58367 The $75 Junkyard Carrera coupe restoration

[JTR70]

Hi Michael,

For the cooler lines yes. Stock 911 lines are 19mm and the original 4-cam ones where 15mm I believe so the new Carrera kit that can be purchased was too small for my application. At 18mm it won't make a difference and that was after checking with Dean polopolus. The custom line from the tank to the motor will be stock 911 diameter.
Justin

[JTR70]

6/16/15

Parts group back from restoration with Victor Miles.

Just received that small batch back from Cad. and chrome plating and of course Victor came through once again.

Ashtray came out beautiful. Victor was telling me this was the nicest and best preserved T1 unit he had seen and really hated to replate it but it had surface rust on top and I had long ago cleaned it in acid stripping off the remaining cad plate and the chrome off the bezel which was now down to the nickel. So it had to be rechromed.

T-handle came out perfect along with the outer door trim and these dash bezels.

Perfect reflection with no wheeling marks. Edges, corners and contours all preserved. This is why you have to step up and pay for the best. These parts are too valuable now to leave them to some local production chrome shop. I've already been through the anger and heartache of that experience. Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[JTR70]

6/22/15
Prepping all the piddly areas for final sealer.

Major sanding pretty much complete and am now down to all the surface areas that most won't see or even care about.

the unpleasant job of sanding the lower skirt. Requires laying on my side being soaked in sanding sludge.

As you can see I left this final turn a little wavy and choppy. I wanted no excess filler here as it leads a tough life getting dinged up by road debris or an exhaust system. Hard to see this area once its on the ground anyway and not trying to pretend this is a freshly minted body. She's an old girl with a few stretch marks.

Blocking the gutter face and window opening ledges.

Then onto the strikers. Had to really watch myself around that last step next to the skin as not to sand too much changing the door gap or surface profile.
Nothing exciting yet, just a lot grunt work before the big pay-off.
Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[DG58INNM]

Justin,
Just for the record, early 911 (2.0 and 2.2) used 18mm oil lines. In '72 (2.4 and up) they went to 22mm . This is for the engine/tank plumbing. The long lines for the front cooler might be 19mm, I would have to check. But in any case I am certain your very nicely made oil lines will work perfectly.

Hi Michael,

For the cooler lines yes. Stock 911 lines are 19mm and the original 4-cam ones where 15mm I believe so the new Carrera kit that can be purchased was too small for my application. At 18mm it won't make a difference and that was after checking with Dean polopolus. The custom line from the tank to the motor will be stock 911 diameter.
Justin

[JTR70]

Hey David, Thanks for the confirmation on that. You're right the main lines from the tank to the motor are huge and have to be at least 22mm. I'm pretty sure it was Dean who told me that the cooler lines were 19mm. Anyway, its right in the middle there and toward the larger size.

8/9/15
Final body blocking and scuff prep complete. Masking the body for final sealer now.

Began by masking off the cock pit. Double masking that finished dash just in case there's a breach somewhere to the outer barriers.

All body openings masked off.

Retaping all the holes and filing away any excess material as it goes.

I have several solid hours in masking with only the bottom and wheel arches left to skirt. Thanks for stopping by! Justin


Just found a background shot of this car from 1974. Exactly how I remember it growing up; On four flat tires sitting in our yard without a motor in it and the underside completely drooling in Black widow spider webs and spent egg-sacks.

[JTR70]

8/15/15
Ever so slowly masking up the bottom.

Tedious detail masking lying on the floor today but I'd be beside myself if I had an overspray mess on those oil lines.

When Rick finally sprays this car he's got to catch this rolled under lip so I have no choice but to carefully seal off the frame. At least the other side will be less work. Thanks for looking! Justin

[JTR70]

8/29/15
Back masking nearly completed.

Masked the wheel houses in close to give Rick ample room to get his spray gun in there to get the entire wire rolled edge.

Front is sealed and am working my way around back.

A total and complete time consuming PIA but the underside is almost masked off. I figure I have at least 6 hours just to get this far. Had to take it slow over several sessions to keep my sanity.
Thanks for looking! Justin

[JTR70]

I got some work done on my car too this labor day morning David.

9/7/15

Body and doors in final sealer.


After several labor intensive sessions off careful masking I finally had the body completely back taped so the final sealer could be applied.

My buddy Rick, was nice enough to come over and shoot it on for me too.

