Not exactly a barn find

[bhensarl]

My wife's stepfather has a 71 T that has sat in his garage for years. It was driven only once or twice a year, and probably only started once every three or four months for the last 5 or 10 years. Now it looks like he's going to offer to sell it to us, and I'm looking for some input from the board to help determine whether I take it or not. Here goes...
Pros:
-Beautiful color. Prince Albert Blue, medium blue with fairly good paint. Definitely not concours, but really not too many blemishes.
-All original. I guess this is a "Pro" because at least I know what has been done and what hasn't been done, and all the original parts are there.
-All records.
-Runs well. When it runs.
-Everything electrical seems to work.
Cons:
-Some rust. Now, I know this is to be expected given the pre-galvanized year (right?). Battery boxes look good, but a little rust. I haven't really peeled back the carpets to have a look, but the door jambs, bonnet, and underbelly look good from what I've seen. Any further suggestions on places to look would be appreciated.
-Interior is toast. Seats, carpets, headliner, door pockets are all in serious need of replacement. Dash looks pretty good, as does most of the other interior vinyl.
-Runs somewhat sporadic. Here's what it looked like last time I tried to drive it. Car took a bit to start up. Had to massage the gas pedal a bit and took a few tries to get it started, but once we did, it idled like a champ. Car was parked in the garage on a failrly steep hill and I backed it out into the street; went fine. Drove down the hill and the car ran fine. Pulled into a cul de sac w/ nose downhill and turned around, pointing the car up hill. Engine sputtered and died. Tried and tried to start it and couldn't. Put the car in neutral and pushed it so that the nose was downhill again and finally got it started. Limped it back to the garage and parked it. The Good Lord only knows what exactly is in that gas tank, so I'm wondering if that doesn't explain the stalling. Sounds a bit simplistic to me, but it's a start.
-No engine work has been done in years.
-The final, and most pressing issue, the car's just north of Seattle and I'm just north of San Diego. To get it I'm going to have to fly up to Seattle and pick it up, then drive it down. If it comes down to shipping it down here, I think I'll pass on it.

So that's all I know. Any potential big ticket items that anyone can think of or any info from those who have run into in similar situations would be much appreciated. Sorry I've got no pictures or anything interesting like that, I know how much we all love pictures.
So what I'm looking for also, are ball park figures to put this little fella back in order. My list thus far looks like:
-New seats
-New headliner
-New carpet
-New tires
-New plugs
-New wires
-New filters
I think I can do most of the work myself, so that will save a good amount of money on the refurb work.

Brian

[Dan in Pasadena]

First, if it is remotely farily price, BUY IT. An original owner, low mileage, garaged early car...are you kidding?

Shipping should NOT be cause for you to pass....but if you must drive it back, make an appointment with John Walker's shop in Seattle. You will find there is NOTHING but positive comments about him/his shop. I'd plan on pulling the gas tank and having it cleaned/sealed while doing all those other things. Take it to John even if you want to do the work yourself for a PPI. It is the best money you'll spend on a Porsche purchase. (I'd still spend the extra and let him do the work, well worth it)

It may not be a true "barn find" but its close and it is all yours. Many, many here would give there left, ah...uh....arm(?) for a shot at this car.

[SandyI]

Definitely get a thorough PPI. It's been sitting for years which bad news for an early 911 engine. But after replacing the brakes and brake lines, fuel lines, shocks, batteries, resealing the gas tank, replacing the shift bushings, corner balancing, replacing the assorted rubber seals and gaskets that have dried out over the years, sending it to Auto's Int'l for the interior work, switching to H4 headlights, could provide you with years of driving enjoyment.

Just open up your checkbook and enjoy the slippery slope of early 911 ownership. The receipts tend to add up pretty quickly. Ask me how I know...

Oh and if you find out there are serious engine issues, consider that a rebuild on an early 911 engine can easily run you $10,000. And if you've got rust in the battery boxes, get the car up in the rack to look for other rust that could be hiding.

Good luck.

[Jim Richards]

If you have the time, energy and money, buy it and fix it up. It's going to be a blast to own. I second the rec. to get John Walker's Workshop to check it out for you to ensure it's roadworthy. I hope this turns out well for you.

[madmmac]

PPI from John and save your plane ticket money and ship it.

I shipped a 4runner from Texas to Seattle for $900.

Good luck...sounds like fun.

[mede8er]

Geez...it's his father-in-law... I'm sure he'll sell it reasonably to the 'kids'....incorporate the cost of shipping into the final price and bring it home...the 'test' drive you took was obviously the end product of poor fuel and so much downtime....

[wholberg]

I agree. The entire fuel system probably needs flushed and the filter replaced. This would be my strategy.

Have the father-in-law drop it off at John Walker's for a PPI and an estimate on what it will cost to make the car reliable. Show this estimate to the father-in-law (if it is worth buying) so he understands just what letting one of these cars sit does for it, and negotiate the price to include the mechanical work. Then, just go ahead and have John Walker's shop do the work, and THEN drive it back down over a week when you can take the time to enjoy it.

[Blanco]

[Jim Smolka]

I second shipping the car or having it inspected for road-worthiness. My grandfather had a 66 2 door 327 Caprice with 18K miles on it which was willed to me. I thought about driving it back to NC. Luckily, I had it shipped. After the car was unloaded, I got it started and drove it around the yard. When I went to back it up and park it, the brakes suddenly went to the floor. Stepped on the emergency brake, the cable broke. Luckily, the I put it in drive just before I hit the garage. Anyway, all those brake parts on the 911 need to be inspected/rebuilt/replaced/ before putting it on the road (IMHO)

Regardless, your in law's 911 T is a great car with a history. History is something money cannot buy.

[bhensarl]

For some reason I was thinking it would cost more to ship it; around $1500. I definitely agree that it would need a serious PPI before taking it on the road 2000 miles. Now all I need to do is find somebody up there with a truck and a trailer who will volunteer to haul it down to Seattle to John Walker's to have that PPI done. Thanks for the input everybody.
Brian

[JuiceMan]

I would go for it, I mean you know the person who has owned the car, it's been garaged and all. DO IT lol

[Shocker]

I might be able to get it over to John's shop. My trailer is currently occupied by my 77 roller though. There is a gentleman coming to take a look at it on Wed. If he buys it, I can probably get it over to Greenwood.

Let me know your timeline.

Mike

[bhensarl]

shocker,
Thanks for the offer! I'll keep you informed as to the timeline. Hopefully I'll know a bit more some time this week.
Brian

[widebody911]

Originally posted by bhensarl
-Beautiful color. Prince Albert Blue, medium blue with fairly good paint.

The best part will be going to the paint store and asking for Prince Albert in a can...

[real550A]

Put it on a trailer and bring it home. While shipping is a great cross country alternative, trailering a 911 is cheap and fast. No brainer!

[bigchillcar]

The best part will be going to the paint store and asking for Prince Albert in a can...

for those of us who remember..clever, thom..

hell, i'd just about let you airline me up there to drive it back to pensacola for ya!
ryan

[randywebb]

All of us who avoided posting that joke should get a free beer from Thom!