My '72 911T

[gary71]

Guess it was painted in the late ‘80s when this kind of colour was very much out of fashion.

I had it painted in 2004 first time around and it stayed silver as I hadn’t taken the brave pill then!

[gary71]

Another green Porsche in Paris photo to add to the collection.
Making my way to Montmartre I stopped at this red light and had about 30 seconds to grab this before a car came up behind us.

Really like the Metro station sign

[gary71]

About 2 hrs from home after the Paris trip an ominous rumbling started from the engine so I ignored the rapidly escalating noises

Generally the problem is always the last thing you ‘fixed’ so I pulled the alternator out again.

My cheap (and fast delivery!) bearings I put in just before Le Mans had cried enough (well the one near the fan did)

So they lasted a grand total of about 3000 miles rather than the 50 years of the previous set…

I’ve now swapped them for some proper SKF bearings and popped it back together tonight. Luckily all seems good now




So it was time for date night at the local Shell station

[gary71]

I had a little drive out across the Peak District (and back) this afternoon dropping my Daughter back at Uni. Thunderstorms, rain, fog, sun and everything in between! Not exactly ideal early 911 weather but still a good drive





Had to stop outside the station in Buxton as it was green

[gary71]

shouldbworking said:

Amazing photos. That green just jumps out and slaps you right in the chops.

Think that might be my phone camera getting carried away in the last few shots! It’s not that bright

[gary71]

Quite a few years ago I went to Bakewell with my young daughter, still in her child seat... I went back across the Peaks last Sunday to drop her at Uni...

It's been in the family a while this one and quite a few things have changed!

[gary71]

It’s the top of the little disc you remove to get the torsion bars out. And yes you have to take off the sill trims first!

[gary71]

The Porsche is dormant now, mainly because it’s bloody freezing!

Jobs for the winter, which may or may not get done…

1. 1 Get the washer jets working
2. 2 Fix the standard early 911 82mph steering wobble. Going to be a complex step by step problem solving task that one…
3. 3 Get a grip on the oil leaks as they are beyond a joke. My usual mantra of just ignore them only goes so far…
4. 4 Wash it

I’ve got a major house renovation on the go with my Son on his place so weekends are pretty much used up but as next Spring approaches my motivation might go up!

In the meantime have some more Paris

Edited by gary71 on Wednesday 17th May 06:46

[gary71]

I got the DVLA to put the K version in one of their on line auctions, but the way they put the starting price and the fees it would have been £500 minimum, which is double what I hoped.

With no guarantee I could put the plate on the car, as it makes it look ‘newer’ I thought it too much of a punt!

They email me each month to remind me it’s still available though

[gary71]

I got the DVLA to put the K version in one of their on line auctions, but the way they put the starting price and the fees it would have been £500 minimum, which is double what I hoped.

With no guarantee I could put the plate on the car, as it makes it look ‘newer’ I thought it too much of a punt!

They email me each month to remind me it’s still available though

[gary71]

No progress on the winter list, but I did take advantage of the break in the weather (and the lack of salt!) for a little drive.

Was a lovely day for it and after some mild encouragement to cold start I gently warmed the fluids and finally got it singing again.



Had a little splash in a puddle which was a bit more dramatic than I planned with the window open



Might even try and fix some bits at some point, but it runs lovely so don’t want to unfix that!

[gary71]

Oneball said:

How’s the heater, does it still have that sort of enginey smell now you’ve rebuilt it all?

Heater is amazing, but got to be honest I avoid it at all costs as it can get a bit smelly

Heated screen does the demist and dress warm

Maybe once I’ve reduced the oil leaks it won’t be as bad…

[gary71]

JESTER_ST1 said:

An afternoon well spent reading from start to finish.

Have you ever calculated the hours and money you have put into the car at all? Would be interesting even if you didn't share it with the forum. That truly is a labour of love.

Thanks, but no and no

I did used to keep a detailed spreadsheet for a long time covering the previous engine & box builds etc, but it got ditched for this full rebuild as it got deep into I’d rather not know territory…

I’ve got (most of) the receipts but doubt I’ll ever read them again!

To give you a flavour of the big external spend numbers for this rebuild (from memory) the Porsche panels were about £6k, other panels £2k, complex repair/jig work/final panel alignment £6k, paint £11k… plus a myriad of other parts.

