Restoration 'for Dummies' book?

[hughsheehy]

Is there such a thing as a 911 'Restoration for Dummies' book? Or one that's any good?

A guide to - potentially literally - taking a 1980s 911 apart to its component nuts and bolts. And then putting it back together.

H

[Mark Salvetti]

Not that I can think of. If you are planning to go this route, there are a lot of references that will help (factory manuals, Bentley, 100 Projects book, Pelican's engine rebuild book, many Youtube videos - Klassik Automotive Training School are great). Start there, and then start going through the build threads here.

This one is over 100 pages: https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/989493-my-low-budget-dream-car-build.html

There are also bodywork and engine rebuild forums here.

Mark

[Okiespec85]

Not that I know off. It’s all based on how far you want to take it. A nut and bolt restoration would take it down to bare metal. Take lots of pictures and save and label what you take out. I use little ziplock baggies, painters tape and a sharpie to save small parts like bolts. I also use bigger buckets or scrap boxes to separate the items based on location (engine compartment, frunk, interior, etc). I am doing body work, electrical, engine, suspension, and interior at the end. I’m no pro, but that’s what made sense to me after searching and experience with another restoration I did. For me, works best to divide big jobs into smaller jobs that I can check off a list.


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[hughsheehy]

Originally Posted by Mark Salvetti

Not that I can think of. If you are planning to go this route, there are a lot of references that will help (factory manuals, Bentley, 100 Projects book, Pelican's engine rebuild book, many Youtube videos - Klassik Automotive Training School are great). Start there, and then start going through the build threads here.

This one is over 100 pages: https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/989493-my-low-budget-dream-car-build.html

There are also bodywork and engine rebuild forums here.

Mark

That's an amazing thread. Still, he's done a lot of customization stuff that I have no interest in doing. For me the "naive" goal is really to do a "take it all apart, replace anything dead, clean and/or repaint/rework the rest, put it back together". Essentially 1-1 replacement. As original as possible.

Not so much for purposes of purity...more that I know all too well that "just changing this one thing" usually cascades into a million and a half other changes that turned out to be necessary because of that one thing.

Circumstances forced that car to stand still for a decade. Un turned over. Unstarted. Un everything.

[hughsheehy]

Originally Posted by Okiespec85

Not that I know off. It’s all based on how far you want to take it. A nut and bolt restoration would take it down to bare metal. Take lots of pictures and save and label what you take out. I use little ziplock baggies, painters tape and a sharpie to save small parts like bolts. I also use bigger buckets or scrap boxes to separate the items based on location (engine compartment, frunk, interior, etc). I am doing body work, electrical, engine, suspension, and interior at the end. I’m no pro, but that’s what made sense to me after searching and experience with another restoration I did. For me, works best to divide big jobs into smaller jobs that I can check off a list.

Bare metal? Maybe. Dunno if it needs that. I guess that decision comes once it's all taken apart and you have a good look.

Being, as it is, nearly 40 years old by now I expect that there are a bazillion little bits that need to be changed out. But my goal is really just to replace 1-1. Nothing fancy. Plain vanilla. The engine has never been rebuilt so, one way or the other, I guess that's unavoidable.

That or (horror of horrors) convert to electric. That's very pricey though.

[TeeJayHoward]

There's the PET for your car. A free graphically illustrated list of the components involved. Actually dis/reassembling would be up to you, but it's super useful if you need to know how many bolts, where they are, what the bolt size is, etc. If you break a part taking it out, it'll also tell you the part number for ordering a new one.

[Mark Salvetti]

Originally Posted by hughsheehy

Bare metal? Maybe. Dunno if it needs that. I guess that decision comes once it's all taken apart and you have a good look.

Being, as it is, nearly 40 years old by now I expect that there are a bazillion little bits that need to be changed out. But my goal is really just to replace 1-1. Nothing fancy. Plain vanilla. The engine has never been rebuilt so, one way or the other, I guess that's unavoidable.

That or (horror of horrors) convert to electric. That's very pricey though.

Show us some photos. Unless the paint is bad or there is rust, you can probably get it back on the road and enjoyable to drive without complete disassembly. I'm sure there are threads here that detail that process.

A lot depends on how it has been stored. Is it an SC with CIS, or a Carrera? I think a Carrera fuel system is likely easier to get working again. May need to replace the fuel tank if it is full of rust.

Engine rebuild is not unavoidable, unless there are broken head studs. How many km on it?

I would start with this order:
Fuel system cleanup
Make sure engine turns over (by hand, with a wrench). Lots of tips here on how to bring an engine back to life from storage.
New tires if old and worn
Suspension refresh

Get the engine running now, drive the car for the summer to better understand what it needs. Then refresh the suspension over the winter (although I realize "winter" is pretty mild in Barcelona, and you would probably want to keep driving).

Mark

[jackson51]

YOUR QUOTE: “… That's an amazing thread. Still, he's done a lot of customization stuff that I have no interest in doing. For me the "naive" goal is really to do a "take it all apart, replace anything dead, clean and/or repaint/rework the rest, put it back together". Essentially 1-1 replacement. As original as possible.“

Your attitude and initial concept is actually realistic. Even better when you remove “… take it all apart”. The first rule for amateurs like myself is “never take it all apart!” I second Mark Salvetti’s concepts. IMHO, the main concept should be: A Rolling Restoration.

TL/DR: keep the car on the road while restoring or replacing components as 2-5 day projects. Then you get to adjust and fine tune the changes as they take place along with the pleasure of actually driving and enjoying your work. The book below has additional guidance and options.

This book’s concepts are not so detailed or obsessive as to push you into a project method only professionals (or obsessive compulsives) should attempt. I like the Brit attitude “…lets just get the effing thing running… and go from there” With pictures of dirty hands and parts. Reality. (PM me if you want some more ideas)

[PeteKz]

Foot stomp what Mark and jackson51 said. Make it a rolling restoration, or what I call a "driving project" instead of a "garage project." Stripped down restorations have a frequent habit of becoming "forever projects."

If you are reasonably young and have done a restoration before, and you know what you are biting off (both in time and money), then maybe do a full restoration. Otherwise, make it a rolling restoration. You will end up happier, as will your family.