my low budget dream car build

[bluebullet]

I'll have to dig up an old Porsche Book I have but I believe they kept the electric windows in the RS because the assembly actually weighed less than the manual crank assembly. What's to say you keep them in?

[Trackrash]

The way to save weight in the doors IMO, is to use plastic windows with RS panels and pull straps. That may add some wind noise however.

[chrisbalich]

I already have the old style (parallel bars) manual regulators and I like to drive with the windows down. So plastic windows with sliders won’t happen unless the car becomes track-specific.

[chrisbalich]

i went to Home Depot and got some expanding plugs for the intake ports.


then i sculpted this plug for the dizzy hole and fashioned a method to extract it with some bits i had in a drawer.


after an hour of small wire brush and Simple Green, i'd made a terrible mess of the engine bay and myself. next came the power washer.



while that dried, i set about fitting the valence and then the bellows. valence was easy...bellows, not so much. lots of trimming of the bumper blade to get the bellows to sit nicely. drilling the holes was supremely easy. but so much trimming to dial in fitment of the bellows. there's probably a better way to do that, but hell if i know what it is.
here's a picture i borrowed from my friend's IG of me fitting the driver's side bellow.


here's the result and my supervisors for the day.


i reckon the next step is to pull the rocker covers and inspect those pesky headstuds.
wish me luck.

[dwelle]

have you considered using a 964 smile? it really cleans things up when you pull that front bumper in...

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by dwelle

have you considered using a 964 smile? it really cleans things up when you pull that front bumper in...

i have. but as i really want fg bumpers, i'm not going to spend any money on the impact bumper setup and i'd rather put the fresh smile on with the new bumpers when the time comes.

...unless i score a 964 smile for a crazy good bargain in the interim. then, i'll probably slap one on ahead of schedule.

[VWLoosenuts]

Motor looks why better, very nice.

[75 911s]

love the tuck! Looks more sporty and less droopy. Gunna have to follow suit.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by VWLoosenuts

Motor looks why better, very nice.

i'm super happy with how the motor came out. it was pretty frustrating to just move junk around with the wire brush and the Simple Green. but when i hit it with the water, it all just came right off. so much better.

Originally Posted by 75 911s

love the tuck! Looks more sporty and less droopy. Gunna have to follow suit.

Thanks! it was more work than i expected getting the bellows to fit. but it does look much better. and shortening the crushtubes was super easy....albeit a bit of a forever mod on pretty sought-after parts. (i kept the sectioned out sections just in case)

[chrisbalich]

Last night, I had an idea for the in-frunk fuel filler and went out to the garage to mock it up. When I got there, the fuel tank looked a disgusting mess, so I started cleaning it. More simple green and (nylon) brush and all I could see were all the nicks in the coating and the flaking and rusty edges. So out came the razor blade.



If anyone knows a better way to strip this stuff than a razor blade or an angle grinder with a knitted wire wheel, please speak up. Because I wish I can’t feel my hands right now after 3 hours of razor-blading the tank last night and only getting that far.

I’m struggling to post pics from Flickr using my iPhone. So bear with me while I figure it out.

[75 911s]

Didn't "home built by" Jeff go through this in his gas tank restoration vid? I think I remember him grinding it all off.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

i reckon the next step is to pull the rocker covers and inspect those pesky headstuds.
wish me luck.

Good luck, because if any are smoked then now is the time to drop it and take care of it since everything is now off and clean.

[chrisbalich]

updated the pics as i'm back at the office today and on a proper computer.

Originally Posted by 75 911s

Didn't "home built by" Jeff go through this in his gas tank restoration vid? I think I remember him grinding it all off.

i'll look into it tonight while Kelly watches Big Brother. (her favorite)

Originally Posted by SalParadise

Good luck, because if any are smoked then now is the time to drop it and take care of it since everything is now off and clean.

that's exactly the idea. but i really want them to be ok so i can focus on the rest of the car and put some miles on it before losing my mind on engine build stuff.
not to mention the cost of engine parts/work.

