Thinking of Buying a 911 2.7 targa 1976

nickfreke · 04-10-2003, 12:12 AM

Hi Guys,

I am thinking of buying a 1976 911(?) 2.7 Targa.
From the reading I done so far, I see that I should be
looking to see if its had the several engine mods done to it;

1) oil feeded Chain tensioner
2) additional oil cooler
3) head studs replaced, or inserts fitted into case
4) pop off value on air intake.

My question is, can you pick find these out via a visual inspection,
especially # 1 & 3 ??
If so any pictures would be great.

Mileage & service history (if any) is unknown at present,
as I can't get to see it until the weekend.

thrown_hammer · 04-10-2003, 03:45 AM

Nick,
You can tell the pressure fed tensioners by little oil lines feeding into the timing chain covers. Head studs will have to be on a receipt I think.
Contrary to popular opinion I think a 2.7 car with proper updates is a good car. Not sure but on a '76 it may have thermal reactor exhaust. If it does and has high miles I would walk away.

nickfreke · 04-10-2003, 04:07 AM

Hi Shawn,

Thanks for the info. The comment about
'thermal reactor exhausts' is that just based on
replacement cost or other technical reasons.

Our hosts have them at about the same price as
Turbo exhaust systems. Yes very costly.

thrown_hammer · 04-10-2003, 04:26 AM

Nick,
I just noticed you are in the UK. Not sure but I think the Thermal reactors was a USA thing. They were bad for the engine because they created much unneeded heat. They are one of the reasons some 2.7's had a short lifespan.

Porsche_monkey · 04-10-2003, 04:30 AM

Shawn: Don't forget to tell him to check under the back seat!

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

Thermal reactor exhausts get VERY hot and can warp engine blocks, wear out valve guides quickly in addition to a host of other problems.

Never seen one but that's what I've heard.

thrown_hammer · 04-10-2003, 04:45 AM

Oh yeah! check the rear seat buckets for rust!

jphillips-998 · jphillips-998's Garage

Nick, is this a Euro car? Porsche still had a few type 83 engines with MFI laying around in '76. I think they sold about 125 of them early in the run.

nickfreke · 04-11-2003, 01:14 AM

HI Guys,

thanks for the info about exhausts.

Is it practical to replace this type of exhaust with anything ??

The car is a UK import (LHD), I don't know from where, again
I will find out this weekend.

Do the rear seats/pads come out easy to check for rust ??

A warped crank case should be easy to check via any oil leaks,
yes ???