My Progress so far...

[86 911]

I just wanted to thank everyone on this board that has helped me with my tech questions while working on my 911 ('76 body with turbo look and cabriolet, & 3.0 SC engine). I bought the car on Monday, August 16 2004, just two months after I turned 15 with my dad's help of monthly financing. I did pay for the car basically through being hired to do lawn work for a lot of people in the neighborhood when we lived in Maryland a few years earlier, and just being kind and helping my parents a lot, and not being a "rebel" (never have been, never will be one). Anyway, we got the 911, and as the P.O. said, all it needed was to get the handbrake adjusted. We did not get a PPI done, but everything sounded and looked great, so we bought it. Then came the projects! Oh what fun! Here is what I, and the guidance and support of my father have done to the car:

P O R S C H E 911 REPAIRED / MODIFICATIONS (From 8/2004)

Abbreviations: DS = Drivers Side
PS = Passengers Side

Front Seats Re-Upholstered – 8/04
PS headlight bulb replaced 8/04
Spare Tire Holder added 9/04
Screw hole covers “trim” for rear bumper added 9/04
Jack plate added 9/04
Jack Cover added to PS 9/04
Shocks added to Bonnet 10/04
Trim to rear fenders added 10/04
Shocks added to Engine Lid 10/04
Fuel Level Sender Replaced 10/04
Rear Inside Panels Upholstered for Cabriolet Top 10/04
Reverse Light Switch Replaced 10/04
New Windshield Wiper Motor 11/04
New rubber drainpipe (through smuggler box) added 11/04
Washer for windshield fixed 11/04
New DS Door Pin 11/04
New Battery Installed 12/04
Rear Taillight Re-Wired 12/04
Hoses connected to interior vents from blower 12/04
New Coil Wire 12/04
Engine cleaned and painted (high temp. engine paints) 12/04-1/05
New Fan Belt 1/05
Fuel line from tank to pump replaced 1/05
Fuel Pump Replaced 1/05
New Ignition Wires 1/05
New Upper Valve Gaskets 1/05
New Oil Cam Lines 1/05
Battery “Holder” added – 1/05
New Oil tank-sender gasket – 2/05
New Lower Valve Gaskets – 2/05
Emergency Brake cables replaced – 3/05
Emergency Brake Shoes replaced – 3/05
Emergency Brake springs and sprockets (for shoes) replaced – 3/05
New Glovebox Light installed and wired – 3/05
Catalytic Converter pipe (from a 1983 911) added – 3/05
Exhaust pipe (in upper engine) received wide band – 3/05
New Engine heat/sound pad installed – 4/05
New Fuel Filter installed (’76 911) – 4/05

We think that we have done everything that needed to be done. The engine sounds great, and the cars runs better and happier than ever before. We still have not had an inspection done by a Porsche mechanic yet, but hopefully in about a month we will have it looked over by a professional.
In the meantime, I have my permit, so I am taking my "older" friends and my parents on spirited drives. I have just a little over 2 months until I get my liscence!

Here are some recent photos:

[911gilley]

Looks great! Good luck with it. And remember, be responsible driving it. Porsches handle great, but don't push it without proper training; respect the car and the car will respect you. ENJOY.

[86 911]

Thank you Ed. I haven't pushed it on the street hardly at all. I have this constant phobia of a police car or radar sitting around somewhere, so I try not to go more than 5 MPH over the speed limit. Hard to do in this car, but I really don't want to get a ticket.

Thanks!

[88 Club Sport]

Congrats Matt... you are a lucky guy. At your age, my ride was a moped I did not get my first Porsche till I was a year out of college!

My recomendation is to find your local PCA and find out if they allow 16 year olds to autorcross. It's one of the best ways to learn how to drive your car. My daughter is only 8 but she knows the day she turns 16, we are off to the autocross.

Welcome to Porsche ownership.

[rrpjr]

Looks fantastic. And a great story. Enjoy the result of your hard work.

[azasadny]

Gorgeous car!!! Great work!

[86 911]

Thank you Art and rrpjr,

Here is a "before" photo of the engine when I got the 911 (the "after" photo is in the first post):