2001 996 3.4L How Do I approach this rust?

Hey everyone I bought this 996 and being that it was previously a Canadian car I knew rust would obviously be on the car. I see some rust behind each of the front tires and I assume that can be fixed with sanding and what not but the backs are where I�m worried. In front of each of the back tires I assume the jack points it appears the rust has been quite bad. Both sides look like the below image (which is from the front of the back left tire). My main question here is being that the Surrounding metal still feels solid is this fixable and if so would taking it to a welder or body shop be best? Also if anyone has experience what would I possibly be looking at in price range to fix this issue. I�d like to address it as the car has pretty low miles. Good news is the car was imported to the US in 2015 and I�m in the southeast so no more salt will affect the car. Any comments are greatly appreciated I am trying to do what I can to bring the car back to how it should be. Back left

Need more detail but I'd say at minimum expect $3-5k for not garbage work. Probably more.

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I�ll take some more photos tonight. Question though are you saying that range per area or for total work? I plan to split this into a few intervals and not all at once.

Theres always more rust that you havent seen... the "Tip of the Iceberg" always applies with rust. Good luck!

If that's a jacking point, it's structural. You should have the car professionally assessed.

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I can assure you all it�s not as bad as it looks I zoomed in super close for this picture. This is closest to the edge of the car. Tonight I�ll be sharing more photos, but I do agree I�ll be getting this done right. What I really am trying to figure out is who I�d take this to, dealer, body shop, welder, etc.

I think you are going to need sections cut from a donor car then welded in. That is how I would fix this. I would not take this to the dealer; try body shops first or an automotive welding shop if you can find one.

I would contact @yogibarra. He went thru it about a year ago.

The jacking point parts are available from Porsche -996 501 482 01 for one side as an example . A competent body shop or fabricator can do the work .I suspect it will take some digging to find someone who wants to tackle it.Wouldn't be too bad a job on a lift but most shops won't tie up a lift for a day or 2 .I am assuming the lift point is the only bad part if the underlying metal is bad then ........

You probably want to get the car in the air, and pull the whole belly pan. (Plastic stuff) I will bet your frame rails are not happy, and I'd spend 80 bucks and buy a tester to check the thickness of the stuff thats still there...

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A bottle of tequila, a fresh checkbook and some adult diapers. Seriously though, it's hard to say based on your pic, but to fix it correctly will be some $$$. I had some rust issues on my old 1970 911T that was maybe less severe than yours and it wasn't cheap. It might help to list your general location as someone might have a shop to recommend. Stay away from the dealer for this.

Sell it and buy something else. Unless you got it very cheap, or that is the only area, i woukdnt pay to fix it. If you can fix it, good luck.

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Hey everyone as I said it's nowhere near as bad as I made it out to be dropped the belly and light surface rust that actually I was able to easily remove and protect. The other four corners I mentioned Id take picture of are now below. And just so we are clear that first photo was super zoomed in on the jack point. I've looked and the metal outside of the below affected areas (surrounding it) seems strong and has light rust that again came off but off course these heavier areas will need attention. I love this car it has very low miles and I plan to keep it for life I don�t mind sparing expenses to bring it back around. As recommended above I�m in North Carolina (Wilmington area). Front Left Back Left Back Right Front Right

Get it up on a lift and go ahead and clean all rust the best you can . You need to get to clean metal to determine how to repair . I see bent metal on the pinch weld seams under the rockers . In my opinion the potential for hidden rust you don't see is high . As an example what do the insides of the rockers look like ? You can't determine that from looking at the outside . If it were me I would sand/strip both rockers completely including the rock guard coating . Cut out any bad rust . Inspect the inside of the rockers . Coat the inside of the rockers as needed . After all repairs are completed any competent body shop can prime/rock guard/paint . If you really love the car then don't skimp on the repairs . You will regret it if you do . Good luck

Images of a UK car (not mine) with similar corrosion issues here : https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...1668289&i=9360 I'd wager UK cars are worse than US cars for corrosion. Summary of/description of work thus : "Not a full respray, but � Full strip of underside, front chassis leg rust cut out and repaired, all surface rust removed, most hard brake pipes replaced (including main front to rear over engine), rusty rear of both sills cut out and replaced, full factory spec waxoyl, rear arch rust cut out and replaced both sides, surface rust on both front arches sorted, both sides of car painted (front was done a few years ago), plus 4 wheels refurbished, some suspension parts cleaned and painted and an alignment. Total cost was around �3.5k." ( or approx $4,500)

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Man this is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. My car is going the other way, it has been southern all its life and now it's going north. Good luck to you! I'm going to coat, mine everywhere in fluid film, already ordered the gallon and spray gun with the hoses, I'm going to maybe have a few small holes drilled so I can get it inside the rockers and wheel arches. Your photos help me. I wish for your sake they didn't. If you restore the car, I think you will get some major karma points my friend!

