"Le Belgique" ST build.

[pht9]

Tidy shell !, look forward to seeing it progress

[DustyM]

Wow, a lot of folks on here would give up a few organs for a shell as clean as that. Looking good.

[jtparr]

Nice one, your blaster man sounds like a good find..!
Jonathan

[left4dead]

Wow, a lot of folks on here would give up a few organs for a CAVE as clean as that.

V. Envious of that work space, Dave. Neat shell, too. Keep pics coming?

[MT]

Then await the return of my Cellette jig from a couple of DDK thieves !

First instalment of the return on its way this morning Dave. Hope you've got room!.

Anyway I see my spinner is still doing stalwart service. Fair exchange etc etc. I can still see traces of Garry's Champagne Yellow 912, my Tangerine Dream and Charles' Gulf Blue on the brackets.

Looks an excellent cleaning job, but you are right to supervise the process if you can. I still have a rippled TR4A bonnet in the shed from when I was not careful enough with my blaster selection. That said my experience now is that it is possible to get one of these shells and panels blasted without problems and w/o paying the Cleaning Consultants premium (of +100%)

Mick

[Lightweight_911]

The shell's looking good Dave !

Hadn't previously seen any pictures of the completed 'shed' - very impressive.

[stretch]

Thanks for the comments.

Yes, pleased with the mancave Andy. Hope the car matches up !
Just need to change the flashing on the front gable end. A poor fit and not in keeping with the shack style.

Must go collect my rollbar next week. Thanks for your help. I think my wallet is in for a battering at the castle.
Hoping to collect, 100 litre tank, aluminium decklid, and a twin plug dizzy.

If anyone owe's me money, please bring it to the Castle !

[Darren65]

If anyone owe's me money, please bring it to the Castle !

Noted!

Great progress….time to get busy with that welder!

Look forward to seeing the 100 litre tank, need one of those.

Here's to a sunny Hedingham!

[stretch]

Thought it was about time for an update.

As many have commented, the shell is in pretty good shape but there are lot's of little annoying repairs to carryout.
It was always my intention to do as much work as possible on this ST build myself so I have been brushing up with lot's of welding practice in the man cave over the winter. Although restoring these cars is an expensive business this was never going to be a "cheque book " restoration.!
Where's the fun in that. And I also needed a new challenge to feed my mid-life crisis so the more I could do the better.
My approach was to cut out and repair all the small sections of metal before I put the shell onto the Celette jig, learning as I go.

Starting from the rear I noticed there was a nice tricky job to get me started. The perimeter metal channel around the engine bay had corroded pretty badly from the latch into the offside corner. I decided to make up a new section with a bit of bashing with my new metalwork tools.




There were also a few repairs needed to the inner wing around the oil tank holes.. As this ST build will run with the front S wing mounted oil cooler and brass lines, I need to drill 2 holes for the oil lines in this rear wing. A template was taken from the rusty old S next door !






A little repair adjacent to the rear window and that was this area taken care of.





I then took a little look up the front end. I had cut an inspection window in the underside of the front suspension pan prior to blasting thinking I may be able to save it. No such luck these rust from the inside out. I knew there would be some repairs to the nearside chassis leg under the battery box as there were holes visable before the blasting process. Removal of the tank support confirmed the extent of the rot around the front suspension points.

I decided to make this section in 2 pieces. The welding joint would be concealed by the new tank support. Both these front chassis legs are now repaired and ready for the new suspension pan and tank support.




There are still several repairs to carryout, mainly to the inner wings, dash top, screen corners etc etc. I hope to have these done in the next month or so, life permitting !. These areas will give me some much needed practice on the big mean green wheeling machine. Then I hope to get the shell on the jig to check for straightness and to carryout suspension and sill works.

That's all from the shed.

Due to peer pressure, the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed a name change to the thread.? As our Darren and Mitch don't like Granny's I thought I would change it ! Only joking. I was informed by Willie Braillard, one of the drivers at the Le mans race that the original car that I am trying to replicate had the nickname "La Granny". It was called this due to it's long service life as a competition car. Last rallied in 1981 !.

I have now been informed that this Yellow S/ ST, is not the car with that nickname. A bit of a wild goose chase. But some good has come from it.
During my enquires to find out if the original yellow car was an S or a factory delivered ST, I have become good friends with a guy called Pierre who resides in Belgium. His mother was driven to the hospital in the car nicknamed "La Granny" as she went into labour with Pierre.

