Slipstream - November 2004

Early 911 Restoration: No. 3
by Charles Freeman
Here we are deep into the teardown stage. This is kind of fun, being
a little destructive. Besides, it doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to
take something apart. Putting it back together is another issue. I
have removed paint from the body panels using chemical stripper and
sandpaper and was pleasantly surprised that only the driver’s door
appeared to have any damage. All of the other panels were quite straight.
There were some rust holes at the bottom edge of the door. A magnet
along the bottom edge didn’t pick this up in the inspection process. The
passenger fender had some rust damage on the bottom trailing edge just in
front of the door and a little along the edge next to the hood. All-in-all
pretty good for a 30 year old car. The rear license panel is the only body
panel I can see needing replacement.
At this point I work around the car removing components: lights,
trim, etc. It is amazing how many pieces make up a car. As I take all parts
off I pack them into plastic bags with the accompanying fasteners. I used a
marker on the bags but considering the amount of muddy grease on my
hands my handwriting is quite illegible. I guess that when the time comes
I will magically be able to read this mess. I place the baggies in boxes and
put them in the attic. I try to maintain similar components in a box, but
this is getting difficult. The number of boxes in my attic is astounding. I
have placed the fenders, front and rear bumpers, wheels, and just about
everything else in the attic. I hope the rafters will be able to support this
amount of weight.
Photo by Charles Freeman
This means that the car is quite unstable. As I pushed on the side of the car
it easily rocked about. Not a good situation while lying under the car
un-bolting components. I purchased two sets of 6-ton jack stands. These
provide sufficient support at the height needed to remove the engine. I
tagged all of the electrical connections with duct tape and labeled them
with a marker. I soon found out that the grease from my hands smeared
the lettering so I will have to guess as to where these go. Enough has been
written on how to remove a 911 engine/transmission so I won’t bore you
with that. Let’s just say it is a little challenging to balance the approximate
400 lbs of this assembly on the 4 inch pad of the floor jack. A great feeling
of accomplishment overwhelms me as I view the engine out of the car.
Such a thing of simplistic beauty, albeit quite greasy.
Photo by Charles Freeman
Almost everything is off of the car and I stand back and look. What
do I do next? I really hadn’t thought this entire process out and, as I will
find out, will have to revise my strategy as I work. Do I want a concours
car? A driver? Or something in-between? Those questions will be answered
for me soon enough. Since I am a scientist by trade, I truly believe
knowledge is power. So I do a lot of investigation into restoration,
rebuilding and so forth on the 911. What a perfect car for a do-it-yourself
restoration. An essentially unchanged automobile over 40 years. This is a
prime reason why I chose the 911, a huge level of aftermarket support. That
and I always wanted one. So in my mind I think my path is to make a high
quality driver. I will upgrade the car with the standard reliability
improvements; chain tensioners, oil cooler, etc. Then I will add performance
options not available on the production car. Things such as 2.2 E
pistons for increased compression and a significant power boost, E cams
for good mid-RPM performance, urethane bushings for improved
handling, and a killer paint job. My desire is to keep the entire cost of the
project below $20k. At least that is the plan.
My next plan of attack is to remove the engine and transmission.
Another advantage of the 911 is that the engine can be lowered out of the
car. Thus not requiring an engine hoist. I purchased an aluminum floor
jack that has a jacking height of 18 inches and that is barely enough to get
the engine out. I thought about purchasing a 3-ton steel jack at half the
price of the aluminum one but I could barely lift it. How much could a
hernia cost? I already have 2 sets of 2 ton jack stands. I soon found that
these are inadequate. When the car body is jacked up to gain clearance for
the engine drop the jack stands are at the last key-way on the extension.
Photo by Charles Freeman
Photo by Charles Freeman
While I am under the car dismantling things, I decide to remove all of
the brakes and suspension components, as well. I notice that my struts are
a red-orange color so I identify them as Koni’s. I feel pretty good about
that. It’s a pretty simple matter of unbolting items from under the car.
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