Middle-year 911 reliability questions

[exc911ence]

I'm going to look at a 75 911S for sale this weekend as a replacement for my 87 924S daily driver. The 911 has had an engine rebuild with dilivar studs, pop-off valve and Carrera oil-fed tensioners along with some head work, etc. I know these engines had problems when they were new but I figure that the rebuild will have fixed these difficulties. The car is running a custom exhaust with no thermal reactors so the overheating problem of the factory cars shouldn't be an issue.

My main concern is driving a 28 year old car everyday. The climate here is favourable to old cars although with the large amounts of rain we get in the winter, perhaps the fact that it's a non-galvanized car should be concerning me more? Back in the snow-zone (Ontario), I used to get my winter car oil-sprayed every fall so it would be protected from the massive amounts of road salt used there, I'm thinking that oil-spraying the 911's underbody might go a long way to preventing the tin worm from taking over.

Any thoughts?

[exc911ence]

Here's the car:

[dd74]

I don't have any experience with snow or ice down here in L.A., but I do try to drive my 30-year-old 911 every day, including in 100+ degree heat. I trust it infinitely more than my '02 Mercury Mountaineer. Plus, it's a much more fun vehicle. Every day is how these cars were meant to be driven IMO.

[exc911ence]

Well, there's no snow or ice here in Victoria either so I appreciate your confidence in the older 911s as daily cars.

This car has stainless heat exchangers on it so keeping warm should be no problem anyway... also, the air works so keeping cool won't be a problem either!

What about the rust issues?

[bigchillcar]

That's a beautiful car. Sounds like the issues have been properly addressed...certainly removal of the thermals was big plus, as it was the reason for the hotter running temps, pulled studs, etc. An external oil cooler is a great mod, but I don't have one on my '74, which btw, is a daily driver for me. Everything works on mine and won't be finding itself for sale. A good mid-year car is the best value out there my friend. Nice compromise between the raw early cars and the refinements of the later SC model, etc. The CIS fuel injection, though often maligned for lack of perfoemance upgradability, score highly in the driveability category...something that would concern a daily driver. Mine has ~ 90k and is a real cherry...I love to hear people who aren't familiar with the 911 guessing it's a 10-15 year newer model car. I'm very excited about an upgrade only recently learned about that will push my car from 150 up to 200 hp...keeping the CIS injection, but using a 20/21 grind cam and 9.5:1 pistons from JE (my current are the 8:1...don't have 'S' cams). But, since the car is so smooth right now, I'll wait until rebuild time...thinking of trying to smoke my motor just to get started on it! Let me know if you want more detail on this upgrade if you buy the car (you will).
Welcome to the mid-year part of the club!
Ryan

[al lkosmal]

I have a 77 911S with 200K miles. Driven almost daily for 9-10 months out of the year (55 mile commute - one way) and then upgraded/maintenanced for 2-3 months. Rebuilt engine at 160K w/all upgrades, Thermal reactors replaced by SSI's etc. Dependable.

Al
77 911S Targa

Mount Vernon WA.

[dd74]

Originally posted by exc911ence
Well, there's no snow or ice here in Victoria either so I appreciate your confidence in the older 911s as daily cars.

This car has stainless heat exchangers on it so keeping warm should be no problem anyway... also, the air works so keeping cool won't be a problem either!

What about the rust issues?

I thought BC got snow and ice once in a while. Victoria is probably one the most beautiful cities in the Northern Hemisphere. Heck, I'll take all of BC - what a place!

Anyway, the only speck of rust I have detected on my car, was on the bottom, left side of the windshield, which I took care of with some body work. In the Porsche world, a very high premium is put on California cars, particularly Southern California, which mine is. If you want to split hairs, SoCal cars in The Valley are highest prized. The reason is because of the dryness out here. My car's never been outside of California, which is probably why it has no rust.

