993James993

My son and I are considering an early 911/912. We live in southern Arizona and hope to find a rust free car.

What precautions should we take to avoid rust? We are probably in the best of locations as its fairly dry here, they don't put salt on the roads and this will be a weekend car.

What specific steps should one take to minimize rust? Is it ok to drive the car in the rain? Will weekly washings harm it? Are there areas that will likely collect and hold water? Should we use a specific battery or put the battery in some type of tray?

We haven't found the car yet but are starting our search.

Thanks for you advice!

1986951

1. Porsche + H2O = RUST, esp. on the pre 1975 cars... don't get it wet, if at all avoidable, and if you do get it wet, take your time and dry everything thoroughly.
2. I don't "Wash" my Porsches... If they get some serious "grime" on them, I use a spray wash solution (1 Litre spray bottle, three to five drops of good car wash liquid, tablespoon of white vinegar, fill with distilled water, agitate gently and spray on dirt to soak well.) Then spray the solution on a clean soft cotton towel, and GENTLY remove the grime from the paint, keeping lots of moisture on the surface. Dry with a new towel, and rewax.
3. Battery... The new Interstates are pretty good, and should have sizes to fit. I'm not sure on the longevity of the Optimas vs. the price... jury is still out. I would definitely use a Battery mat underneath to soak up any spills, and the protective rings at each terminal to prevent corrosion there (the red and green ones from any FLAPS.) I like to use a quick disconnect switch on the negative terminal, and maintain charge with a "Mini Charger" that automatically shuts off after the battery reaches 13.4 volts...

Amber Gramps

in a 3.2 the Interstate for the current Mercedes is a great choice. The size is correct and the vent tube is long. some great cars out there in Arizona, SC's and Carrera's shouldn't have bad rust issues like older cars.

Amber Gramps

if you want to rescue a 1967 912 I know one that is looking for a new home. It is about 5 miles from here and the guy took it in trade for a kitchen remodel job and is into it zero $$$$. Took $1500 off a bill for a customer. bet he'd let it go for a grand....he has three motors for it too.

dvkk

You're kidding, right?????

Don't do anything. Any car you find there won't have rust, and if you drive it year round, it still won't be rusty when you die.
I remember visiting Phoenix in the late 80s one time. Walking across the shopping mall parking lot, I saw a car parked that had no paint on it, it was BARE metal! And it looked like it had been that way for quite a while.

A car getting wet has very little rusting effect. Salt is the killer. It is corrosive, and salt mixed with water becomes electrically conductive. When you have a conductive liquid on your car, a galvanic cell occurs. Then various parts of your car corrode away.

Amber Gramps

I think you saw a Delorian

psychoideas

Doug, you know where all the cars are!
When I'm ready for another one and I come and visit you so you can help me find one??


Frank

aron in toronto

A couple of rust info points for southwest cars. Years ago I bought a 1956 Euro VW Bug in Albuquerque New Mexico, where it has been sitting for years out in the sun. Little or no paint left on the body, all rubber rotted away, pan sitting on the ground but NO RUST anywhere. Why can't you find any 356s like that! The body on the bug was straight and clean. Just minor surface rust that was removed with a sanding block. On the opposite end of the South West Rust spectrum was a low mile 80s Mercedes SL garage queen that looked perfectly preserved that was being dismantled at a high-end body shop in Marina Del Rey, CA. The owner of the body shop said the SL belonged to a customer who lived in Palm Springs and had the car since new. The SL’s owner thought he was babying his car and maintained it meticulously. The only problem is part of his maintenance program included a weekly wash in the driveway and a quick return to the garage. Well after several years of his affection this SL’s frame (at least the front structure that I could see) rotted away. He never drove the car after washing it and all the nooks and crannies just collected water and rusted.

Your challenge will be finding a relatively rust free car to start with. Once you find it, keeping it that way in AZ shouldn’t be to difficult, just remember to give it a good shake down after washing.

Amber Gramps

I wish the guy with the white 1989 R.O.W. de-RUF'ed 935 cab would let me take it off his hands. It has not left his driveway in two months. It just sits there in the sun roasting.

dvkk

Chevy Suburban

r911

check it over with an ice pick and a magnifying glass -- if you find a soft spot pull the undercoating off
- treat the area with a rust reducer, then prime and paint and re-undercoat

use the mag. glass elsewhere - repeat as above if you find anything - can sand some rust away, then rust reducer/prime/paint

check every possible hidden area and get a book that list them

many use POR-15

you don't say if you live in the SW or not...

CN

As I am a Chemist by education & my previous profession, I have employed the concept of the "sacrificial anode" as used on outboard boat motors. Since the anode is made of magnesium and is attached to the car frame somewhere, it will part with electrons better than iron effectively slowing the oxidation process to a crawl. This really works my friends. Get a few of them distributed around the frame or body of the car and then just try to keep the salt away from it. This is extremely effective.

GothingNC

CN,

Thanks for the Zinc tip.

It's probably simialr to what is used on boats to prevent the prop fom being eaten by the salt water.

I used to have a 63 Notchback that was originally from Algeria then was shipped to New Mexico. It "was" a rust free car until I moved to NC.
Never driven on roads covered with salt but the SE humidity accelerated the surface rust that was hidden under the carpers and inside the body panels

In about 12 months I had to reweld the floors and treat the rust in all the wheel wells.

John

Tom Tweed

Ya, but the difference is a boat propeller gets immersed in water! Without the presence of an electrolyte, how is cathodic protection going to work on a car?

TT

art

Oil it.