A Workshop for Vintage Automobiles
Older 911 valve covers typically leak. Most of them are magnesium and they simply warp or develop corrosion with time. Mechanics and owners also have a tendency to overtighten them when they start to weep, typically making the problem worse. The common fix is to simply install a set of replacement covers, however on this largely original low mileage 911T, we decided to save the originals.
This is a common job on most Porsche 964s. Water gets trapped beneath the windshield seal and rust bubbles begin appearing below the paint. The car at hand is a 1992 Carrera 2 that has spent its life on the East Coast, and rust has penetrated each side of the cowl.
We sourced replacement corner sections from Dansk and like most replacement panels – they almost fit. New sections had to be fabricated as shown on the right. Here is everything all clamped in ready for welding.
All welded-in ready to be metal finished and filed smooth.
Ready for final paint!
Porsche rust repair is a common sight in the shop. This mid-1970s G-body is undergoing a refurbishment including a full-color change to Minerva Blue. We are at least still a few steps away… as shown by the old suspension pan pictured above.
Here is the new lower pan from Restoration Design all fitted and ready to be welded in.
Measure five times (at least). Cut once.
Voila. The new pan, fuel tank support, and battery box all welded up and ready for paint. This job including disassembly and refinishing can take over 40 hours.
This car also suffers from “cowl rot” and instead of patching the existing cowl, I opted to install an entirely new upper section from Restoration Design. It looks pretty close at first, the dash to cowl curve was accurate and the width between each fender was close enough.
With that said, the 911/912 cowl should almost be flat between the windshield and hood, and as it turns out, the replacement piece has way too much of a curve.
So begins the planishing. I started working on this panel yesterday, and it is about 1/3 of the way there. Notice the lack of light showing below the ruler compared to the other photo above. As you draw the metal down into the correct shape, it will inevitably distort the windshield curve and draw the front section further forward. Lots of hammering, slapping, and shrinking should yield the correct results later this week.