912 Porsche Project-page 9

Concerning bodywork-it's not really hard-anybody can do it. It's just that very few people have the patience that a really straight body demands. We've all seen those horrible resprays that're laid over a fender or hood so warped that it waves back when you look at it-that's just laziness, plain and simple. Cars that have had bodywork done (either to repair damage or to modify something) can ususally be put into one of several categories-there's the "looks great from across the street at first glance" ones that do just that, but whose myriad flaws and blemishes start showing up when you get any closer, the "10 foot cars" that, you guessed it, look great from 10 feet away or further, but once within that zone, dissapoint you with all of the details that should have been taken care of, but weren't. Then you have the "man, that's a NICE car" ones that wouldn't be out of place in a car show (as long as the judges weren't too fussy about originality), and finally, the "Pebble Beachers"-the cars that are cleaner, straighter, and more pefect that should be humanly possible-they're the ones that everyone stays well back from when viewing, with their hands behind their back, as if afraid a fingerprint smudge would cause the owner to contemplate legal action. I decided to shoot for the "NICE car" category-not much point in restoring a Porsche if it turned out looking like a clapped out Camaro.

Luckily, the bodywork on my car didn't need major surgery like the floorpan did-for some reason, that eternal enemy of all car restorers, RUST, didn't seem to have much of an appetite for the outer sheetmetal, nor does the car exhibit any evdence of a major collison repair, other than the left rear quarter panel having (expertly) been replaced at some time in the past. True, the front fenders don't match-the drivers' side is a '68'-'73 replacement part (with the slightly larger wheel flare), and the headlight trim rings are the '68-and-up large ones, but it seem as if those items were installed more as if a half-hearted attempt to update the car's external appearance rather than restore it to factory original-but then, of course, I may be wrong. In any case, I won't have to weld in patch panels or beat out huge dents before I send the car to the painters. My plan is to clean everything up, strip off all of the old paint, do whatever mild bodywork is needed, re-fit all the panels (taking whatever time is needed to insure all the panel gaps are equal), then let a pro epoxy prime it and lay on the real color, with a couple of clearcoats to protect it. I don't trust my skill (or my old compressor) to be able to spray a flawless coat of paint, but I can save a bundle of money by doing all the dirty work. Stripping, hammer and dolly work, a little filler here and there, LOTS and LOTS of wet sanding to get everything perfectly smooth and straight (I found that if I run a stream of water over the surface of the part I'm working on, any (and I mean ANY) imperfections will show up like a monster zit on a homecoming queen the night of the prom.) I do plan on replacing the original passenger side front fender and the complete rear bumper assembly-the fender I'll be replacing with a match to the already-replaced driver's side, and the rear bumper will be replaced with

a fiberglass one-piece RSR-type

to clean up the looks of the rear of the car and lighten it up some more. Those parts that I'll be replacing are for sale, so if you're interested, contact me at claymcg@netzero.com.