1974 Carrera Coupe - RHD, UK car

[Lightweight_911]

You had 2 sets of 'img' tags at each end of your link - you only need one.

[hot66]

I imagine the decision to restore would have been different if it was a C3 or an SC ?

[jtparr]

That's a seriously rusty shell Paul, a wonder it surived at all, thankfully they are now at a price where this is financially viable, not like the time I was doing mine

The good thing is this is going to be a Hollywood script and there is a happy ending

If this were in real time I 'd say keep up the faith, as it's kind of in the past, it's, good on you for having the faith, and keeping another one of these on the road

Keep the pictures coming

Best
Jonathan

[23e Heure]

I believe this is what is known as "Rust Porn"

Nicely paced thread Paul, keep it coming...

[Ferry Man]

That's a seriously rusty shell Paul, a wonder it surived at all

Yes Jonathan, it was rather worse than I envisaged. Largely because of our salted roads I guess.

I don’t want a LHD Porsche. There’s nothing wrong with LHD, it’s purely a personal preference. Only RHD for me, thanks.
But it’s not easy. Porsche didn’t make many RHD cars 40 years ago. And very few of those few survived our UK winters.
So - if a RHD car remains – it’s either rotten or someone has paid a fortune for a thorough restoration and is now in no mood to be parting with a rare car.

You do increase your chances with the option of LHD cars from warmer, drier climes. And yet I didn’t want to do that.
So, when I discovered the extent of the rust I had to console myself with the realisation that I wasn’t unlucky to discover so much corrosion in my car, it was simply a legacy of it being a UK car.
That is very often the condition they are in.

If you can find a rust-free car as a project it makes a big difference to your restoration budget, but corrosion free shells are invariably LHD (possibly from desert states in the US? Or warmer Mediterranean countries?).
I’ve never seen a UK RHD 911 that has survived over 40 years without suffering the ravages of rust.
Well, maybe one. Jamie’s old orange 2.4T was solid. I don’t how that car resisted rust so well but that car was a remarkable exception.

[Ferry Man]

Crikey that is shocking.

Yes Andy, I had already spent nearly £10k on panels and I was being presented with another shopping list for more.
I was somewhat forlorn...

[Ferry Man]

I imagine the decision to restore would have been different if it was a C3 or an SC ?

Well, even as a Carrera 2.7, was looking rather dubious if viewed in pure financial terms.
The rising market was helping but my restoration costs were projected to be well ahead of market values.

[Ferry Man]

It was all rather disheartening.
The cost of restoring the shell was being to look prohibitive.

And yet it's not like that for all cars.
A complete, brand new (Heritage made) classic Mini body with all external panels can be yours for less than £6k.
There’s an easy restoration.

In the states you can buy a complete 1967 Mustang body, brand new and hung with doors, etc for about £10k. Incredible.

But not Porsche.
I was left wondering how much I'd have to spend just getting my Carrera to a rust free body-in-white?
And how would I do it?
I walked away for a while to give it some thought.....

[Bootsy]

Pity there wasn't a 'restore to factory settings' button as there is on the iPhone

[911hillclimber]

I think this story is not in 'real time' (I am assuming) but the best bits of that shell are the RHD bulkhead/dash.

Get a good LHD shell and change the 'handing' panels over?

It is not a big job (I've done it) and not a structurally weakening thing to do compared to almost every factory weld having to be split in that original shell?

I like you cannot stand a LHD car on a busy UK road so converted my nasty LHD German 73T 20 years ago and all is well.
I still then had to do the floor edges, sills, under torsion bar front tray etc etc with 8 months of DIY/part-time welding.

As to the Heritage BMC family shells, what superb value they are.

[964RS]

I've discovered corrosion on my car in places you'd never believe moisture could get.

That is the problem. Not the direct exposure to the elements. Moisture can get anywhere and everywhere and when it combines with air and metal over a long period - especially if sitting for a long time then moisture will kill!

[jamie]

I’ve never seen a UK RHD 911 that has survived over 40 years without suffering the ravages of rust.
Well, maybe one. Jamie’s old orange 2.4T was solid. I don’t how that car resisted rust so well but that car was a remarkable exception.

It had 32000 miles on it - less than 1000 miles per year since new. I'm assuming the car here has nearer 232,000.

Still, it did have rust in the window frame and kidney bowls, which I got sorted. It was an exceptional car, but it wasn't 'rust free' (cos they never really are).

I'm loving this thread. It's going to be epic.

[Ferry Man]

[Moisture can get anywhere and everywhere and when it combines with air and metal over a long period - especially if sitting for a long time then moisture will kill!

A very valid point.
If you are thinking of restoring an early 911 give that some thought.

And remember it if you’re buying a Porsche with a little bubble on the sill....

[Ferry Man]

I'm assuming the car here has nearer 232,000.

Not a bad guess.

When I originally collected the disassembled car the mileometer read 70,000m.
Now if this was an auction catalogue it could read: “the mileage of 70,000 is presumed to be correct”.
Or maybe: “with just 70,000 miles recorded, quite possibly genuine”.
Or: “the odometer showing an unwarranted 70,000 miles at the moment”

However, we can probably assume that’s a grand total of 170k miles on the clock.
I’m amazed how many guys discover cars that are over 40 years old and can’t quite believe the car may have ‘been round the clock’.
When I saw 70,000 miles on the dial I was certain it must be more than that.

Fortunately I do have very comprehensive paperwork with the car that dates right back to 1976.
It helps confirm that the total mileage is more accurately 170,000 miles.

[Ferry Man]

The last tax disc I found tallies with when I was told the car was taken off the road.
It was stripped for conversion to an RS (that never happened) in '97.
So, on the road for less than 25 years. Plenty of time to get rusty though....