newbie

chicken · 06-17-2005, 04:48 PM

new to the forums, new to owning a performance machine--not 'a car.'

bought a 1980 911SC targa about three weeks ago. i would have signed on then, but i was FAR tooooo busy driving. she's charcoal grey and in really good condition. 98K miles. i bought her from a shrink-friend, and it's good that she fell into the hands of another shrink. heh....

last thursday i'm leaving work and she goes belly up. ignition switch.......which i was suspicious about from day one given how much resistance there was to starting to begin with. the part came in far earlier than pelican predicted, and i've just been waiting on the electricians to have the time. come monday morning, i should be driving again. (this week i've driven my silverado which is nice, but not *quite* the same.)

so the PO replaced the power window switches a couple of times in the 3.5 years he owned it and recommends i get a set or two on hand, just in case. anyone else have this problem?

i'm utterly and completely new to owning a machine of this caliber and am open to any and all recommendations ya'll may have. what should i check? what should i keep on hand? what bare essentials should i buy for minor maintenance, and what minor stuff can a relatively mechanically-inept fellow expect to master?

dings
-paint chips here and there, nothing serious though.
-both seats are split on one of the bottom seams
-the interior trim has come off on both sides just behind the door jam........and some fool actaully used DUCT TAPE to repair it at some point (i think i'm the fourth owner, maybe third)
-a nice split in the dash from windshield to AC vent (the dashmat covers it quite well)
-AC blows, but no cold air. PO told me that she either needs a recharge or a new compressor
-antenna needs an exterior grommet to bind it in, apparently someone jacked it recently

i'm dying to post some pics, but she ain't at home right now

from what i've seen, these forums are really good--generally polite and almost always helpful. this newbie to porsche is glad to be here!!

kycarguy 935 · 06-17-2005, 04:51 PM

Let me be the first to welcome you to the forum. Its a really great place for Porsche enthusiasts and many questions can be answered here or from the archives.

Brother · 06-17-2005, 04:54 PM

Welcome.

Good to see another SC on the board. You'll love this place, but your wife will hate this place because it will suck you in.

You'll get electrical gremlins due to age and becasue other people did not repair it correctly the first time. Our electrical systems are taxed and could use some updating.

Good luck with the AC. You'll find tons of threads lately on the subject. The best bet is looking like Rennaire's upgrades to the stock system. ($1000)

I might be stopping through Salina next week. Maybe I'll catch a glimpse.

Post the pictures ASAP!!!

astark · 06-17-2005, 04:59 PM

Welcome! You will find a wealth of information and suggestions on this board. My suggestions:

Read the FAQ
Use the search button often
**Buy Wayne's Book: 101 Projects it realy helped me**

These three resources will answer most of your questions.

Pose questions...don't be afraid to ask we were all newbies once.
Get a basic set of tools and start to "learn" about your car. You will get a great sense of satisfaction and pride in your ability to fix/improve your car.

Most of all enjoy (and post a pix when you can).

Alan

chicken · 06-17-2005, 05:23 PM

very cool. you guys are awesome.

i've surfed around on the interweb and found Wayne's book mentioned a lot, so i think i need to invest.

hey "brother": nice to see someone has the same car. i've no wife, so the only people who will get cranky about me spending time with my baby is my dogs. i can live with their scorn because i own the bed. HA!! seriously though, when you mention electrical systems, what--in your experience--should i anticipate? i scoped out the fuses yesterday and they seemed...well...old. would it be wise to get some of them to keep on hand? that's the sort of stuff i need to know.

thanks fellas. in a few years i can afford another and hopefully become a jedi porsche master...

Brother · 06-17-2005, 05:51 PM

I haven't had many problems.

I removed the AC and Stereo from my daily driver. My turn signal switch burnt out a few weeks ago, but that's it. Actually one of the window switches did die when the door panels came off once.

tswaney · tswaney's Garage

Congratulations Chicken. Glad to hear there's another semi-local guy around (Kingman).
I'm new to this group too, but these folks are definitely the best at helping out us newbies.

jond911 · jond911's Garage

Welcome aboard!!

Oh Haha · 06-18-2005, 04:45 AM

Welcome aboard. As others have already stated, Pelican is a great tool for Porsche owners.

strother · 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by chicken
seriously though, when you mention electrical systems, what--in your experience--should i anticipate? i scoped out the fuses yesterday and they seemed...well...old. would it be wise to get some of them to keep on hand? that's the sort of stuff i need to know.

Welcome, Chicken!

Brother · 06-18-2005, 06:28 AM

Newbie doesn't have DME. He'll need a couple of fuses maybe and a fuel pump relay.

Crachian · 06-18-2005, 06:42 AM

Congratulations. While you're getting it sorted out, take it to a trim shop and get the seats and b-pillar piece repaired. It's not expensive at all (probably less than $150 to replace panels on seat bottoms and everything), but is one of those things that makes all the difference. Feeling flush? Have them re-dye the interior; it will look like new, particularly if it's leather. Relatively cheap again.

It's amazing what a good detail with clay bar, paint polish, and wax will do for a 98k mile car. I really like P21S brand stuff. Your friend will regret selling it.

Keep the revs up when you drive it and have fun.

HardDrive · 06-18-2005, 10:35 AM

Nice to welcome another SC owner. Great choice for a first P-car.

silverc4s · silverc4s's Garage

Welcome to PP & the Porsche sickness, chicken.
You will find that one nice thing about Porsches is that most things only require repair once, then they are good to go for many years/miles.
The recurring problem with the window switches sounds rather unusual. perhaps the replacements were used already and had some problems, or one of your window motors is binding, causing high current through the switch?? That's about all that's there, AFAIK..
At any rate welcome aboard!!

chicken · 06-26-2005, 04:03 PM

she's back home now, well, got it yesterday actually, but there was far too much driving to be done to bother with photos.

nowhere near as spiffy and glorious as what a lot of you have, but she's mine and i love her!! note the jealous jeep peeking over the top in this one

and an ugly ugly thing. i suspect Red Green owned this p car at one time. obviously a project to be tackled in the near future.