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.