Here she is...finally

[YTNUKLR]

Some of you may have noticed I was in search of a good project early 911 to tinker on. Well, after lots and LOTS and LOTTTTTS of looking at a lot of crapola, here she sits. A 1970 911E Coupe originally finished in Albert Blue, replete with Arizona 99% rust-free body (yes, and there are no panels or carpet, you can see everything, the parcel shelf etc), original engine and transmission, seats, suspension, need I go on??

Oddly enough, it's the car (psarmany's) that was PM'd to me about 2 hours after I put up a wanted ad, call it destiny or something. Every other car before and after didn't rival this one for a moment, kind of weird that you (at least I did) find this instantaneous connection with a car you hear about over a phone.

It nailed every one of my original criteria, those being a '70-73 ORIGINALLY-MFI coupe without rust, in the Southwest, with matching numbers. It originally had (still does) an Aluminum 911S license plate panel from the factory, and a pair of aluminum calipers...WITH hydropneumatic struts (still there) and 14" wheels (unrestored).


I have a good long road ahead in terms of finishing it, but that's the way I like it. Can't wait to really get going this summer.

And the craziest part was that I drove, with my friend, from 3 AM Saturday, til 3AM sunday morning! 1057 miles roundtrip though some of the most uninhabitable desert, crunching on chocolate pretzels, dried cherries and bottled water to make sure we didn't dry up (we stopped for meals).

Made a (probably lifelong) friend with the owner, Pete, too. He's a really cool guy that just couldn't do it the way he wanted right now. But eventually, he'll probably see this car back his way. Overall, I really couldn't have asked for more out of the whole thing.

And I know, it isn't perfect, that's not what I wanted though. Yep, I'm an 'idiot' for being naive enough to take this on, but I don't care! The end result will be worth it.

So, anyways, I have just a few pics...enjoy (sorry there weren't more!)...

FIND SOME FRIGGIN' GAS!

Whew, Chevron popped up just in time!
Not real pretty but the beauty lies in all that's under the paint...unlike most pre-galv 911s, you can actually see pretty much every little problem around the body. Apparently, never crashed, and the parcel shelf, which was swiss cheese because some bozo dealer bored a hole through the tunnel in 1970 (letting water in), was completely replaced by a great body guy, and a perfect donor section from a crashed NV 71T coupe.

Nice, sunbaked parts all over it, but I was going to replace them anyway (rubbers, lenses, etc.)

That's it.

Thanks for letting me share my excitement. Scott

[Walko]

Scott,

Looks good, Make sure you keep the photos up as you progress along the road of your project.


Michael

[RSBob]

Looks to be well worth the wait - congrats and keep us posted!

[9elf]

Excellent to see someone live a dream. Congratulations.

[bigchillcar]

sweet car..reminds me of aga blue..are you going to stick with the color and do a respray? what's going to power this baby? street or track?
ryan

[ghnat]

That is an awesome color. It will be a beautiful car when you are done...

[Bobboloo]

What a great great find. Congratulations.

Is that the original paint or a repaint in the original color?

[YTNUKLR]

The original color is Albert blue which is actually a fair bit lighter than this color, which is almost a Navy blue. Albert blue is a very turquoise-y, very blue blue, non metallic. Nice color IMHO. Aga Blue is a little bit more seafoam green, if I recall correctly (I know of a Softy '67S targa that color but haven't seen it in a while).

The paint, though it looks OK in pics, is a joke. If you look, at the rockers and under the front bumper, there is not good coverage--like the painter was too lazy to freakin' bend over to paint that area! Probably Maaco or something crappy like that, scheib maybe. It's funny, this car has gone from Albert to Butterscotch, to Navy blue, and no one has ever painted the jambs. The jambs are all still the original albert blue paint, like this (minus the dust):


Plan is mainly a street car, with a high emphasis on originality. No irreversible mods, etc. I plan on painting it the original color. Interior: lots of NOS and very very nice used parts to make it look like new, except for RS door panels and RS/ST replica recaro seats. I love nice interiors--love them.

