Introduction and help, please

[Oldspiker]

Hello,

Last weekend I purchased a 1976 911S. It was almost, no it was, an impulse buy. My wife saw it advertised, we went to look at it and made an offer that was accepted.

From the little bit of looking around in this forum that I have done, I know that you all like pictures. I hope you will forgive me for not posting any at this time. The car is now in my crowded garage, and there is three feet of snow outside. I live in the Northeast, so I don't think it will see the light of day for a few months.

There are good things and bad things about the car. Even though it has rarely been used for the past 4 years, I think that it is a good thing that I was able to drive it over 100 miles to get it home. I could cruise somewhat comfortably at 65-70 mph. The morning I brought it home it was about 0 degrees out and it started, also I think a good sign. So it runs, rolls, and shifts. Some of the lights work. I should also mention that I have a service record indicating that at 87,000 miles the engine was dissassembled to the block, that heli-coils were installed and "case studs" (Delvar?) were replaced. A "used set" of cylinders and pistons were installed. There is now about 6000 miles on the rebuilt engine.

Here are some of the problems, at least the ones that are immediately apparent. The brakes barely work. I really had to anticipate stopping and put my weight behind braking. Then after finally stopping, I believe the right front caliper wouldn't immediately release. Obviously brake work is required. I nearly froze to death during my drive since there was virtually no heat. I haven't looked under the car to see what condition the heat exchangers are in, but something is wrong there. While there are no dents, there is some significant rust, so body work is needed. There are some electrical issues. A problem with the left rear lights was disclosed by the previous owner–who by the way had the car for almost five years, but only dorve it about 500 miles. What at the present time concerns me the most has to do with a relay that is mounted on the outside of the fuse cover with wires dangling from it. I'm not sure what it does, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the fuel pump.

I realize that I have a lot to learn about this car, but I am in no particular hurry and look forward to fixing it up. I am by no means an auto repair expert, but I can read manuals and listen to advice which I am hoping will come from some of you.

I am disappointed to learn that Bentley does not have a manual for this car. I have found their BMW manual extremely helpful (I have a 1991 325i convertible). Where can I get literature so that I can begin to educate myself? In particular where can I find a wiring diagram? I think I saw that some outfit in UK was selling PDF files on a CD of presumably a scanned service manual. Does anyone know anything about this?

Well, I think I've rambled on enough. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thanks for any advice.

Bob

[Walko]

Congratualations,

welcome to owning a porsche and I hope you enjoy it.

Worry about fixing the rust first.

Michael

[MikeSid]

Bentley is nice, but you'll have your hands full with "101 Projects for the Porsche 911" written by Wayne Dempsey - host of this board and owner of Pelican Parts. The book is available on this site or if you are anxious you can probably find a copy at a local bookstore.

Otherwise, you will find enough experts here that are willing to walk you through virtually any task, from installing piston wrist pin circlips to rebuilding an entire 915 transmission from removal to reinstall.

Congratulations on your purchase and don't believe the negative press you'll undoubtedly find on the middle year 2.7 ltr. motors. If yours was rebuilt competently, it will be fine. And IMHO the 2.7 motors seem to spool up quicker than they are sometimes given credit for. The middle year cars are some of the best bargains today and remain a very underrated incarnation of the 911.

[David]

Congrats on the purchase.

I'll second the recommendation on the 101 projects books.

My next recommendation is to spend many hours using the search function to answer all your questions. I'm still amazed that even when I've got a problem noboby else could have, I do a search and there it is.

<------ Hey look, my 1000th post!

[Grady Clay]

Bob,

Welcome to the Forum. Please post pictures when you can. I’m glad you didn’t get stranded somewhere, that was a real ‘nor-east’r.

While the Colorado Rocky Mountains get inundated with snow, we could use some moisture down here. Perhaps you guys in NE can send some spare snow. We have had 60-74F for two weeks now. We need a 38” blizzard.



Before you do anything, have some knowledgeable Pelicans and PCA people come over and give you a good perspective of the 911S you now own. In lieu of a PPI, this may tell you what direction to go. The basic question is to fix it or resell it. Next is how good is it and how much money to invest in fun. Only then light into a repair/up-date process.

While the weather is an issue, use the time to collect all the technical information possible. Start yourself a “personal car specific manual” with copies of the Factory workshop manual, parts manual, service information, Pelican, Panorama, Excellence, and much more.

You are going to want to collect ALL of the necessary brake parts. That includes a master cylinder, rubber brake hoses, pedal assembly rebuild bushings, front wheel bearing seals, and most importantly dealing with the calipers. The calipers may just take servicing or rebuilding or replacement. The rotors and pads may also need replacement. Brakes are number one priority to operate the car.

Everything else needs good weather diagnosis.

Best,
Grady

[PorschePilot]

I have a 74 Targa which sat for several years before I bought it as a project.

First thing, get the 101 Projects book and you might as well get Wayne's engine rebuilding book.

For the brakes, rebuild the calipers, completely flush the system and get fresh fluid in it, replace the brake pads if required. It will make all the difference.

Change the oil and filter.

Check the contacts of the fuses and bulbs, theyboth get corroded. Also check and clean the ground wire on the light assembly.

Pelican has all the parts. Welcome to the narrow body club.

