Porsche Can Now Produce a Magnesium Crankcase for Your Classic 911

• Porsche Classic introduces the manufacture of F and G series 911 crankcases.
• Until now, a failed crankcase would mean paying up for an expensive used example or attempting to fix the broken unit.
• Porsche says demand is high for older parts like this.

As these magnesium crankcases age, they become brittle, as some owners of older 911s have discovered. If something should happen to the crankcase, the previous solution was to try to weld it back together — a risky proposition due to the magnesium composition — or find an expensive used unit.

According to Porsche, setting the plan in motion to create the new crankcases was a challenge. It also highlights the importance of programs like this within the classics community. Much of the original documentation was unreadable, though some archival technical information existed. Porsche also interviewed current and former Stuttgart staff to accurately reproduce the parts.

This whole situation points out why OEM support is so important for classic cars. Porsche made as many 911s as it could during this period, and its Classic program for these and other Porsche vehicles is quite active. But most importantly, manufacturer involvement and expertise mean these parts will be easier to remanufacture in the aftermarket, thus bringing down pricing. Economies of scale, right? Cheap parts for classic cars are important for keeping them on the road, and this is a big step.

Edmunds says

Having readily available OEM parts at any price point was a luxury for many years, and Porsche Classic making these crankcases more common will only be good for older 911s. More importantly, Porsche is able to keep the tooling around, and aftermarket solutions based on Porsches should be available in the coming years. This is nothing short of a huge win for car enthusiasts, and we hope Porsche and other automakers continue to support their older models in such an incredible way.