1973 3.6 conversion update

Jack,

This is Joe's wife- I don't know what you boys are up to on this forum but whatever it is, stop it! And you Jack, you are the instigator- it's starting all over again! The phone calls from strangers saying they are replying to inquiries about a 911 this and that with the whatever whatever. Now they are even calling from other countries! And he doesn't even get his current car back from the shop until Thursday!

Just kidding (sort of), that is one sweet ride!

Marie
(yes, it's really my car, he just thinks it's his)
'80 SC Targa

Marie -

It's so great to see a female Porsche driver on the board!

Porsches are beautiful, heart-stirring unions of engineering and art, it's true. But I have to say that when I'm out on the road, and see a female driving a Porsche? Well, jeez, I don't mean to be too forward with a happily married woman, but there are few things so heartstoppingly compelling as a confident woman at the wheel of a 911. I can't emphasize it enough, but I'll try:

Woman at the wheel of a 911 = Nothing. More. Sexy.

That you even agree to sit in that '80 SC Targa means your husband has truly won the lottery when it comes to love. That he gets you in front of the computer when the Pelican site is onscreen -- well, that means he's one of the luckiest guys in cyberspace, too.

Did that work?

Okay, okay, if my ham-fisted attempts at charm have failed, and you still see me as some dubious character from California who's filling your poor husband's head with mortgage-busting visions of horsepower and aftermarket extravagances, well, click on this link:

http://members.rennlist.com/jackolsen/Conversion.jpg

Wait for it to load, and then stare at it for a long time. Repeat the phrase: "There is no substitute..." a few times. There, yes, I think it's working...

Pretty soon, you're going to lean over to your husband and you'll say 'Honey, wouldn't Lexan windows make the 911 a little lighter in the turns? And wouldn't track slicks cut a few seconds off your lap times when you -- I mean we -- spend our next vacation at Laguna Seca? Because that Jack Olsen thinks his car is so light and fast but I think that we could make ours even lighter and faster. Show him a thing or two. In fact, Honey, do you think one Porsche is really enough for two people as dedicated to automotive performance and pleasure as we are? Maybe we need a track car."

Sooner or later, we all succumb to the power of the P-car.



There is no substitute... There is no substitute...

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T sunroof coupe

[This message has been edited by JackOlsen (edited 10-10-2000).]

Hi all:

Here's a woman driving the Porsche story:

(bear in mind this was a 912E, NOT a 3.6 powered early 911)

My girlfriend is a (conservatively speaking) attractive girl. She's also an undergrad at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, and was driving my 912E while her truck was being aligned. (Get this, she drives a 98 Rodeo with the 24v 205 hp six in a 5spd.!)

Anyway, she was by herself on campus, and some guy runs up and gets on his knees and proposes to her right then and there.

Imagine what would've happened if she were driving the 84 3.2 I used to have!

Ha... there is NOOOOOOOOOOOO Substitute.

Dave

Jack,
you're absolutely right. There is nothing more sexy than a woman at the wheel of a 911. Nic pic, by the way. Only one question, Jack. Does your '70 REALLY weigh 2600 lbs? Or is that just a rough estimate? According to my registration(shouldn't be trusted, really) it shows my '76 at 2420 lbs. Does a 3.6 really weigh that much more? Thanks

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Jeff
1976 911S

With weight, the only way to know is to get on a darn scale. My car is supposed to weigh 2310 pounds -- at least that's what the factory says. In reality, with a full tank of gas, a spare, factory AC and electric windows and sunroof, it weighed in (on a certified vehicle scale) at 2470 pounds. That's a reality that's 160 pounds heavier than stock. A whole extra passenger. Where does it come from? You got me.

Your 76 weighed 2519 official pounds. If you have any of the luxe options, it's probably more.

My 3.6 engine is about 100 pounds heavier than the original one, I'm told. But I've also lost the heater blower, the power steering apparatus and some other miscellaneous weight. And I swapped in a lighter flywheel. So 2600 pounds is an uneducated, worst case scenario kind of guess. When the muffler's in place, I'll make one of my first stops the same scale for an honest before and after comparison. I'm hoping it's less than 2600, but only the scale will tell.

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T sunroof coupe

[This message has been edited by JackOlsen (edited 10-11-2000).]

Hah, Jack - 912E...I'm with you. There's not much more attractive than a sexy redhead (say, my girlfriend) behind the wheel of a Porsche. Preferably a 911 or 912.

Funny, I was online shopping today...looked at a few 911's and thought to myself "Since the lady's shopping for a car, why not get her into something cool?" She's concerned about maintenance costs. And practicality.

But wouldn't two 911's look great in the driveway?

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2

Jack, You've got to post some track video when you get it ready. Both of my boys want to see and hear your car in action!

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Mark Isaak
'74 Targa

My girlfriend, british born and bred, has talked me into letting her take my car to work on Fridays. I must admit I do love seeing her in the car She is a lil racer girl and a decent driver. I am taking her to race school for Christmas... she wanted it so she could "drive the Porsche better". Love the heck outta her. When I get my 930, the Targa will stick around for her use.

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rj cilurso
87 911 targa

Jack - Can you tell us the estimated conversion cost?

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Bob Thayer
1971 911T
rthayer@hdrinc.com

Conversion cost. Well, it's more than the car cost, initially -- but that's the way 911s tend to go.

For just the engine swap, I was told to figure on about $7,000 to $7,500 for a good engine (although I paid closer to five, including shipping), and then about $3,000 for the cost of parts for the swap and the labor to do it all. In my case, I also upgraded my oil cooling system, as well as my suspension (stiffer torsion bars, anti-sway bars), and put a limited slip unit in my transaxle.

So it's about $10,000 for the engine swap (which, as with all Los Angeles county Porsche-related costs, is optimistic -- probably closer to $12,000 in real-world dollars). Now, this made sense to me, considering that I had a 125-hp engine to begin with. If the $100-per-horsepower rule is a good guide (who made up that rule, by the way?), then I was getting a good deal. If I already had a 3.0 or bigger, then it seems like a more costly upgrade. If all you're getting is 60-75 horses more, $11,000 is a lot to pay.

If I were an accountant, or an extremely practical guy, I think it would make more sense to simply get myself a Boxster S, and have performance that's almost as good (including all the modern amenities: from safety to climate control to a 6-speed transaxle that shifts smoothly to modern brakes and suspension) for fewer upfront dollars -- since it would be spread over a longer period of payments -- and a more reliable payoff should I decide to sell it.

But practicality is overrated. I don't like the look of the Boxster, I don't want to ever sell my 911, and when you haven't gotten elbow-deep into your own engine, you never appreciate it in the same way. My car is unique, I get giddy about every improvement I make, and it's going to end up being precisely the car I want. Is it overpriced? I'd be kidding myself if I said no. Everything Porsche is overpriced. But is it worth it?

I don't think you even have to ask.



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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T sunroof coupe

[This message has been edited by JackOlsen (edited 10-13-2000).]

Jack - I think you did well to keep the cost of your conversion down to about $12K. I would have guessed closer to $20K. Can't wait to hear your description of what it is like to drive your car with the new engine! (Watch out for the oversteer!)



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Bob Thayer
1971 911T
rthayer@hdrinc.com