Door Dilemma

[mhackney]

Hi All,

I am just getting started on a rolling resto of my pretty darn good 1970 911S. I have 2 small problem "cosmetic" rust areas but the rest of the car is solid. I'll talk about the 1st area in this post and do another post later this week for the other area.

Basically, the driver's door has a small line of bubble through rust about 4" long close to the back edge. When I removed the interior upholstery, I discovered that there is a small (2.5" by 2.5") rubber block that is positioned on the bottom inside of the door (a window stop).



Here is a Detailed Description of the problem with more photos.

Cheers,
Michael

[Cornpanzer]

Michael,
First off, congrats on your 70S. Its a great car.
Regarding the rust. Unfortunately, that is a tough spot to fix, because it has likely affected the pinch seam where the door skin is wrapped around the inner structure. There is no point in sandblasting the rust IMO since you need to cut it all out anyway. You are catching it early before it gets too bad, but whether a big hole or bunch of small holes, you gottacut it all out.

This can be repaired, but it is not a basic repair. If you are not bodywork savvy, this may be a job left to a specialist. You have a car which is rapidly increasing in value and a good repair will be money well spent.

The best way to repair the door is to remove the skin, repair the inner structure and put a new skin on. Possibly a bit overkill however. You can ust out the affected metal, rebuild the inner structure, and then replace the chunk of skin that was rusted, but its hard to patch a pinch seam and make it look factory.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
David

[mhackney]

Thanks David. I grew up in Enon, OH - not too far from you.

I've had the car for 6 years and focused on the mechanicals. It is very well sorted now so I want to spend some effort on fixing a few areas and getting a first class Glasurit bare metal repaint. I have a friend that knows his way around a welder but a new skin may be a little too much. The pinch seam does appear to have some rust - you can see that on the outside door photo.

I live close to KTR and plan to use them for the repaint. I was going to have them do all the prep work but I wanted to dig in myself to help lower the risk of any surprises in order to get a better estimate. I may just expose the couple of areas and then take it by for a better estimate.

cheers,
Michael

[fryardds]

Hi Michael,

Dave is describing what I am planning to have done to my Targa driver's side door. There was a previous poor repair in this area and there is also rust along the lower edge like your door. I too think a reskin would be a good option for your door.

I wish my door was done so I could show photos but the shop has yet to begin this project. Is your car originally Light Ivory? You will have great car when these issues are corrected.

[mhackney]

Hey Brian, yes, my S is originally Light Ivory over black. Classy combo.

Cheers,
Michael

[fryardds]

Michael,

I sent you a PM.

[WCB4]

Hello Michael Dave and Brian pretty much hit the nail. Not as much work and a little less cash, but you can get a new patch panel for that lower section. And if you do go for a reskin use a OEM skin it fits much better . How ever if you do it as they describe you wont have to worry about it for lets say another 36 years. Have at it and have fun doing it.
Regards Bill B

[gunzel]

Replace the door with a non rusty one?

[mhackney]

Hey thanks guys. Gunzel, the door is so clean otherwise and fits like a glove. Having experienced the "pleasure" of Porsche door fitting, it seems like a repair would give a nicer result. But, I am trying to gather info on all options so replace is on the list:

1) replace door
2) reskin door
3) patch trouble area

Both 2 & 3 would require some rebuilding of the lower door seal you see in the photos next to the drain hole. I would think that reskinning the door would also require a lot of refitting work?

cheers again,
Michael

[super9064]

If it were me, I would find a good used door. Pros, galvanized, increased side impact, cheap to buy. Cons not original, may require some adjustment. Time about the same. I had the lower door skin replaced on my 356, $1000, paint $400. I think its better and may be, cheaper to just replace the door. Finding a good cheap 356 door was not very likely in my case, but for 911s they are very easy to find. If you consult with a good body shop, they will probably tell you the same.