Saving the "Rat" - Restoring a 69T

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Flieger

If your a civil engineer and what you build moves, there is a problem. If you are a mechanical engineer and what you build doesn't move, there is a problem.

The scary thing is that everything civil engineers build moves be it due to loads or thermal expansion/contraction

[kkinzli]

Day 34: Today I was able to weld in the rear pan patch on the passenger side. I am getting pretty excited about almost being done with the pans. Hopefully by the end of the week I can have the pans completly finished

[kkinzli]

Day 35: Today I was able to finish cleaning the rear passenger pan patch and the rear passenger seat and primer everything! I feel like the goal of finishing the pans off by the end of the week is achievable.

[Deschodt]

Sorry about the small hijack... The floor pans have those round indentations.. inside those, there's those "cutouts", almost like a coke can pull tab... you can see them clearly in the first of the 2 pictures above, looks like you welded one closed, even. Does anyone know what purpose they serve ? I've got a 68 with no rust in the pans but you can tell those cutouts are slowly opening up. I don't recall seing these in later floor pans... Wondering if I need to break out the welder too...

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

Sorry about the small hijack... The floor pans have those round indentations.. inside those, there's those "cutouts", almost like a coke can pull tab... you can see them clearly in the first of the 2 pictures above, looks like you welded one closed, even. Does anyone know what purpose they serve ? I've got a 68 with no rust in the pans but you can tell those cutouts are slowly opening up. I don't recall seing these in later floor pans... Wondering if I need to break out the welder too...

No problem! This is supposed to be educational and I love questions - I am a professor after all I asked Obi Wan this same question a while back!

Here is what he said:The holes with the tabs are from the factory and were for aligning the car in the jigs used for assembly. Once the body was finished the tabs were bent closed, covered in sealant and covered with a small round piece of metal. I have welded mine shut but you can also close them with seam sealer as that worked for probably 30 to 35 years on my car!

[Deschodt]

Thanks a lot ! I've gone from "Oh crap, something else I gotta fix on my car" to "Cool, an original feature" in 10 seconds flat ;-)

Great work, by the way. I've been teaching myself to weld for a few months now (15 minutes at a time while the kids leave me alone) and I'm nowhere near being able to do what you did ! Very cool project !

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

Thanks a lot ! I've gone from "Oh crap, something else I gotta fix on my car" to "Cool, an original feature" in 10 seconds flat ;-)

Great work, by the way. I've been teaching myself to weld for a few months now (15 minutes at a time while the kids leave me alone) and I'm nowhere near being able to do what you did ! Very cool project !

You are welcome! The sharing of knowledge is what makes this forum great! In terms of welding you can just dive right in. I practiced for about 4 hours on various sheet metal pieces and then attacked the battery box. The advice about wire speed and voltage earlier in the thread and keeping everything clean were crucial to getting welds that are acceptable.

[Daves911L]

Kristoph,
Sorry to be out of touch for so long. Things are pretty crazy around the District. You'd be proud of me though. I brought up the subject of DSS at the Board meeting last night.....and lived to tell the tale.

Been following your welding progress. The pans look great. I'd say you have considerable natural ability as a welder. Need to get you playing with the TIG sometime soon! And next time for real fun you can form your own replacement parts from flat sheet.

I'm not positive about the circular depressions being used for alignment. Just a theory I've heard ventured. But I've also heard it said they were to allow paint to drain, during a dipping process used to coat the chassis. I guess we need a book about 911's like the Reutter book to detail what actually happened during construction.

Absolutely no progress on the roadster the last 3 weeks. House and Garden only, as directed by Charlotte!

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Daves911L

Kristoph,
Sorry to be out of touch for so long. Things are pretty crazy around the District. You'd be proud of me though. I brought up the subject of DSS at the Board meeting last night.....and lived to tell the tale.

Been following your welding progress. The pans look great. I'd say you have considerable natural ability as a welder. Need to get you playing with the TIG sometime soon! And next time for real fun you can form your own replacement parts from flat sheet.

I'm not positive about the circular depressions being used for alignment. Just a theory I've heard ventured. But I've also heard it said they were to allow paint to drain, during a dipping process used to coat the chassis. I guess we need a book about 911's like the Reutter book to detail what actually happened during construction.

Absolutely no progress on the roadster the last 3 weeks. House and Garden only, as directed by Charlotte!

No worries! I have been swamped at work with final exams this week and the grim end of semester grading load. Glad to hear that you made it out of the meeting alive Thanks for the compliments on the welding. I think they look better in the pictures than in real life and I still have a long way to go until I am truly happy with them. I though about forming the panels from flat sheets but decided against it due to time constraints. Thanks again for the Reutter book. I am actually reading it for the second time!! A similar book for the 911 would answer the debate about the holes in the pan and rear seat bottoms. Hopefully I can come out to the Obi Wan Porsche Paradise this summer and play with the TIG and help with garage construction. If no garage is in the plans then maybe engine rebuilding in late June or early July? Being the nerdy engineering professor that I am I have simplfied your conundrum (and that of many other Porsche enthusiasts) into a simple equation

(happy wife = happy life) ≠ (working on roadster = happy Obi Wan)

The solution to the conundrum is to have your wife do a Ph.D., which gives you plenty of time to work on cars The only problem is that doing a Ph.D. can be miserable!

