Engine Builds and Best 911

[TYrant]

Folks,
I am a newbie... I have never owned a 911. I have rebuilt and customized several vehicles in my day, including a 1969 MG Midget with a Street Ported Mazada RX7 rotary and tranmission... I consider myself a decent shade tree kind of guy.

I was hoping to get some advice on 911s. I would like to find a wreck to rebuild that has some room for reliable performance enhancements.

Does anyone have thoughts which 911s are best and what type of builds are reliable street engines..i.e. cam setup, induction etc.

Sorry if the question is covered elsewhere... totally new to this forum and the 911.

Thx for any thoughts.

[aigel]

Common thing to do is get an early car and stuff a big displacement newer engine in it. Everything up to the 3.2 is easily fitted, the 3.6 is a bit harder to put. An early car is generally a model 73 or older. 69-73 is most popular. They have a longer wheelbase than the very early cars.

You should do some reading. Get randy leffingwell's buyers guide to learn about years and their quirks. Also, get Wayne's Engine Rebuild book. He has a list of "favorite engine picks" that is very comprehensive and can give you an idea about what you can build.

One thing I have learned, coming from other cars, is the fact that the flat six is a pretty well tweaked engine from the factory. E.g. you aren't going to hop up a set of heads with your die grinder, like you could on an American V8. The American V8 is built cheap and just by removing the excess from casting, you can gain significant power.

The flat 6 is the high $ part of the vehicle and Porsche did an awesome job. The smog years is where you can make the biggest impact by going with higher compression, bigger cams, exhaust etc.

If I had to find the perfect project, it would be a 69-73 coupe. I'd build a 3.6 with carburetors for it. 330 horse is very doable with lots of torque.

Also, think about what you want to do with the car. Want to autocross or time trial with it? Then classes can be important and you want to build something where you are competitive within the rule system.

Just a few thoughts.

Cheers, George

[TYrant]

Thx George... a mechanic friend did mention something about post 76' cars having rust coated bodies... any concerns there?

I autocross my Midget... with the rotary...it's about 130 hp with a 1300lb car... it revs to 10,000 rpm safely. I rarely make it out of second gear through the cones.

With the Porsche... I am looking for something I can drive everyday, but was wondering if there are some street builds that have been proven that would get me a few extra ponies.

I check out the books... and thx again.

Ty

[aigel]

Oh yeah! RUST!!!

76 and up have galvanized bodies! Also, there is sway bars, better brakes, cooling and many other nice things on the newer cars.

So, if you aren't restricted with smog rules (what's your loacation?), a later car may be the ticket! The best bang for the buck in my eyes is the SC (1978-83). It has wider flares that give you enough room for 7 and 8 or even 8 and 9 inch wide wheels. So, there is no body work necessary and no rust repair either, on the SC.

Upgrading the SC? Either hop up the existing 3.0 to a short stroke 3.2 with carbs or go all the way to a 3.6.

Cheers, George

[TYrant]

George,
I have a horse farm in Indiana... no metro area so we have no smog restriction or environmental checks

[aigel]

If you are in Indiana, and you are going to get something from the local market, go with a 76 up. An early car that spent time in Indiana will be rusted to pieces.

I think an SC, with a bad engine may be a great start! I don't know about you, but I like mechanical work best. So I'd look for an SC that needs help in the engine compartment but is otherwise presentable.

If you don't care about originality, redoing the interior isn't going to kill you. Nice aftermarket sport seats, a carpet kit and no seats in the back, RS door panels a new dash and you are all set.

Happy hunting!

George

[TYrant]

I do the body work and the mechanical... I prefer wrenching... body work is a pain.

Sounds like Wayne's book is the complete engine mod book.... any good books that deal with mods for the complete car...brakes, suspension, body, tires etc?

Thx again, George.

Ty

[aigel]

That would be Wayne's other book, the 101 projects along with Bruce Anderson's Performance book. Then add a year specific Bentley - after buying the car, and you should be all set!

Keep us posted on what you dig up!

And don't buy a Targa, PLEEEZ!

George

[Fishcop]

Ty

Body work on these cars can be complicated and expensive. I always considered engine restoration work easier than body restoration... George is on the money with the newer gavanised body.

Good luck

[TYrant]

Thx Fishcop,

I know this is the engine forum, but I was just doing some surfing and discovered some pictures of an RSR... sweet look.

I am sure everyone has their favorite look, but is there an ultimate body style that most 911 folks agree upon as the best.

No disrespect to the owners of newer 911s, but the newer lines just are not as appealing to me.

Again... thx for your thoughts.

Sincerely,
Ty

[aigel]

Ty:

You can start out with an SC and backdate it to a long hood and duck tail. Easier than going the other way, in my eyes. Especially since you aren't keen on having a 73 or earlier VIN like we would be in CA.

That will not yield an RSR flared car, but it will give you an RS type look.

George

[drummer323]

Where is your farm at? I'm in Peru In.

[rdane]

I have put together a fun 3.4 SC over the last couple of years.

I am thinking about doing it all over again starting this fall.

My take is if you want an RSR buy a turbo body car to start with. If you want a CRT look stick with the typical SC or Carrera. I don't want any rust either so nothing older than a '78.

Strip the car, add good seats and fiberglass bumpers pretty much squares you away at 2300# done correctly with an all steel car. Less if you use more glass.

Add any flat 6 engine that gets more than 220HP/220# torque at the wheels and you'll have a great toy. More/bigger is always better

Although that statement can start an arguement here!
Couple of nice cars here to look at as models. BBII and Iris come to mind. Or something like this.

Sorry I couldn't help myself...

[TYrant]

Drummer,

I am near Batesville, IN. Near Hillenbrand and Batesville Casket off I74. About 45 miles northwest of Cincinnati, OH. Started out as a little town of German cabinet and furniture makers. There is still some very fine furniture made here, but locals turned their wood and metal crafts toward making caskets and hospital beds.

Rdane,

Love those pics… can I get a reliable daily driver out of some of these setups?... I am running out of room for toys. Also, do have some more pics or details on what you did?…excellent job!

[rdane]

Just about any of them make a reliable driver if they are done right. I would look for the bigger engines and their torque.

Take a look at the "no clue" thread with a search under my name or a 3.4 search here. I'll have a more detailed post on duplicating my engine and other 3.4 rebuilds done shortly.

[Oldporsche]

In consideration of a project, Porsche divides the cost for the car this way. 2/3 Body- 1/3 Engine & running gear.

Thus you can see that most of the guys on this board are working on the smaller of the costs.

Just a guide when looking at the new project.

Good luck,
David Duffield