Stock 930 (6K miles) - To Mod Or Not To Mod

[Djhep6]

Hi guys…..
My first post, but I’ve been watching the forum for a while now and can’t believe the amount of first class info available here. Really great…..
I have only fairly recently had the good fortune to buy my first Porsche, it is an `86’ 911 turbo, white with black leather interior, and I gotta say that I am so glad that I did. The driving experience is so different to that of my previous cars (mostly German). I love the way that you really have to drive the thing…….Reminds me in a really strange way of a 3 series landrover i owned long ago.
So far so good, but I have a bit of a dilemma going on in my head, and some advice from you guys may help me to resolve it one way or another.
Here goes…the car is extremely original, and has only 5800 miles from new, it really is in as new condition. (Still has the original yellow porsche sticker on the glove box cover) The previous owner was an elderly gentleman who collected cars, and bought this one only to more or less store it away for 18 years. It has however always been looked after and serviced regularly.

As I intend to drive the car as it was meant to be driven (probably 3000 miles / year) i made a few changes to improve the handling.

1. changed the original tyres to Bridgestone SO2’s
2. fitted a Weltmeister strut brace
3.changed out the rear Bilsteins for some Bilstein Sports
4. fitted some pagid brake pads and uprated to st/st braided brake lines

All of these changes can be reversed, to bring the car back to stock if required.

Now......I love the idea of developing more of the engines potential, and there are plenty of bolt on bits that would do this. However there is a part of me that tells me not to be drawn down that route……(would it be easy to stop once started?)
My question really is this…..would you modify the car further and if so, what would you recommend….or would you leave alone and enjoy the car as is?. Please help…..

Many thanks in advance for any responses.

Best regards.
Dave.

[sand_man]

Leave alone and enjoy as it is. Once the engine comes out, it is indeed hard to stop! The "while you're in there" spiral of death soon takes over! I went a little crazy with my engine build, but only did so because I was in need of engine repairs. I was happy with things the way they were. Many of the OEM parts (in NOS condition) are getting scarce, maybe replace things with "upgraded" parts (mods) as you need them. Save everything you remove.

[sand_man]

The most common bolt-on mods for a 930 are:
-B&B headers
-Fabspeed exhaust
-K27 turbo found on the 965: comes in many configurations (S, HF, HF2, etc.) all depends on your budget and goals
-more efficient inter-cooler: B&B, original 965, Kolkeln (which replaces the heavy BOV housing on the throttle body with a simplier valve)
-modified fuel head (you might not need this as your car probably has the Euro head that flows more fuel).

Many install a 1.0 BAR waste gate spring, I'd leave the stock spring alone. It's a cheap way to get more horspower, but can cause more harm than good. I have a Tial waste gate with a .8 BAR spring. I think stock is .7 BAR.

Check here:
http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=271227

[rbuswell]

Either you stole this car or you have a few quid in your jeans. Might I suggest a second, less pristine car to do the mods to and keep this one for special occasions?

[CharlesJones]

Why not enjoy the car as it is for a few years, then perhaps try a few of the bolt on performance modifications a few years down the line? That way you spread out the fun.

[javadog]

Dave,

Leave it alone and work on keeping it nice. In the long run, it'll be more valuable that way. Modified 930's are everywhere. Nice, stock ones are like finding a needle in a hay stack. There was a book long ago that gave this advice: preserve the car's original attributes. There's still lot's to do to accomplish that goal. Nice cars, in England, are getting pretty rare, what with the weather you have and people's tendencies to drive their cars in wet conditions.

Congratulations on the purchase,
JR

[Rick V]

I lamented over the same question. I decided that I would allow myself to only upgrade my car in a "bolt-on' manner.If it can't be changed back, it won't get changed in the first place. Some things must be done like pop-off valve and Carrera tentioners but that is a diff. story.
How about a few pics of your new baby?

[dean]

I say modify it now if you want more power. Get a ride in a car that has some mods. The best mod out there is to yank the old crappy CIS and do EFI. Plus all the above mods. I say why wait? You never know when you will end up like the PO. Times a wasting.

[qlander]

The temptation to mod is a HUGE one. I've had my 930 for about a year now and I've fought the urge but it may be a loosing battle. I recomend to leave as is, since you probably haven't explored the limts in its current configuration.

In time you will be familiar with your car and THEN do a mod or two. Always saving more for later. (as they say, less is more). Prolong the pleasure by taking it slowly (kind of like making love).