Motor, I don't know yet. The original 2.2E motor is there, and that is a great engine. Pete (the PO) even had the MFI done by Eurometrix but didn't ever complete the rebuild and reinstall it, so that's even further reason to do that. I have Shuie's (Sherman's) 2.4T engine w/ MFI that is a great runner supposedly, so I think that will be the first order of business to get it drivable. Then, I have a factory '69S engine 901/10 (MFI), a factory '71S 911/02 engine (no MFI currently--need the 911S stacks and TB's) and some grand ideas of a hot 2.8 MFI with S cams built on a sandcast early case. As far as a good budget engine, and a great street engine, I would love to build out my 2.4T engine with 85mm Biral cylinders and some high-compression JE's. Boost the displacement and make a great low-end performer. This is all far into the future, of course. You guys can help me choose later! BTW: It's very likely that the '69S engine will need to find a new home. PM me if you would like to talk about it.

The gearbox is getting a 2nd gear from a '67 (F instead of GA) and I'm going to use Walko's NOS "I" 3rd, then a Q 4th. The stock ZA 5th will be good for the highway. It should be very quick from 1st-3rd/4th gears, great for the S powerband.

The suspension will be pretty racy, as I do plan on tracking the car eventually, though not very seriously.

Oil cooler set up from a 911S, nice cosmetic pieces (Euro signals and stuff) and some Weidman-widened-to-911R-specs RSR-finish deep six wheels will "round it out".

All trim will be chrome, the car will be lowered a tad...maybe a 914 smaller steering wheel or a Prototipo.

Thanks for the kind words, Scott

[Jim Richards]

Great project car, Scott! I look forward to reading about your progress.

[Zeke]

Outstanding (I knw I say that a lot, but it truly is). No rust is a big plus and saves tons of time, ask me how I know.

I thought you had some original Recaro Sport seats. While I prefer the replicas with the seat and crotch belt holes, originals would set that car off big time.

And, you gotta go 7" Fuchs like your dad's old car, the YTNUKLR. That would pay great homage to your personal history.

Congratulations. Looking very much forward to seeing you out on runs later this year. I think this is the new candidate for an article in Excellence.

BTW, might as well paint it right now since the glass is out. Maybe you could trade Kevin a motor for a great paint job and be done with that part in a couple of weeks.

[jpnovak]

That looks like a fantastic platform to start a project car. Great find!

It doesn't look like too much trouble to get it back on the road. Can't wait to see updates.

[bob tilton]

scott - excellent score! i look forward to seeing the progress reports on this one.

[YTNUKLR]

Thanks again. Milt, I love the 7" width, in both the R style and the regular style, so that's not set in stone. Plus the wheels are relatively easy to change. Eric Linden (Soterik) made me a pretty good offer on the '72 sport seats I had. Maybe I'll get sport seats later, who knows what one will find in 6 months to a year's time. I also have the original-vinyl/leather stock seats in nice tan. Good condition, fortunately.

Now the question is, do I leave the car at the body shop in Phoenix (where it was left for the parcel shelf replacement) for a few tiny random rust holes and dents, etc., or do I bring her out here to get patched up with Kevin (very little to do, nothing structural or serious)? I will see what Kevin would think of that motor trade idea, sounds not half bad!

Thanks ! Scott

[Walko]

Scott,

If you keep the car near you it is easier to maintain control of the project.

Car sounds like it is going to be really nice.

Keep the pics coming.

PS hope your new 3rd gear has turned up

Michael

[mjshira]

looks good, lots of luck to you

[FrayAdjacent911]

Looks like a great project.. I like the color. Keep us updated!

[Shuie]

Nice score! congrats!

[Hayabusa]

Scott, great looking car. That blue is something else.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

[YTNUKLR]

Walko, the 3rd gear showed up. Wow, that is neat. Original Porsche box and packaging. Was the I gear a 904 gear, or what? My car is so unworthy of that piece!

I feel like a criminal actually USING brand-new Porsche parts from 10-20-30 years ago...

[Walko]

Scott,

I am glad you are happy with your purchase.

Tell me what other bits you want. I have a garage full on NOS bits.

That gear is not a 904 gear they have different part numbers on the box. Ask me how i know.

Keep up the pictures of your car.

Michael