Changes/Upgrades to consider in bare metal?

[mwg968]

My 69T is on a rotisserie in bare metal. The intention is to build something like a 69 Marathon De La Route GTS's. Essentially going as lightweight as possible while still retaining a relatively original body and throwing as much aluminum at it as my wallet can bear.

I've read about some people chopping the battery boxes to mount front oil coolers. I know shock tower reinforcements are done to many cars. Are there any other things that improve the drivability to such an extent that the improvement warrants straying from original? Any knowledge regarding metal modifications that were done to Werks cars etc.

Id like to get as much of this done before the paint and schutz is applied as I really never want to scrape schutz off this car again!

[ibmiked]

I always thought it would be cool to seam weld a car that was in metal if cost was not a factor.

[Longballa]

Seam welding can do more harm than good. Porsche unibodies are already very strong/stiff. Seam welding can remove factory primer in places you can't get too. Rear strut tower reinforcement is good if running coil overs but will do nothing for a torsion body car. Front strut bar reinforcement is a great upgrade. Removing a battery box for a front cooler is of course a great upgrade. Aluminum is light but also will dent very easy so be ready for that.

[rgupta250]

I was in the same position as you and did the following mods while my 71T was bare metal:

- front torsion bar reinforcement plates
- rear torsion bar reinforcement plates
- install/weld rear sway bar mounts
- rear parcel shelf belt harness mounts
- weld brackets for external oil cooler lines holder to receive screws instead of screwing directly into chassis sheet metal

Best,
Ravi

[RickWhite]

I was in the same position as you and did the following mods while my 71T was bare metal:

- front torsion bar reinforcement plates
- rear torsion bar reinforcement plates
- install/weld rear sway bar mounts
- rear parcel shelf belt harness mounts
- weld brackets to receive bolts instead of sheet metal for external oil cooler lines holders

Best,
Ravi

Agreed
+ dead pedal
+ roll bar mounts
+ RS tunnel reinforcement (no idea if it really makes a difference, though I’ve been told repeatedly the front strut brace matters not; the rears are there for coil overs, though not certain if the ‘69 shock tubes can accommodate coil overs?)

Also depends on what you are doing with your fuel pump and engine oil cooler (the later cars are different to the early cars).

[mwg968]

Big thank you to everyone who contributed all this extremely useful info! Really appreciate it.

[xpensivewino]

One thing my painter/body man did when my car was in bare metal was to introduce some weep holes in places the factory never did to aid in moisture dissipation. We all know now where early 911’s rust, so it’s easy to correct now. Hind sight as they say is 20/20. Not really a performance modification, but a longevity one.

[Longballa]

Dead pedal for sure and brackets for external oil lines as T's didn't come with those and yes rear sway bar mounts of course. Your 69 should already have the parcel shelf seat belt mounts in it from the factory. They stopped installing those in 70.

[jmz]

Weld up antanae hole unless of course you need an antannae.