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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
 Posted - 02/04/2015 : 07:16:42
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Since Jono created a new category MiniWerks Projects "all scales", I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the projects I am personally working on but in 1:1 scale. As our hobby seems to be slowing down each year, I am diverting MiniWerks funds to larger scale "models". My plan is to find and restore 1-2 cars per year but continue the model car business indefinitely. I am currently working on two projects, an original 1962 Lotus Super 7 Series 2 and a 1973.5 Porsche 911T 2.4 Coupe. I will start with the 911T. I found this tangerine (blutorange) coupe locally. The previous owner had the car from 1974 and kept it in amazing, original condition. The 1973.5 model year had CIS fuel injection. While this car is a standard "T" model (no frills), it did come with the highly sought after factory Recaro sport seats. The owner kept the car all original except for the 7" Fuchs (should be 6") but the car still retained the original, big US-mandated bumperettes front and rear, US headlights and US ride height. The car looks ready for the Dakar Rally. Believe it or not, 80% of the paint is original! No rust, no body damage, not even corrosion in the battery boxes, a local Sacramento car from new and what car collectors refer to as a "survivor". My goal with this car was to do a cosmetic restoration with some upgrades while maintaining originality (critical for future value). Here are photos from the day I drove it home. The paint still looks bright and shiny but will get a very expensive Swiss Wax treatment anyway.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2015 : 07:31:42
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The first step was to swap the 7" Fuchs for the correct 6" Fuchs. I went to Weidman Wheels, regarded as the best source for restored Porsche wheels. Harvey Weidman has been restoring Porsche wheels decades. I am lucky that he is within driving distance. Harvey was kind enough to trade my 7s for a clean, unrestored set of 6s as seen on the car below. I decided to order a set of restored 6s so these were temporary.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2015 : 07:37:31
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Next was addressing the US ride height. I took the car to a local shop that specializes in race prep. The owner Ron Cain is a very accomplished driver himself and we go back many years. Ron used to service my 1997 Porsche 993 C4S.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2015 : 07:51:04
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Meeting Harvey Weidman would turn out to be a very lucky and pivotal point for the future of this little diamond in the "semi-rough". Harvey informed me that I had a National PCA Judge just minutes from my home, Dr. Mark Smedley. Harvey introduced us by email and Mark invited me up to his home to have a look at the car. Mark is a retired ER surgeon and now restores Porsches and has a very nice collection of rare Porsches himself. His Porsche credentials include PCA National Concours Judge for 20 years, SCCA concours judge, a Porsche Judge at the Carmel Concours on the Avenue since it's onset, and Porsche judge at Pebble Beach. Mark has driven, raced, shown, restored, and preserved 356s and 911s for 43 years. Mark was very impressed with the car and asked what my plans were. When I explained I wanted to preserve the originality but bring the car back cosmetically, he volunteered his services at a very reasonable rate and I left the car with him the following week. I will now outline some of the work Mark did. He is a walking encyclopedia on early 911s and expertly guided me through the process. The first cosmetic changes were giving the car a US-Euro conversion, first step swap US headlights for H4s.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2015 : 07:55:32
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Next was to remove the enormous pillow-style US-madated bumperettes. Removing these left a tired looking rubber strip across the bumper and the aluminum deco trim behind looked tired. I purchased a new deco trim and rubber piece but when it arrived, Mark pointed out how cheap the aluminum deco trim was, the ends were poorly finished. Mark was able to restore the current piece and insert the new rubber. Much cleaner nose now! It would look even better with the 911S style chin spoiler but without the rest of the "S" trim on the exterior we decided to keep it original. You will also notice in the photos from Mark's place, the paint has received the Swiss Wax treatment. It looks even better and brighter in person.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2015 : 08:05:39
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For the rear bumperettes, Mark recommended replacing the big US units with smaller backdated bumperettes. I ordered a new pair but they were reproductions. Mark had an original set among his spares so we went with OEM. We were able to use the new rubber end pieces from the repros so not a total loss. Mark media blasted and refinished the original units in black, matching the rest of the trim.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2015 : 08:06:24
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| Time to get back to the model car business, stay tuned.... |
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:06:53
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The next are to tackle for Mark were the tired, old rear shocks and the exhaust/heater boxes. Mark replaced the shocks with the correct green Bilsteins. When he removed the original heater boxes and exhaust, he could see they had too many pin holes and could not be restored so new units were installed. The SSI heat exchangers are a work of art and very expensive.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:08:05
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The heat exchangers and exhaust were then painted with a hi-temp grey to maintain the correct original look.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:21:44
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Mark then shifted his focus to the trunk. We were delighted to find everything as original as we could have hoped and no corrosion anywhere, not even beneath the batteries, one in each corner of the nose. The original spare tire had never been out of the trunk from the time this car left Stuttgart. The fuel tank only had minor surface wear from the tire rubbing on it and no fuel damage/discoloration that often happens when the gasket between the fuel sending unit starts to leak. Just to be safe, Mark replaced the gasket. New batteries were installed with new straps. The entire trunk was detailed and some tired, old, small fittings were replaced. The rubber seal around the trunk was replaced and the air intake grille near the windshield was removed, cleaned up and refinished. The original trunk liner was in excellent condition so that was kept, not shown. The trunk is now show worthy!
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:29:50
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Next up, the interior. Mark started with the dash and removed those small panels running across the center so they could be recovered in new brown leather, this shot shows the new German leather. The after market radio was removed and the correct Blaupunkt was installed. Mark told me there are now shops that will remove the internals and convert the vintage radios to accept modern cell phones so you can play from your iTunes library or even stream music.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:31:25
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Seats were removed and removal of the carpet began. While the gearbox linkage was easy to get at, Mark replaced the front and rear shift bushings. You will also notice the beautifully restored seat rails. Mark media blasted the originals and refinished.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:45:56
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The driver's door latch mechanism was not working as it should so Mark disassembled the door panel and made some adjustments. While he had everything off, he replaced the plastic moisture barrier and sealed that up.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:50:12
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The map pocket lower left did not fully close which is common as the elastic bungy that draws it closed needed tightening. This can only be done with the panel off so Mark tighted that up, freshened up the door pull mechanism and re-attached the panels.
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Ferrarinut
USA
1489 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 08:59:53
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Tomorrow I will show the interior restoration. This is a shot of the original factory Recaro sport seats. If you look closely you can see how the vinyl is loose on the center panels and the lower cushion on the driver side is collapsed. Thanks to Mark, he introduced me to one of the most talented interior guys in the country and he lives within walking distance of Mark's home. More on him tomorrow.
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PeterW
USA
1216 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2015 : 09:02:42
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| Definitely the way to do a restoration...very nice project! |
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MiniWerks Porsche 911T 1973.5
