From back east to back then.......

Here we have a model from the year 1987....

Rumor has it that it got some wide body surgery and then moved to New  York.  Though it was nicely done, the streets of the Big Apple were not kind to it;  When we first saw it it looked like it got jumped in a dark alley.

The long trip across country was slow but safe, it made to TRE Motorsports when they gave it new legs and it can roll its way to us.  We checked all vitals, replace the damaged skin and will give it a new identity

The wide body covered in white paint with black letters will be history.  A new page will be written when the transformation is completed.
Panels will be change, holes plugged, pieces added. Fueling the 3.2 litter engine will be different.
The next time it enters that alley, it will don the looks of a 1973 RSR with Mexico Blue skin. upgraded suspension and vintage interior, fiberglass pieces will make it lighter and faster than before.

The Bare necessities ....

Finally !!!!   a plain Jane stock paint job....

Or is it???
Even though a new project comes in as a stock, nothing out of the ordinary, there are always a few little surprises waiting for us.

From Santa Barbara to our shop......Let's get busy

First things first,  all panels, trim and glass has to come off;  All rubber  will be replaced

Next:  that mid 80s respray job will have to come off as well.  It would be difficult to guaranty a high end paint job without going all the way to the bare metal

And since we are in luck,  this is a 1979.......galvanized metal........To some it is a great thing, but to painters and body men, it could be a nightmare, all thanks to EPA  that banned the use of some great products that did not meet Los Angeles standards.

After striping the body and found only some waves and door dings,  looks like we are in pretty good shape,  we will apply our direct to metal primer and then our surfacer.   Next will be the prepping and disassemble of it to give it a bath in Grand Prix White.

Rude Awakenings

Time flies.....even if you are not having any fun....

Imagine this, you don't drive your car for a month........and then another month goes by and another;  Next, you find yourself wondering if you can go another month, like trying to kick a bad habit you dare yourself to do it

Soon you discover that months have turned to years and when remember that is going to be a decade, well, now you start to realized that some things are going to need changing and that is going to take money,  will have to wait a little longer.

In all the years that I have wore the grease monkey hat,  I have seen this many times.  it is a work in progress,  I'm in no rush, not enough money, not enough time  and so forth

So here we are, July 2012,  when I hear from my boss, there is a car coming today, it hasn't been started in a while...................License plate has tags of 1991, the gasoline in the tank went back to be crude oil,  the top notch lacquer paint job from the 80's help up pretty good, but it was no match for the galvanized coating of this upgraded 69 ex-long hood.


Time can be cruel to rubber and plastic and after replacing and repairing and refreshing the necessary parts, we were able to check the vitals and presto !!    purrrr like a kitten.   It has been given a lot of love and I think we are in the right track to recovery.

Wish list

When it comes to restoring a Porsche 911

We usually get a big list,  sometimes it is all the matching numbers and sometimes it is all the mods to be made...

In the case of this 1972,  it is going to have some serious mods to take the 3.8 engine with a monster air injection and a 6 speed. 

So, this body will have to be reinforced:
1:  stitch weld the tub.
2:  reinforce the shock tower.
3:  rinforce the jack points.
4:  double the inner rocker panels.
5:  weld in strut braces.
6.  weld in section for power brakes.
7:  remove rear tray and fab custom one.
8:  remove rocker panel and fab stainless steel oil lines.
9:  remove rain gutters for a slick look.

151:  prepare for a tripple black paint.

201:  polish to the highest shine...I want to see myself !!

Looks like we have a lot to do yet, but it is coming.
Once the gaps and lines have been matched, it's all down hill from there.

Stay tune...........

Horror stories

They do happen from time to time

If one researches a shop, or one is recommended to one,  why is this the result ??

A 1974 911 that is in need of some TLC goes to a shop,  a promise of an excellent job is made and price is agreed.   After months and a lot of unhappiness, the result was not what was promised, sad to say but it was just make up.

I know I've had my shares of mistakes throughout my years of grease monkey, but to put 4 different bolts to hold the engine lid.....really, the most basic of things.

