problems, problems, oh did i mention? more problems

Well, i have a '74 911 S targa. or something that used to be one. heh. Well. first the motor:
There is some play in the end flanges of the heat exchangers(i've been told this might mean the pipe inside the exchanger is cracked) The motor sounds Like it has an exhaust leak(But i've also been told that 2.7's with pulled headstuds sound like they have exhaust leaks) The car smokes(whiteish greyish) somewhat at idle, and some under initial acceleration, then smoke slowly goes away. revving in nuetral produces lots of smoke. But driving the car, seems to me like there isn't that much lack of power, however there can be a hesitation between 1500 and 3000rpm, but dissapears after that. also, with the tranny in nuetral, if you just suddently stop the gas pedal to the floor, rpms will rise to 2000-2500 and the motor will studder and fall back in RPM, and will stall if you dont letup on the gas. If you slowly press the gas pedal it will revup without incident, and you can rev it with the car in gear and it will rev up fine also. When cold, the motor idles a perfect 750rpm, after 10 or 15 minutes(or more in cold weather) The engine warms up and idles between 1500 and 1800rpm.(Someone said this is classic signs of control pressure regulator being clogged/warn) OK! on to the tranny: it grinds when i try to downshift to first. Even after the car has come to a halt(maybe because of the high idle) i have to wait 3-5 seconds before attempting to shift to 1st, otherwise it will grind. all other gears will downshift and upshift easily. OK! more random things: How loud are the targa windshield wiper motors? Mine seem to whine back and forth as the wipers move, are they just warnout? or is this the way they were built? Under hard braking, or when i let the wheel go, the car will DIVE(the first time i wasn't very attentive and the car changed 2 lanes before i corrected) to the right. but if you have your hands on the steering wheel, there seems to be minimal to no force at all required to keep the wheel centered. Even more random! what do you all recommend as giving the best shine, reflection, and overall mirrorlike qualities(on a black coat) Of a porsche 911 targa body, finely sanded to 1500grit, do you recommend a Lacquer topcoat? or a Clearcoat? what are some benefits/drawbacks of each? Also: Did porsche ever put the Fuch wheel on any car fully polished(Not the ghosted look but fully polished)? Does anyone have any comments on getting a set of black centered fuchs fully polished? And the last question:
has anyone seen/heard of an aftermarket targa roof section, made of fiberglass? Instead of the flexible, leaky, crackprone vinyl covered steel frame?
thanks,
chris andrews


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pityful hunk of scrap that was once called a european '74 911 S targa

Dan at Cars Inc http://www.carsinc-nj.com has fiberglass targa tops.
I bought one. It works - and looks good. from 3 feet away you cant tell the difference.
Pazz
79 SC TARGA ( & butchered 77 carrera)

Warren:

This sounds like something that you might want to comment on, since you have a 73 Targa??.....Andras

Well, I know about as much about these damn things as what has broken on the ones I've had, but here goes...

1. I would move up to the stainless heat exchanges. I had the same problem you describe on a '67 and it was simply time to put the old exchanges out of their misery. This is a relatively easy job (with the right wrench). Maybe by replacing the exchanges and gaskets you might narrow down the exhaust leak you're hearing.

2. Failed headstuds are common for the '74-'77's.

3. Whitish-greyish smoke does not sound like oil. I would guess that you are running rich. I don't know if the '74's have FI, although I would guess they do since the 914's did. I have had some of the problems you describe with Webers, which simply involved adjustment.

4. First gear has always been a pain for me, on 911's and 914's. Maybe it's the nature of the gating or maybe I've just always owned cars with bad synchros : )

In any event, don't blame it on the car! I've lived through far worse horror stories : ) Was happy to see the answer to your targa top question - I've been wondering the same thing about my '83...

Andras, Maybe Warren doesn't know where to start. Mark

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Hmm thanks for the info on the fiberglass tops, even though the $1200 pricetag makes me want to learn fiberglass molding techniques first, or at least attempt it.
Adding even more fuel to the fire,
i went out to the car today(after not seeing it for nearly a week, snow and everything it was in the carport, i noticed the doors dont have correct reveal, after attempting to hold the doors up with jackstands and adjust the bolts for differen't fit, i managed to get the right level, but the whole door needs to move between 1/4 to 1/2 inch towards the rear of the car for proper fit! how would i manage this? i was thinking i could get a few pieces of 1/8" sheetmetal and drill them for the bolt holes, mount a few of them behind where the hindge mounts to the body, and then tighten the bolts to that, but then i noticed the door is held on by 2 sets of hinges and a strange hinge/pin deal, so this might be very difficult to get correct using shims/spacers, does anyone else ever have experience with door reveal alignment? or know a good FAQ? or any general 'give up now its hopeless' statements? thanks,
overwhelmed:
chris andrews


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pityful hunk of scrap that was once called a european '74 911 S targa

oh yeah, hey pazz, do you think you could email me a picture of the fiberglass top on your car? thanks.
chris andrews

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pityful hunk of scrap that was once called a european '74 911 S targa

The Car is due out of the paint shop on March 10 (i Hope), so i will have to wait to get a snap to you.
As far as the 1,200 price tag, i cant remember but i'm sure i only paid 800 or just slighty more. i remember at the time the site said the price was 1,200 but he came down without even asking.