1965 RHD 911 restoration started

[Bootsy]

I take my hat off to you. You've a lot to do and I shall enjoy following the thread.

I thought I was having a hard time with a watch I'm restoring but this thread puts it into perspective.

A master lumer at work



Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !!!! Just when it was all going so well!

[DEEMAN]

I thought I might feel a bit shattered with the time that my thread mayl take but it seems pointless to say that when I see your problems!!

Sorry,

Ian

[Bootsy]

Looking forward to your updates Ian, going to be a great project

[MT]

Now that's what I call a challenge!

Well done for going to so much trouble to save such a special car. I expect you will find this forum as much use as I did.

Will watch with interest - so please post steps showing the progression of how you/your body man deal with some of the challenges. When others had done this I found these sections in the threads most use when working out how to tackle my own problems.

Mick

[jtparr]

Subscribed, this is serious bodywork for sure.....
Jp

[beny happy camper]

Rooo deeman nice challenge
Have you find your rear left wing ?

[DEEMAN]

I seem to have inadvertantly deleted most of the early picturs of my car. Sorry if you missed them. It's all to do with me not being converant with Photobucket. So if I post them again lets just hope it works.

CORRECTED -ignore this post


Ian

[DEEMAN]

Skip this.

[911-356 dave]

Hi Ian.
What a fantastic story and a great project. Thank god you saved the car from being scrapped ! The welding looks quiet extensive and will need a good body engineer to ensure the gaps all line up. I may have some early spares from my Sept 1965 912 that I restored.Let me know what you need.
Keep the posts coming and good luck.
Dave

[misteralz]

Looks like it's going to be ace, Pip.
Want me to make you some proper numberplates for it? I've found folk willing to make me period letters and someone else who'll sell me blanks...

[DEEMAN]

So far so good. The 912 has been disected so we now have two good complete good inner rear wings and a front end that have been parted out ready for further work.




This was done with a laser cutter and good old hammer and cold chisel. Then they were cleaned up, blasted and etch primed ready for transplant.





Once these are retrimmed and fettled the inner rear wings will be reworked into the original shell. The inner 'B' post reinforcements were saved but the Kindey Bowls will be new. Later the front end will be grafted on using the Celette once the 911 shell has been blasted and primed.
The object is to use as much of the original shell as possible. Many parts for these very early cars are either unobtainable, too costly for me or the parts need back-dating to be of use. Where my shell has failed to meet safety requirments then the 912 donor parts are being used. When those parts are not good enough then new parts or hand-formed parts will be needed. The use of new parts will be avoided as much as possible but it is obvious some will be needed such as outter floor edges, lock pillars and rockers to name some. Luckily I purchased most of these many many years ago so they are type correct and do not need modifying.
These monocoques are quite complex and the sequence of assembly in those early hand-made days must have been very time-consuming. How many 911's did they produce per day?
I am still surprised how much of my original shell has remained good The basis is still there and it is the extremities need so much work.
Maybe it is the result of salt on our roads and this car has lived all its life in Scotland where winter can last and salt is around for four months of the year.
This all that is left of the 912. Want anything?!!


Couldn't help trying one wing on!!

More anon

Ian

[DEEMAN]

Picture changed. I'm getting the hang of Photobucket now even if my photography is no better.


Ian

[Darren65]

Want anything?!!

Ian

Hi Ian,

Is the roof for sale?

Good luck with your build, I'm going to enjoy this thread.

Cheers,

[DEEMAN]

Popped over to see what was happening this weekend and the left rear inner wing was on, even if only just!
The heater tubes from the 912 were very good , no holes and very usable (so different to the 911). The make up of components inside this torsion bar area is worth noting. The inner side of the longitudinal has a large shaped heater pipe carrier bonded to it. This is a picture of the 911 one that was discarded.


The outer skin of the longitudinal has a reinforcement plate welded to it. This picture was taken before the torsion bar remains were cut out.


The heater pipe was joined up to the undisturbed rearmost part and welded to the support bracket. The expansion/silencer was transferred complete so the pipe extends all the way to the front and up into the cabin area. We have major work to do around the A pillar so no more welding was done at the front for the moment. The outer skin has been put into place, tacked prior to spot welding and the torsion bar welded into place.



I am pleased with what has been done. There is a world of difference between what it was like and what it is like now.


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Obviously the seat belt mounting needs remaking and there is a section by the rear seat wall that will be remade as the metal is not good enough.
The inner reinforcement pressing that backs up the kidney bowl was good enough to carry over intact but the actual kidney bowls will be replaced. They were quite reasonable on the 912 but too difficult to transpose.

Bit by bit......


Ian


______________________________

1965 RHD 911
2001 3.2 Boxster

[DEEMAN]

Work is progressing, sorry for the overdue updates.
The left hand inner wing replacement has been finished for the moment. Many, many plug welds later (I remember MTs comments) and the result looks like this.

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The plan is to use the complete rear crossmember from the 912 so it was halved and each half kept on its adjacent inner wing for the moment. The rear light housing (so good where my original ones were non-existant) and its local area of outer wing was kept in place for the time being for rigidity. It will be removed before media blasting.

And so on to the right hand side. The engine cover and door were fitted to check gapsbefore work commenced.



As cutting progressed many of the same horrors are exposed as on the left hand side. But nothing fazes my guy. Like Bob the Builder " It can be done". I take my hat off to him. Comments like "not a problem", "seen it before", "I'll have to think on that a bit", "Oh it can be done, don't worry" reassure me constantly.
And it gets done.
Just look at the state of this...







But bit by bit the rot is cut out and the area prepared for replacement or new part to be introduced.



The heater tube on the right is no better than the left. It is really tight under the torsion bar and it does surprise me that Porsche didn't take to putting the tube over the top from the beginning. They must have had a reason.

The torsion bar end is carefully ground back and the replacement inner wing prepared for fitting.





The original wings are half good and half bad!! The plan is to keep as much as possible and with the the help of some front wing repair panels ex Roger Bray, some cut off torsion bar cover areas and the 912 light box areas we intend to make 'as new' wings.



The plan is to then send the whole shell off to the media blaster before grafting on a large chunk of 912 front end. This has already been cleaned and now needs careful parting off to produce the areas required.



Look at the upper front of the wheel recess. It is dented. How can a dent be there of all places? And what is more interesting is that I have seen similar dents on other early cars. I am puzzelled how it could happen but my Porsche guy reckons it is 'adjustment' to make the car fit the jig during those early hand-made days!!
Really!!

Remember how bad the 911 was?



It was the state of the front end that initially prompted me to search for a donor car. The American 912 was a dream come true and was far better than I had dared hope. Thank Goodness.



This is when we will be using the Celette proper, with towers and plates. I can't get the early non-adjustable front suspension plates from Celette so if anyone reading this has them to rent out then PLEASE let me know. Otherwise we will get round it in our usual undaunted way!!

More anon


Ian


______________________________
1965 RHD 911
2001 3.2 Boxster