Saved another and gained a black one finally!

[dammitcam]

Bump for XRP's question

[KLZE Porsche]

If memory serves me correctly it is .032" thick aluminum sheet. I don't remember the exact thickness. But with the framework put together the way I did -it doesn't need to be extremely thick. The framework provides lots of supportive strength. I am 230 lbs and I was all in there and on top of it when I was mashing down the sound mat material. It was easiest to get the stuff to stick well by just dancing around on top of it with no shoes on.

The sheet was an old sign that had been taken down long ago -and I was told to throw it out when we were cleaning up. But me knowing that it was made out of aluminum and that I would definitely be able to use it at some time down the road -I commandeered it.

Oh -and I must add that purchasing a pneumatic rivet puller is a most valuable move ever! I was pulling 3/16" stainless pop rivets with a hand puller when the handle snapped and nearly jammed a knife-sharp end into my arm to rip it open. I lucked out and it missed by a very small safety margin and I ended up with just a bad scrape.

I riveted the forward and aft aluminum angles and then made slots in them for the longitudinal "T" ribs (2 - 90 degree angles riveted back to back with silicone sealant sandwich between). Then I dropped the 3 longitudinal "T" ribs down into their respective slots and riveted them at the ends to the fore and aft angle supports. Then I just riveted all of the other short angle pieces between to the "T" ribs. To make everything sit flush before topping off with the top sheet -I used aluminum tape to hold some aluminum shim pieces (1/8" flat bar) in place.

All structure was 1/8" thick x 2" wide and purchased at Home Depot in the metal section (minus the donated sign). I finished it off by first sealing all the cracks and voids underneath with silicone sealant. Then after that was cured -I sprayed the entire underside with rubberized under-coating.

I keep forgetting that others may not have aircraft battle damage structural repair experience as I do -so I should add that to give the rivets more holding surface on the underside after shooting them -I smashed them with a hammer from underneath while my son backed them up top with a heavy steel round rod piece. This causes the protruding stub underneath to flatten out and hold far better. As seen in the photos -the rivet heads were very wide and really didn't need any improvement there.

I got the SS rivets at Ace Hardware -but you can also pick them up on e-bay. I recommend 3/16" x 1/2" long minimum for steel or SS. If you are going to use aluminum rivets -I would recommend 1/4" x 1/2" long.

P.S. One last note -don't expect this to be a quick 2 hour patch job. I probably have at least 20 hours into it. Someone else who has more SM experience than me might be able to knock it out quicker. It was extremely tedious with all the measuring, cutting, edge de-burring, slotting, shimming, riveting, smashing, sealing and finally soundproofing.

[xrp861]

dope! much easier the nwelding sheet metal in!

[KLZE Porsche]

dope! much easier then welding sheet metal in!

...Oh hell yes! And no risk of burn thru on thin sheet metal!

[Venchman]

Amazing find! Outstanding

[KLZE Porsche]

Amazing find! Outstanding

Long time no see! Anything new with yours? The black Probe was definitely an amazing find -even with all the repairs that have been needed. The condition of the body and OEM paint makes it all worth the trouble.

[proboner]

Curious as to the reasoning behind it...

It cant weigh much if any less than stock (especially after adding sound deadening) and seems like a lot of work. I mean I can understand the desire to remove the spare tire well and have done so on my other car, but that was to fit a g35 muffler.

[KLZE Porsche]

Curious as to the reasoning behind it...

It cant weigh much if any less than stock (especially after adding sound deadening) and seems like a lot of work. I mean I can understand the desire to remove the spare tire well and have done so on my other car, but that was to fit a g35 muffler.

I didn't remove it. I purchased the electric car (no electrics) and I patched the huge hole in the trunk where the battery box was installed. I wasn't trying to make it lighter -I think it is probably about the same weight now as OEM back there. And yes -it was a lot of work to patch the hole -but I would have never found another similarly pristine black Probe for $500 that didn't need lots of work and so I call it a win-win!

[proboner]

Well that makes sense then!

[j-dogg]

I too, know of the black Probe struggle, I used to have one and I'm looking for another

[KLZE Porsche]

I too, know of the black Probe struggle, I used to have one and I'm looking for another

Where are you located? I found another black one sitting in a yard of cars (not salvage yard).

[KLZE Porsche]

After 3 weeks of hell and back from a very nasty flu -I am finally back in action to some extent. Other life episodes have also held me back. But it feels so good to finally feel good and have a little bit of time to work on my hobbies. So here is what I got done today.

First -I patched some holes and sprayed a little paint:



And then I decided to try out some sound mat as a replacement for the typically water damaged and dilapidated firewall fiber sound mat. I don't know how it will hold up against engine bay temps -but I am hoping for the best results. It certainly cannot be worse than OEM is when you try to spray wash your engine! After I get this one back on the road again and run it for a while -I will post the results. But it sure looks clean at the moment. I hope it stays that way!

[KLZE Porsche]

I got all of the firewall pieces installed (brake booster, clutch master, etc.) -and the nice thing about doing it this way -is that you do not have to use the booster to firewall gasket -or other gaskets. The sound mat serves as a very good sealing gasket!

[B-Ball]

What brand of sound deadening material did you use?

[KLZE Porsche]

What brand of sound deadening material did you use?

I use GT soundmat