Porsche 911 at Braunton Engineering
Porsche 911 Service
The Braunton Engineering team are devoted fans of the Porsche 911, from driving through to offering Porsche 911 servicing, repair and inevitably for some cars; restoration or part-restoration. The 911 is wonderfully over engineered and is a robust and reliable car, especially the 1980’s Carreras which represent the ultimate evolution of the original series. Braunton understand the key characteristics of the 911 and undertake work on the 911 to the highest standard; whether it be servicing or repair, through to engine or gearbox rebuild and restoration of body and chassis.
Braunton Engineering see Porsche 911s, from late sixties - beautifully cared for 'garage queens' - through the seventies models including the 911 Carrera 3 and the 911 3.0 SC through to the eighties 911 Carrera 3.2 from Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset - the South West area. Most of these 911s have been cared for throughout their lives but even so, some require rebuild and specific area renovation to keep them in top shape - corrosion and wear are the main causes, others simply require annual servicing and MOT. Porsche 911 service at Braunton follows the Porsche Factory service schedule. Major servicing on the 911 includes tappet check/adjustment. All models of the air-cooled Porsche 911 & 964 require tappet (inlet & exhaust valve) check/adjustment at the major service interval except for the 993 model onwards which has hydraulic tappets.
911 chassis - from the 1970/80’s can fail their MOT on corrosion to chassis structure. The critical area is in the rear arch with the ‘kidney bowls’, just behind the B post (door shut).
Road dirt, salt, damp collects in this area and over time heavy corrosion eats this critical structure away. An indication of the problem is in the door shut/s – the B-post is the panel where the lock striker sits – the door shut. This panel will show rust bubbles if there is corrosion on the reverse side. Next to the reverse side of this panel is the kidney bowl - the chassis gusset plate.
Once rust bubbles are present in any quantity the area will generally require renovation with new Porsche panels welded in where the old items have been cut out. There is no getting away from this issue once the car has failed the MOT here. Braunton Engineering are specialists in Porsche 911 services, restoring the 911 kidney bowls, b-posts and sills to the original factory state but with additional rust proofing for future protection.
Braunton Porsche include specialist fabrication and welding with the new panels for a perfect ‘factory finish’. This can be seen in detail by following the line of the b-post on the outer edge where the door skin align with the rear wing – the edge of the b-post shows a seam from the join of the rear wing. This is particularly difficult to retain or replicate when restoring. 911 buyer beware of a car boasting work to this area – check for the seam in the outside edge of the b-post. If the seam is not there this can only point to the fact that body filler has been used instead of accurate panel fitment. Other corrosion areas; the sills – by the jack point, the front cross member, the petrol tank, the A-post and behind. 911 Bodywork; corrosion around the arches, lower wings, around headlights, top of wing - the aerial position.
911 front chassis - inner wing corrosion. This can be spotted in some cases by looking in the front boot and pulling away the carpet to look for rust bubbles coming from the reverse side of the panel. With the front wheel off the car, up inside the front arch, one can feel the top of the inner wing and trace ones hand along to feel for any corrosion. This is another critical structural area that leads cars into part restoration or to simply pass MOT – the inner wing is crucial as the front suspension struts mount at the top.
The essence of driving the 911, a nimble high-powered, lightweight, reliable sports car that is well built - delivers a unique performance and driver feedback which magnetises to create a classic icon of sports car motoring. It is the 911 which ultimately led Braunton Engineering to specialise in the Porsche brand. The 911 demands attention to drive at a fast pace and rewards the experienced & forward thinking, disciplined hand. The 911 is a mix of love/hate. BBC Top gear’s Jeremy Clarkson is clearly not a fan and once stated the 911 is a triumph of engineering over design - what does he know (bah)!
Porsche 911 a daily driver? One of our team decided exactly that in 1999 in his former job and took to a modified 3.2 Carrera in left hand drive form. After 18 months the 911 was retired as a weekend hobby - so hard going was the daily grind, commuting into London and touring across the UK. The positive side of this experiment; lessons learnt in performance driving with some big moments – when to brake, when to accelerate - strategic planning to execute each corner on an unknown twisty road. Driving either the 964 or the 993 one forgets the demanding nature of the 911, but with the refinement of the later cars one also misses some of the raw character the original 911 delivers. It is almost as if the 911 beguiles one and calls you back for just one more drive – challenging the driver to find the apex of that corner just right, carrying not too much momentum, correct gear, ideal revs, the power on tap, ready for that slingshot - with a bobbing front end, a fully squatted rear - rocketing towards the horizon… only a Porsche 911 !
The 911 evolved over the years to its ultimate original form in the 911 3.2 carrera & 3.3 turbo guise. The 1960/1970s 911s were relatively simplistic but it was essentially the handling on the limit which was a challenge. One can argue that a great driver can master the 911 – true, but as the 911 evolved so did the handling characteristics. The 1980s era Porsche 911s featured torsion bar rear suspension and with it some criticism of ride and handling, and it wasn't until the 964 arrived with rear coil springs that the handling was improved (no surprise, as racing variants of the 911 had used coil springs to great effect for years), ultimately the 993 model saw further development with its multi-link rear suspension arms and the handling was converted for a much safer car when at the limit of grip..jpg "Porsche Repair Devon")
The best thing about the Porsche 911; the flat six engine roaring on full throttle, catapulting one out of a bend - a unique sensation. The worst thing? Carrying too much speed through a forever tightening strange bend, your first reaction being to "brake-brake-brake" but your 911 head demanding acceleration as the solution – 911 moments to treasure !
Porsche 911 servicing, 911 repair, 911 restoration, 911 in Devon at Braunton Engineering..jpg "Porsche 911 service")
John Glynn's classic Porsche blog website - a great place to visit.
YouTube RUF CTR YellowBird, famous lap of the 'Ring by Stefan Roser & the awesome CTR yellow bird.
Adrian Crawford Porsche buyers guides, cars for sale etc, a well respected Porsche guru.
Braunton Engineering supply MOT tests for Martin Reed on an adhoc basis and have a good working relationship with fellow Porsche specialists including OPC Exeter.
