Newbie Questions
 

I'm fairly new to this board. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

With respect to these boards, I have some questions on terminology. Also a few other questions.


What is a "longhood"?

What does everyone mean by "backdating" their P-cars?

Is there a way to make the dash lights brighter on a 1972 T.

What material is the rear valance made from?

Does a Targa top have to be folded to fit in the trunk - I seem to remember my 68 would fit if nothing else was in the trunk.

Thanks,

David

David,

Good questions and welcome.
We tend to use way too much jargon and that makes it difficult for lurkers to get involved.

A “Longhood” is a ’65-’73 911.
A “p-car” is a Porsche.
“Backdating” is using an earlier part on a later car. For example the ’75-> had thermal reactors or catalytic converters in their exhaust and a common backdate is to use the heat exchangers and muffler from a ’74. Your ’72 could be backdated to the MFI fuel pump location from a ’69-’70.

The dash lights brightness is probably a connection (power or ground) or could be the rheostat or simply old dirty bulbs. Here is the
wiring diagram. Use the one for ’73.


By the rear valance do you mean the license plate panel or the two rear quarter bumpers? On your ‘72T there were originally steel.

The trunk is smaller in your ’72 than your ’68. The price of better air ventilation and A/C.

Keep the questions coming.

Best,
Grady

Thanks for your response.

Re: Longhoods - are the pre 74's longer than the later models? Whya re they called longhoods?

Re: Rear Valance - Yes, the one the rear license palte is attached to. Mine appears to be made of fiberglass.

That's too bad about the smaller trunk. In the 68 you did not have to fold the targa top unless you wanted to put other stuff in.

Re: Dash lights. Mine all work, there just a little dim. Maybe I got spoiled when Lexus/MBZ etc. came out with easy to read gauges in the 90's. But not having anything to compare to I just wondered if maybe they're all dim.

The long hood cars literally have LONG front hoods compared to the newer "impact bumper" cars. This because Porsche had to raise the front bumper a bit, among other things, to meet the then-new US bumper requirements of 1974. This forced the engineers to eliminate the forward, curved portion of the old hood.

Take a look at some photos of pre-1974 cars and post-1974 cars. It'll become obvious.

It's steel. I've taken it off...of course, I've taken almost everything off that car. It gets hot, so the paint has cracked a bit. It used to get a bunch of oil on it too, which is why it's probably off-color from the rest of the body.

Have you twisted the headlight switch to make the dash lights any brighter? They're definitely dim by today's standards, but always readable at nighttime. I've never taken any of the gauges out except for the clock. I took it out to repair it. The gears might still be a little sticky as you've probably noticed, it will get a little slow keeping time. You should try replacing the bulbs in your gauges. Could be a nice little starter project. They're held in by the rubber seal surrounding the gauges. Just pull them out to remove. No tools necessary. :D

Many people don't fold their targa tops thinking that it will increase cracking. I put mine unfolded behind the front seats. Oh, I see you had one before, so you may know about this line of thought. welcome to the board and post some pictures soon.

pics please! While on the subject, what's mfi and what trans is in a '70 T?

David,

A very common use of the term "backdating" is to take a 74+ (impact bumper) car and make it into a longhood - new hood, fenders, bumper and some front tub work where the hood latches. The rear is typically done as well to match. Search under username Mikez for an example. One benefit is the later tubs are galvanized.

MFI is mechanical fuel injection - the 73 RS, regarded as a benchmark in the Porsche evolution, has a wonderful MFI engine.

I believe a 70T has a 901 box. Could be wrong though.

Yep, a 70T has a 901. 1972 was the first year for the 915.

David....you need to post your own pics now. I've posted enough! ;) :D