Pls Help Me Prioritize My Projects

[Rockafella]

Have a very original 85 Coupe with ~76k miles I've owned 2 years. Only done services so far but am looking to get her in shape for summer. Please help prioritize....tips & tricks also welcome

I've done some "2 mechanic" projects from the 101 book, but looking to do more.

1. Fussy shifting (sometimes great days, others it hates me) - went to synth fluid, now going to swepco. Want to replace coupler, bushing, trans/motor mounts (will Club Sport mounts help?) I'm thinking mounts cause sometimes on launch, the whole driveline shudders as the clutch "chatters." Thoughts on seine shifter?

2. Needs new shocks - looking for the best recommendation for a weekend toy. Was thinking koni adjustables. Should I have the ride height set to euro specs at the same time?

3. Turbo tie rods & camber truss - will this make a difference on a street car?

4. New tires - thinking Pilot Sports. Any other favorites out there?

5. A/C - has been recharged but the blower motor blades are hitting something when on and only runs on high. Replace blower motor/housing and switch?

6. H4s - read about relays, should I put them in if I do the lights even if I run a regular wattage bulb like 55w? Already replaced the turn signal switch.

7. Interior freshening - how much time should one spend trying to poke and prod slightly misshaped stuff before giving up and buying new parts. Sagging map pockets, door handles that don't fully return, etc.

8. Exterior freshening - Is it easy to replace exterior rubber and trim such as the fender seal? Also, the dealer poorly touched up paint some time ago and gutters are starting to peel. Take to a shop? Bay Area, CA recommendations?

Thanks for helping bring my 911 back to her former glory. If someone has a favorite mechanic in the San Jose/Mountain View, CA area, I'd love to hear from you.

Also, can someone figure out my wheel width based on the pic below?

You have 7's F and either 8's or 9's on the back. You'll have to pull the wheel and look at the stamping on the back. Nice car.

[GrindingGears]

Tony Heyer of Heyer Performance located in Mountain View was my mech when I lived in the pennisula. He is very very good. The best in the Bay area if you ask me, hands down.

[bell]

i would worry about properly functioning mechanicals first......i.e. shifting/etc.
next..... tires........self explanatory.....
then there's the lighting......better to see at night to keep up with the new tires/quicker shifting
those few things will "change" your car......

my .03

[Por_sha911]

Get the shifter/clutch issues fixed first. The temptation is to do the fun stuff like interior and exterior refreshening but its no good if the car looks nice and won't go. Also, you have the possibility for surprise extra expenses.
edit: P.S. Nice looking ride!

[Jim Sims]

Replace the rubber sections of the brake lines, install new brake fluid and bleed the brakes. This is more important than anything else you have listed; if it hasn't been done recently then do it. Next is to take care of the clutch/shifter issues; an improperly adjusted clutch will add wear to the synchro's in the transmission. Jim

[Rockafella]

Thanks everyone for sharing your expertise. I forgot to mention that I redid the brakes (new pads and rotors) right when I bought the car, but didn't do the lines. Would you recommend sticking with rubber or going to stainless lines?

Thanks for the compliments on the car. I looked for over 6 months, saw a dozen cars before finding on this one.

As for Heyer Performance, I hear he is great. I started working on the car myself because his backlog was too long for me to wait on the turn signal switch. Will try and get on his calendar for the trans.

Aubrey

[Bill Douglas]

I'd do the SSIs first

[azasadny]

Rockafella,

Do the mechanical stuff first (shifter, etc...), then you can do all the cosmetic stuff... just my .02 worth!

[Jim Sims]

Since it appears to be a street car I'd suggest the OEM rubber lines and Ate Super Blue Racing brake fluid. Borrow or buy a pressure bleeder. You'll need a set of metric tubing or flarenut wrenches to replace the brake lines. Cheers, Jim

[Noel]

I would recommend rubber lines even if it was used as a DE car. I do about 10 days of track driving a year and switched mine to rubber. The rumours that you get a firmer pedal with stainless lines are greatly exagerated.

Also, replace your shifter bushings first, as driving with worn bushings will wear out your tranny faster.

Good Luck,

Noel

[Colby]

I thought the stocks on non-turbo body Carreras were 16x6 front and 16x7 rear?

[jazzbass]

Originally posted by Colby
I thought the stocks on non-turbo body Carreras were 16x6 front and 16x7 rear?

They are (actually, stock is 15x6 and 15x7, but most were upgraded to 16x6 and 16x7). Look at the dish of the polished rims. There is a slight dish in the front indicating 7s (or even 951 8s) and a deeper dish in the rear indicating 911 8s or 930 9s.

Jim has the right idea, IMO. Replace the rubber lines on the brakes first - they're probably 19 yrs old. I'd stick with rubber - they work just fine and you don't have to worry about the line breaking under the SS sheath. Here's what I'd do:

1. Replace rubber brake lines with OEM rubber lines. Be careful - the flares on the hard lines like to freeze to the lines themselves, so you end up breaking the hard lines. Not a cheap fix, so be careful.

2. Major tune up - dizzy cap/rotor, fuel filter, air filter, plug wires, plugs, valve adjust, oil change, tranny oil change.

3. New tires. Easy job - buy'em and pay someone else to put them on.

4. Shifter work - new bushings, maybe a gate shift kit (I have a Seine Systems & love it).

5. H4s. There are many, many threads on how to install - some going on right now. Yes, do relays even with stock 55W bulbs. Also do upgraded bulb sockets & wiring.

6. Suspension work. New tbars, shocks, tie rods, bushings. This is an expensive one - I think I priced it out at ~ $1500. Do it all at once, though. Put everything in, lower to euro height.

Nice car. One of the best years, IMO.

[jazzbass]

One more tip - before starting a project, come to this BBS and search, search, search. Everything in your list has been discusse many times. Lots of great info in the archives here. Doing this will give you a good idea what to expect from the entire project.