Porsche 924 Carrera GT, Part 4: Into the Paint Shop

This is Part 4 of our Porsche 924 Carrera GT restoration series. Missed Part 3? Read about the bodywork here.

With the welding finished and the body parts aligned, the shell moved on to the paint shop. It arrived still wearing its old red paint, sanded back in patches where the bodywork had been done.

Keeping what's original

Many restorations start by sanding the whole shell back to bare metal. We didn't. Porsche built the 924 with a galvanised body, and most of the car's paintwork was still original, so stripping it all off would have removed protection that had done its job for over 40 years. Instead, we only sanded back to bare metal where we saw any sign of rust.

On the rotisserie

Mounted on a rotisserie, the shell can be turned through 360 degrees, so every surface, including the underside, gets the same attention as the panels you'll actually see.

Primer

Once the repaired areas were clean, the shell went into primer, panel by panel, until the red finally disappeared.

Sealing every seam

Rust starts in the seams, so every joint, from the strut towers to the floor, was sealed by hand. After everything this car has been through, it's the work that makes sure it doesn't happen again.

Then came the soundproofing. We used a material as close as possible to what Porsche fitted at the factory: 3 mm bitumen sheet, which you can see in black on the floor.

Where we are now

This is where the car stands today: repaired, sealed and in primer, ready for colour. We'll keep adding photos here as the work goes on, so check back for updates.

Know anything about Carrera GT chassis 700009 to 700052? If one of those numbers is sitting in your garage, or you know where one is, we'd love to hear from you.