Turbo conversion guys.... why not a 930?
 

For all those who have turbo'd their non-930 cars, I am wondering what led you to the choice to turbo vs the often suggested "just buy a 930" path?

I am very seriously considering diving deep into my SC over the next several years to create the 911 Turbo I want... I bought last year, (peak price) and have now "invested" into a trans rebuild so with SC prices falling I will never see my money back... So I am thinking why not just go all in and enjoy making the car I want.

So I am wondering how others arrived at their conclusion.

the 'making' part I enjoy as much as having it in running condition. but be prepared for the cost, not a cheap endeavor.

with this pot on the stove I sold my 85 911 targa and 87 944S last year for funds and to remove some of the distraction. but the 928 and 951 just keep demanding attention. :eek:

I have often wondered this about the PO who did the original conversion. 78 SC that was stripped to the tub and blasted, repainted (color change) and used Golden Coachworks wide body slant nose kit, all metal.

conversion done in 1989, so I would have suspected the prices of 930s to be 'reasonable'.

I have been working on it for over 5 yrs, doing a total 'down to the tub' restore. and in the process finish upgrading the brakes and suspension and gearbox to 930 level where the PO left the SC suspension and brakes and 915. it has been 'sucking hind teet' to the other projects.

in reflection I probably should not have bought this project car, already had 3 at the time. but a 930 poster has been on my wall for YEARS. at the time 930 prices were climbing fast and never thought I'd ever be able to afford one.

just got the short bell housing 930 gearbox I have been searching for (at a reasonable price) for past three years. lots of rebuilt, refreshed, replated parts now converging. next step is to mount on a rotisserie to sand blast and primer the tub.

good luck on whatever you do.

my build is active in case you want to see what you are facing. or maybe you should not look and just jump in like I did.

SmileWavy

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1560692934.JPG

Beware neverenoughitis. No known cure....

I needed a few more HP to keep the 997's from running away from me.

Yea, I just don't know what to do. With the trans repair I feel like i'm in to deep to get out of this car if I wanted to try to jump to a 930.

Then I wonder if I "should" just say eff it and just build the car I want, sure would have been a lot easier if I have just liked Vette's

A few years ago it didn't make any (financial) sense to build a 911Turbo versus buying a 930 as the 930 was relatively affordable. I did it as a learning experience and to create the car of my dreams at that time. Financially stupid move. I ended up with a car worth 1/2 what I had in it. Had my crystal ball been worth a $hit I would have kept the car for 5 more years and got my money back.
The same economics still apply today, it is expensive to build a 911Turbo and expensive to buy a 930. So it comes down to what you want to do with the car. If the car you want means you would need to modify the 930 to get there then building the 911 becomes more feasible. If preserving your investment is important then buying a 930 is the better choice.

I went through this with a previous car & motor.
I kept hotrodding our '73e. more power, wider fenders for wider tires, 930 brakes etc. Then needed more power.
A few years back I decided I wanted to turbo my '68 bus. Living at 7,000 ft. makes you want to turbo everything. Already had a 3.2 in there, so I started looking into converting the 3.2 to turbo. In the end I bought a 3.3 turbo motor (long story), mainly because it had all the turbo components, and I figured it would be cheaper in the long run.
If a turbo is your goal, then get a turbo. All the components that you will need to go with the power are already there, fat fenders, fat tires, great brakes, etc. The turbo prices have leveled off and in some cases come down. There are some nice hot rodded turbos for sale which are probably cheaper than you piecing one together.

1,200 hp? :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I was wondering what the hell as well. Never heard of such a thing, nor would I ever consider driving one of these with 1200 hp. The 930 is known as the widowmaker, this one takes it a few steps further - it’s simply called a deathtrap.

Yea, I bought the SC that I have now because it was modified already, knowing I would have done the same...

I still think that my main mission will be to sort a turbo set up and then visit the idea of a wide body well after that. With modern turbos and tires a wide body is mostly for looks... but daym do I like it :)

GinormousGerry (GJF) has one of the most awesome and radical, boosted 911s ever built, and it's a slant, too! Maybe he will post some pics?

That undercarriage is a thing of beauty, but I’d be way too scared to ever get in this car. I’d prefer having three 930s that total 1200 hp, but that’s just me.

I hear that it's mandatory to bring a few extra pair of underwear, or maybe even some superduty Depends, and a fresh container of baby-wipes, too!!! :eek:

I’ve had friends that needed to change their undies after me taking them for a ride in one of my 930s with a lil more than a third of that hp. I sometimes need to change mine too. :eek: You’re still after these dirty drawers for your PTSS collection right Raw?!? :p

^^^

You are a nasty, nasty beast, JMS - filthy even!!!! :D

Wow!

For some reason in my head a 911 should be a fire breathing monster... and while my goal is far from 1200HP, I think a 400hp sub2500lb car would be a blast!

I think i'll keep collecting parts toward a turbo set up .5/.7bar to start, then get a lil crazy after a proper lower comp rebuild... I want to learn this car inside and out, and I have lots of time to get it to my goal.

And with so many turbo freaks around here i'll have no shortage of help ;)

If it wasn't for the glass 915 turboing would actually be pretty reasonable money.

This is (IMHO) a pretty simple question. Is this your forever car in as much that you dont care about re-sale value? When I started my engine build the 930 market was crazy so I made a bunch of dumb decisions in the name of originality. Now that is has cooled significantly I should have just built it the way I wanted it.

Unless your starting platform isn't some rare/desirable spec I feel like building the car you want from the get go is the smarter choice than trying to find a ratty 930 just for its VIN. But if you want to restore something and rub it with a diaper on the weekend then buy a 930.

You are with a good group of dudes here no matter what you want to do.

You don’t even need 400 hp, nor do you need to shed any weight to have a blast with a turbo. Once you add the forced induction, I’m telling you there’s no reason to get cute and put it on a diet. That’s for the NA guys that do their best to gain power through subtraction, i.e. reduction of parts. That’s just silly when you’ve got more power than you need.

GJF that car is nuts. Looks so nice too. Wow.

Well for me I never thought I’d be able to afford a real 930. Now having spent enough to have bought one, I still couldn’t have in one shopping spree. And while I’ve told many to “just get a real 930”, I don’t think I would. If I got one I wouldn’t want to harm it’s value by adding the parts I have to mine in my quest for more. And also I like them. So a real 930 is too tame for me and also too valuable.
Interesting thing is that lately I’ve found that modded 911’s with turbos and adding a back date and some “popular” mods to be supporting higher prices at auction(bring a trailer)than a modded 930. It’s true. So if you have a 930, keep it as is. If you want power make it bolt ons.
For me, I love making my car mine. I wouldn’t do that to a 930 because I’m just too focused on value and I hate hurting the value of something I truly respect.
My car was already kind of a mess with bad engine. I got it cheap. Enjoyed it without worry. It’s gone through a lot lot of change. I’ve enjoyed it all. Would I love a 930? Of course. But not for the same reasons I have enjoyed mine.

My SC is 2500 lb, and 300 HP. A handful at that.
GJF, please drive through a mud puddle or something. That is too clean.