After searching for several months for that perfect backdate project car, we came across a 1975 Carrera that had been converted to a Slantnose by a SoCal dealership in the late 80’s. Being a California car, this chassis was rust free and a great starting point for what was to come. In addition to the rust free chassis the car also had the entire drivetrain from a 79 930. After a few more questions we learned the car had been serviced by our friends at Poudre Sports Cars in Denver, Colorado. A phone call yielded the details; the engine had been built two years prior and the parts list included JE pistons, LN cylinders, ARP head studs, topped with a K27 Turbo. Between the chassis and engine build we settled on this car as being the perfect candidate for our project and had the car dropped back off at Poudre Sports Cars so that it could be shipped over to us in Vermont.
Upon arrival at the Rennline shop, we spent some time sorting a few small issues and putting some miles on the engine to ensure everything was running correctly and up to snuff. Thanks to Poudre’s top notch work, this was a short process and within no time the car was shedding its sheet metal in preparation for a complete restoration. A full array of early body panels were sourced and the slantnose parts were removed in preparation for the long hood conversion.
We are never ones to miss the opportunity to develop fresh parts for the Rennline catalog, and this project was the perfect chance to so some applied product development. First up was an RSR Style Strut brace which features dimple-died strut tower reinforcements to all but eliminate flex between the strut towers and caused by the forces transferred though the shocks themselves to the top mounts. Next up we jigged the new long hood on one of our water jets and wrote a CNC program to cut a hole for our new Center Hood Gas Filler. This piece is machined from billet aluminum right here in Vermont and is the perfect compliment to this or any 911 project.
With the extensive amount of body work needed for the backdate, we employed a hydraulic rotisserie that was custom built by one of our close friends with assistance from our CNC tooling centers. As anyone who has restored a car can tell you, removing factory undercoating is one of the worst tasks. This was made worlds easier with the rotisserie, and we tapped our catalog for some of Wurth’s OEM quality SKS Stoneguard to coat the entire under body. This included the engine bay and entire floor which was body-matched after the Wurth products were applied.
Next up was the rolling gear- the suspension was all in decent shape, but a combination of old rubber and the fact that we can never leave well enough alone meant that a complete overhaul was in store. The entire suspension and steering systems were stripped down bare nuts and bolts status, and every last nut, washer and bracket were media blasted and sent for OEM equilivant yellow Zinc plating. Since Aluminum can’t be zinc plated, and those parts weren’t coated from the factory anyway they were media blasted and clear coated both to maintain the clean look of the raw aluminum and to make cleaning easier in the future.
With all the suspension looking brand new, we threw the book at it: Rennline HD parts everywhere, including de-cambered ball joints for increased camber, strut mounts, trailing arm bushings, spring plate bushings, and control arm bushings to name a few. With their rubber construction and higher than factory durometer composition these parts are perfect for significantly increasing the handling capabilities of these old cars without drawbacks associated with typical aftermarket bushings.
Below are a few pictures of #Project50ShadesOfGrey as it began to take shape outside of the Rennline factory. After years of working on such a big project it’s nice to finally see things coming together. We can’t wait to see how the final build turns out! Follow us @Rennline on Instagram to see updates of the car as the build comes to an end.
It’s now February of 2018 and #Project50ShadesOfGrey is finally done and we are so excited to share the final photos with you guys. What better time to release the build than right after the release of the newest 50 Shades of Grey movie. If you have any questions about the build, or the Rennline products used in the build, send us an email at orders@rennline.com. Cheers!