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We’re into the final third of our 2018 build review and winding down with a look at some current projects. Part 10 is a look at a restoration on a Conda Green 1970 Porsche 911E with a 2.2S engine from the same year.
12 Builds of Christmas 10: 1970 Porsche 911E restoration
Owned by a longstanding Tuthill Porsche customer for over twenty years, this car is an apparently original example that hides a life well lived under its Conda Green skin. The 911E is one of our favourite model types and the 2.2S engine is a bit of a gem, but the ravages of rust had a substantial grip on the body shell of this particular example. It needed sizeable investment in the bodywork to save it, so a tight budget was agreed and the restoration got started.
This project began in the bodyshop, where the exterior was stripped, removing all the detachable panels, doors, sunroof, trim and glass. The interior was removed and the car was put on a lift, where the mechanical parts were removed, including the suspension, brakes, engine and transmission and fuel and oil tanks. When all that remained was a shell with a wiring loom and a few items of trim, it was put on a rotating spit and rolled into the metalwork/fabrication shop for the work to begin.
“Everything in the bottom two inches” is how fabricators answer the question of what was worst affected by rust. One of the things we see regularly on old 911s that have been patch repaired several times is a patch repair over a rusty panel, that is then re-patched several times in succession: often up to five patches deep.
This E was not quite that bad, but there were several sections that were just hanging on by the patches. Taking the patches off revealed the full extent of corrosion. Chris carefully worked through the chassis, welding in repair sections and changing entire panels where that approach was more cost effective.
New panels included front wings, battery boxes, quarter panels, sill and A-post sections. The full metalwork repair process took several weeks, but eventually the car was returned to the bodyshop for a repaint in its original colour.
The final photos show the project at the end of 2018: now repainted and looking resplendent in its new coat. The underside has yet to receive the final stonechip and some touchups when the car comes off the spit, but, combine that protection with underseal and cavity wax to finish, and the E will have the upper hand in the fight against corrosion for many years to come. The next stage of reassembly will take place in the main workshop during January 2019: we will share photos of the end result.