[chrisbalich]

so i worked a night shift yesterday and was able to get some work done in the morning before i had to go in.




When the schutz was still all over the tank, i was worried that i may be in for a new tank. fortunately, the corrosion isn't as bad as it looked. flat, knotted wire wheel did the majority of the work, then a wire cup, then acetone. these 3 pictures are post-acetone bath. going to pick up some rust-converter before i prime/paint/coat this thing again in the hopes of never having to do it again.

but what i was really after with this whole exercise was this.


i'll need to tinker with the height to be sure it'll clear the hood. but this is pretty close to what i'm after. *i have the original fuel cap. but it needs a seal and i don't want bits of rubber to fall in the tank, so it's on the shelf until later.

here's a little scrap. i meant to take another picture with all the leftovers, but failed as i was more focused on getting my mock-up done before i had to go to work.

[75 911s]

Very cool. Stealthy, yet not way out of the way when you are reaching over with the nozzle.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

that's exactly the idea. but i really want them to be ok so i can focus on the rest of the car and put some miles on it before losing my mind on engine build stuff. not to mention the cost of engine parts/work.

I've got news for you - everyone who has a SC wants them to be OK. But at this age many are not. I would take the valve covers off and make sure they can all handle 23 foot pounds before proceeding to spend money elsewhere, because let me tell you an engine can soak up money very, very quickly especially when you have busted studs because it becomes a "while I am in there thing" as we all know. It wouldn't take you more than an hour to find out. And while you have it all off you should see if there are KS Alusils on there - which I would be wishing for Mahles more than OK studs - because this is where it's going to cost you.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by 75 911s

Very cool. Stealthy, yet not way out of the way when you are reaching over with the nozzle.

thanks, Duane! i was thinking the same thing.

Originally Posted by SalParadise

I've got new for you - everyone who has a SC wants them to be OK. But at this age many are not. I would take the valve covers off and make sure than can all handle 23 foot pounds before proceeding to spend money elsewhere, because let me tell you an engine can soak up money very, very quickly especially when you have busted studs because it becomes a "while I am in there thing" as we all know. It wouldn't take you more than an hour to find out. And while you have it all off you should see if there are KS Alusils on there - which I would be wishing for Mahles more than OK studs - because this is where it's going to cost you.

well despite my hopes for this build, its timeline, and its budget, you are right.
KS Alusils (10 fins per cylinder) and at least 2 borked headstuds.




i knew my ship was sunk before i even got the cover all the way off the car when i could feel that first broken end moving inside the cover. the second was a nice little surprise staring down at me from its lofty perch.

i stopped there. i know what i need to at this point.

[dwelle]

have you considered how to vent the tank with the new filler setup?...

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by dwelle

have you considered how to vent the tank with the new filler setup?...

yes. i have a rollover vent valve that will be installed in the driver's fender behind the headlight after the tank is reinstalled "permanently". that will vent it out of the frunk (and subsequently the cabin) and still have rollover protection.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

i knew my ship was sunk before i even got the cover all the way off the car when i could feel that first broken end moving inside the cover. the second was a nice little surprise staring down at me from its lofty perch.

i stopped there. i know what i need to at this point.

I've been there, not with the studs, but with the P/Cs. Time for teardown. HOWEVER before you get all crazy MAKE sure that when you remove the P/Cs that you don't pull the piston all the way out of the cylinder with your Alusils because you may be able to reuse all of them if they are not scored, etc. Keep the piston in there at all costs, pull the cylinder out so you can just see the skirt with the pins and remove the circlips. It may save you $4K at least. The joker that did my engine messed with the Alusils and they will not re-seat correctly, as you know Alusil cylinders actually break in to the piston and once it's done it's done for life (unless you re-plate with Nikisil or replace them with Mahles) - and the guy that did my engine did not which sucks for me which in turn ground my dream car to a halt (or at least another winter - or a year - which blows).