WE NEED PICS!!!!!!


Q.

[Djhep6]

Thanks for the replies guys.....
Looks like the majority would keep it standard for the time being, wait a while and maybe do a few mods at a time. Will certainly give it some thought......

rbuswell
Ye mate the car cost me about £5k over what i could have bought a pretty nice 930 with a lowish mileage, but i figured that as the car came with a year guarantee and was on the face of it faultless, then i would probably not end up having to spend money fixing things. So far so good.....and really pleased with it.

I will attempt to post some pictures now.....here goes.

[Djhep6]

Few more photies........
still on original rubber when purchased.....amazingly the guys who fitted the new tyres reckoned that they would have probably been ok for a few thousand miles.....didn't really want to try my luck though......

[raj911]

That is a beautiful ride ...... keep it as it is ....... amazing

[carmad]

I would keep it stock, as unmolested cars are fairly rare beasts. Once you start to see the power increases and reduction of turbo lag from each bolt on, the money will start to flow.
If you want to preserve resale keep as is.

[Grady Clay]

Dave,

First, WELCOME to the Forum, at least now actively participating and not just lurking.

I will come in on the preservation side and recommend a more extreme approach. The value is in its unique originality. The fun (aside from driving) is in keeping it that way. You haven’t strayed much and I encourage you to find NOS parts and return it exactly as delivered. That might even include finding NOS original tyres – you can have a 2nd set of wheels with current technology tyres for sport driving.

Some other fun projects might be to document its provenance. The original Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin from Porsche, the original sales receipt, the interesting PO collection, etc. are worthwhile additions. A collection of the period original showroom sales literature, advertising, technical documents, service information is all part of the existence of the 930.

I don’t know if someone has written a book on the 930 or “The Turbocharged Porsches” but there is plenty of information in existence. At least you could put together a linage that shows Turbos before and after your 930.

There are original parts that even at only 10 years are now getting in short supply. You could identify them and maintain a small NOS parts collection.

I am not suggesting you make it a “Garage Queen” and not use it. They are meant to be driven. At 3K mi/yr, in 10 years (2016) it will have 35,800 miles. It will benefit from the exercise.

If you feel the “need for speed” and on-track experience, add a race car.
If you like to tinker, build a custom hot rod.


I like to think of us at “the current caretaker” of some of these special cars. In return for care and preservation we get the privilege of ownership and the thrill of use. Where will your 930 be in 2106?

Best,
Grady

[jevvy]

I second Gradys comments - that car is too nice to modify!

Good to see another geordie Dave on the board too!

How do you keep the TWOC'ers off your car up in the toon?

[Emission]

I have your identical car (except my steering wheel is on the "correct" side ).

I avoided the urge to mod for two years 'cause my 930 was faster than 90% of the cars out there. Back then, I also thought - someday - I would be selling it.

I was wrong.

I can never sell it.

Since it is my car forever (no future owner to please), and with every little pocket rocket hitting 60 in less than 6 seconds, it was time to step back up to the plate. I changed the exhaust, and I will pull the A/C soon to save weight. Next are SC cams, then eventually EFI.

With your car, as it has such low mileage, I'd attempt to keep it stock... until you decide it is yours forever and the mod bug chews through your skin...

[Emission]

Your car mirrored!

[snbush67]

Your steering wheel is backwards....fix that and leave the rest as is. I love it ....it is a great ride and should be left alone.

[Djhep6]

Grady.....
Great reply....certainly puts another perspective on things.....

I have to admit that after reading it and all of the other responses here, i am starting to think seriously about keeping this car stock.
I kept the few original items that i have changed so far.....shocks, etc, and will definitely keep them with a mind to the future.
My plans at the moment are to keep the car indefinitely, so the future values don't make a huge difference in my decision, however it seems that there aren't too many low mileage cars of this type, so as Javadog said earlier maybe i should just concentrate my efforts on preserving the original attributes of the car and enjoy as is.

Looks like my first post here could be saving me some serious dinero!!!!

Dave.

[Wickd89]

Good idea to get another 911 and go nuts on mods. Keeping this one stock and with low miles, keeps its uniqueness and value.

Look at it this way, if you were to modify this car and put some decent miles on it, the car's value would drop dramatically. That loss in value would probably be equivalent to spending the money on another car to fix up! Best of both worlds -clean original and anther one for everything else.....