This car was being driven to the hospital by a family friend who had purchased the car from Jean Pierre Gaban. This car was not just any old 911. This 911 is the famous Gaban race team 1968 and 1969 GT class winning car at Le Mans. !

I have been informed that this car "La Granny " is in a bad way in a lock up in Belgium. I hope to visit Pierre later this year to view the car.
Here are a few photo's for those that are interested. Now that's what you call forward dating.

Yes, they are all the same SWB car.

Dave

[Lightweight_911]

Great update Dave - I was wondering what was happening !

Digging into the (convoluted) history of these cars becomes addictive doesn't it ?

With your investigative skills you'll have amassed enough material to write a book on Factory & private 'ST's' by the time you've finished your car...

[Darren65]

With your investigative skills you'll have amassed enough material to write a book on Factory & private 'ST's' by the time you've finished your car...

......by which time you'll be a Grandad!

Great update Dave and like the name change.....

......you are indeed the 'font of all ST knowledge'.....I'm up for a book, signed first edition of course!

Catch you later STretch

[stretch]

Me ! granddad, Nah. I promise to get my finger out and finish it.
Yes Andy, very addictive researching these cars. I am just curious what happened to the original car. The fact I have made contact with the drivers and managed to locate a car that is an important part of Porsche 911 history makes it more interesting. This car might even be the Gaban, Pedro Spa winning car. It's final configuration was 2.7 twin plug motor. Car in a spin. 1975 Bianchi rallye. Pilote: Roger Engels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFTUTp1myPU


The Yellow ST. ? We now think it also ran the 72 Le Mans. Pictured below. The hunt continues.

[Mike]

Hi Dave, was chatting ST's today and realised my lack of knowledge, can you give me a quick precis of model years
and how the motor's evolved, started 2.3 I think then went to 2.5, did they go bigger and what injection were they,
carbs, mfi, hb's?

[sladey]

Nice work on the repairs

[stretch]

Hi Mike,

here is a chart I posted in an earlier thread on the ST engines. They are basically 1970-72 cars.
The 72 cars being the 2.5 configuration. Induction system is either carbs or MFI. The preference for endurance / circuit racing seemed to favour the Weber 46 IDA carbs over MFI. A few figures : The short stroke, 66mm engine cars that ran at the 1970 and 1971 Le Mans race. 1970, 11 cars. 1 car ran MFI. 1971. 18 cars: 3 ran with MFI. 1972 Le Mans : 7 cars: 5 cars with MFI.

Here are the ST engine Type numbers, specs.


911/20 and 911/22: 2,247cc (85mm bore x 66mm stroke)
power: 230 PS @ 8000 rpm
valve diameter intake/exhaust: 45mm/39mm
valve lift intake/exhaust: 12.1mm/10.5mm
911/20 = injected 911/22 = Webers

911/21: 2,380cc (87.5mm bore x 66mm stroke)
power: 250 PS @ 8000 rpm
valve dia. intake/exhaust: 45mm/39mm
valve lift intake/exhaust: 12.1mm/10.5mm
injected

911/70: 2,494cc (86.7mm bore x 70.4mm stroke)
power: 275 PS @ 8000 rpm
valve dia. intake/exhaust: 46mm/40mm
valve lift intake/exhaust: 12.1mm/10.5mm
port diameter intake/exhaust: 41mm/41mm
injected

911/73: 2,466cc (89mm bore x 66mm stroke)
power: 275 PS @ 8000 rpm
valve dia. intake/exhaust: 46mm/40mm
valve lift intake/exhaust: 12.1mm/10.5mm
port diameter intake/exhaust: 41mm/41mm
injected




There are rumours of a prototype baby high butterfly system used on these early MFI cars. Until someone shows me a set, or a period picture of a set on an engine, I will maintain that these were introduced on the 2nd generation of ST engines and carried on through to the RSR's etc. These famous early 2.3 ST engines pictured below certainly don't look like they are running HB's. ? Difficult to tell from old photo's.







My Engine Mike ? The spec is the same as ever. Progress ? My secret DDK engine builder needs to build a shiny new workshop to carryout his magic and he won't touch it until I help him build his new workshop !

That's my kind of DDK trading, no money changing hands ! Works for me.

Sladey, I have been admiring you rolling up your sleeves and jumping right in there with your metalwork and welding on your car. Well done ! It is pretty addictive if you have always wanted to learn this stuff isn't it !

Dave