Had just enough time to tape off the doors so they could be done but ran out of time to get the hood and deck lid in. I'll seal those up later this week.

Sealed! Well, the next time this thing gets painted it will be for the final time. I can hardly believe its so close now. Begin blocking it down (for the last time)this week. Thanks for looking! Justin

[JTR70]

9/9/15
Final blocking of the sealer coat.

guide coat applied in preparation

Doors remounted with latch and seal. Not exactly necessary at this point but I wanted to make the extra effort to ensure that the reflection stays true across the door gaps. I've got way too much time invested here to risk sanding them off the car only to have them change shape on me at the edges. This also allows me to open the gaps back up for paint thickness since I've chosen to cut them to close.

Lid and hood will also be mounted for the final once I get them in sealer.

In the mean time I began with the roof.

A lot careful sanding time spent in and around the gutter and A-pillar shapes. My two basic goals are to carefully level it so I get one more crack at getting this body just a fraction straighter than before and to thin this material out as much as possible without sanding through. Back in it tomorrow. Thanks for looking! Justin

[neilbardsley]

That is coming along very nicely!

[John Pierce]

No kidding that you've got a lot of time invested! It looks great.

Thanks for sharing the process.

JP

[Don C]

Justin,
Nice work as usual! With those gaps that sucker is going to look like it's 1 piece.

[JTR70]

Thanks Neil!

Thank you John, see how much fun you have to look forward to after steelwork.

Thanks again Don! One piece is quite the high standard, I don't think I have the patience anymore to chase that level.
Thanks for all the nice posts you guys!
Justin

9/10/15
Right side final blocking

Roof is officially done now so it was onto the right side of the car this afternoon.

Didn't have the luck I had with the roof and went through along the edges in some spots as it progressed but it will only need a light fog coat before paint.

Pretty much down as far as I can chase it. Still seeing subtle rolls in the reflection at times that I could easily obsess over but I quickly remind myself that its time to let go and move on.

Prepping the hood for final sealer as well...

Again since I've cut the gaps so tight I have to make slight adjustments along the way. I'm carefully filing the underside edge to buy a little more needed clearance as the hood articulates on its hinges. Doesn't need much removed but it does need some.


Working around to the front and rear tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by! Justin

[bbspdstr]

Nice bench you have on which to roll around that shell, BTW. What's all this talk about "gaps"?

Painting outside? "Sealer" getting wet-sanded? In the old days, a sealer was sprayed last.....maybe nibbed if a few specks of dust were thought to be un-buryable.....and then the Dulux silver one-step enamel was all there was to it.

A ford cup was only used if Fjord was being sprayed, otherwise, the drips off the stirring stick were close enough to judge viscosity.

A piss-coat, a piss-break (and a beer)...then a full wet coat. Clean the gun and go home. Don't touch the car for 2 days, minimum.

Depending on generation involved, timing between coats was done with a cigarette and a beer or a joint....and a beer....or two.....or so I've heard....

Geez, the good ol' boys at Porsche baked on a fair amount of enamel primer over bare steel and buzzed that down with a waterbug, bumping flaws as found by Inspector #3, 5 or 6, rolled it to a booth with all it's parts close at hand and just painted it. A few days (or weeks) later, it was being driven 25 clicks on the Autobahn and shipped....wherever.

Now, it's being treated better than ever imagined by the likes of Earl Schibe? What's up with that?

Seriously, impressive work....beyond most long-time pros now, more like I witnessed (and was taught)50-ish years ago. If it was my dad's 356, I'd be doing the same effort...my own A is, ahhhh, a slightly different story. I'm thinking MAACO with a recent Ford or Subaru color that's close to my Stone gray..............and get it back to driving while I'm still able to get in and out. Wait! Maybe I can cut the Coupe's top off and recreate my Speedsters ingress/egress would be better! Know anyone crazy enough to try THAT?!

Back to work.
Bruce

[Jonesy_356]

Bruce, don't be silly...no one would do that!

Seriously, that sequence you describe is how my mate and I did my first paint job on a Beetle maybe 30 years ago. It last just long enough for me to roll the car three times on a country road a few days before my 21st. Oh well...

Justin, thanks for these details, can you share what you are sanding with at this point? Looks like you have a long board or rubber mount with maybe 800 at this stage?

Thanks for sharing,

Jonesy