One For The Purists - Picking Up a Carrera Today

[onewhippedpuppy]

From your perspective Aigel, you're right. The car is worth more to you stock.

But to some it would be worth more with the tasteful mods still installed. My plan is somewhere in the middle, as I've always wanted a Porsche hot-rod anyway. With the work that's already been done to the car, it's easy to create a cohesive theme of a hot street/autoX/DE car. My comments to your comments:

- Sell brakes and replace with stock. Work a trade in of stock components if you can.
I'M PLANNING ON KEEPING THE BRAKES. SORRY JOE.
- Install fuchs, sell whatever it has on there now
THE HRE WHEELS ARE GROWING ON ME. IT'S TEMPTING TO REFINISH THE CENTERS IN DIAMOND BLUE, ALA THE ORIGINAL CE FUCHS. I MAY SELL THE FUCHS SINCE I CAN'T USE THEM.
- Sell front and rear bumpers and reinstall orignials
THE BUMPERS FIT MY THEME, THOUGH THE PAINT COULD BE MUCH BETTER.
- Put back rockers
STILL TORN ON THIS ONE. IT LOOKS GOOD FROM SOME ANGLES BECAUSE IT MATCHES THE BUMPERS, BUT ROUGH FROM OTHERS. FILLING THE HOLES WOULD HELP A LOT.
- Clean up engine bay - put back black wires, remove autothority sticker, paint fan housing and fan stock. If you can, sell MAF and install stock unit. You'll live with 10hp less (if that!). Fix A/C.
THE RED WIRES ARE NOLOGY HOT WIRES, AGREE ON THE FAN HOUSING, I HAVE NO GOOD REASON TO REMOVE THE MAF. I AM PLANNING ON FIXING THE A/C, IF NOTHING ELSE SO I CAN ENJOY DRIVING IT. ALSO PLANNING TO BACKDATE THE HEAT, AS THE BLOWER IS ALREADY GONE.
- Install SSI with single outlet sport muffler (i.e. Dansk) and backdate heat.
I'M WAITING ON A CAT BYPASS PIPE THAT I'VE ORDERED, THEN I'LL BE REINSTALLING THE OEM HEAT EXCHANGERS AND MUFFLER. I'LL BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A SET OF SSI AND A SPORT MUFFLER, BUT I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT STUFF TO BUY RIGHT NOW.
- Install stock steering wheel or non-race momo
AGREE, OEM WHEEL FOR NOW.
- Move gauges back into correct position
I'LL REORIENT BASED ON THE NEW WHEEL. ALSO PROBABLY INSTALL THE LED LIGHTING UPGRADE.
- Remove electrical cut off switch and patch / repaint cowl
MAYBE, BUT IT GOES WITH MY THEME. ALSO AN INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE THEFT DETERRENT.
- patch / repaint decklid
AGREE
- Clean up stock seats and keep
AGREE

I also have new spring plate bushings, plugs, valve adjustment, all new fluids, belts, new carpet, reinstalling the original door and quarter panels, brake pads, brake/clutch bleed, and probably some other stuff that I'm forgetting on my to-do list. I've already bought new floor mats and nice new RE11 tires, which are very good BTW.

[Halm]

For an aggressive look, don't reinstall the rockers. Mine will come off when I repaint the car.

A cat bypass is a great option, especially for a hotrod because SSI's are a touch too small for optimal high RPM breathing. The bypass is much cheaper, easy to install, and allows a beautiful sound.

Finally, sell both sets of wheels and get a set of 7's and 8's X 16" Fuchs. IMO, they are the hallmark visual on these cars.

Great project. Look forward to seeing where it goes.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Halm

For an aggressive look, don't reinstall the rockers. Mine will come off when I repaint the car.

A cat bypass is a great option, especially for a hotrod because SSI's are a touch too small for optimal high RPM breathing. The bypass is much cheaper, easy to install, and allows a beautiful sound.

Finally, sell both sets of wheels and get a set of 7's and 8's X 16" Fuchs. IMO, they are the hallmark visual on these cars.

Great project. Look forward to seeing where it goes.

Hal, I'm a big Fuchs fan as well. I like them better than the HRE wheels, though those are growing on me. I may swap them later down the road, though I would need to insure that my brand new tires would work on work on a 7/8 set, as my HREs are 8/9.

[Halm]

Matt, you may find that big rubber on 8's up front may be too big for comfortable street driving. Several guys I talked to that went that route, rolled back to 7's with 205/55 sizes.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Halm

Matt, you may find that big rubber on 8's up front may be too big for comfortable street driving. Several guys I talked to that went that route, rolled back to 7's with 205/55 sizes.

That's certainly a possibility, though at the moment I don't have any complaints. What was their primary complaint? Too heavy steering?

[Halm]

Yeap, VERY heavy steering. FWIW, I have 7's and 205/55 x 16 up front on my SC and it is to my taste just about perfect for street. But on track, I think the 225/50's would be better.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Halm

Yeap, VERY heavy steering. FWIW, I have 7's and 205/55 x 16 up front on my SC and it is to my taste just about perfect for street. But on track, I think the 225/50's would be better.

