Torsion Bar Tube Collapse

[Bob Stia]

Hey All,

Yesterday the tail end of our '68 911 hit the floor. the center section of the tube is torn, rusty, twisted and shifted up and forward.

The part is NLA, even in Germany. If anyone has one "lying around", we'd love to hear from you.

We have located two wrecks with the tube intact. First is a '70 911S, which should be close to original, but may be in as bad a condition as the one which just collapsed. The second is a '79 911SC, which we are told will replace the original without any problem. The advantages to the later model tube are that it is galvanized, reinforced and thicker steel.

We have two recommendations for replacement method. First is to cut the tube between the two outside structural members, leaving the ends of the tube, structural members and mounting nuts intact, and welding the perimeter of the replacement to the old tube ends. The second method is to cut out the "bottom corner" of the structural members, including mounting nuts and tube ends. The second method would probably be more obvious and might devalue the car more.

Information from anyone who has been through this nightmare would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob Stia and Brett Stia