jonjeffryes

This falls under the never do this label.

Cleaning my 79 Targa, I noticed a bubble in the paintwork at the lower edge of the drivers (RHD) door shut panel.....so I gave it a prod with the blade of a small screwdriver and it went straight through the metal!

To cut a long story short, I've ended up with a dollar sized hole in the bottom of the door shut, behind which was compacted wet mud and grit. Digging this out and finally washing it through took a good hour until the water ran clean (and out the drain).

Question is, do I patch it until the weather improves or do I replace the whole shut panel? The passenger side is fine, so it could jut be a one-off problem...and I thought the SC was better protected against rust.

Any advice would be welcome...I'll post a photo later.

Jon J

79 911 SC Targa Sport

Tim K

Sorry, maybe a silly question, but what is a "shut pannel"?

Tim

jonjeffryes

Hi Tim,

It's also known as the lock post or B post. It's the bit where the lock latch bolts onto and joins the rear fender to the door step. (at least I think that's what you guys across the pond will call it)

Regards

Jon J

Larry Harris

Jon,
I can imagine how you feel, but the car is 35 years old. I would expect rust problems at that age no matter what kind of rust prevention was used.
It would be a good idea to check for more rust and have the entire problem addressed at once.

Lar

Doug&Julie

Even the best of galvanized cars are prone to rust. I've seen a few in my many searches. Targas are the worst because without a full roof, any bit of rust will seriously compromise the structure of the whole car. You probably don't want to hear this, but I would suggest having the whole panel replaced by a qualified body shop, and "while they're in there" have them give a thorough going over to make CERTAIN this is no more rust bubbling up in surprise places. You never know, this thing on you "never to do" list may be serendipitously (?sp) saving your car?

And don't feel bad...I though myself quite the Porsche buying expert when I bought a barely used '84 Turbo look. When it came time to sell it, the next buyer found all kinds of things I didn't even see...including a spot of rust under the rubber "kick plate" in same door jam. I felt like such an idiot... You live and learn!

Good luck.

CN

Post a picture of the damage so we can offer the best advise.

ked

you've discovered one spot of rust, & it appears limited. go over the car w/ a 911 body expert, ask what your options are & his advice. no reason to rush or panic - it took 25 yrs to get this bad.

jonjeffryes

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the advice. The weather was too poor to take a photo yesterday, But I still managed to get under and dirty with a probe and strong light.

The only other areas of rust I can find are around the front of the wings by the headlamps, plus a small hole in the right hand side of the engine support. I've checked the entire underside and removed all the carpets and checked inside.

There is a heavy build up of trapped mud and grit at the front of both front wings which I've scraped and blasted away with a pressure washer.

Now it's dry again, I'm going to go over the entire structure once again to double check. I've put aside £2000GBP for the remedial action....but I suspect we could be into more once the panels are removed!!!

Still, at the end of it, the car should be good for another 10 years at least.

I'll post a photo of the damage later today (GMT time).

regards

Jon J

79 911 SC Targa Sport + rust

bones

You've found rust in all the places 911s get them especially Targas! I live in Enfield if you fancy buzzing round the M25 I could help you look over it with an experienced eye before you take it anywhere I've owned mine for 19 years and I know where to look. It might not be that bad on the other hand I ended up replacing an entire rear wing when I discovered a shut panel rust spot!

jonjeffryes

Hi Bones,

Yes, I think I may take you up on that...looks like I'll have to press the 944 into service until I've sorted out this beast.

Here's photo 1 of the damage

jonjeffryes

....and photo 2

Things may have to wait a while...redundancy looms at the end of the month! we'll have to see how the job search goes before I commit too many funds to the old girl.


atvb

Jon J

Tim K

Like the others have said, while when you address the problem, check the other problem areas. You can always find body shops to do repair work on the cheap, but if you think your prized possession will be around for a little while, get it done right the first time. It'll become more difficult and more expensive repairing the "repair" down the road.
Good luck!

jonjeffryes

Ok Guys,

Here's the outcome. New parts ordered: Shut panels (B Posts) outer step plates, inner sills, Sill closure plates, floor edge repair panels, jacking pointd and jacking point mountings.

Note the plural, that's for booth sides...well if one side is rotten, i reckon the other cannot be very different. The floor repair panels are as a precaution, I might not need them, but there available if I do.

The front wings will have to wait a little longer, but I plan to replace with new, later this year. That's just about everything bar a full repaint in the original Talbot yellow to bring her back to full strength.

All in all, the above will be between £3 - £5k GBP in total. That added to the purchase price takes me to about £13k GBP top for a 54k miles 911 SC Targa in perfect condition. A bargain still, I reckon.

My wifes compact Ford cost more than that !

I'll keep you posted as and when the work progresses...still a small issue of redundancy to overcome first...but i'm getting there.

atvb

Jon J

CN

Better look along the base of the windshield for bubbles, specially in the lower corners. Also look in the recess of the wiper drive axles where the water tends to pool.

jonjeffryes

Hi CN,

Checked there and I seem to be ok at the moment....wait for the next rain shower and things may change again!

Regards

Jon