I would recommend if you're going to do a repair of a rusty area, use the POR-15 product line and follow the instructions exactly. Obviously if metal needs cutting out, do all that, then POR-15 coat the remaining sound areas with the POR-15 system. It does work really well if done correctly. Then, I would recommend Woolwax/Fluidfilm (I like Woolwax better) especially if you're living in a saltier climate / winter driving.

Definitely talk to @Yogibara . He used a donor piece from DC Automotive. Lots of labor, but he was able to save his 996.2 cabriolet. If you can weld, you can fix it. If not, you'll need to become drinking buddies with a welder.

Not to be a downer,, but on these projects go in pessimistic, project creep is inevitable to some extent. I'll toss out some things that are various angles of what and how it will potentially grow. In the chassis the only answer is remove the rust, to fix properly it will need Tig welded, MIG will overheat the surrounding area. Also due to manufacturing processes, the body parts are almost forged/tempered, thesis what causes the type of rust your pics show. I think if your remove all the aero pan parts and start going over it checking for rust through with an ice-pick and a thickness gage. I see some deep rust in those pics.. To estimate cost,, I'd budget 1500+ for each area you can cover with your hand.. (I am not kidding.. ) You could easily end up being way ahead just buying a roller without issues and transplanting your motor in to it and parting out the good stuff from this car.. I had a 1969 911T , it got rust both sides just ahead of the rear suspension pickup points, in 1993, the average estimate to fix was 15-25K dollars. To do it correctly would've required nearly a full dismantle, a frame rack and the car on a rotisserie and in the body shop for over 4 months. The visible damage was about 4"x8", but the only way to repair was replace the entire tub section across the back of the car.. The 996 has galvanized body panels, if you have rust, its already burnt through that protection.. Welding galvanized metal is dangerous due to vapors, so the work "should" be done in a booth, with air supply to the guy doing the work. so $$$$$$$ Then all the area should be sprayed with active cold galvanizing, topped with a run converter coat, then epoxy primer, then the paint.. hope you end up on the simpler end of the scale on this one!

Absolutely getting it serviced this Thursday and then I�ll be seeing about tackling this issue. I don�t mind sinking cash into this car because I love it so much. Funny enough it�s mainly those areas are the worst removed side panels and belly and it�s very minimal surface that comes off with grinding wheel and some discs. Although I�ll have all of this done professionally.

Sorry to say but with so many much better cars available I wonder why you would buy one with rust holes...I'd take no rust and high mileage over a rusty one with low mileage anytime and everytime. You won't be able to get rid off it all and where you cut it out the repair is never going to be as good as a non-rusty shell while it will cost loads of money.. Expect to find rust inside the sills just like in this 944

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I get it�s not perfect but it�s really not horrible the worst is what you see I�ve had the belly pan and everything off and actually looks okay. I�ve already made plans to have this properly addressed fronts as you see really aren�t bad. No there aren�t giant gaping holes and no the frame isn�t rotted to pieces at this point the car is absolutely recoverable all be it not cheaply I still plan to and will have this done and I�ll post photos when it�s all said and done. This car deserves some love and it�s bout time someone gives it what it needs.

Don't get too discouraged by the naysayers, if you truly love the car, you'll end up doing the necessary work. Be sure to go into it with open eyes to the potential costs though.

Not wanting to pry, but it might be interesting to see pics of the car? Hopefully the low mileage has kept other aspects of the car in worthy shape, so one might get an idea of how this car deserves the TLC you intend to give

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Well said, there�s some overly negative contributors wading in here. All the OP�s car�s corrosion issues are standard 996 fare (at least they are in the UK) and any decent metal basher will address them. No issue with MIG welding the 996, just needs knowledge and patience to avoid warping the surrounding metalwork badly. Comparisons with early air-cooled corrosion issues are VERY worst case scenario, and highly unlikely. Get several quotes OP, and I�d ask for recommendations both on here, from the local Porsche owning community and from your local Porsche independents/specialists.

