would you part it or save it?

[Sean F]

sorry for the cross post, but don't want to type the Pelican post over again and looking for input from the early crowd. Headline - I bought a 71t that turns out to be a rust bucket. PO, covered over tons of rust with bondo and paint. Not sure if I should try and save it or part it. Would need to replace just about every panel.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...ld-you-do.html

thanks for your help

[72targa]

What's your skill level when it comes to welding/body work?
What's your budget?
What's your desire level to keep this particular car?
How soon do you want to drive it?

Looks like a fun project...

[Macroni]

The car is going to be a major undertaking $$$$$. I'd budget $20,000. for body repairs and paint. I did a similiar project but the car was an S so it had a bit more upside. You would end up w/ a $30,000 T.

[Kjell]

No Doubt in my mind, part that puppy. There are plenty of solid cars out there,
get one of those. Oh, and be sure to get a PPI first.........

[orange911]

Not throwing stones, but wasn't this car sold by DC Automotive?

[Sean F]

Not a DC Automotive car. Bought locally/had been flipped.

Longish story, but bought from a guy who I know who bought from a guy....

When I got it the front pan had just been replaced. It's hard to describe how much filler and paint was used to cover up these areas. Guess I should have used the magnet trick.

Anyway, I would do all the work myself. I'm fairly handy (do a fair amount on my race car) but would need to learn to weld. Would go at my own pace doing a panel at a time. Wouldn't go the rotisserie route. I guess my main concern would be finding tub damage along the way. Does this sound like a bad idea?

Not sure how well I'd do parting it out anyway. Sheet metal investment won't be crazy if I can do patches. Not looking to build a concours T either. Mechanicals are good (did a leakdown prior to purchase) and recently did a full suspension upgrade.

[Will 1967]

It all depends how much you can do yourself. But somehow I think there is worse to come when you get it totally stripped...
If you can do yourself (welding, paint etc) then most 911's are worth saving. If you can't, then part it. Actual sheetmetal won't cost you much. (IMO worthless to ask as there are people who pay for doing everything and they will give astronomical figures and then DIY guys will give 10 times lower estimates but with huge number of hours spend)
I'm doing car from much worse example and really like doing it, but I do have Celette jig etc. (IMO building is almost more enjoyable than driving...)

[Paul Schooley]

Compared to the 72T I have that's 3/4 of the way back to mother nature, I'd say it's definately worth saving. You have all the hard to find (spelled $$$) pieces intact. Get a good quality mig welder and employ as much help from here as you can find. Oh, and btw, if you want a 72T shell to practice on, come get it.

[Mudi]

My totally irrational vote is to Save it.

[sithot]

Save a rare Porsche. Any "A" or early Speedster would do. If well heeled then a 550 or ex-race car.

911s are easy enough to find and one in this condition is a dime a dozen. I'm truly sorry that this one caught you off-guard but you will be upside down by a lot more than you will initially calculate. Why? Because we all tend to be optimists when it comes to our cars. Not seeing the forest for the trees will get you in more trouble than you can imagine. I will guarantee that.

Consider this: You cannot recover 100% of your time, labor and
materials. If you are paying somebody it's much worse.

If you "want" to do a restoration, do it on something like the aforementioned cars or step up and buy a 911 that someone has already learned their lessson on. It will be a much better return on your money and a happier experience.

Good luck,

Tom