Rennline Shop Projects

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 the car 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 the entire under body. This included the engine bay and entire floor which was body-matched after the Wurth products were applied.

Next we removed the suspension, and refurbished everything from the trailing arms to the nuts and bolts. The aluminum parts got media blasted and clear coated, the hardware got stripped and re zinc plated. We installed the full line of Rennline HD bushings from Decambered Ball Joints to HD Spring Plate Bushings front and rear.

A brief glimpse of a rusting shell in the woods on a back road. The gleam of a forgotten headlight through a barn door. Local lore of a long lost duck tail buried deep in a pile of rubbish. But time marches on, and the term ‘barn find’ has itself become antiquated. Many of today’s treasures have been lost to garages, storage units and warehouses, but are no easier to discover.

Regardless of location, as the classic 911 continues to rise in value, these stories have become fewer and further between. Our tale begins two years ago when Rennline boss-man Paul was looking for something suitable for family and dog hauling that could rip through the brutal Vermont winters. Being a Porsche man, the Cayenne was an obvious choice, and thus the search began. Thanks to the internet, Paul quickly located a lightly used 2013 Cayenne S belonging to a gentleman who had decided that the “Porsche guy life” wasn’t for him. A deal was struck, plane tickets purchased, and soon Paul was in Virginia exchanging handshakes and keys.

Always the opportunist, Paul made sure to ask the seller if he knew anyone else that might be liquidating their Porsche lifestyle and assets. “My Dad has a late 80’s, early 90’s Porsche he has had forever, but he has a bit of a death grip on it,” was his response “if that ever changes I will let you know.” Happy with the deal, they shook hands and parted ways. It would be another two years before this story got really good.
An unexpected email reopened the case of the “death grip Porsche,” with the son informing Paul that his father’s hold was starting to slacken. Details were lacking at best; the son knew it was red and that it was a Porsche. It had been daily driven for some time, but was parked and let sit 12 years prior when it had needed brake work. Paul asked for pictures, but the car was hundreds of miles from his point of contact, so several weeks of waiting ensued. Finally another email arrived bearing attachments. Expectations were low after reading the text: “Sorry for the REALLY bad cell phone photos, hopefully they will be good enough for now.” Still hoping for a ratty 911, but expecting a beat 944 or 928 he began opening attachments. What he saw blew him away- a 964 Turbo in Guards Red. Arguably one of the most desirable cars ever to come out of Stuttgart. Within hours Paul had plane tickets in hand, but there were still plenty of surprises to come.

Of course, we are not ones to leave well enough alone, so you can be sure this project is going to get a healthy dose of Rennline parts along with some other top notch aftermarket parts. Check out our full line of 964 offerings.