Finally finished top-end rebuild - thanks to all!

CharlesJones · 09-05-2005, 02:36 PM

Hi,

I just wanted to let you all know that I've finally finished my top-end rebuild on my '84 carrera, and to thank you all for your kind advice and excellent knowledge. This forum is just great - there's no way I could have completed this rebuild without it and without all your help!

The rebuild was necessitated by my missing a gear shift only a few months after buying the car, stuffing it into 2nd when I was going for 4th. That bent all the exhaust valves, and since I couldn't afford to have it fixed a friend suggested I do it myself. With the help of Wayne's book and this forum, its all gone well, and I finally put the car back on the road last week.

Since the rebuild the car now runs better than ever. In the months its been off the road I had forgotten how fast it was - in fact I'm sure its now faster than it was before I tapped the valves!

I'm going to fit a Seine Systems gate shift kit this coming weekend to try and avoid another disastrous mis-shift. In the meantime I'll just drive the car very carefully!

Thanks for all your help and advice. The satisfaction of having fixed the engine myself means I'm enjoying the car much more now than I was when I first bought it. As I said earlier, there is no way I could have done this with out you guys and without Pelican.

Jeff Alton · 09-05-2005, 10:45 PM

Congrats! Nice to see yet another motor done by the owner!

Nice color car!

Jeff

CharlesJones · 09-07-2005, 03:14 PM

Thanks Jeff. Yeah, it was a hard slog, but now it all seems worth the effort! I'd encourage any 911 owner to do their own rebuilds if they have the time.

Walt Fricke · 09-08-2005, 11:00 AM

Chris

Be sure to weld the Seine System's gate shift tang to the shift lever. The hose clamp is only useful for positioning the tang prior to welding (which is a pretty useful function, of course, as it needs to be positioned correctly).

You could delay that welding, as the tang is only a minor part of, and not critical to, the shift missing avoidance function - the spring loading does most of that. But it is handy to have as it helps square off the shifting, and in the long run it takes an unwanted load off the shift sliders and forks inside the tranny and without it you will get a bit of a whine in 1st and 2d.

Walt Fricke

(I like your car's color, too. The Clymer 911 handbook I bought when I got my '77 used had an '84 - then the newest of the bunch - of that color on its cover, so that may have influenced me.)

buttjoint · 09-08-2005, 02:54 PM

Congrats on the rebuild, pat yourself on the back. I also like the color of your car. What is it called.

CharlesJones · 09-10-2005, 06:51 AM

Thanks for the advice about installing the gate shift kit Walt. I had hoped to get away with just using the hose clamp and a bit of epoxy resin to hold the tab to the shift lever, but having read your post I think I'll now definately get it welded. I'm looking forward to getting the kit installed, although I've been driving the car so much this last week that I feel like I'm actually beginning to enjoy using the 915 gearbox! There's something very satisfying about when you make a nice smooth gear change which you'd never feel in a modern car.

Thanks for the comments buttjoint. I'm not sure what the colour's called - on my registration document it just says "burgundy", but I'm sure there will be a more specific porsche name for it. I can't find it on any of my other documentation, but I'll guess I'll have to find its name soon because I'll need to get some touch-up paint before too long - starting to get the odd stone chip on the front bumper. If you've got any suggestions on where I can find the colour code/name please let me know - thanks.

CharlesJones · 09-10-2005, 02:56 PM

Hi,
Further to my last post I've finally found the paint code under the boot lid. Its L810, which apparently is called "Ruby Red" - seems odd because it looks nothing like the colour of a Ruby at all. Maybe something gets lost in the translation from German to English!

Walt Fricke · 09-12-2005, 08:26 AM

I had a '62 VW which was ruby red - Rubin rot I believe it was called. Nothing like your car's burgundy color. Don't spend too much on touch-up paint until you are sure it matches.

Could the car have been repainted at some point in its 20 year life? Or the hood (excuse me - boot) was replaced due to damage and it was painted to color but the old sticker retained?

Walt Fricke

CharlesJones · 09-14-2005, 12:38 PM

Hi Walt,
I don't think its the wrong label because all the numbers match up with the car's documentation. I did wonder if the car had been repainted, but I doubt that because the burgundy colour is everywhere - under every carpet and bracket. I got the name "ruby red" as being a match for colour code L810 from the Porsche Club of America site, but my car is from Switzerland. Do you reckon the colour codes might be different for European cars or something?