1976 RHD 911 restoration thread

After reading so many restoration threads, it is time to start my own!

I bought my first Porsche August last year. This is how it looked on the ad:



I was tempted by the low recorded mileage, near 61k, and the fact that it was a narrow body. A check on the registration showed no accidents, nine previous owners and a colour change in the eighties. Which is fine because I am not a big fan of Guards Red anyway...

The car was located in Wales, so I called up a local specialist (Mark of RS911) to help me with a PPI. Set up an appointment, and learnt some more. A Prsche club member (hello if you are reading this!), he also has a 944 and a VW Beetle. Kept in an integral garage in a nice farmhouse in Wales, the car was SORN but started up right away. So I proceeded to examine my first proper money pit:

1)The colour change did not affect the engine bay, that had just been coated in Waxoyl. The paint code tag confirmed the original colour was Ice Green Metallic - fine by me!


2)The current owner had kept the car for nine years. Lots of bills from specialists like Autofarm and Tuthills. It has had a new clutch a couple of years ago (before a trip to Le Mans) and not used much since. Not a drop of oil on the garage floor, it seems this engine will only need a cleanup and a service.


3)I had some reservations about the speedometer having a double scale MPH/kmh, but the MOTs (all but the first three years) suggest that the mileage must be correct.


I left for a pub lunch with my "inspector" during which he confirmed rot under the headlights, under the nearside door and its rocker panel. Apart from that, very solid car. I asked him for an estimate about how much it would cost me to mend all this properly, subtracted this amount from the market value of a 911 in good nick from that year and went back to the owner, armed with knowledge and determination to only buy at the right price. Which was considerably less than the price advertised...

The car was on later 6x16 Fuchs. The owner still had the original 6x15 cookie cutters as well, but these were left behind during the negotiations. No owners' manual. Almost complete toolkit, no compressor. I examined the documents again, the last two owners seem to have regularly replaced lots of little parts, so (apart from the body) the car has been looked after. And it passed every single MOT without advisories.
My offer was finally accepted, and arranged to pick it up the following week...



It made sense for the car to remain SORN until it was ready, and as it was still on a valid MOT it was driven on test plates to the bodyshop to begin the works. The plan was to have it ready for my birthday two months later.

Here we can see the last time the (replica) carrera tea tray was going to be used. It did not latch properly, was distorted and the owner did give me the original metal engine lid anyway. Chartreuse is more than just an early 70s Porsche colour... it was used to ink the deal for the body repairs :)


I did in fact consider, as we were going to remove all red paint, to have the whole car resprayed in Chartreuse instead, and I started playing with Photoshop

So many interesting shades of green to consider...

...and I was confused by the fact that Ice Green looks a lot more like blue in photographs


During the disassembly, the original colour started showing up and loved it more than any picture I had found on (endless) hours on the internet. Therefore, I decided not to mess with history and bring it back to 266 Ice Green Metallic.


I have decided that I will have non-correct new black headliner and carpets, but hey it's my car. Have not quite decided whether I will keep the front plastic spoiler. Have decided I MUST have foglights...

Anyway, without further ado here is the naked truth!



Red paint being stripped off, and properly replaced with etch primer.
Note the original Ice Green Metallic on the inner rear wheelarches.


Only surprise was an old rust repair which must be leaded in...


...and another one that will require more drastic measures :cry:
This panel had been beaten out, then (badly) welded and filled. Expensive to replace - but I went so far now, that I just can't stand the thought of five mill deep filler. Good news is, we had accounted for new sills but these proved to be very solid and won't need replacing. So - not an entire loss at least. A-pillar and rear wheelarch it is then!


Brand new front wings, just laid on the car to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Great story and photos. Can I assume by the lack of further photos that it did not take the estimated two months to complete ?

Look forard to more photos

Time for a little update...

I have been working steadily on safety belts, sunroof guides and interior bits but forgot to take before/after pictures... I remembered only when I put the tail lights back together, ready to be connected to new OEM harness


Compressor (albeit for a slightly later 911) and period "new old stock" fog lights delivered this morning by the postman


Three hours of road congestion (I hate fridays on the road) and I made it to the bodyshop in Wales for the first time this year. The excuse? This has finally arrived, after five loooong months of wait


So - the car is finally ready to be reassembled together. Sourced a good front lid to replace the bodyfiller horror it had on... will be stripped and repainted.
One week from now, it will all be in primer ready for its exterior paint

Wow, cool the attension to detail really makes a big difference.

an other one saved good look on the rebuild

First blow of primer over the newly fitted quarter panel. Looks like a car again! :D

JALous envious lovely

Brand new cables for the tail light units


New rear lenses, new headlight chrome surrounds


A bit of bling is always nice!

I have been neglecting this thread so long that it had disappeared...
We're finally at the final stages of the build.

The impact bumpers being reassembled, all new screws and bolts



The rear arches have been stripped, stonechip-proofed and repainted.
All oil lines and tank have been repainted in black, while the engine will get a good clean later on during service.





Wiring for the fog lights in place


Frog face all back together again! :)


Meanwhile, after one year the front seats are bolted back in.


Rear window installed and all inner rear trim cleaned and refitted.

That colour is so good. So right for the shape. But I never was happy with the bumpers. US regs I think. similar to the fate of the MGB.

Me................I no like red..........