Gumption and the challenge of making real progress

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post but this post comes with progress. At least it feels like progress … sure has been a long time coming. This weekend (Memorial Day weekend) I managed to actually get the fender flares attached to the 1974 Porsche 911. This took a few hours finalizing the sheet metal (pretty much me beating the crap out of the area where the flares attach so that it resembles a sack of walnuts). With the sheet metal in order primer was applied – and now I know why even something as seemingly simple as blowing paint on a car takes practice – not as easy as it looks. My son Michael helped with the primer, masking and clean-up so at least we had some fun.

I gave the primer the night to cure and the next morning set about actually gluing the flares to the car. This took about an hour of final fitting (you can never be too close) and then on with the panel adhesive. For those of you who may care, I used Fusor # 127EZ. Liberally applied one set of tubes (it’s a two-part adhesive) was enough for both flares. You have about an hour of working time and the flares were set well within this time. I also glued my shorts to my leg hair but that’s another story.

Twenty-four hours later (actually more like twenty-eight) I pulled the screws and the flares stayed on, a good sign for sure. Even with some tugging everything looks to be staying place. Today I actually spread some filler, the heavy-duty Mar-Glass that includes fiber glass strands in with the filler. The stuff a bit messier then normal body filler but a lot stronger and does a great job of smoothing the gap around the flare. I’ll do the rough and then hire someone with skill to do the actual finish work. Also used some seam sealer to ensure that the fit between the wheel wells and flares are water tight.

I’ll put this weekend down as a win.

Here I am showing my usual exuberance and excitement about the project actually making some progress. Actually, my wife just called me a not so nice name. True, but not so nice.

From the back the flares actually look pretty symetrical, as long as nobody breaks out a tape measure we'll be good. 

A look at the left side fender. Overall, the adhesive seems to have worked real well and the flares seem like actual extensions of the metal. 

Here's a look at the fender flare attached to the car. I've started to fill around the edges with Mar-Glass (this is after the second coat). 

Here's the flare attached to the car, you can see the adhesive along the edges. The screws provided a temporary tight bond between the flare and the sheet metal underneath. 

The right rear fender primed and ready for the panel adhesive that will (hopefully) bond the flare to the body. 

In addtion to the sheet metal work more of the surrounding paint was removed. This will provide a good surface for the panel adhesive and filler.  

Today I worked on the sheet metal that will support the right fender flare. The original fender opening was cut to provide a 4 inch foundation for the fiberglass flare. The sheet metal was then formed (at least in part) to match the underneath of the flare as closely as possible. The rear portion is getting close, within a quarter inch, and there is still a good amount of work to do at the front for the fit. The goal is to have the flare fit right on the steel creating a smooth transition and stable form fo the panel adhesive. Work like this makes you truly appreciate those that are good at it. 

Project Management

Now I know what it takes to manage a proper project, a plan and budget. This project started out with a pretty simple plan and a minimal budget but has spiraled out of control becoming victims to the “while you’re at it” gremlin. The problem is there are just too many good ideas out there. Especially if you spend any time looking at the popular forums like the one Pelican Parts hosts. I also have to give some credit to my father-in-law Warren who is without doubt great at coming up with “while you’re at it” ideas.

This project started out as preparation for a paint job and has become a darn near complete tear down. The RUF bumpers and fender flares were my idea, I have to admit. Warren planted the seed for replacing the antiquated Porsche fuse block. But pulling out the wiring harness I have to credit the PP guys. It just seemed like a good idea. What the hell, the wires were all disconnected anyway.

Now I’m thinking it looks like an opportune time to get into the rear suspension, rebuild the transaxle, do some engine work …

Time to focus, get the body work done and the car into the paint booth. Once that is done the project will go from being one of taking apart to putting back together. That should be fun and a whole new set of challenges (like remembering where all the pieces go).

Under the front bonnet pretty much everything has been removed. I just need a large enough container to empty the fuel tank (a little poor planning on my part). The mass of the front harness has been removed and we're about as close to a rolling chasis as I care to get. 

It would sure be easy to get into those rear suspension components with the engine and transaxle out. I could replace the bushings, do some powder coating ... no, I need to focus on the current job before my wife has the tub towed out of my garage at to the junk yard while I'm at the office one day. 

Look ma, no transaxle. Pulling the unit was pretty simple once I got the drive axles off. Having had the speed cable loose at the front of the car made the job much easier. 

The 1974 Porsche 911 chasis harness darn near in tact. Only lost one connector on the way out, not too bad given how the thing is run through the tunnel and twisted up and over the rear torsion tubes. This photo is a good example of a project gone awry, having been overcome by the "while I'm at it" approach. 

The transaxle is filthy, pretty much covered in oil from top to bottom. It's going to take a good steam cleaning to get the crud off. I'm not planning on tear-down this go-round but at some point I'm going to have to get into it and replace the gaskets. It seems like the bulk of the oil is coming from the front, maybe from the shift rod or speedo drive? All I know is it's a filthy little pig. 

One of the rear mount Rennline hooks. A clear shot without the engine to get in the way. 

The front mounted Rennline tow hooks. The car looks faster already. 

Tow hooks

At some point in the not too distant future I'm going to need to be able to tow the Porsche to the body shop. This car had very few places to attach tie downs and winch cables making moving any significant distance a challenge. To make matters more interesting, the front tow hooks had been bent back and forth some many times that the right side was cracked through. It was time to get some serious hooks installed so I went with the front and rear units from Rennline. Having the engine out and the car lifted about 18 inches off the ground made the job very easy. When we go for paint at least we know the car won't be sliding off the trailer on the way to the shop.

Balancing the engine on two gallons of paint. Not the most elegant of solutions but it got the job done providing enough hide to slide the piano dolly under. Probably not the appropriate way to handle fine German mechanicals but sometimes you just have to improvise. 

The inside of the bell housing is covered in goo. I'm pretty sure there's an oil leak going on here. What's amazing to me is the actual density of the build up. 

The inside of the engine bay, sans engine. You can see the crud caked on the transaxle, inside, outside, top and bottom. 

A little TLC is in order with the engine out. I will wait for another project to go through the unit. For now I will focus on clean up and trying to get a handle on some of the oil leaks. 

Another look at the flat six which is now a fairly large lump in the garage. Unfortunately, on the piano dolly it does not fit back under the car for storage. 

The 2.7 out and balanced on the jack. Pulling this off with the bumper removed really made things easier ... it at leased save me having to crank the back end up another 10 inches. 

The car lifted and the engine being held in place by the rear-most motor mounts and jack. Just two more bolts and the unit was ready to slide out the back. To actually get passed the rear panel the air cleaner cover had to be removed. 

Engine pull

Today marked a major step in the project with the extraction of the engine from the Porsche. With tall jack stands the job was pretty easy to accomplish without assistance. I followed the outline provided in the excellent instructions from Pelican Parts, removing the wires, accelerator linkage, etc. and had the power plant out in an hour or two. The biggest challenge was trying to get it from the jack on to the piano dolly. This step is highly recommended as it does making moving the motor around a heck of a lot easier. A couple of gallon paint cans and some careful balancing got the job done - almost crushed a can in the process but overall the it was success without incident.
I have to say, Pelican recommends 32 inches of clearance and I only had about 30 with the current configuration (largely because the front end is off the ground by about 18 inches). The engine came out but I had to remove the air cleaner cover. The boot for the CIS intake just fit under the tail section. If the jack had of been a half inch taller I'd would have had to find a way to crank the back of the car up a few more inches.
With the engine removed I'll have a chance to clean up the compartment and prepare if for paint. I'll also scope out the leaks to make a determination of what needs to be done on this pass. I will eventually pull the transaxle to get it cleaned up and degreased. The unit is covered in bake on oil and grime and needs a good scrubbing. The bell housing is covered in grease so it is apparent that at least some of the seals are in need of replacement. Nothing like an old Porsche to keep the project list from shrinking.

The fuel pump hanging below the left torsion tube. Interesting setup from the factory, a cradle within a cradle. This give the pump protection from road debris and isolates the motor from the chasis. 

Prep to pull the engine

Yesterday I had a few hours to re-familiarize myself with the project after a few weeks on business travel. Spent a little time grinding on the right fender and then the rest prepping the fuel lines for the eventual removal of the engine. Most of this involved pulling the fuel pump and the final steps in removing the fuel filter. Should be getting close to dropping the engine as the oil is drained, electrical disconnected and the last of the fuel lines removed. Now I just need to figure out what I'm forgetting.

My step-dad Dave brought me this picture of the chocolate bar back in its glory days. Looks like a track day and one of the SoCal locations. Dave was the last owner of Porsche and kind enough to pass it along to me for the next phase of its life. 

I finally got in and pulled the rest of the dash trim today. It's amazing where rust formed. There some discoloration around the ignition switch and some outright damage at the top left of the dash. My guess is the water leaked in through the windshield seal and then wicked up through the foam dash trim.