2.4E 'From Barn to Road'

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:09 am

Just some background on this car:

I bought it through Nick Moss at Early911 last spring as a full restoration project. It's a '72 MY 2.4E, LHD to RHD conversion (saves me doing it

), which Nick had been asked to quote for a full resto. The economics didn't stack up on a commercial basis, hence the car became available.

It was last on the road some five years ago, and was laid up for a time. I believe then the owner wanted to re-commision it, only to find that the body had rusted to the point of needing significant work, and therefore, out of the scope of the people that had been looking after it.

It was clearly used as a trackday car, and is currently fitted with some modern Recaro racing buckets. It's also got a 20,000 mile old Colin Belton tuned engine (rolling road report showing 183 BHP), set of Bilsteins just before it came off of the road. It's also got adjustable spring plates, steel braided brake lines, external (front) oil cooler, hydraulic tensioners and a few other bits. I thought it had a 380mm steering wheel, but measurement has shown it is infact a standard 400mm.

It is thought that the gearbox will need work, but don't know what at this stage.

As for rust, both doors, rear wings, engine lid, front wings, left hand inner and outer sills, probably right hand sills, certainly the left hand jacking point, front panel lip (at least), rear bumper quarters and rear valance are all crunchy in places. And that's before I jack it up and have a good look underneath.

Currently the car has just (this evening) been wheeled into the workshop. Here's the overall (short-term) plan:

a) Get it jacked up.
b) Do pointy hammer test throughout, and see exactly where we are rust-wise.
c) Drop oil and look for for anything odd (drill bits, Tim?

).
d) If that looks O.K. new oil.
e) Fit replacement tank, temporarily if there's any welding to do around that area.
f) Free off MFI pump, rack and linkages (all a bit stiff).
g) See if it still turns over, and whether there's oil pressure with plugs out.
h) See if it runs (

).

With the above info, then two options: put it back in the barn, and ignore it. OR, do any purely MOT welding, and poss re-skin the doors. Very, very quick coat of 2K just to cheer it up for the remainder of the season, clean up the doggy (literally, I think it must have been used as a kennel) interior, fit pair of Bilstein Nurburgring seats, do any MOT work (including fit a different front screen (thanks J.P.), and try for a ticket.

Couple of reminder pics of it at it's secret barn location:

Hopefully have a good prod about later today (tues).

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:11 am

Forgot to say, longer term (depending on plans, but possibly this coming Winter) idea is to take it down to a shell for the 'proper' resto. Current phase is really to get an MOT unless too far off, so that it can be assessed on the road for a while.

hot66 · Post by **hot66** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 8:36 am

great project Barry . I expect to see it parked next to our tents @ Silverstone

Does it still have that reg?

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:24 am

It does at the moment, but is owned by Mr Moss: obviously we can't get it on retention / swapped until I've got an MOT though.

Would certainly rather have the car on a low digit 'K' plate anyway (I think Nick's putting the number on his van, which would look better).

Ian Donkin · Post by **Ian Donkin** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:26 pm

Good luck Barry - MOT by the weekend then

pae · Post by **pae** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:13 pm

That's a huge barn Barry, you can't even see the walls or ceiling from where the cars parked

Phil

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:57 am

. Its even got it's own climate ...

Got the car jacked up yesterday. Bad news bits:

LH front suspension pan:

There were a couple of other bits to the front arches, but not in the classic places down at the bottom. Also both rear wings look a bit dicey, and there's a small area on the passenger floor (by the sill) to do. There's loads and loads of rust scabs on the outer panels, all of which are probably hiding nasty bits.

On the other hand: parcel shelf, floors, rear seat pans, torsion area (inner and outer), RH sill / inner sill / jacking point, rear chassis legs etc etc are all perfect. Doors need re-skinning, and really I should put a front pan and tank support in.

Interior needs a clean (

):

After assessing the rust situation I freed the brakes right off. It looks as though the fronts had been rebuilt shortly before the car came off the road. The rears just needed the pads removing, the slide areas cleaning and copper-easing, and re-assembling. All of the pipes and (braided) hoses are perfect, and the pedal is rock-hard (best I've had yet).

The car has had a new set of Bilsteins all round, again not long before it came off the road, and even the tyres show no signs of problems. As they are probably around seven years old (Goodyears), and the car has been stored mainly undercover (out of the sun), I think I'll give them a careful try. There's no play at all in any of the bushes, so hopefully these will get it on the road.

Next task was to have a look at the engine: I dropped the oil, which was filthy, so didn't inspire confidence. Put a cheap 15/40 in (it'll only stay there for ten miles or so), and removed the plugs. Hooked up a battery (with fuel pump and CDI disconnected) and started cranking in ten second bursts. On the second time, the oil pressure came up to nearly 3/4 bar (yippee), and I gave it another four or five bursts to really get the oil sloshing around.