[vash]

i think, do the safety stuff first. i agree, a full brake job is needed. rebuild the calipers, change the rubber lines. that way you have peace of mind as well as brand new fluid. easy AND cheap! something you can do in the garage over the winter. i miss my 75 targa. welcome to the club.

wiring? i dont know anything. but fix that relay, at least secure it. it could be for anything. cooling fan?

[Oldspiker]

Wow!

I am really impressed. In less than an hour I have 6 responses.

I have just ordered the 101 projects book, and am eager to read it.

Thanks for all the other advice as well.

Bob

[imcarthur]

Welcome Bob. This forum can be your best resource. But you must learn to use the search button or people will yell out you.

The only other mandatory things is you must post pictures of your new baby . . .

Ian

[scottb]

Originally posted by Oldspiker
While there are no dents, there is some significant rust, so body work is needed.

Congrats on the purchase. OK, time for a reality check.

Did you poke around with an awl or screwdriver to determine how bad the rust was? Rust can be VERY deceiving, and what looks like a little may actually be a lot!! Did you check the front pan and front suspension? What about the floorboards? Under the rear seats?

I agree with those that say the safety items should be addressed first. After that, I think you should go on a rust search-and-destroy mission to determine how bad the problem is. That might influence your decision on how to go forward with restoring the car. Remember, when it comes to rust, Por-15 is your friend!

Good luck. Take lots of pictures, and keep us posted.

[Rufblackbird]

IIRC '76 911s didn't come with regular heat exchangers...they came with the deadly thermal reactors. I doubt you have the thermal reactors still installed, but there's a good chance you have headers instead of heat exchangers, which could explain the lack of heat.

congrats on the new car, my first 911 was a '76 with a TON of rust as well.

[rexav8r]

Hi Welcome!

If wasn't IMPULSE to buy it now, it would just have been an impulse later! ...just as good to get it over with !

I'm not positive about the UK CD you're mentioning, but as mentioned ALOT on other threads here, a GREAT buy from your local dealer (or via here at PP) is the .pdf parts catalog for $15 or so, and has most everything!

part number: 000043400005

not sure where it's listed here at PP as I bought mine from the dealer before Wayne got it posted...

[cactusdtd]

Bob,

Congrats on taking the impulse dive. Kudos to your bride for being a co-conspirator. dittos on Wayne's book. you might also want to pick up a Haynes maintenance book "Porsche 911 - 1965 to 1989" While it is not as good as the Bentley or Wayne's book, it does impart some basic knowledge - especially on the early and mid year models. It contains wiring diagrams and system schematics. It is available from our host (BK-103995AM) or from any Barnes and Noble. I also concur on the brakes. I vote on the brakes and the electrical. Electrical is a great Northeast winter project since all you need is some emory paper to clean contacts and a continuity tester to verify circuits.

Good luck

[Zeke]

Although what Grady and the others say about a complete brake job being important for yours and others safety, I'll bet a dime to a donut if you change out the individual brake caliper hoses, the brakes will be OK to drive around the neighborhood or to a mechanic, if you desire.

If you do this, when bleeding the lines, use a pressure bleeder or otherwise do not push the pedal all the way to the floor. That puts the M/C piston in an area that it does normally go to and there is undoubtedly some rust down there. When the piston enters the rust, it does the piston seal in and you have another problem right away.

It's things like this that get people down on a project; seems like it never ends. Knowing how to do a partial repair on some things w/o creating more problems while you're at it is part of the science of owning an older car.

That having been said, I am NOT recommending that you short cut or skirt the issue of the brakes. If you keep the car, you will do the brakes anyway, so do them now.

There is a lesson to be learned here and if you just need to drive the car carefully for "evaluation" purposes, change the hoses and most probably it will drive OK. The lesson? Well, if you treat every job as you should treat the brake job, you might as well take the car completely apart and start on a long journey. Some never reach the end of that journey. Get what I'm saying?

Since I'm in the mood for typing, I'll tell you what I did. I have a car like yours, or it was anyway. I did the complete brake job first thing. Had to, they were frozen. I got it running half way decent and drove it for 6 months while attending to some issues. I didn't log a lot of miles, but I got aquainted with the car. Good thing, because it's now been apart for suspension upgrades and major rust repair for over 7 months. If I didn't get a taste, I probably would have cut the car up and parted it out.

There's a visceral meaning to my avitar slogan and you're about to step in it. I hope your journey will be as interesting as mine. Glad you found a 911......and Pelican.

BTW, your wife saw the ad and told you?

[Oldspiker]

I received the 101 Projects book yesterday and now wish the weather was warm enough to get going. So every project I read, I think "I've got to do this!" Of course affording it all is a different issue.

Since several of you commented on my wife, Jan, being a co-conspirator on our purchase and since I don't have pictures of the car, I thought I'd post a picture of her. (Last summer we were on a small ship cruise of Alaska, and she was trying on the life jacket.) When I met Jan in 1971 I was driving a then fairly new 914-4 (1970) which we still have under our house in many pieces. The deal was if we got the 911, I'd get rid of the 914. Well, we'll see.

Is the Motive Products Power Bleeder worth purchasing? I don't think Jan will be too eager to sit in the car pumping the brakes.

Bob