1968 912 to 911????

[stubble88]

Hello. I picked up this clean 1968 912 body. Going to do something with it. Before I get into starting an official build thread I just have a couple questions and any advice is more than welcomed. Anyways I’ll get to it.

1. I’m transplanting a 3.0 into it with 901 5spd. Motor mounts have been upgraded for this. Can I keep my existing wire harness? Are there any mods in will need to make on the harness to make this work?

2. I’ve got pretty clean rear fenders. One looks to have been completely replaced. I want to go a little wider and I have these fiber front fenders with matching bumper. But I have no clue where I can find the matching rear weld on flares and bumper.
But im thinking it might better to just stay with the original narrow body and just go for something a little more hotrod rather than 911r.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/MokkHsRvGrk3xDg36

[jmz]

fun project. likely a flare to match the front profile will be custom. most R Tributes simply use the 69-77 small flare profile rather than the slab side of the SWB. I don't think that approach will match what you have up front.

You might check with Rothsport or EB Motorsports and see if they have something for you.

Good Luck.

[stubble88]

Thanks Jay

Still looking for advice on wiring harness

Thanks

[oldie44]

The problem with what you are planning to do is that the early 911s were tail heavy and you want to install a 3 liter motor which is even heavier than the original 2 liter. Back then, Porsche delivered the 911s with cast iron weights in the front bumper corners to give the cars more balance. 912s did not need the weights because the engines were lighter. In 1969, Porsche increased the wheelbase by about 2 inches with longer rear trailing arms which improved stability. I bought my first 911 ( a 1967 model) in 1973 when I lived in Stuttgart. Since then, I have owned 15 or 20 911s, about half of them were SWB. I will admit that back then we took the front bumper weights out to make the cars quicker and livelier.
In 1975, I rebuilt a 1967 coupe to be something similar to what you are thinking about. We replaced the rear torsion bar tube in order to use later trailing arms and increase the wheel base. Used a 1971 901(911) transmission and 2.7 liter RS engine with MFI. The wiring harness was modified by grafting a 1972 or later harness onto the original harness in the front of the engine compartment. I drove the car for about 50K miles before I sold it, later bought it back after it was wrecked and parted it out.

[stubble88]

i just want to do donuts. thats all.

[dfhtrhjn]

You can drop an electric motor in it! or a Honda K series!

All joking aside, 911 engines are probably the most expensive dollar/horse power.

[ChrisHoover]

My car is a converted 65/66 912. The harness is original. The alternator and regulator circuits are different. The PO did not understand how it worked and made a hash of it. I replaced all of the circuit. It now charges perfectly. The fuel pump was also changed. I’m not sure how that affected the harness. A couple of other areas that may need a mod are the oil temp, oil pressure, oil level circuits. I don’t have oil level but temp and pressure were rerouted in the engine bay. Lastly my handling is great. I’ve never had the ass end hang out and only drifted it once. I guess I dont drive it at the limit. Anyway it did sag a bit in the rear and the rear sway console broke. I have since had the entire suspension replaced, lowered, aligned, and corner balanced. I do want to replace the motor because I want to go twin plug COP and ITBs. My only concern is the 902 gearbox. I’ll probably set it up for economy over power.

[stubble88]

That’s great info. Thanks

[kevinghiani]

I had my 69 912/6 project started in 2012 and was finished in 2018! I have upgraded my car with 79 sc drivetrain, suspension, brakes, even wiring! There are a lot of professionals on this forum who have amazing knowledge but if you want to know my experience which might be very close to what you are planning to do , I am more than happy to share it with you ! Send me a pm please if interested,
Kevin

[Flojo]

what I ask myself: what is more expensive...(unless one gets donated a 912-tub for free to start with)?

a) backdating an SC that has all the pros (zinc-ed tub, 3.0 flat6 ready in, suspension, brake booster, plug and play Carrera brake upgrade possibility)

vs

b) modding a 912 (swb-balance issue, rusty 912 tub, welding flat6 mounts, buying good 3.0, no brake booster, reset wire harness, small brakes)

sure, the 912 is a narrow body.
but if one accept the costs of paint for both projects I guess that re-flaring an SC to narrow it is probably still less expensive than restoring all 912 issues.

correct me if I'm worng

[stubble88]

Yes. There seem to be an overwhelming amount of benefits from starting with an SC. I didn’t get my tub for free. Not even close. But the mounts were already welded in. Body was blasted then epoxied. New driver side floor pan. New rear quarter panel. All before I bought it. I like the starting point. All I had to tear down was the suspension. I’ll need to replace the suspension pan. The wiring harness can stay out and be modified.
I’m in CA. So a 68 has no smog restrictions.
Also when all said and done the SC will still not hold the value of a 68 911r clone. Even if it did start it’s life as a 912. I could be wrong.

[ChrisHoover]

Flo makes good points. Parts can be very difficult to get for a SWB car. My key switch recently failed and it will be difficult/expensive to make right. There are many subtle differences between an SC and a SWB. I’m not sure a backdate would capture them all. The biggest difference is the gearbox. Lots of folks think G50 is better than 915 is better than 901. I love the the 901 shift pattern. Mine is an old gearbox and it needs work, but it is really cool to have it.