The horror of it is that the suspension pan was just tacked, I was surprised that the suspension did not fall off.   As luck would have it, our customer finally found TRE Motorsports and they recommended us to take care of Greenie,  we were supposed to take care of the suspension area and a few small things.

This car is special, it deserves the proper job and my customer said, I want the car the way it was on July 30th of 1974.

Stay tune..........

Body Parts

Since we had this project on go status, many things have changed, from the client, from the contractor and from us

The ride on the frame machine is over and now it's ready for the next one,  so in this amusement park the next big ride is us,  we have to make sure it is of the right height to ride the next one

The line is pretty ling but once it gets there, it will be rotated, rotated and shot,  but with soda, it may need a little heat too.
The body will be slow heated to melt all the undercoating and then blasted with baking soda.

Baking soda is the softest media to strip the body of all impurities without leaving any residue.

But all the ugliness that an old body will be revealed,  and donor parts are being collected, except for the fenders, two brand new ones have made their way from Germany to our location.

Light of day

Angel eyes........

It seems like everybody wants them, and they are available for a number of vehicles, but not for the air cooled Porsche.  For this application,  we have to make them ourselves.

It is my opinion, that angel eyes, only look cool if you have projection headlights.  After a few little experiments,  this is our version, it can still have some variations, as you can see, one headlight is black, the other one is white.  the inside of the light can painted, powder coated, chromed or just as it comes.

So far we have sold two sets, and I will continue to find other ways to work with.

Keep an eye on it.

Your Mission.....

Should you choose to accept it.......

I got an e-mail from the owner of TRE Motorsports that read:  I am sending a job, it's a big one.....

He sent us a 72 911 T.  It looks ok, but in a deep inspection one can see that it has lost some battles, and had not done well against time and the elements,  the scars show that it's had a hard life.

Our mission:  Use all we have learned on previous builds and make this the best conversion we ever built, a triple black 1972 RSR  with a whole list of modifications.  Short of power steering, everything a modern ride has.

But first things first, the front of the tub and the rear end are damaged, in needs to have a ride on the frame machine, once we have it all squared, it needs to get naked.......

A trip to the oven and let the heat slowly strip it of its undercoating and sound deading materials.  and then,  some metal fabrication is in order.                                              We will keep you posted !!

Lightened fast

After enjoying his cab for several years, one of our customers comes by and tells me,  "I don't think my car is not responsive enough, and I've been thinking about one of those light weight flywheels"

There are two schools of thought about that......why aren't I surprised...

This is an all stock engine,it has been maintained regularly and so far only the body have had some injuries, but have only needed cosmetic surgery.

As every cab in Los Angeles, it is enjoyed to the max, it has been driven long and hard.

Now,  it may seem unbelievable that by removing a few pounds from the flywheel we can obtain a great difference on acceleration on a car that is  3000+ pounds, but it is.  On cruising speed the car will maintain speed easily and requires very little throttle input, the road has very little effect on the car's velocity, primary due to the flywheel

Of course, there is the other school.  If it takes very little effort to accelerate, it will also take a great effort to decelerate, in a race situation a driver will request a faster change in engine speed.

Just remember that what's good for the track is often totally wrong for the street.  to get the best of both worlds, get a flywheel that is lighter by a few pounds.

On life support

As it is tradition of a car enthusiast, as soon as a car gets acquired, something needs to be upgraded.  It could be simple as a shift knob, or extreme as a complete body kit.

But at some point,  it will go back to its original shape,  This 73 long hood took a detour and was lost for years a C2 body fiberglass suit, now now it has found its way and it is ready to join the long hood party


CLEAR !!!
beep..beep...beep.......

Now that we have brought back to life, it is time to address the other terminal deceases,  A typical weak spot in a car of this age is the suspension pan, we will cure that area first.

So, after painfully removing all the bad areas, A coat of rust inhibitors will be applied to the hidden areas and then we fit its new parts. 

After welding and sealing all needed was a coat of its original color,  next we will move to the other sensitive area.............The rear tray.