Paint and panel work may seem expensive, but it’s been done once, not twice and is gob smackingly good in the flesh. Or at least it was until I washed it badly There are so many horror stories out there of poor workmanship, doors not fitting to freshly painted shells, screens popping out etc, that ‘do it once do it right’ was the mantra. Even if that meant it took about 18 months longer than planned.

My hours for this last build? Got to be over a 1000, probably a long way over.

Edited by gary71 on Wednesday 17th May 06:48

[gary71]

Had to be done, didn't go far but quite amusing

[gary71]

Bit more snow



All gone now though so no excuses not to actually fix some stuff...

The washer jets have never worked since the rebuild, so after a full bug splattered summer of driving later I thought I should probably try and fix them.

15 mins later they were working; by swapping out the shiny new pump I bought for the 50 year old rusty one I'd chucked in a box. Classic 'ain't broke don't try and fix it' moment...

Next up will be oil leaks, but that requries actual effort and maybe taking the engine/box out so motivation is low

Edited by gary71 on Wednesday 17th May 06:49

[gary71]

Apart from getting the car increasingly dirty I’ve done nothing to it

So I went for a little drive, used opposite lock (not deliberately, found a safe parking spot One for the bad parking thread I know.


And I bought it a little green friend

[gary71]

Time for a short update…

Onto the oil leaks…

Doesn’t look too bad here as I wipe it up occasionally…

First job was to get it up in the air and pull the arch liners out so I could get to the oil system. Pulled both sides out to check they work! Pleased to report dry and clean since the rebuild.






From here (some of!) the oil leaks became obvious: the pipe that goes from the dry sump tank to the oil filter is leaking at both ends, it’s done up tight so it’s either the sealing face, the crimp connections or just the hose perishing after 50 years…


It’s the only original hose left so I’m buying a new one just in case!

So once I’d got the oil out (including that slug in the oil cooler)

I pulled all the pipes out and removed the oil filter housing.

I’m also swapping that obscure ‘72 specific part as it leaks from the oil cooler blank and the fitting for that leaky hose is corroded. Lucky to get a good used one

Once Porsche have employed sufficient virgin unicorns to make me a new pipe from fairy dust I should be able to put it all back together. In the meantime I’m going to poke about elsewhere and make sure I’ve done all I can before refilling it.

Probably still leak, but hopefully less!

Edited by gary71 on Wednesday 17th May 06:50

[gary71]

scottos said:

Those arch liners are awesome, I really should make some for my old BMW at some point after seeing those!

Always enjoy seeing updates on this one.

Cheers, I was reading your 2002 thread earlier, great to see an evolving project like that

Arch liners are just cut from flat sheet with a lip seal on the side, nothing fancy, certainly you could make the same for your car.

Without them can you imagine the mud and mess rammed up inside the B pillar and around the oil tank/pipes if they weren’t there!? Makes me so much more confident to actually use the car in (almost!) all weathers without worrying about it. I’ll clean and wipe an oily rag over the exposed areas and inside the arch lips before rebuilding it just to stop any undue build up of nasty stuff.

[gary71]

theadman said:

In many ways this thread is the benchmark for me when it comes to Reader's Cars.

I'm in awe Gary...you tackle major mechanical and bodywork repairs yourself, your posts are interesting and well written, and to top it all you take great photos. Oh, and the subject matter is brilliant too!

Your thread was the inspiration for me to start writing up my time trying to restore a Facel Vega. Unlike you I can claim neither mechanical aptitude nor photographic skills, but the process has been quite cathartic, so thank you!

Having been for a drive in a 1971 911E last week, the Porsche itch will have to be scratched at some stage...but 'sensible me' says the Facel needs finishing first! Sadly, I think 'sensible me' is right on this occasion.

Thanks for the compliment, it’s nice to have a ‘diary’ for the car, the eventual death of the conventional forum due to Faceplant is not going to be a high point in the development of social media!

As for the 911 itch? If you can afford it alongside the Facel then go scratch it. We are a long time dead to put things off.

[gary71]

Thanks for the note John, glad you used your second PH post to make it

John Lindsay said:

You should compile a post with all the previous pictures at the spot in this quote

And I'm sure we can do that: