1967 912 for $12,000 good deal or pass

dan79brooklyn · 04-03-2020, 08:47 PM

Here in Japan I’ve come across a 1967 912 for $12,000. I haven’t seen it first hand just pictures and a video. It looks like it has a lot of rust but the seller claims the floors and battery box are solid. It was sitting for 25 years. He sent a video of it running. I would like to restore a car sometime in my life, but I’m not sure if now is best. I think if it was a 911 I’d go for it but a 912 doesn’t get me that excited.

I’ll try to attach pictures later. Imagine a white car with a repaint and visible surface rust and cracked, bubbly paint.

dan79brooklyn · 04-03-2020, 08:52 PM

dan79brooklyn · 04-03-2020, 08:57 PM

dan79brooklyn · 04-03-2020, 09:02 PM

pwd72s · 04-03-2020, 09:05 PM

You must hate your money. Ever thought of taking up pool?

dan79brooklyn · 04-03-2020, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwd72s

You must hate your money. Ever thought of taking up pool?

Yeah, now is the worst time to spend my hard earned money. But it seems well below market value (before Corona that is). But I don’t know much about 912s.

Evans, Marv · 04-03-2020, 09:24 PM

John was right of course. Just the tip of the iceberg. I had a '67 912 and liked it a lot. It wasn't as fast as a 911 but if I had the choice in a car of that age just to drive, a 912 would probably be right up there with a 911.

RSBob · RSBob's Garage

Get it inspected by a body shop BEFORE you do anything. If the body is bad, you could easily pay 3Xs the amount you paid for the car, and that’s before paint. If the engine needs to be rebuilt, you can pay the purchase price again. Get the thing checked out.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

It’s showing signs of significant body rust. Inspect the body thoroughly.
You said you wanted a car to restore. If that means you are doing the work the car might not be a bad deal depending on the rust situation. If you are buying a car to have restored, you’re looking at Bob’s scenario. In that case just go buy one that’s already been done.

dan79brooklyn · 04-04-2020, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

It’s showing signs of significant body rust. Inspect the body thoroughly.
You said you wanted a car to restore. If that means you are doing the work the car might not be a bad deal depending on the rust situation. If you are buying a car to have restored, you’re looking at Bob’s scenario. In that case just go buy one that’s already been done.

I’d do the restoration, but I don’t know if I’m ready to turn my garage and free time into a body shop.

DFW_IE · 04-04-2020, 03:09 AM

I have a 67 912.

In regards to body rust- everything that applies to early 911s applies to a 912. It’s basically a 911 shell with a 356 engine.

Prices for the parts are just as expensive as an early 911- because they are the same parts (except for the engine).

I don’t think that 12k for a 912 is a bad price nowadays but the rust repair is expensive. They are nice, simple, and reliable cars. They engine had been through a lot of development so it’s pretty good. The difference between a 911 and 912 in those early years was not much in terms of HP.

lsf911 · lsf911's Garage

Looking at the pictures, the rust doesn't look too bad to me, especially if it is solid underneath.

What is your thought on restoring an old Porsche? Are you doing it thinking it is an investment and you will make money on it? Or are you doing it for yourself as a hobby and have no expectations on a return?

I ask because you can easily turn this 912 into a 911 if you so desire. I have seen 3.2 engines selling for 7k these days.

If I were you, I would at least go look at. It will be a fun experience to check out a potential purchase even if it doesn't work out. Each time you look at one, you will learn more about what to look for the next time.

Good luck!

ckissick · 04-04-2020, 09:29 AM

The rust looks bad to me. I'm restoring a rusty '66 912, but doing it slowly. It will take years. I like doing everything, so I'm teaching myself welding, bodywork, and painting, and having a lot of fun. I've turned my garage into a body shop, but I don't mind. It's very cramped, what with the '50 VW in there too. I have too many cars.

I didn't know the extent of the rust until I starting dismantling the car and removing the undercoat. It was worse than I thought, but will be manageable. The 912 you're looking at looks worse. But the price isn't too bad, I think. You'll need to be familiar with these guys:

Quality Custom Porsche Panels | Restoration Design Inc.

Zeke · 04-04-2020, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dan79brooklyn

I’d do the restoration, but I don’t know if I’m ready to turn my garage and free time into a body shop.

Then this is not for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsf911

Looking at the pictures, the rust doesn't look too bad to me, especially if it is solid underneath.

What is your thought on restoring an old Porsche? Are you doing it thinking it is an investment and you will make money on it? Or are you doing it for yourself as a hobby and have no expectations on a return?

I ask because you can easily turn this 912 into a 911 if you so desire. I have seen 3.2 engines selling for 7k these days.

If I were you, I would at least go look at. It will be a fun experience to check out a potential purchase even if it doesn't work out. Each time you look at one, you will learn more about what to look for the next time.

Good luck!

No such thing exists. The other statement makes a lot of sense. if you don't go, you'll never know.

LEAKYSEALS951 · 10:42 AM

I could be totally wrong, but it looks like the rocker panels have been already replaced and the bondo is popping out ( I should really say "cracking" ) above the trim strip aft of the jackpoint where they melded it into the previous rear fender.

Also- and someone correct me if I'm wrong, the holes in the rockers appear to be replacement rockers. The original thin trim strips don't cover them, and the person who did the repair didn't care to even close them off. These replacement rockers were meant to have the holes covered by a larger trim strip, like on later models, where the strip wraps around/ under the rocker and would cover the holes (like a 73 with the wide covers), but the early 65-66-67-68? thin trim strips aren't even close. I vaguely remember this problem when we restored a 66' 911/912 years ago. IIRC, at the time, all we could get were the rockers with the holes, so we welded on the rockers and covered the holes with fiberglass.

That would mean this car was a rust bucket 25 years ago, and whatever the previous owner welded the rocker panels to is now potentially rusted out. Betcha the floor and battery box have also been replaced. Assuming they don't need to be re-replaced, it's what was around them 25 years ago that they got welded to that's now the potential issue.

This rust really is more than likely going to be a big project. This car could be one of those 30+ page technical section restoration threads.

rfuerst911sc · 04-04-2020, 10:39 AM

On the flip side nothing wrong with pushing yourself to learn how to save one from the graveyard . Just depends on your circumstances . Do you want to learn how to restore a classic ? Do you have the garage space ? Any gear head friends that can help out ?

Not much more satisfying then tooling down the road in a car that you know every nut and bolt on . Knowing it was your hands that made it look and run good is a great feeling . But there is NO doubt about it you will be spending some $$$ .

LEAKYSEALS951 · 04-04-2020, 10:44 AM

oh yeah- and I would still TOTALLY go check it out!

dan79brooklyn · 04-04-2020, 02:54 PM

Thanks for the advice guys. Judging from the pictures it looks like it’s hiding a lot of rust. I would love a long term project and restoring a car is on my bucket list. Is this the one? Is now the time?
The car is on the other side of the country too

dan79brooklyn · 04-04-2020, 03:11 PM

Here's a video of it running. It sounds pretty good to my ears. I can see that it's been sitting on flat tires for a long time (as the seller said). Anything else you notice?

https://youtu.be/Kpm5IBLdBIs

LEAKYSEALS951 · 03:22 PM

Hey, we have been doing a lot of "zoom" video's here recently due to a certain pandemic.

Other than the fact it is missing TWO whole cylinders....

Is it possible to do this with you at the car and the PPOT peanut gallery at the other end?

Not trying to diss the seller- more of an interesting experiment. If my conspiracy rust theories pan out, the incision lines will be easily seen in real time.

I might be able to pen you in for a time slot...

Need to check my BUSY schedule