Next was fuel. As there's no tank in it at the moment, I tried rigging can up with a feed and return. With fuel pump re-connected I gave that a try: fuel everywhere at the back. It looks as though the pipes are all original, and a couple had split. In the end I ran a return right down the outside of the car (just happened I had a whole roll of the right size here, so it was meant to be), plus a couple of small temporary repairs. This seemed better, so wound the engine over again, varying the throttle through its whole range.

Finally put the plugs back in, and cranked it over: nothing

.

Plugged the CDI power back in, and:

Engine caught straight away on all six, with no blue or white smoke at all. I kept the idle around the 1500 mark to really get the oil around, and switched off after three of four minutes to let the accumulated oil burn out of the N/S heat exchanger. Did this a few times, and finally let it run a bit longer.

No leaks, settles to a nice idle: nice way to finish the day.

Turns out the engine has a nice spec:

Re-built around 30K ago. 2.4S barrels and pistons, hydraulic tensioners, uprated oil pump, time-serts with 993 studs, all balanced and plenty of nice details. Rolling road report showing 183 BHP.

So in the light of yesterdays discovery's it's a question of what to do.

a) Whack on some plates, and struggle it through a ticket, don't do the TR International, and poss have it for Silverstone.

b) Do the TR I., order up front pan, LH inner sill, jacking point and reinforcement (patterns) plus genuine outer, and do these areas 'properly', lash up the outer bodywork, and give it a ligtning blowover, but at the cost of not having it at Silverstone.

c) Throw it back in the barn.

Well I think 'c' had gone out of the window, 'a' seems a bit silly, as all of the work will need doing again, so looks like 'b' wins for now.

Next stages: welding, tidy wheels, strip interior, dig out rust on outer panels and see what's what, plus re-pipe the fuel system (I think the solid pipes are O.K. so it's just the flexi's).

BTW, The engine lid prop is half an outer 911 sill: looks quite nice I think ..

Next update soon ...

58A - 71E · Post by **58A - 71E** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:29 am

Good stuff Barry, looks like most of the potential expensive mechanicals should be alright then, looking forward to seeing you attack the rust

p.s. thanks for posting the picture of the engine running, you just inadvertently answered a question for me...!

http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewto ... rear+wiper

Cheers

James

jtparr · Post by **jtparr** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:02 pm

yup

I'd have gone for b too, glad its finally happening

look forward to the instalments

regards
Jp

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:54 pm

I've now ordered up the following: front suspension pan, fuel tank support, inner sill (passenger), jacking point socket and reinforcement and kidney bowl (all pattern, but galvanised) plus a genuine outer sill. Oh yes, and both door skins.

Will fabricate new base for engine lid (as the rest is so good), door frame repairs, front wheel-arch repairs and floor edge (only a little bit, this).

Weather is begininning to look a bit stinky for the TR I. so might get a bonus weekend on this one ....

Ian Donkin · Post by **Ian Donkin** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:46 pm

Nice one Barry - sounds promising for the wedding if not the classic

.

74rsman · Post by **74rsman** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:16 pm

nice purchase.
I had my eye on that for years when it sat at Ninemeister. Did you get the reg with it. I think your front left lamp lense is on my car - i borrowed it for the trip home since I was missing one, You can have it back if you like - thought its cracked and crappy and you'll be wanting new ones.

Hope you get the body in order quick sharp she deserves a new lease of life

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:30 am

Just bought some tonight

. No, the reg will be coming off as it's not come with the car ....

Yes, be good to see it a bit more solid. This whole part is phase one, however, as the plan longer term is to take it down to a shell, back to bare metal and do a 'real' job. This phase is all about an MOT, and a quick tidy up just to last out the season.

silver911 · Post by **silver911** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:10 am

Barry wrote: .... as the plan longer term is to take it down to a shell, back to bare metal and do a 'real' job. This phase is all about an MOT, and a quick tidy up just to last out the season.

Barry.... you know it needs a proper job.. are you going to do it twice?

Which ever route however the engine sounds like a real good one...

74rsman · Post by **74rsman** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:56 am

My 3.2 was in the same state physically.
I ran it on the last of its MOT and enjoyed it even with the gaping holes in the bodywork.
I then tried to do some patch work to get a new MOT and see me through another summer but the MOT station wouldnt let it through.
Apparently they thought the seat belt mounting points were too far some (they ment the kidney bowls).
Its lucky really as if I had a spill in it, it would have just crumbled around me.

I would recommend you get the whole thing done because safety has to come first, yours and others.

Mines at rs911 www.rs911.com - I let Mark do the work because he has a realistic view on the approach and costs.
#
She will be in paint in about 3 weeks. Wahoo.