If I'm not mistaken, only portions of the '74 chassis is galvanized. More galvanizing was deployed on the '75 chassis, and in around '77, they were fully galvanized, including the wheel wells. Near the coast, I've seen a few mid-year 911s, like in Santa Monica and Malibu, and none of them had significant rust. If they did have rust, most likely it was eradicated through a repaint or just general care. Hence, you love it and it loves you back.

[chrisreale]

Maybe remove the factory undercoating (if its there) and Por-15 it..??

[dd74]

Originally posted by exc911ence
Here's the car:

You know, when I see a sweet little body like this, I just can't imagine putting fiberglass bumpers on it, which I grapple with almost daily on my own mid-year.

What do you guys think?

[Adam]

I just can't imagine putting fiberglass bumpers on it

I agree! It's a sweet looking car! Sounds like the usual 2.7 issues have been handled, too. Are they 15x6 Fuchs?

[MAS]

Hey Dave... did you get a chance to test drive it? If so...

-MAS

[jase007]

Not sure about the dates for "full" galvanizing but... my '76 Targa has NO rust anywhere and 164,xxx miles. I thought I had read that the '76 model year was the first for full galvanizing and the oil by-pass mod.

After addressing the 2.7 issues you mentioned some 100,xxx miles ago the car has been very reliable. Have OEM heat exchangers on it, air-pump removed, no external cooler, Dansk single in / single out and car stays below 215 in the NoVA sauna they call summer. Swapped in Pertonix Ignitor for points ... also very reliable.

Have a spare CIS 2.7 with with euro P/Cs, 964 grind cams and SSIs waiting in the wings for a transplant. Will hopefully dyno this car before swap just to see what the actual gains will be. Just waiting for this 2.7 to kick which, might actually take some time.

Jason

[bigchillcar]

Have a spare CIS 2.7 with with euro P/Cs, 964 grind cams and SSIs waiting in the wings for a transplant. Will hopefully dyno this car before swap just to see what the actual gains will be. Just waiting for this 2.7 to kick which, might actually take some time.

Ditto. Right there with you on this idea. You've already got the parts, so maybe you'll get there before me, but I look forward to hearing your results!
Ryan

[Jdub]

My SC is an excellent daily driver and I cannot imagine that this car would not be as well. However, down here there is no salt -- that is a KILLER on cars, so I'd be wary and take precautions.

Was the mag case timecerted or were case savers used?

You might consider a $1,250.00 late '80's Subaru SW as a second car!

John

[pbs911]

I drove my 78SC as a daily driver for over three years. I had fewer problems than my wifes 98 Benz. Only got stranded once.
This is not to say that my car is 25 years old. Sure the shell is 25 years old. But the suspension, motor, trans, seals and almost every moving part has been replaced making the average age of the car probably around 5 years old. I spent pretty much every weekend over a 3 year period of time replacing parts on the car. Not because they broke, but because I wanted to upgrade or replace worn parts. I enjoyed every minute. I doubt that a true 25 year old car would stand up to daily driving. That said, if the car has been maintained properly I see no problem using any P-car as a daily driver. Overall, I beleive a properly maintained P-car is hard to beat as a dependable daily driver. You just lose some of the creature comforts but have a much more viseral driving experience. Sounds like you found a good one.

[dd74]

New or old, I almost never see a Porsche stranded on the freeway. All other cars, including German makes, are continually on the shoulder, waiting for a tow. I see no difference with a 30-year-old Porsche and a newer model, except that if something does break down, it is most probably more easily diagnosed with the 30-year-old car than the newer model.

[exc911ence]

Originally posted by MAS
Hey Dave... did you get a chance to test drive it? If so...

-MAS

MAS: Going Sunday to drive it... if you're not asleep, feel free to come along!

The cars got a power sunroof, is this a rarety for these cars?

[bigchillcar]

My '74 has one and sees use about every day. Never given me a problem in several years of ownership.
Ryan

[MAS]

"MAS: Going Sunday to drive it... if you're not asleep, feel free to come along!"

Dave... if you're going anytime Sunday morning, then I can meet you there no problem. (I'll call you tonight or tomorrow).

-MAS

[exc911ence]

I'm getting psyched! Check these out: