The Journey Begins...

[Dellaware]

I have several questions, but I'm going to have a story around the questions. I would REALLY REALLY appreciate any help/answers to the questions. THANKS!

Recently my parents told me they wanted to sell their 1976 911s Targa. They've had the car since I was about 12 and I've always loved the car, but rarely got to drive it. They put it on the market and didn't get what they wanted, so for relatively little effort, I was able to get them to "give" me the car....
I'm very excited, but without a doubt, it's going to be a money pit for me, I'm ok with that though. I'll just upgrade it as I have time.

So first things first, I'm going bring it to my home from their home this weekend. I am planning on towing it with my jeep and a car dolly. Is this going to be ok? Just put it in neutral and tow it? I have read that it's ok, and it's only 160miles.
I should talk about the condition of it. It has 2.7 with 140,000 ish miles on it and has not been rebuilt. It leaks oil like crazy, but only happened in the last few thousand miles. (Still sounds/drives amazing when it's running). Up until that point it was being driven fairly regularly. There are many spots it's leaking. I replaced the lower valve covers gaskets (? under the engine that I could easily reach) last time I was at their house, and put a new hose on one area that I saw leakage, but this did minimal to help the leaks. It is also leaking from the top of the engine, which is where I think most of the oil is coming from. Body is in OK shape, little rust, but nothing affecting the shape. My dad had issues with the shifting a few years ago and replaced the plastic piece that was causing problems and it shifts perfect now. I have the AC and heater components but they are not installed. the heat exchangers on the bottom need replaced as they are pretty rusted. the Fuel line needs replaced in at least one spot, maybe more.
After I bring it home I need to find a mechanic/someone with knowledge that can help me. My goal is to spend just what I need to spend to get it running well. I could probably be convinced to do some upgrades along the way, but I want to just get it running safely, quickly. I don't have a ton of money to dump into it at once, but I could afford as much as 5K to get the engine going so I can enjoy it some. I'm not sure if I want to do the work myself or pay someone to do it. Eventually I see myself getting it repainted, putting a new suspension on it, new interior, etc, but again, just want it running somewhat reliable so I can enjoy it now too.
I should note that I am somewhat mechanically inclined, I have done brakes, spark plugs, fuel pumps, alternators, AC compressors, etc, but never taken an engine apart. I'm a Jeep guy but am getting into this porsche thing also. I'd like to have a car that I can go crazy fast in as well as a jeep to crawl over anything in.

SO IN SUMMARY:
Questions...
(1) Can I pull it on a car dolly safely in neutral with front wheels on dolly? yes...?
(2) Does anyone know a mechanic/knowledgeable person to talk to about this car near Newark Delaware(live here)/Aberdeen Maryland (work here)/Philadelphia area (close to here)???
(3) Can I get it running somewhat reliably without having to sell my house?! and then get it into much nicer condition over the next several years?
(4) Is it without a doubt time for a rebuild and can someone with limited skills do this?

Thanks! If you're in my area and have knowledge and want a few free beers while we chat about it please contact me!
Pete
PS, i'll have pictures next week

[fanaudical]

Welcome. You'll find lots of help here. I highly recommend connecting with other local Pelicans and getting some other eyes on the car prior to accepting the vehicle to get you a reasonable assessment.

[Dellaware]

Originally Posted by fanaudical

Welcome. You'll find lots of help here. I highly recommend connecting with other local Pelicans and getting some other eyes on the car prior to accepting the vehicle to get you a reasonable assessment.

I certainly would like to meet others that are enthusiasts about porsches of this era. Although, i think i'm getting myself into this one no matter what. It's a free car, and I have the rest of my life to fix it.

[AlfonsoR]

Welcome, and I hope your journey is a good one. I can tell you're pretty excited already though.

1. I personally would tow it with the rear wheels on the dolly. Otherwise, I would remove the axles. I am somewhat new to 911s too, but I think it's worth the time to go the safer route.

2. I can't help you on this one

3. What's your budget? Do you have shop space to where you can rebuild the engine over a period of say a year if you wanted to take it slowly? It sounds like everything should be in decent working order, but how are the brakes, suspension, transmission, condition of the engine , i.e. compression & leakdown numbers?

4. To get into even a ball park figure for how much an engine rebuild might cost, you first need to determine the condition of the engine. You can get an idea of condition by doing a compression and leak down test, but somethings just require tear down and inspection to determine condition.

If you are mechanically inclined, I believe you can do the rebuild/ reseal yourself. You've got a good resource here on this forum and we will lead you to other good resources, like Wayne's rebuild book, Bruce Anderson's book, and the good old Bently manual, plus others.

[otto in norway]

Hi there. And welcome to the madness...

You can tow it with the gear in neutral. But look out for the steering wheel lock. -Keep the key in the ignition.

You should be able to do some work on the car and engine yourself. I am not a mechanic, and just learned the things I needed to know along the way with my car. Just keep patient, and use the expertise from the guys here when needed. The search function is very useful, because many topics have been discussed many times before.

