1968, It was the last year of the Short Wheel Base “SWB” 911 and 912 Porsche cars. It was the year Government emission regulations caused Porsche to use a Smog Pump on the 912 engine which heated things up and eventually burnt valves. Some say the SWB cars were the 901 in its purest form. However you look at it, 1968 was the end of a good thing and the 1969 models were the beginning of something great too.

My purchase of this Bahama Yellow 1968, 912 as always, was an adventure. I found the car located in Orlando, FL. The seller had owned it for nearly two decades. His roots in Porsche ownership went deep as his father also owned several 356′s and 912′s.  The car was pretty much original although had some paintwork and a fender replaced from a well documented  “bump” that occurred in March 1990.

The one red flag that I had was regarding the rust. Anytime I see visible rust-through on a Porsche I walk away. But why not this time you ask? I asked myself the same question. It was charming. It came with boxes of 912 and 356 parts. When the seller drove it, the little 912 ran great. For some reason, this wasn’t so when I got behind the wheel… But more on that later.

Rust in a Porsche is never a good thing. The majority of experienced Porsche owners will tell you to stay away. Replacement panels are expensive, finding an experienced person to fit those panels is even more expensive and very difficult. It’s not like welding a floor pan into a 57 Chevy. There’s no frame on the Porsche so the floor pans, center tunnel, rockers all make up the structural foundation of the car. An improperly installed floor pan can and will have an adverse effect on the makeup of the car. In extreme cases a car that is badly rusted and still being driven can buckle under the stresses of driving.

Maybe it was my Minnesota “Salt Belt” roots that curbed my fear of rust. I may never know, but I struck a deal and bought the 912. I had a friend follow me as I drove the car from Orlando to Jacksonville. The engine bucked and popped as I had a heart to heart with her, “Come on now, stay alive, don’t die on me now… I’ll take good care of ya”. Yeah, that wasn’t helping. My phone finally rings and my buddy asks how much a 912 should smoke. “It shouldn’t” I tell him. Well, maybe just a little on cold start but that’s it and we’ve been driving 2 hours now. Fighting the crazy traffic and Florida heat we finally arrive in Jacksonville with no major problems, that we know of…

My mechanical knowledge of 912′s was fairly limited at this point but I knew a compression test was in store. The engine seemed to get weaker as I drove the car just a few miles the next day and I made the decision to bring it to (insert horror movie music here) A MECHANIC! If you live in Jacksonville, FL and want to find a reliable Aircooled Porsche mechanic where do you go? I’ve yet to have that question answered. But I ended up taking it an Aircooled VW specialist… FIRST MISTAKE. At least I knew he could do a compression test and that he did. Just 2 days into my ownership I get the call that the engine needs at least a top end job. My heart sank.

First lesson: Do a compression test before buying a vintage or just about any car.

I ask the mechanic how much to rebuild the top end (which is an open-ended question). He said it would run $2500-$4500! This is my first Porsche engine building experience so as with many naive Porsche owners I am now disgusted. I am in denial and my wife is going to kill me.

Since I need a top end this brings up the question, Who do I want to do this work? A second opinion is always good so a friend gives me the number of a retired Porsche mechanic. When I told him who had my car he said “get it out of there as fast as possible”. So taking his advice, I get the car and bring it to another shop. At least this “other” shop had several Porsche’s sitting around. No 356′s or 912′s but hey, he’d been doing this a long time…

I left the car at shop #2 and anxiously awaited their call. My phone finally rings and it’s the same diagnosis, at least 2 of the cylinders have low compression. He suggested new pistons, rings, cylinders and checking/repairing the heads.  The quote was for around $3,000. I am now trying to convince myself of the good deed I’m doing by keeping this 912 on the road. Remember the rust? Yeah, I remember it too. And it’s the first thing I’m going to see when I go to pick up my 912 with a “Fresh top end”!

So the motor is done. I pick up the car and make my way across Jacksonville, listening to the sound of a pinging getting louder, and louder, and LOUDER and I’m finally in my driveway. Now I’m out a total of over $8,500.00 with the purchase of the car and the engine work and I’ve got a horrible sound coming from the engine. I call the shop that did the work and the owner says get the car in your garage and pull off the valve covers and see if anything looks suspicious.

The right side valve covers off, there’s a nut and washer laying inside. Keeping the profanity at a minimum I try to smile and call it a simple mistake but I would like nothing better than to walk into that mechanics shop and give him a piece of my mind. I clearly see where the nut goes on the rocker assembly. I find out the torque specs via the 912bbs.org website, properly torque the nut and viola, my valve train clatter has miraculously disappeared! But the rust hasn’t!

So how bad is the rust? Well, the car felt solid… Really solid. With an awl, you can poke around the floor pans and see that it won’t go through. For some reason though, the outer rockers have it the worst and these are visible to everyone who gets close to the car. It’s a driver, who cares? Well, Once you were in the car driving you certainly didn’t care because it was now running and driving wonderfully. It was the perfect beach cruiser and with the Amco roof rack I found, it was my surf rig.

There are a handful of guys I personally know in the US who have no problem buying a rusted out Porsche. They are experienced and have access to the people and tools to repair and do the job right. One thing is true, because of the general consensus to walk away from a rusty Porsche. You can definitely find good deals on a car with rust. But for a guy like me who at the time was unable to weld floor pans and rockers, how much rust is too much?

Common Rust Issues and Areas

Floor Pan:

The most important factor is that the major structural points do not have rust through. Jack points, Floor pans, Front Pan, Rear Torsion area and areas where suspension components are mounted. In addition the headlight bezels, Rear seat area (from leaking window seals) and the seal around the windshield as well can leak and cause rust.

You can see here the front pan had slight surface rust.

The door Jambs are an important area down in the corners. If rust has made its mark here there is usually much more beneath.

The front spare tire well is a common spot for rust

By inspecting the rear torsion plate area closely you might get an idea of what lurks inside. This is a vital and expensive area for rust.

The final say… Overall I was of course unhappy about the surprises that had come up with my 912. However, this car served me well and made a great daily driver. Some frowned upon the rust and others loved how original and honest the car was. The car brought me great pleasure and is now restored and serving a happy new owner.

Tags | 901, 902, 911, 912, DIY, early, Floor Pans, Inspection, Porsche, Repair, Rust