Buying a 911T

[GotaT]

So, I've been looking to purchase a project car. I had my eye on a Datsun 1200 Roadster, ( I love old Datsuns), but then came across this 1971 911T. I am seriously considing buying this week. Id like to get some feedback as to what it may be worth and things too look for. Here is the description.

Overall body is in good condition with very minimal rust. A dent on the Bonnet where the P for Porsche is and a dent over the rear driver side fender, of which both of these don't matter too much to me bc I can do paint and body work myself. but.. still take into consideration.

The car is black and its the Targa. It seems to be in mostly original shape. The undercarriage is in expected condition for its age showing no real problematic rust areas. It has the fuchs wheels and decent tires. It needs door/top weathersripping and seat/Headliner upholstery.
Overall the body/ interior are in good shape.

My concern: Duh-duh-duh!!!
The car was running last year .. rough. The owner decided to clean and adjust the Weber carbs and valves. After doing so the car ran Worse.. He dialed in the carbs by ear.. and to my knowledge he most likely did this wrong. As far as the valve adjustment .. im unsure of his work. So im thinking of using a carb sync. tool to get them set right, however I've never done this before, but do have access to a "float style" carb adj tool.
I turned the car over today and that was all I got.. just turning over.

So my reserve really is getting the car to run correctly, the body and interior don't bother me much.. something I expected w/ a project car. Any of you heard of this type of problem, or what I may expect. Any ideas on how to fix the problem and get it running? Also, what would your guesses be for pricing?

Note.. the owner said when it was running the car felt fairly tight on the road and had some power.

[GotaT]

PS .. That is not a scratch on the hood.. its a reflection and alot of Dirt!.. Heres another pic..

Also, if any of you would be able to point out to me on the carbs how to set them I could easily attach a photo.

[vanwyk4257]

I would get underneath it and look really hard at the front suspension pan and rockers. The other major area of concern would be the rear torsion bar tubes and surrounding longitudinal area. If it's rusted out there the car's not worth much. If it's not in running condition now, it is of no consequence that it ran a year ago. That should factor into the price as you will probably need to have the webers tuned by someone and who knows what else may need attention. The best advice would be to have someone who really knows these cars well go and take a look at it with you. Good luck.

[GotaT]

After reading the "what to look for" on Pelican I looked carefully at the problematic areas under the car and it checked out fine. As mentioned, there is very minimal rust under the car.. just surface rust. Ill get a pic up of the underneath, see if you agree.

The getting it running part.. whew!.. thats a concern, and I dont really know of many people that I can take to look at the car that would Know Porsche's.



This is of the front pas side underneath. The drv side appears to be in the same condition.

[GotaT]

Here's a shot taken from the driver side rear under the exhaust pipe.. possible concern.. appears to be some minor oil leakage.. any ideas?
Thanks for your feedback!

[randywebb]

pull head & taillights and look carefully
use ice pick on the car's underbody with it on a lift
see if the rear pkg panel lifts up and you can look or feel for rust under that
- just a few things -- I see the rust above as an indicator of more rust....

What was the price on it?

[GotaT]

Good idea about the head/tails..
Unfortunately I wont be able to get it on a lift, but I can sure jack it up and crawl underneath.
What exactly is the rear Pkg panel - location

The price is 2500

[Jack Olsen]

I'll play the devil's advocate, here.

It's a non-running 911T with rust.

Rust on an early 911 isn't just a 'project.' It's often a reason to abandon the chassis altogether. The cost of fixing it, even DIY, can easily exceed the car's eventual worth by a factor of two or three. What you see is only a small part of what you get. Have a body guy go over it before you agree to buy it. Have the body guy give you a firm bid on what he'd charge to fix it. Tell him you're going to hold him to his bid.

[Shuie]

I dont know where you are in Louisiana, but Id be happy to help out if you are near Baton Rouge. Im not the greatest mechanic in the world, but I know where to look for rust.

The front suspension point look good from that pic, but you need to check the area under the gas tank support from the inside of the trunk. i think that pic is showing some potential rot toward the tow hook under the undercoating, but I need a better pic. Im on my 3rd longhood currently, and from everything Ive learned about these cars so far, I fear rust the most. The rust situation can be very bad.

If the car was running before the carbs were dorked around with Id be willing to bet you can get it running again with this boards help. These cars are easy to work on. If I can keep my car running well, anyone can do it.

Good luck and let me know if I can help with anything.

[GotaT]

Im in Lafayette!.. A Spot of Luck!!! very close

In reference to the previous post, As far as the rust, I am a body man and pretty much know what Im looking at far as that goes. Inside the trunk area looks very solid.

[Shuie]

thats pretty close.

Send me a PM with an email address and I'll forward you some pics of where I have dealt with rust in my cars. I wont be able to send them until Friday morning, but I'll send them.

[GotaT]

Thanks again guys for all the help and posts! I really appreciate it! Feel free to post any other thoughts that come to mind.
Mitch

[Jays72T]

Seems like a deal at $2500, I'd take it.

[randywebb]

See if it has $2,500 worth of parts on it....

It might have gotten rusted from being used as a boat anchor for a work boat on one of the offshore oil rigs....

[jkarolyi]

Do a compression test on the engine. If the compression is even and the front pans look that good, $2500 is a deal!

[Bobboloo]

Judging from the shot of the front suspension pan it doesn't look bad at all to me. If the inner rockers and longitudes check out your probably in pretty good shape. Also be sure to check the door jambs they tend to collect dirt thats thrown by the rear tires.

At $2500 your pretty safe. Rollers go for that much without the drive train. Have a compression check done. if it checks out then you've got a good base motor that won't cost you a fortune to get running right.

I think you'll be a lot happier with the 911 than the Datsun. The 1200 Roadster is cute but the build quality doesn't compare to the 911. Also, with the 911 there are so many engine, brake, suspension,etc. choices available to you that are relatively easy to swap out.

You won't regret it.

About 5 years ago I decided I wanted to restore a classic car. I was looking for a late 50's Ford Ranchero or T-Bird. Well after finding a good candidate I took it for a drive. That's all it took for me to realize it wasn't what I wanted. Then a light went off in my head. I need a classic Porsche.

I've been a fan of the early 911s' for quite some time. I used to own one in the 80's.

You get it all. Classic looks and a car that has the potential outrun just about anything out there. The wallets the only limit.

[901/05]

sell those wheels to me and get started with cleaning that little sweet ride.

Best wishes to ya, Shawn.

[Allenk]

I'd buy it. Actually, I bought the same car in worse shape for the same price. If you don't buy it maybe I will.

[dmcummins]

I would think at $2500 that it would be hard to go wrong. I'd buy it from the pics. Of coarse check it out for rust but sometime's I think the California guys go alittle overboard in seeing alittle surface rust and condeming a car. They do sell replacement panels. On some of the cars I looked at the door lock post's, rear deck, and the rocker below the door lock post seemed to be a problem. Most already had the front pans replaced.

[GotaT]

Thanks again for the posts. I must agree that some people really overstress minor surface rust, but I can understand it too.. it is Still rust and a potential problem.. However, I have had several antique cars and am familiar with rust problems and preventatives. ..

To the post about the wheels.. I may be interested in selling them in the future, depends on what I can find that will Also bolt on. Will any of the Newer style fan style 5 spokes fit?
Talk to you guys later this afternoon.. off to work!.. Later
Mitch