SWB Front suspension mount measurements

[MTemp]

I am now ready to fit the Front suspension pan, reinforcement plates, tank support, front latch panel etc etc to my 66 SWB restoration. For those who have seen the photos in the DDK Restoration section, you will know there was not much left of the front supports so I was unable to take any reference measurements.

My base plan is to rebuild the front suspension (control arms and crossmember only) and bolt the crossmember to the untouched rearmost mounts, and then use the front mounts to place the suspension pan. However I don't have all the bushes etc to do this yet and in order to progress I'd like some assistance on measurements if possible.

Trial fitting all the panels with self-tappers results in a pretty good alignment with the old panels and fit with each other (apart from the tank support to side reinforcement which will need some fettling but not in such a way as to affect the suspension geometry - they are both Porsche panels so I assume this is normal) and gives me 783mm from the centre of the rearmost mount for the crossmember to the centre of the front bolt on the front plate, and 503mm from frontmost crossmember mount to the outer of the rear bolts on the front plate - and the same on both sides! And the fuel tank fits snugly in the hole!!

Does anyone either know of any Porsche documentation that would confirm these measurements are acceptable, or have SWB in a position where they can measure them?

Thanks
Mick

[304065]

Mick, there are pages on this in the FWM (factory workshop manual.) Unfortunately the print is so small that you need to be working from an actual original paper copy to figure them out. But this is the page you need I think.

[Rotmilky]

I took some hi res photos of my factory workshop manual. You can read the dimensions from those photos. The image size is something like 4000x3000 pixels, so I'm not sure how well the linking image in will work. In any event, these came from Vol II, pages B89 and B95,¹ . If this doesn't work, you might send me a PM and I'll try to email you the original photos.

¹Workshop manual 911, DR. ING. h.c.F. Porsche KG, Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen (1965),

Edit: Bah, can't seem to get the images to link into here. Must be too big. Here should be direct HTML links. Be sure to open up the images, the size shown on the page doesn't indicate the level of detail.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

[buddeman]

Have attached a few scans as well from factory workshop manual...

[MTemp]

Many many thanks to all who responded. To Rotmilky I managed to download the photos and they are very easy to zoom in on and see the detail. I can see I will have to get my hands on one of these Workshop manuals!

I think from the drawings my measurement of 503mm should be 497.3 ±1mm so I am about 5mm out at the moment. I have yet to cut the suspension pan at the rear edges where it meets the rear half of the tank surround so this dimension should reduce as it moves up into place, so hopefully it will get within tolerance. At least I know now what I need to achieve.

Again my thanks for such a speedy and comprehensive response.
Mick

[edmayo]

Don't overlook the reinforcement doublers that weld in the front pan for the forward mounting of the control arms. Without those you could rip out the mounting points.

[MTemp]

Got those - received that warning from DDK as soon as I mentioned front suspension pan replacement - but thanks as I'd rather receive 10 reminders BEFORE installation than one 'Now you did remember to fit ......xxx' after I've finished something.

Mick

[68911+1]

Be sure to fit the gas tank in order to correctly position the tank support.

[Alan.uk]

Hi Mick,

If you are coming down to the workshop I have all the factory manuals there you can review. Here is the correct tool for the job, unless using the full jig.
P363a


HTH

Alan