Ideas for non-Singer-priced mods

[Pilot_Dave]

I've got a beautiful '83 911SC and I've been toying with the idea of modding it akin to a Singer but without the price tag. In other words, anyone have ideas about professional mod shops and ideas/images for car projects? I think my car is gorgeous, but instead of falling for the siren call of a new 911 GTS or something, I thought I'd explore something a bit more unique.

My target price...maybe $30-40k?

Thanks for any ideas.

[997at]

I'm wondering the exact same thing. I have a beautiful '82 that's going to Vintage Sports Car Restorations for a bare metal repaint in a few months and am contemplating mods to go with the new paint. So far I'm thinking electric AC, modern headlights. My engine is strong and the 915 is rebuilt but I'm open to upgrading the engine. I'm torn on whether or not to keep the tea tray spoiler... as with yours, it's original to the car and I actually like the look of both spoiler and no spoiler. Interested to see what the suggestions from folks are.

[PeteKz]

Dave: How many miles it? That's an indicator of what might be worn.

I would not mess with the classic/Carerra SC body. Start that, and you'll bust your budget quickly, and it won't improve the handling. Besides, your paint looks great as-is.

Instead, the first thing I would focus on is the suspension. Unless the rubber bushings have been replaced, those are probably worn/sagged. Replace the T-bars with 20/26, or 21/27.

Does it have Bilstein or Boge shocks? I'm partial to Boge struts with Koni Sport adjustable inserts. Others swear Bilstein is better. Nevertheless, I'd say stick with what you have, unless you want to buy new struts with raised spindles. Struts with 19mm raised spindles would be my next suggestion if you've taken care of the previous items. You can spend lots of money for KW shocks with coil-over springs and other exotic stuff, but again, for street driving it ain't worth the money. See this YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzSzoESEhCQ

Tie-rods: I replaced my OE rubber-bushed tie rods with the solid Turbo tie rods. I don't think it was an improvement for street driving, as I get more harshness through the steering now. Most of the roads around me are rough, so I can feel the difference. A lot of people like the more direct feel of the Turbo tie rods, but if you are keeping it on the street, I'd stick with the OE tie rods. Yours are probably still good.

Wheels and tires: Lots of options here, so decide what you want. Bill V has posted detailed charts of what combinations will fit your car.

Brakes: Depending on how hard you drive, you might want bigger brakes. This gets into the several thousand dollars category, so think hard about whether you really need them.

After suspension, I would look at transmission improvements. Add an LSD if it doesn't have one already, and synchros if it's getting harder to shift or grinding between gears.

After tranny, I'd look into engine improvements, but this is where you can really bust the budget too.

Anyway, post back the details on your car and what you're thinking about.

[AG81]

A singer inspired interior will go along way.....



So will a sharp frunk.


The right stance and a wheel change might also also help.




Lots of subtle changes available if your handy.

[PeteKz]

Nice interior! More ways to spend money!

[Rtrorkt]

OK, but at cars and coffee in Scottsdale today was this Singer with the Williams flat 5 and a Graham Rahal Performance license plate holder. Not sure this can be replicated. Just freaking gorgeous

[Rtrorkt]

OK, but at cars and coffee in Scottsdale today was this Singer with the Williams flat 6 and a Graham Rahal Performance license plate holder. Not sure this can be replicated. Just freaking gorgeous

[rothaus]

I just built my own.

Starting point was my 71 Ex Autocross car.



This is what it looks like now. Not so much "Singer" but my own creation. 3.6L Restomod.













Cheers
Engelbert

[Dpmulvan]

[shoooo32]

Backdating an SC to "singer look" without the performance mods reminds me of all those longhood cars that got slantnosed or 935 bodied back in the 80s. They looked pretty cool to me (a child at the time), but my dad knew they were a joke as they were usually still powered by the factory 911T (or 912!) engine. Nowdays these cars are getting removed from barns and returning to longhoods.

Long story short, don't waste you time and money cutting up a perfectly good G body. Sell it and find a car that's already been modified. It's almost always a cheaper and easier road. Case in point, you can burn your $30-40k budget on the metalwork and glass out respray for a backdate (assuming a color change). Throw in a woven leather interior and you've doubled that figure and waited three years to drive a car that will perform identical to the one you brought them.

[Showdown]

Counterpoint to Tony’s completely logical and sound take;

Before you start spending any money think about what makes the car fun for you- it may be the performance of ripping it on the track, it may be oogling it as a piece of art in your garage, maybe it’s the sensory experience of the interior, etc… and then put the money and time there.

If you don’t care about HP and torque but love the experience of a well designed bespoke interior then it’s reasonable to invest there as the ROI will be higher than if you chase someone else’s idea of what your car should be.

That said, paying someone to do it will burn that budget almost instantly and won’t go as far as you think.

[AG81]

As Julian eloquently stated..... paying to have this done is expensive and a waste of money.
Do it yourself .......your ROI will be significantly better.

I don't think a 80 SC has to perform like a Singer to get enjoyment from a mod. I also don't think a true longhood requires a 3.6.
I've seen plenty of 3.2ss engines rip past a 3.6. Do what makes you happy.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by rothaus

I just built my own.

Starting point was my 71 Ex Autocross car.



This is what it looks like now. Not so much "Singer" but my own creation. 3.6L Restomod.













Cheers
Engelbert

Nicely done!!

Front enders appear tp be bugger than stock but smaller than 930, is that just and
illusion?

[rothaus]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

Nicely done!!

Front fenders appear to be bigger than stock but smaller than 930, is that just and
illusion?

No illusion, the flares are a 1.5" wider that SC/Carrera. This way I can run 8 and 10' wheels. It's basically the same width as in the first picture when it was my AX car with bolt-on flares.

Currently I replacing the 993 heat exchanger with B&B 964 headers with heat and the home made muffler with a GT3 muffler. I had to modify the rear bumper a bit.




Cheers
Engelbert

[Rodsrsr]

I too took a similar approach, using Singer as an inspiration knowing that its not within my reach. Here is my Singer inspired 76 Coupe with turbo 3.2.








[img]

[AG81]

^
Fantastic.