THAT’s THE CAR!!
BUT…here’s what you need to remember on a “PROJECT CAR” like this…
You DO NOT want to even attempt a restoration on that car…You BUY IT and look at the $1800 as a SAVINGS BOND…you park it somewhere (NOT on dirt of GRASS) and you FORGET YOU OWN IT!! 10 years from now the car will be worth a LOT MORE than an $1800 savings bond!!
Be very careful on the PRE 1978 cars because these DID NOT have FULLY Galvanized bodies and tend to RUST much more than the later 911SC’s I recommended…BUT, it depends on WHERE the car is…If you’re in ARIZONA it probably doesn’t have rust…If you’re in a climate that has snow during winters STAY AWAY from RUSTY PORSCHES…
Since I started this thread I’ll give you guys some more background on these cars…
I’m going to cover the 1978 and NEWER 911’s since they are the best priced Porsches out there NOW…
In 1978 Porsche introduced the 911SC (SC stands for SUPER CARRERA not “sport coupe” as some think)
These cars were a HUGE leap forward for Porsche…Wider rear quarters housed wider rear tires, engine dispalcement went to 3.0 liters from 2.7…SC’s also had FULLY GALVANIZED BODIES. Earlier cars had just certain PARTS galvanized like floors and rockers…In 78 Porsche started dipping the entire body shell prior to painting. This GREATLY reduced rust.
A few things to look for when buying a SC…FIRST body work…Porsche 911’s have their engines in the BACK of the car…For people unfamiliar with the handling of these cars, it’s EASY to get into trouble…Driving these cars FAST is a ball…BUT…You MUST put your FOOT into the car when CORNERING…If you LIFT off the throttle in mid corner the weight in the rear starts to PENDULUM and the car will spin…LOOK for REAR END repair work on ANY 911 because most SPINS see the car backing into whatever it hits…
Next…there are 2 upgrades that MUST be done to any SC you buy…
First…the timing chains on these cars have tensioners that can FAIL and destroy the top of the engine…PORSCHE fixed this defect in the later Carrera by using an OIL PRESSURE FED tensioner…These pressure fed tensioners are BULLET PROOF and are rountinely retro fitted to older SC engines…MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS or that it has already been done…It’s easy to identify…There will be TWO metal tubes running to each cam housing on BOTH sides of the engine…If the car HAS these OIL LINES…the tensioners have been upgraded…NO LINES means NO UPGRADE…It’s about $1000 to have this done but will save you $10,000 should the old SC tensioners fail. I would not pass up a car that hadn’t had a tensioner upgrade…Just account for it in the price you pay, then GET IT DONE IMMEDIATELY!!
Next up…POP OFF VALUES
SC engines used a very basic and reliable FUEL INJECTION system called CIS injection…the only flaw in that system is OCCASIONALLY fuel vapors can collect in the air box and backfire…This causes the airbox to explode (it’s not dramatic just a small POP) but the PRESSURE cracks the air box and the car WILL NOT run with a cracked box…replacing this air box is $1000…The FIX is simple and CHEAP…you buy a POP OFF VALUE from Pelican parts and install it in the bottom of the air box…It’s basically a trap door that opens IF a back fire occurs…The pressure is released and the spring mounted valve closes again and you just saved yourself a $1000 airbox!!! The value is about $50 AND MY 10 YEAR OLD CAN INSTALL THEM!
Make SURE you spend the MONEY and have ANY PORSCHE you’re looking at INSPECTED by a PORSCHE MECHANIC…
YOU CAN LOSE YOUR @SS BUYING A BAD PORSCHE!!
These cars are VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR and they are unlike any other car on the road…You NEED a Porsche mechanic to work on these cars…I would start out by driving down to your local Porsche dealer, walk around back and TALK to a few mechanics…BE DISCREET…Ask if any of them work on OLDER PORSCHES on the side??? If not, ask if they can RECOMMEND someone…Then give that guy a $20 for the info…Next time he see’s you he’ll remember that!!
Be PATIENT…Look at a LOT of cars…DRIVE as many as you can…That’s the ONLY way you’ll LEARN what a GOOD CAR is VS a sh*tbox.
And HAVE FUN!!! The HUNTING is the best part…If you run out and buy a crappy car you’ll be MISERABLE and it will cost you a small FORTUNE…So DON’T DO THAT…
I would also HIGHLY RECOMMEND Joining the PORSCHE CLUB of AMERICA and signing up as a member at PELICAN PARTS…BOTH offer a WEALTH of information and your LOCAL PORSCHE CLUB members can recommend good, HONEST, LOCAL mechanics. Also, there’s ALWAYS local members that work on their own cars and don;t mind TEACHING others that WANT to learn!! AGAIN…Don’t forget to PAY for their time and effort…The first guy that taught me the in’s and out’s of these cars saved me a TON of money…For his time I purschased him a $400 MOMO vintage Porsche steering wheel for his 911 and just placed it on his front seat one day while we were working on his car…HE NEVER FORGOT THAT and was THRILLED to help me with any little issue I had a question on.
That’s another little GEM to keep in the back of your head!!