The leak from the top is common on these engines. It is not easy to access, but doable. I think it is from the breather cover or the oil pressure switch. Get a mirror and light, and you may be able to spot it. Get a guy to look it over with you, and take notes and consider what the best rout for you will be. I am guessing that a few gaskets will get you far. But there could be some pulled head studs as well.


Good luck!

[Dellaware]

Yes, everything is in "decent" working order. Like I said, it runs good, brakes good, corners good. i drove it about 2 months ago and it roared. I believe the compression is good. Just leaks a ton of oil, and in the last few weeks the fuel leak that my dad had previously fixed, broke again, and the heat exchangers smoke like crazy because of all the oil that's dripping down. It's dripping at about a drop a second when it's idling. I do have space to work on it in my garage (only single car unfortunately), and actually all day tomorrow is dedicated to cleaning it out just to make sure it's ready.

[Flat6pac]

I lived in Delaware, even Newark and Middletown, for 30 years. There is a real good group of guys there and very active.
Bruce

[Josh D]

Welcome from another Jeep and Porsche guy!

[Sboxin]

Congratulations on your new (to you) Porsche!!

If it were me ---

--- Tow it home and secure in your garage if you can, or under a good cover
--- Cross post your story to 911 Technical and desire to meet other Porsche folks
who can help you assess this car and offer advice
--- Don't get in a big rush to do a lot of work - this takes time and patience - and your $5K will go fast
--- Do a lot of "search" on this Forum for the leak question and heater box replace
--- Order the books you will need
--- Write out a "Plan" for the future work on this car after consulting with your local Porsche folks and this Forum

I would replace the exhaust heater boxes first and do the top engine parts seal that was
mentioned above -- breather, etc. We had a '72 911 in Kentucky with rusted heater boxes
and a dealer told me it needed a valve job -- that's when I found the Porsche trained
tech working out of an old gas station who did excellent work.

Porsches leak oil when they sit a lot and get old. But, you have a nice car to spend
the rest of your life caring for!! Enjoy the journey...

Regards,

[Dellaware]

I was able to tow it back yesterday, and luckily, they didn't have a tow dolly available so they gave me the full size trailer for the same price. Sweet!

We drove it on the trailer, no problems there, but it certainly smoked. I took it off and got it in my garage and only had it running for a few seconds, so hardly any smoke. I'll post a video in a few seconds. In a mean time here is one picture that I managed to snap just after loading.

[Dellaware]

Porschey at its new home - YouTube

Hopefully this link will work and if you turn your volume on you can hear how it sounds. Remember it needs a new heater box/heat exchanger and I'm sure it's not quite the right sound. But you can still hear the engine.

[Dellaware]

Originally Posted by Josh D

Welcome from another Jeep and Porsche guy!

Thanks! Glad I found this forum! I am always on the Jeep JK forum so I knew there had to be one that I could get advice from for the Porsche too.

[Sboxin]

Thanks for posting the photo and video.
The '76 911 Targa looks good and sounds good too!!
What a nice Porsche --- in your garage!!!

I can't help but give advice -- old guy stuff --
Talk to people and find the best independent Porsche shop somewhere near you to have a "Pre Purchase Inspection" - PPI to evaluate what repairs and maintenance needs to be done. The Porsche Club is a good place to start talking to people -- they are always helpful. You can enroll in the PCA on line with the car's VIN number. Then just go to the next event or club meeting and introduce yourself -- easy to do.

Also, you can do searches on this and other Porsche specific web forums to locate a local Indi shop.

Regards,

[Dellaware]

I'm getting some feedback that the 2.7 is considered a "Junk" engine. Am I a fool to start putting time and effort into this thing? I mean, it runs, just need to stop the leaking. What actually happens when the engine fails? why is it such junk? because of the engine leaks or performance or reliability? Maybe I haven't read enough.

[Sboxin]

Pete,

There are some pretty nice 2.7 engines around -- a friend has one in his Autocross class winning car (a '72 body).

It might help to post a video of the engine running and lid raised so forum members can see and hear the real thing. Some photos of the oil leaks and heater boxes would be nice too.

Oil leaks don't necessarily mean you have to rebuild the engine -- since it was your dad's car he probably took really good care and maintained it well -- and you may have all his maintenance records, which is important. You still need that professional evaluation (PPI)
on this car -- its worth the time and money to help make decisions.

Regards,

[mepstein]

Fairwinds Auto in New Castle is known to be one of the best indy shops in the area for Porsche. Especially air cooled.

[oldgunner]

I'm in Newark as well and second the vote of confidence in Fairwinds out on Rte 40. Shoot me a message, I have a little knowledge concerning the cars. Nice car, targas are great for this weather and fall.

[Dellaware]

Thanks all, yes, i'll get some pictures/vids tonight hopefully. i was a chicken without a head last night.

[Dellaware]

Some Exterior Photos

[Dellaware]