Interesting. I don't have a baseline to compare it to, but even with the smaller diameter MOMO wheel the steering isn't any heavier than I remember my non-power steering 1970 911T or my 951. It's heavy at very low speeds, but quickly lightens up while driving. I'm thinking that the original wheel will probably make it very livable.

[aigel]

Matt, don't fool yourself, you'll be selling this in 1 year or less. Another opportunity will present itself that needs the funds! That's where my suggestions come from. Maximize your returns.

Keep us posted!

G

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by aigel

Matt, don't fool yourself, you'll be selling this in 1 year or less. Another opportunity will present itself that needs the funds! That's where my suggestions come from. Maximize your returns.

Keep us posted!

G

Probably, but my projects are often a balance between fun and profit. I'm sorta like the crack dealer that also enjoys the product. Don't smoke what you sell!

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by Halm

For an aggressive look, don't reinstall the rockers. Mine will come off when I repaint the car.

A cat bypass is a great option, especially for a hotrod because SSI's are a touch too small for optimal high RPM breathing. The bypass is much cheaper, easy to install, and allows a beautiful sound.

Finally, sell both sets of wheels and get a set of 7's and 8's X 16" Fuchs. IMO, they are the hallmark visual on these cars.

Great project. Look forward to seeing where it goes.

+1 on the wheels. Sorry Matt but those HRE wheels are hideous. I would reinstall the rockers and keep the car visually as stock as possible.

I say 8 months. Tops.

[greglepore]

First of all, I hadn't driven my 85 targa (protomotive turbo, 22/29's, Polybronze, late sways, sport shocks, 17x9&10's, Fuchs centers,bbs outers) for around 2 yrs due to a combination of health and personal issues. Took it out today, and instant smile-nothing, absolutely nothing, feels like a properly set up aircooled 911. Other cars are faster, more competent, etc, but in terms of driver reward, its at the top of the class. Made me remember why I put up iwth the sweat and tears in the first place.

I'd not worry about 225's on the front. I have a MOmo comp wheel, and while the steering isn't power steering light at low speeds, its ideal over the road. Yes, the gauges need to be oriented properly to work, so what.

I'd ditch the HRE's-I had the same wheels on mine before I got the bastard fuchs-the Fuchs look more appropriate. I would go to 17's just for tire choice-either a set of custom wheels usng real Fuchs centers or a quality replica.

Keep the MAF. Run the least restrictive exhaust that you can-my turbo setup has no real muffler to speak of, just a dynopack drag muffler and some no brand resonator that I picked up-yes, its loud, but in a good way, deep guttural loud, and its not like I drive the car for anything but pleasure.

If I didn't only drive the car hard, I'd want softer torsions, as the ride quality does really suffer, but the car is freaking laser sharp as set up-I left my monoballs at the ex's during the divorce and never installed them, and do miss that.

Anyway, enjoy, its a purchase you won't regret.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Pretty unanimous feedback on the HREs, I don't think they're THAT bad.

Greg, thanks for the feedback. I'm going from headers and Phase 9 race mufflers to the stock HEs, cat bypass, and stock muffler. I'll also change the chip, as the car came with an Autothority chip optimized for a stock exhaust with cat bypass. Long term I'd like to at least add a sport muffler, I've read a lot of feedback that the stock 3.2 HEs flow pretty well with a cat bypass and low restriction muffler. My current setup is LOUD and pretty obnoxious at low RPMs, it does sing nicely when you rev it though.

[Jim Richards]

Why is this thread not in the 911 tech forum, Matt? It's not OT.

[911boost]

I don't hate the wheels as much as some others here do, and they might look preety good with centers matched to the paint. They fit over the brakes and you just bought new tires for them, so I'd run them for a while. Heck my '86 had D90's on it when I got it and new tires so I ran them until I wore the tires out, I think they were 7/8s. I have huge 18 HRE's on the turbo and I have been torn about replacing them with some Speedlines but I just cant spend the $$ that they command.....

Bill

[Rot 911]

Matt I happen to have a Dansk dual inlet-single outlet muffler, in very good condition, that I always keep meaning to get around to selling.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Why is this thread not in the 911 tech forum, Matt? It's not OT.

Good question. I'm used to posting here with my degenerate friends I guess. I may post this over there, so I can be further ridiculed for my Carrera badge not being correctly located.

Originally Posted by Rot 911

Matt I happen to have a Dansk dual inlet-single outlet muffler, in very good condition, that I always keep meaning to get around to selling.

Kurt, I would be interested but I only have stock HEs right now. I'll be stuck with single inlet mufflers until/if I invest in SSIs.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Good question. I'm used to posting here with my degenerate friends I guess. I may post this over there, so I can be further ridiculed for my Carrera badge not being correctly located.

I figure over there you'll get more 911 input, at the cost of less of the incredibly valuable input from the BMW and Porsche FEWC crowd.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

I figure over there you'll get more 911 input, at the cost of less of the incredibly valuable input from the BMW and Porsche FEWC crowd.

I posted there as well. Now the gurus can skewer me for my cobbled bastard car.

[aigel]

You need me to post again over there!

Please link the thread - j/k on posting, but I'd love to read what they say!!!

G

[onewhippedpuppy]

An update, the car is slowly progressing.