When I purchased this car in 1992 the engine was apart and in about ten different boxes. I thought that it wouldn't take me that long to rebuild the engine, then I could drive and enjoy the car. Rebuilding the engine turned out to be the easy part. Little did I know that a serious rust problem was lurking underneath what was actually a fairly decent (but incorrect Guard's Red) paint job. Sometime in it's former life this car had extensive but inexpertly performed body work, including patch panels made from the side of a fake woodgrained stationwagon or mini-van. I know this because they didn't even bother to take the woodgrain decals off of the side of the metal that didn't show!
One day, about one year after I got the car running and back on the road, I hit a pothole and it was all over for the front end. The steering got sluggish and tight, and after I cautiously drove home I jacked the car up and inspected the damage. Nothing was left of the structural metal that supports the front crossmember. This prompted my decision to completely dismantle the car and begin what became an extensive restoration. I posted a rather lengthy letter to the 912 registry that describes my experiences welding in a new floor and suspension pan at http://912registry.org/restore/floorpan.htm The 912 registry has valuable information that would be useful to anyone restoring an early 912, or 911 for that matter.
A few years ago I had the chance to buy another 912, a 1969 model. The engine was stuck and the car was very rusty, so I thought that I would buy it for a parts car. Just for kicks, when I got the car home I tried to see if I could get it to run. I poured liquid wrench down each cylinder ( I had to use a funnel with a long hose to do this) and then worked the crankshaft pulley back and forth with a big wrench. At first it would only go a teeny bit each way, then it started turning more and more until I got it to the point where it would turn completely around. Then I put a battery in the car and some Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder. It cranked over pretty quickly, so I put the plugs back in and put some gas in the tank. After some cranking to pump gas up to the carbs, it fired up. It smoked, but it ran pretty smoothly. That's when I got brave and decided to take the car for a test drive.
Part of the problem with this car was the suspension, or lack thereof. It had suffered from the same plight as my '68, but even more so. The rear torsion tube had broken apart into two pieces. With nothing to keep them from twisting, the rear torsion bars could no longer support the car's weight. The right front torsion bar was broken in two, and the left front control arm was rusted and bent. Of course I didn't find a lot of this out until I dismantled the car. The point is that the car had no suspension action whatsoever, and it had a ground clearance of about 1/2 inch. It was a true "lowrider". But that didn't deter me.
I slowly backed the car out of my garage, put into first, revved it and dropped the clutch, and the thing took off like the proverbial molested gorilla. I mean, I just couldn't believe how much power it had. I drove it around a little, then I put it away to forever rest in peace. Even though it ran good and had lots of power, it smoked like a '72 Lincoln with bad rings and it leaked oil like a Harley on a trip to Sturgis. I think that the flywheel seal bit the dust.
Before I took the engine out, I did a compression check and came up with the following results:
Not bad for a car that had sat idle for over 12 years in a damp environment. Note that the lowest compression reading was on the #3 cylinder. That's very common for Porsche (and Volkswagen) air-cooled 4 cylinder engines. That is the cylinder that gets the air after it has passed through the oil cooler, so that cylinder tends to run hotter. Over the years the oil cooler usually gets crudded up with debris, and passes less air, making the #3 cylinder run even hotter.
Someday I hope to tear that engine down and find out what it's like inside. Maybe there's a hot cam and a big bore kit, or maybe someone just flycut the heads too much, giving it a higher than normal compression ratio. The Maestro has lots to say on the matter of cylinder heads, fly-cutting, et al.
This is my lonely engine compartment in 1993, patiently waiting for the day when the freshly rebuilt flat four
once again takes up residence. Note that the transmission is held in place by a chain hung between the two rear shock towers.
This is the way it was when I bought it. I re-installed the engine with the trans. in place, but when I subsequently removed it again
I found it easier to do it the factory recommended way. (removing engine and transaxle as a complete unit)