DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Oh no! That’s bad. No idea if you can buy those bits or it’s ‘just’ a case of buying a suitable tube and transferring the brackets over.
As long as the ends into the body aren’t rotting it maybe possible to join the new section using some form of internal sleeve. Difficulty repair in any way…

Not a great way to end the rest run. Feel for you!

Replacement is a big job i would think.
The part is available though, i think Dansk and others advertised them some time ago. Other end must be close to the same condition at a guess.
With your skill base, you should get it done well.

Take a look though this link.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche- ... ect-2.html

Spent Saturday morning putting an undercoat on the underside of the 914. Then I spent Sunday changing the sprockets on my son's motorbike. I'm still cover in grease and paint

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knapmann wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 12:16 am Collapsed the torsion tube on one of my engine rebuild test runs and waited 6hrs for rescue. I thats me off the road until next summer....

ouch thats nasty. Is it just the tube section ? the torsion bar mount ends ok ? I assume the trailing arm mount was moving about which is why you needed recovery ?

hot66 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:02 am

knapmann wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 12:16 am Collapsed the torsion tube on one of my engine rebuild test runs and waited 6hrs for rescue. I thats me off the road until next summer....

ouch thats nasty. Is it just the tube section ? the torsion bar mount ends ok ? I assume the trailing arm mount was moving about which is why you needed recovery ?

The entire center section of the tube where the trailing arms and transmission bolt up has just failed... I hope the outer sections are ok... I didnt even know this was possible, but apparently it is not an unknown thing to happen on early cars and the tubes were re-inforced from 1973 onwards - presumably because this became a known problem to the factory. Naturally I am one of the blessed chosen few for this to happen to.

The entire rear end just collapses with wheels hitting the arches, burning all your paint work and tyres, you cant select any gears, the engine shoves backwards into your decklid. The car then can only be dragged around, not pushed. getting it on and off the rescue vehicle was a massive challenge in itself. Cant even jack it up as no jacks fit underneath it when its that low. I think short of an engine implosion this a probably about as bad as it gets when it comes to car failure, fixing it will be a massive job, I dont have the money or motivation to even think about starting it, Im fresh out of positive mental attitude. I just spent months removing rebuilding and re-installing the engine just for it to all have to come back out just weeks later, along with the entire rear suspension. Its not even worth thinking what it would cost to pay someone to fix it. It'll be going in the garage, getting locked up and forgotten about for a long time.

Understandable frustration, and i think all the early car owners here really feel the grief.
I would have the same reaction for sure.

however, you don't seem the type to me to linger too long...
That USA link I posted above makes it look very hard, but i think you could rescue the situation with some steel sleeves inserted once the failed centre section was cut out (as the guy did when converting to a G50 box mount)
If the outer section are solid then sleeving and plug/seam welding and then 'RSR' strengthening plates will have you fixed.

Key is to get a used centre section (or new) and then a good fit to the sleeves. You will have to cut open the rear seat bases.

All of this will be far better than fitting a complete tube. Said sleeves can be slid over the outside of the original and new section and then a good welder to seam all around the ends.
A few plug welds will always help too.

Accuracy of the positioning can be achieved this way as the sleeves will act as a guide, you can tap the new centre section about to get it true to the car.

Of course, a cellette jig is the best and quickest way for all this, maybe a call to Barry Carter for advice?

Torsion tubes were not available when my ST replica was stripped to build a few years ago. Fortunately, I found a very sound used tube as a replacement which was welded in place. It is also a substantial engine out job which requires the expertise of someone who has done it before. Chesterton Coach Works have done this job. Maybe give John a call?
As a word of warning. I believe that the later 1973 on RS had a slightly different torsion tube.
Good luck.

Really sorry to hear this after such a lot of work. It will all feel more achievable after a few days away from the car.

Best of luck with the fix - as and when. Sure there will be lots of support on here


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Breaking of torsion tube is really unfortunate. In VW scene it is not uncommon to narrow rear torsion tunes to accomodate wider wheels. It is done by cutting the tube and installing a piece of reinforcement tube inside. Depending how far your tube is corroded that could be one method to get it fixed.

Shame we didn’t get to catch up directly, would loved to have heard about the history of your 912. Congratulations on the award too!

Autoshi wrote: ↑Sun Aug 20, 2023 10:19 pm Wow, yes!
And I was right next to you on the other side with my 912!
Sorry I didn't get to speak to you.
Great day!
PXL_20230820_143607967.MP.jpg
PXL_20230820_141829080.MP.jpg

VeeRacer wrote: ↑Sun Aug 20, 2023 9:57 pm I parked mine on a village green in Suffolk next to three other 356s and an ice cream van (oh and over 200 other Porsches of every type and colour). Great ‘Porsche East’ event organised by the good people of PCGB Region 12 (oh, and we never did get that ‘B’)
34985072-B2D5-4621-AC01-BD474FA3A3D7 by Vee Racer, on Flickr

KS wrote: ↑Tue Aug 15, 2023 3:15 pm Ordered some new tyres (fresh set of 195/55x15 Toyo R888Rs) to go on some new wheels – hot off the press from Group 4 Wheels, 6 x 15 Campy!

6X15 Campag's you say....Ooooooooooh game changer !

knapmann wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:11 am the tubes were re-inforced from 1973 onwards

In what way?

IanM wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 3:41 pm

knapmann wrote: ↑Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:11 am the tubes were re-inforced from 1973 onwards

In what way?

I will qoute Grady Clay from the link that is available above regards Tube failure

"Thank you for bringing this issue to the forefront.
This is a problem every early car faces.

Porsche learned a lot over the years but the most significant improvement came with the ‘73RS and RSR.
With these cars Porsche (first?) reinforced the center of the torsion bar tube to the chassis at the rear end of the tunnel.
Not only did this transmit the cornering loads from the trailing arms (‘bananas’) but it also provided an additional path for the torsion bar (spring) loads.
This was continued with every production 911 from 1974."

I believe the below picture shows this additional bracing between the rear floor and the tube



The people in the link went further and added these which they call RSR supports



When I ever get around to fixing my car I will be doing both of these!

I think I've seen Barry add these mods to a few cars as part of the body strengthening 'kit' but was not aware that 74 on cars had this mod. in production.
Always something to learn.

When you get to this mod, please do a thread/post for us.

And in that picture of the white car you can see the external sleeves used to join in a replacement section of torsion tube.