1972 911T front cross member / suspension welding

[SpawnyWhippet]

I've just bought a 1972 911T and after inspecting the front cross member more closely and pulling off some underseal, I discovered rust around the suspension bolt points on both sides of the pan. The passenger side is considerably worse than the drivers side, which is a bit soft.
There doesn't seem to be any significant rust anywhere else on the car.

How difficult is this to repair - does it need a whole new subframe, or are there good welders out there who can fix this one? What kind of $ could this run to?

Does anyone recommend a good welder in the SF Bay Area, CA?

Passenger side 1



Passenger side 2



Drivers side



Thanks in advance
Andy

[Flieger]

You need a new pan. There is always more rust than there appears and the only way to fix it safely is cut away until you find solid metal, then weld in a replacement panel. Make sure you get the bolt point reinforcement pieces. They are small and often overlooked as they don't come with the larger panel.

[304065]

Probably $1500 done correctly.

"Correctly" means you take everything to bare metal so you can see the extent of the rust, which as Max says, is more extensive than meets the eye. Then you either use a Celette bench or a factory or factory-style jig to ensure alignment of the new pan. This way the suspension mounts don't bind, there are enough issues with collinearity as it is.

[Jim Breazeale]

Replacing the front suspension pan and the gas tank support is no different than changing oil.
It is a "scheduled maintance" item.
It is just done on a 20 to 40 year interval, depending on the environment it is exposed to.

Regards

Jim
PS: Call me for recommendations on experienced/Qualified/Competent/ethical Bay Area repair people.
510-653-EASY

[Cliff]

http://www.stoddard.com/catalogsearc...=front+pan+jig

[SpawnyWhippet]

Probably $1500 done correctly.

"Correctly" means you take everything to bare metal so you can see the extent of the rust, which as Max says, is more extensive than meets the eye. Then you either use a Celette bench or a factory or factory-style jig to ensure alignment of the new pan. This way the suspension mounts don't bind, there are enough issues with collinearity as it is.

Hi, can you advise who will do it for this price? I have called half a dozen bodyshops and Porsche specialists and the cheapest quote was 'starting around $2500, excluding parts and taxes'.
The highest quote was $4k, from someone who does this particular job frequently on older 911's. One bodyshop said they could weld up the old front pan for about $1000, but I would feel happier about getting the pan replaced rather than repaired.

[StephenAcworth]

I would advise calling Jim as he suggests...

[Flat Six, inc.]

$1500 is cheap.

[SpawnyWhippet]

$1500 is cheap.

Yes, I called Jim, he gave some very useful advice and pointed me in the direction of his preferred guy, Dave. I spoke to Dave who seemed very knowledgeable, but he was on the expensive side. If that's what it costs to get a good job, then I will pay it, but it was close to 3 times the price that people on here have told me it can done for.

[edmayo]

Mine are also on the 'three times more expensive' side of things. Let me tell you about the budget jobs held in with sheet metal screws!