts car decomposing in your front yard. Hidden in that pile of rust, however, was an almost new engine, Fuchs with new tires, and two crates of parts for my friends 912 project. Not bad for $1200...

· My last big project was really before the "information age." Lists like this change everything. The information I have gleaned from these pages has been of far greater help than any manual. Thanks to all who take the time to post answers to even the simplest questions.

· When it comes to electrical, Germany is a little too close to England for my taste...

Some questions

How have others been able to find a good paint shop, and what should I expect to pay? Seems no one want to do completes any more. The car is pretty straight, one small rust hole in the fender (no rust in pans or elsewhere) several door dings.

I've been getting a strong gas odor while I drive. I don't smell gas anywhere else. Any ideas? Its bad enough that I think I'll have to stop driving the car until I get it figured out.

Anyone ever rebuild the seats? Mine look great, but are very uncomfortable.

[mein12]

Congrats!!!

The gas smell might be from one of the fuel lines under the car. You have to remove the suspension cover if I remember.
With a newly acquired car it's a good idea to change all the fuel lines, repack all the bearings, and change all the fluids.
Don't let the gas smell turn into a
car-b-que.
The seats are what they are. You can recover them and use some foam inserts to make them feel right.
Paint is a rough ordeal. Make sure you cover or remove everything that you think is worth keeping. I have never had luck keeping overspray and bodyshop dust from ruining the inside of a car.
Good Luck, JMB...

[rdhhdr]

check the tank for leaks, after thirty years the inside of your tank is most likely a mess of rust and flaking metal...unless it has been treated in the past I would recommend an overhaul and seal job using POR-15...it's an easy job and will keep all of that garbage from showing up in your filter or worse in the engine itself...the POR-15 sealer will cure any leaking problems as well, which can often be difficult to spot without pulling the tank...I had the same problem when I bought my '69 and after having searched all lines, fuel pump, carbs, etc. found the leak on the tank itself...congrats and best of luck

dale
'69

[iustasail]

Check the tank fill tube, a short pipe penetrates the fender and connects to a rubber tube which connects to the fuel tank on the other end and is sealed with hose clamps on both ends; these can get loose over time and cause leakage every time you make a right turn with a full to moderately full tank!

Por15 will only be needed if the car was left outside for long periods of time with a less than a full tank of gas; buy a new fuel sender seal and pull the sender and look in the tank, if it is rusted out POR15 will do the trick, don’t try to use the old seal, they always leak!

[Steve F]

Hey Chris.........When Am I going for my ride??





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1967 912 "in progress"
Now ,with a 2.0 T4 to play with!