Cheers,
Kristoph

[kkinzli]

Day 36: I had a few hours before meetings at work and journal article writing duties to seam seal the upper part of the rear passenger pan and clean up and prime the welds on the bottom of the pan. Doing the bottom of the pan was a giant pain that involved laying on my back for several hours with the grinder and a wire wheel Also painting with a brush upside down is most delightful. I can't wait until the pan is done

[kkinzli]

Day 38: Today I was able to paint the passenger floor pan with the final coat before I apply the Thermo-coustic liner. I was also able to replace some of the hoses leading to the blower and seam seal the bottom of the passenger pan. I think I might get the pan done by the end of the weekend. My wife and I are leaving for an extended trip to Germany and Hungary (I am going to try and meet up with Hun911) and the progess on the Rat will cease until the middle of August I am hoping that I am still on target for finishing by the end of the year. The major things that I have on the list for the fall include fixing the fenders, rear deck lid, and bumpers and stripping the rest of the car and primering for paint. I am going to have the body shop that did the doors and hood do the final paint as they specialize in restorations and they are down the street from me. Once painted my dad is planning on helping me put it back together. I have already stock piled a ton of parts for re-assembly and only need to get the carpet set and new S trim as mine is destroyed from dirt roads in NM. I think the timeline seems reasonable but I think owning a 69 Porsche sounds reasonable. I also think it is perfectly normal to tow a boat with an A4. Any advice for my schedule would be greatly appreciated. Also please let me know if there are any crucial things I need to look our for during the remainder of my journey. Here are a few pictures

[Dublinoh]

Be sure to try the wheat beer in Germany, and experience a beer garden. People are friendly, they love to practice their English, just say hello, smile and listen intently. Safe travels

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Dublinoh

Be sure to try the wheat beer in Germany, and experience a beer garden. People are friendly, they love to practice their English, just say hello, smile and listen intently. Safe travels

Thanks for the advice! Your comment is quite funny as I am German, but spot on nonetheless. We might make it to the Porsche Museum or maybe do a factory tour although I really don't care much for robots. One of my favorite youtube clips is Made by Hand. Have you ever tried Weihenstephan wheat beer? I think it is the best beer in the world. It is made in the worlds oldest brewery founded in 1040!

[porwolf]

Gute Reise! Es gibt auch viele gute Weißbiere in und um München herum. Dazu natürlich frische Weisswürste und eine frische Brezel!

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Gute Reise! Es gibt auch viele gute Weißbiere in und um München herum. Dazu natürlich frische Weisswürste und eine frische Brezel!

Danke! I am hoping to be drinking a beer at the Augustinergarten soon!

[Dublinoh]

So I'm giving a German advice on how to enjoy Germany. That is pretty funny. The beer garden had three beers, and the locals we met said get the wheat. That's about all I know about it except I liked it a lot. I will find some Weihenstephan wheat beer per your recommendation. We were in Berlin for four days so you see I am far from a German expert...but I am willing to learn. Safe travels

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by Dublinoh

So I'm giving a German advice on how to enjoy Germany. That is pretty funny. The beer garden had three beers, and the locals we met said get the wheat. That's about all I know about it except I liked it a lot. I will find some Weihenstephan wheat beer per your recommendation. We were in Berlin for four days so you see I am far from a German expert...but I am willing to learn. Safe travels

Thanks! If you can get your hands on it you will love the Weihenstephan. I am currently enjoying delicious Hungarian beer and palinka (really strong schnapps) in Budapest. Hoping to meet up with Hun911 to see his project!

[cdomingos170]

Hi kkinzli,
Your story is soooooo similar to mine.
I even had a 2002 audi a4 avant that i sold to buy a "rat" just like yours 2 years ago.
I am currently working in mozambique (africa) and i use the 911 as a daily drver when i go on holidays to portugal.
My father did all the hard work on the car as I made the net procurement and investigation ( from 10000 km distance).
I love to drive it these days ( and my father also).

Please see my blog:
Odisseia 911

Cheers,
Carlos Domingos

[kkinzli]

Originally Posted by cdomingos170

Hi kkinzli,
Your story is soooooo similar to mine.
I even had a 2002 audi a4 avant that i sold to buy a "rat" just like yours 2 years ago.
I am currently working in mozambique (africa) and i use the 911 as a daily drver when i go on holidays to portugal.
My father did all the hard work on the car as I made the net procurement and investigation ( from 10000 km distance).
I love to drive it these days ( and my father also).

Please see my blog:
Odisseia 911

Cheers,
Carlos Domingos

Hi Carlos,
Your car looks amazing! What kind of paint did you use for the exhaust and heat exchangers. Mine look pretty ratty and after seeing your blog I am inspired to paint both the exhaust and the heat exchangers like you did. Are there any issues with the paint peeling after a while?
Cheers,
Kristoph

[cdomingos170]

You should use hi-temp paint (after sand jet). it was done on an industrial maintenace workshop (for oil ompanies).
But in truth, i have some bubles on the exaust...