924Board.org

[physicstim]

Hello Members of the Board,

I bought a 931... sight unseen... and well... it's in rough shape.
It runs but the head gasket is blown (compression and leak down test confirm).
The battery tray rusted through the fender, PO drove this way for a while, resulting in the passenger floor rusting to hell. Some of the rust was so bad I was able to rip the passenger seat out of the car with my own two hands!

I'm trying to plan my path forward. Do I repair the rust and head gasket? To repair the rust to I fab sheet metal or find donor panels?
I'm not afraid of the engine work. I'm actually excited to do it. The floors are what have me concerned.

Advice is welcome, and pictures are coming.

thanks,
Tim

[Fasteddie313]

How is the hood, front badge panel with nose vents, rear hatch with spoiler, and the lower front valance? Those are your 931 parts..

I ask because in your case you may be better off finding a donor shell and transferring your parts..

I have done some rust repair myself http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=39915&highlight= but yours sounds quite extensive and may be a better candidate to swap to another chassis. Most are quite rust free due to very good factory galvanization except for battery leak acid damage and by the sound of it you car likely saw a cracked battery due to freezing or something to get that bad..

I don't know, lets see pics first.. That is just my first thought by the way you describe it..
_________________
80 Turbo - Slightly Modified

[Rasta Monsta]

Sounds like a parts car to me.
_________________
Toofah King Bad

• WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

[physicstim]

My 931 hood up and on stands
https://goo.gl/photos/nfBcEpSv4EDptBkz5
Front floor board in passenger seat
https://goo.gl/photos/RPa5BtWBrHEmm8zZA
inside front passenger wheel well
https://goo.gl/photos/nouWN4TbbnpVietBA

[physicstim]

FastEddie and RostaMonsta thanks for your responses... You may not be able to tell from the photos but the body is very straight the floor on the passenger side is pretty bad... I haven't figured out how bad, rust is red, the paint is red, I haven't started sanding away just yet.

[jason c]

Its a parts car.
Fixing the engine....ok. Fixing the floor.....ok. Fixing the battery area.....ok. Needing to fix all three make it a parts car.

I have done all of these repairs before.....many times.
Do you have all the tools it will take to do the repairs & a place to do it?

You are much better off finding a solid car, there are plenty of them out there....cheap.

[ideola]

Uggh. I hate rust repairs. Sad to say, it will be cheaper to find another car and making one good one out of two.

On the other hand, this would make yet another EPIC restoration story. If you have the time and wherewithal to do it yourself, go for it!
_________________
erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Han Solo]

It must have had a battery fluid leak to do that kind of damage to the galvanized metal. I've seen much, much worse on 914s and there is plenty of guys piecing those back together. I haven't done a lot of welding to the galvanized sheet metal but it certainly can be done. You're going to have to decide if the value of having a 931 with matching serial numbers is worth the time and effort to make those repairs. Looking at the floor pan, are there rust areas all the way through? If not, you may be able to strip, treat with marine clean and metal prep, then coat with POR 15. That's an epoxy enamel that will seal the metal and prevent further corrosion. I've got a 914 race car that I basically did that to every metal surface I could get to.
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-----HAIRY ANT NEST RACING-----
Collecting, racing and restoring Porsches for fun and negative cash flow.
-----Epic 914 race car build----- http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-914-914-6-technical-forum/767721-yet-another-rescue-porsche.html

[physicstim]

I'm going through with an ~epic-ish restore/repair.
I purchased a parts 931, that is not rusty! (though the exterior is... eeek!)
I have exposed all the rust I could find and will treat as per thread suggestions. I love to weld, but haven't done sheet metal before.
I'm in the process of pulling the head, I have the exhaust disconnected at the turbo and waste-gate.
Do I remove the fuel distributer thing to get at the timing belt? I'm stuck trying to get the t-belt shroud off...

[Knz]

[Han Solo]

[fiat22turbo]

[physicstim]

I needed to remove the water pump pulley to get the shroud off.
Any tips for the intake manifold? I need to replace all the vacuum lines, they have hardened and are brittle. Should I take the whole intake out as one piece or just disconnect and let is sit in the engine compartment while I unbolt the head?
Also, Does the distributor need to be removed prior to removing the head or can it stay in place?

Thanks,
Tim

[physicstim]

Okay, Head is off! it looks like it's been repaired or replaced because the 1st piston definitely ran into a valve at some point in it's life.
I'll share pictures.
Also, my parts car has arrived!