I wonder what causes rust on these cars versus cars that have no rust. It�s got to be that cars with rust are driven year round, and in climates that cause rust. My buddy�s 2014 Shelby Cobra, always garage kept with 30,000 miles has more rust than my 99 996 that has 70,000 miles. Aren�t these 996 bodies dipped in corrosion resistant treatment, or did Porsche stop doing that?

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So I tossed my comments in because I've watched multiple folks start on 911 "simple repairs" and the scope of how much work was needed just grew out of control. One advantage you have in the UK is actual skilled craftsmen that can competently complete chassis structural repairs. My experience in the US is they are rare and have 2 to 5 year waiting lists. When I read through the thread, I wasn't seeing much more description where the OP had inspect much beyond the pics. So I was wondering how deep he'd gone on it. And I suggested option to look for, no telling what reality ois till you cut in to it..

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UK cars are subject to lots of rain, huge amounts of road salt in the Winter, and because they made/make great daily drivers, they get left outside all year round. Yes they are protected from the factory, but it only takes a tiny amount of damage to the rubberised underseal to enable water/moisture to get behind it, and you have the makings of a corrosion issue. Jacking points seem to get abused and damaged by poorly positioned and unprotected trolley jacks, again, another starting point for corrosion. On non Aerokit cars, the small rubber spats on the front lower edge of the rear wheelarches, also seem to trap moisture and cause corrosion at the ends of the sill panels.

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Apologies, my comments weren't aimed at you specifically I've seen plenty of horrific early 911's that the tin-worm had taken hold of, and as you've said, once you've started digging, they more often than not escalate into hugely expensive restorations. The 996 at 25 years old seems to have fared better I'm glad to say. Granted, they're not perfect, but I think that by and large they've held up and continue to hold up, pretty well You have some amazing panel beaters and metal bashers, but I suspect that you're right, the UK has more than its fair share, but being as the whole country experiences a lot of rain and long damp Winters, it was a necessary skill, added to which the vast majority of european cars were poorly protected against corrosion up until the mid 90's I'd say, so whilst we have some excellent metal bashers, we had plenty who were more adept at bodging metalwork, than fixing it properly unfortunately. If you like watching skilled metalwork, these guys work is truly stunning (and expensive) ... You Tube You Tube You Tube

Don't fix that, drive it till it falls apart, then it owes you nothing....or sell to someone with the rust disclosed. Not all cars have to be rust free !!

Good info, I appreciate the explanation.

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Agreed. Albeit painful, hit the reset button. That kind of rust will be easy to avoid in seller photos or a PPI and thus avoided altogether, on your next one.

For everyone saying sell it and that it�s a piece of garbage and isn�t worth saving guess what, getting it fixed already have an appointment this month had it looked at Monday. Every spec of rust will be gone and it will be professionally redone. Thank you and I don�t think I�ll be posting any updates anymore. All I asked for was advice on getting it fixed properly not what people thought of the car and that I should sell it.

Good on you for saving it. The world of 996 could use more owners like you. Enjoy every mile!

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Well said,I wear this �T� shirt proudly,good luck with your project.

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Good on you for getting it professionally assessed. Don�t let the naysayers ruin your day! I�d love to see progress reports.

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You'll get 100 years of good karma for saving that beauty. Good luck with the restoration!

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The least you could do is post what you paid & how much work was done so other people have a reference. Glad you're getting it fixed

YOU asked for opinions ,,, we had minimal info to go on. Many of us have fought resto jobs like you are describing and its hit and miss as to whether its worth it. Hope you hang around, Remember once you open a thread on a car page,,,... LOL You gotta be able to take some of the negative vs positive. Hard to identify emotions in what amounts to a bunch of text... Please don't just walk away, nobody was bashing you, ignore or take any ideas you get, use what you want ignore the rest.. Personally I'd like to see a pic from a better distance that really shows the damage good or bad once they start work.

Take the plastic lower corners off that are in front of the rear wheels…I’m pretty sure you’ll find some heavy rust there. I had to do both side of mine a few years ago. There’s a thread here somewhere… See here… https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...w-project.html