DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

You would think it grew there. I'm not sure how flat to grind it. I don't mind seeing repairs. What would your preference be - visible or invisible? In architecture the current trend is to make repairs obvious and leave the building readable.


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I'm not tackling the exhaust yet after hearing the studs always break off. I want to get some driving done with this car before any prolonged outage.

So I welded this hole as a temporary repair. I'm too ashamed of how bad it looks to share the photo

I also painted it silver to stem the rust. It looks dreadful.


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The car had no tool kit and I'm not paying £2,500 for all the period bits. I picked up some nice German metric spanners.

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Cleaning up the gear stick and fittings. It turns out the bottom bushing is like new, but I'd already bought one before taking it out. So it will go back in with the new bushing.

All the play is in the coupler bushings - so it's a good job those are already on order, as is the bushing that supports the rod.

There seems to be a lot of New Mexico desert sand in the solvent after cleaning everything so I'm glad I did the job.


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Sam wrote:You’re going great guns here Rob. I wish I was as motivated and diligent.

Thanks Sam. My motivation secret is to start. Then simply keep doing the next right thing. I will tire, though - probably when the colder weather comes. At that point I'll pay someone to do stuff. Continued progress is important for my motivation.

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Bit of a naff Sunday - I didn't get much done (aside from cutting the hedge and a couple of trees).

Sprayed this up with zinc spray:



And with black once it was dry:

Does anyone know why this thing is designed how it is, and why it's bitumenised?



It seems a touch brittle. I'll probably heat it gently once installed to get a good seal and to homogenise it.

While under the car I discovered a rich vein of opportunity for improvement in the right hand rear seat well. Water has clearly been pooling here. What you're looking at is literally the underbody paint with a very fine layer of soft rust on top. All that's holding it up is the cable loom directly below. I could crumble it away effortlessly - I'm leaving it in only to mark the position where its replacement will go.

I spotted that I did 3hr's driving without the gearbox bolted tight up to the engine.



After a little research it seems most likely it was simply reassembled either without new spring washers on the bolts or to insufficient torque so I'll tighten and take it from there. Hopefully there's not another reason such as stripped studs / casing.

RobFrost wrote:While under the car I discovered a rich vein of opportunity for improvement in the right hand rear seat well. Water has clearly been pooling here. What you're looking at is literally the underbody paint with a very fine layer of soft rust on top. I could crumble it away effortlessly - I'm leaving it in to mark the position where its replacement will go.

That area sucks. Definitely just buy the repair panel, I lost too many hours making a less than average job of a repair.

I found the rust had started from the brackets on the underside that hold the brake pipes, but clearly encouraged by a bit of damp from above.

I wanted to check the oil tank magnetic nut for swarf without draining the oil. Turns out those geniuses in Stuttart sized the drain hole perfectly for a wine cork so some quick sleight of hand and it was done. The nut was clean - but it looks like the oil filter comes immediately before the tank so it's of limited reassurance. It does however reassure me that huge lumps of rust from the interior of the tank aren't in the system.

Gary71 wrote:

RobFrost wrote:Definitely just buy the repair panel, I lost too many hours making a less than average job of a repair.

Definitely welcome advice. If I make the job bigger by trying to make panels etc., I'll run out of steam before the end. This has rusted from the inside - failed window seals, and water has sat in the seat - literally on one side only. Only the flat bottom part has rusted so I've bought the smaller repair panel that Karman Connection make.

RobFrost wrote: I'm not sure how flat to grind it.

I always go for a seamless-looking weld on on sheet metal - doesn't always happen of course - or just flat-enough if its going to be undersealed. Wherever it is difficult to get my 2-inch flap discs in, I shape and final dress the welds with the side of a carbide rotary burr in a Dremel (watch out for almost invisible metal splinters!). If its behind another panel, I just flat it down a little bit...

Sometimes, leaving excess weld can hide a pinhole or missed bit of seam. I have a great strategy for filling in imperfections (low-spots) and pin holes in my TIG seam welds - a quick zap with the MIG on high - bzzzz! Lays pretty flat...

Much better to radius the corners on your patches....

The clutch guide loop has worn completely off the left hand transmission cover.



It still seems to work fine but as advised I've ordered the strengthened bolt, upgraded metal trunnion and a new cover from the USA. An excellent service from Jimmy Tidwell who makes them. https://www.early911sregistry.org/forum ... ost1077142

Don't know how you can work in all the oily gloopy gunk. Get some chemicals on it and jet wash that filth off!