1972 911 oil tank and filler

[gumby1953]

Raj,

The RSR seat is a Recaro type and uses Fire re-tardent material. Its the same stuff used currently in all Recaro seats. You know it looks like modern Headliner material. The seat in the 911 R we are restoring is OG and in perfect shape. You wanns see it? Is that what you asked?

KJ

[a911s]

I have that "Das Porsche 911 Conzept" German brochure too (dated 10/69). I'm pretty sure that's an early non flared 2.3 ST pictured. I've never seen that seat material in another vintage photograph either. Probably Recaros.

[Cliff]

I just did a little research concerning the "Porsche Propaganda" in the Best 911 ever ad (and it might have been if the oil door had something differen't to offer). It seems Dr. Porsche's nose is just a touch bigger in the add that followed the one you see!

So, now that you all have convinced me the 72' is now the Best 911 ever (even tho I think the 73' is)......"Why do you think Porsche went back to the rear mounted tank the very next year??" Can't wait to hear this!"

Lemon Head,
Kevin

Ive heard the tank was put back where it was before due to USA laws for side impact. So, the oel tank was in the wrong place. Someone has mentioned too, that 73 was the first year for side impact door braces? I have a 72 T & my first impression was that the oil door was another fuel tank! Of course I had no idea about dry sump lubrication either at the time.I do know that the tank,oil, lines etc. weigh a bunch in the wrong area!.....Cliff

[Flieger]

I think the center of mass movement should be more like 0,6 inches forward with the '72 oil tank. The movement of the MC due to shifting a part of the total mass should only be a distance equal to the percentage of the mass moved times how far it is moved. Moving 30 pounds of oil forward by 24 inches should move it (30/2400)*24 = 0.3 inches forward.

[edmayo]

Kevin, I'm going to add my vote for the 72 being the preferred model, partly due to the oil tank location being a big part of that car's overall essence of "911" From the mid sixties to the mid eighties I had been a 356 guy. By the mid eighties I had been through the dealership and was now working at an independent Porsche shop. By the way, although we were well aware of the wrong gas door routine, I have never personally ever had to drain gas from an oil tank mistake. Of course by this time we were servicing SC's, and were well into the exploding 2.7's and none of the newer 911's seemed to impress me enough to want one. However even then I did like the older 911's we serviced and of course especially the S's. An opportunity came up to buy a customer's 72 S that I had been maintaining, so I knew the car well, and decided right then that if I was ever to forgo 356's for a 911 it was going to have to be a pure "hot rod" 911. The 72 with its side oil tank, front cooler, MFI, aluminum front calipers, fit the bill as what I perceived was the "last" of the pure 911's, where everything was dedicated to better performance. I struggled to buy that car, but have never regretted it. I still have it, have added another 72S, and recently a 67S to satisfy the SWB urge. It's fun taking customers, who are new to Porsche's, for a quick demo ride in my "old" sled. They always come back in disbelief, can't believe what these old relics can do!!!

[letsrollbabe]

I think the center of mass movement should be more like 0,6 inches forward with the '72 oil tank. The movement of the MC due to shifting a part of the total mass should only be a distance equal to the percentage of the mass moved times how far it is moved. Moving 30 pounds of oil forward by 24 inches should move it (30/2400)*24 = 0.3 inches forward.

I went to one of the 'bibles' of car design..Carroll Smith's Tune To Win just to check on things, and Flieger (Max) is correct. The change in CG is most likely much less than an inch. I made a simplified calculation assuming 20 lbs were moved from a location over the rear wheels to over the front wheels, and the CG moved approx. 0.75 inches forward. The actual CG change would be less because the 20 lb weight is not shifted so much. I guess the article misquoted Dr. Ferry, or it was a simple misplaced decimal point when changing from centimeters to inches. Good catch Max.

[rsr1975]

KJ,
In case you forgot, here are a few shots of your handiwork on my '72. Just one of the many detail areas that you went over the top on. Thanks for every time you and the guys said that's not good enough.

[gumby1953]

Hi Lads,

My OG post was to get a feel from the Gallery about the thoughts of the "Misled" oel tank filler door! And to really find out what you guys thought of a compared value....lets say between a 72 and the 73 911. I didn't invent the damn thing! I thought some you "youngies" might wanna know about what it was like working on our "Beloved" Porsche's in the early days. We could talk about 356's till the cows come home but this is about 911's

Seems that when the tank was moved back to the area of the 72 in the newer models, Porsche remembered the filling problem and made the placement of the filler back in the engine bay!!!!! Wow, good thinking!

I have already said that you guys including my friend and customer Lee Mann, that I have looked over what was a problem 30 something years ago and have come around to think the 72 911 might be a more Special 911 than most.

Good,Bad and still Ugly,
Kevin

PS Lee Man, you should install more of the updated "OIL" stickers on your cap.............I can't be held responsible for anyone who might think that could be somewhere to put fuel in...............you know if there is a hole somewhere, someone will try to fill it!

[_gonbau]

The 'gas in the oil door' has to be an old wive's tale. It's just not possible to put anything in there without removing a dipstick. And you have to open the passenger door to access it.

As I understand it, the tank was moved back to its previous location because of side-impact legislation in the U.S. It's the same reason the 1973 models got the reinforcement bars in the doors.

I don't think it moves the balancing point or center of gravity anything like six full inches. Is there some kind of documentation that suggests that? Especially when the engine is running, there is not very much oil in the tank at all. And weight distribution isn't a big deal when the car is sitting in its parking space.

Still, it's my favorite year of 911.

Sorry for the offtopic but nothing further from reality. My father at a gas station here did it (I do not know how you say it's hard to do) but they did it. The gas station was responsible for the crane and cleaning in the porsche and so my father told me the other day something of a few laps in a circuit that I am not very clear. What I mean by this is that you have to be vigilant. Today people are more consistent with these cars. But in the days when those cars were considered outdated you can see the treatment that qualified employees gave to these ...!

[jond911t]

side impact protection made them move the tank back, AFAIK - they did not give up on the holy grail of a better polar moment of inertia and better center of gravity tho, and were able to move the oil tank there much later on!

but the '72 lost the wonderful type 901/911 transmission's road racing shift pattern

and the engine has lower compression

the solution is obvious - hack up a '70 or '71

or put that power train into a '72 shell

Sadly.... I have one just like this. It's a long story, and a very bad decision on my part... really kicking myself in the nads on a daily basis for the last couple of decades.