Happy New Year everyone - good wishes and success with your Porsches and projects in 2014 and beyond.
It is six weeks or so since I last did an update but, although progress is slow, the rebirth of BSC 3B continues.
Firstly the left-hand floor repair section has been grafted in as have two panels in the floor that needed attention.
The Celette towers and plates arrived so we have been able to mount the car onto the bed and really get on with sorting some more major issues.
First was the insertion of the new left -hand engine mount. Then some clean up work was needed around the torsion bar apertures to accommodate the billet. But all true and a good fit.
The most exciting (and worrying - for me) was to see how good or bad the front end was as we knew there had been previous accident damage to the front right.
And there hadn't been much holding everything together as you may remember.
Amazingly, all the lower suspension brackets lined up perfectly with the plates so no problem at all. It was this damage, together the total absence of the front lower metal and the rotted away rear inner wings, that made me buy the Yellow Canary. The plan had always been to transplant in the whole 912 front tub into the 911. As a rigid complete section (albeit with minor dings, dents and minor grot) it was considered the best way forward as new panels are not available. Much thought went into where to cut to keep most strength on completion. This is the way we have gone about it. After mounting the complete original shell onto the plates, John started cutting, then fitting and finally welding.
There is still a fair bit of finishing to do but it is now there, correct and solid. We plan to replace the front part of the suspension pan with a new panel and this is being done as I write this. There are still some significant minor repairs to be done but I am very pleased with the way everything has turned out.
I have refurbished the window frames with new quarter-light rubbers (bit fiddly) and and used new felts but kept everything as original as I can. The chromed brass doesn't stand up to very close scrutiny but it has survived the 48 years amazing well for our climate. And those 'wedge' frames are a treasure.
The front suspension has been prepped and and painted with POR15 Gloss Black and now awaits new bushes.
The calipers have been rebuilt by Classic Car Automotive and what a difference!
I have checked out the steering rack and as it all seems A1 I have just cleaned it up. There is nothing so satisfying than taking a component that is covered in the crud of ages and finding something like new underneath. Can't say the Yellow Canary's rack was as good though.
The bellows are unbelievable - they are just like new, supple and totally undamaged. As I have said before, I find the quality of rubber superb.
The box is interesting. the casting has a date on it of 52/64 though it was assembled in July '65. I see that ZF were based in Gumnd which I had not realised.
More anon.
Ian
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1965 RHD 911 Golfblau
2001 3.2 Boxster (sleeping)
