Some Rust

[Richardnew]

Here are the belts. I'm not sure of the year of this car though. The belts seem to come up for sale every now and then.



I'm also interested in the sort of hardware used to attach these belts.

Richard Newton

[edmayo]

That's a later car, my 71 doesn't have belt retractors. All attachment hardware for belts is universally a 7/16ths" SAE fine thread bolt.

[Richardnew]

Any chance of posting a picture as to how the bolt/washer/belt end are arranged?

Richard Newton

[edmayo]

I'll come up with something,,,give me a day or two.

[Richardnew]

Not a problem. As I get to this of this job I'm trying to make some decisions. Do I want some seat belts which will never get used - or seen or to do I want Tony to make me some luggage straps. My budget says I can't do both.

Over the years I've developed a basic rule. Prior to doing any job on your Porsche spend some time calculating the cost of the job. Look up the cost of all the parts you'll need and the time to install these parts. Once you've done that double the amount of time and multiply the parts cost by 4. Using this formula I'm right on target.

Richard Newton
Historic Racing Images

[edmayo]

Richard, here is picture of the rear belts in my 71, as you can see these were not retractor type in this era. The main part of the hardware necessary are the 7/16th" SAE fine thread bolts. These bolts are SHOULDERED so that they will still let the belt end pivot even though it is tight. If you were to install something like this it would be best to get the whole assembly used from someplace like EASY.

[Richardnew]

Thanks. I like them. You're right about getting the whole deal at one shot. I'm in no rush on any of this so I'll wait until the right stuff becomes available. I'm heading back down to look at my car on Monday. I think Manfred has started the carpet installation.

Richard Newton

[Richardnew]

We're done with all of the rust issues. It's no time to put the car back together.





At one time I thought I would do this job myself. Actually, if I had used the Perlon carpeting it might have been possible. The real deal though is a major project. 911 Carpeting is not a molded carpeting. It comes flat. The fit is great. Getting it to stick down to the curved panels is where the art comes in.

Richard Newton

[Richardnew]

I got my rear seats from Tony yesterday. Tony did his usual magic. If I didn't know better I would say they contain horse hair. Remember, the trick is to restore things so they don't look as if they've been restored. At least that's the fashion this year.



The seats just about complete this phase of the project. I've gone from a semi-hot rod back to a street car. I can't believe how quiet the car is at this point. Then think about what I've done. I filled all the rust holes between then engine compartment and the passenger area. Then I replaced all the original sound deadener on the floor with something very close to original. Finally I installed real carpeting. No wonder there's a huge difference.

This wasn't a cheap project by any means. Then again I used the best materials and the best people in the business. If you're going to use the same shop that Miles Collier uses don't expect it to be cheap. On the other hand you can expect it to be perfect.

The next item on the list is to rebuild the front control arms. The inner bushings are worn out. I'm going to wait at least 6 months though. I need to catch up on my Visa card.

Richard Newton
Building Porsche 550-01

[Richardnew]

Here's a job that Tony at Autobahn Interiors did for me The tops looked good but I just couldn't deal with all the old horsehair. Tony uses a foam and then covers it with burlap. Even though no one will ever see all of this it's nice to know that it's done properly.





Tony is to interiors what Harvey is to wheels.

Richard Newton
911 Wight Project