'81 911SC from family member - tech q's

[mike635]

Hey guys, great forum!

I have an opportunity to buy this car from my brother for a decent price (about 8 grand - brotherly discount!) but want to get some opinions on what I'm getting myself into. Here's some details:

- Car has been maintained by Bob Farmer in Indianapolis
- Has pop off valve, Carrera timing chain tensioners
- Had "dilibar" head studs installed
- My brother had it professionally repainted (it still looks new) when he bought it. It's white, not my favorite color...
- The clutch was replaced at about 100K miles, car now has about 140K

The bad/questionable?

- When I've driven the car hard, I get synchro glitches going into 3rd. My brother never has this problem when he drives, maybe it's just getting used to this transmission
- The transmission has never been apart - can you nurse a 915 past 140K miles?
- There's some subtle groaning when the steering wheel is turned at low speed. Generally goes away after the car is driven for a while
- The headliner and carpeting is in rough shape
- It has an aftermarket front airdam that I do not like. Not sure how difficult it is to replace with an original. Are they expensive used?
- My brother claims that the struts are the originals, seems hard to believe but not sure how big a job it is to replace them? (I've replaced BMW struts myself)

What I do not want to do is buy an $8K 911 and sink $5K into it just so I could have my brothers old car. It seems like there are clean SC's around with rebuilt engines/transmissions for $12K - $14K, and in colors I like better. I just want a clean, mechanically sound, and original daily driver, and a fun project.

Sorry to be long winded, opinions appreciated. Here's a recent picture of the car (with my wonderful wife who's totally in favor of the project!)

Mike

[javadog]

Mike,

You can drive around the weak 3rd gear synchro problem if you are careful. Make sure the clutch is properly adjusted, try changing the trans fluid if it hasn't been done in a while (I'd use Swepco) and warm up the gearbox before you shift it hard. Go a little slower on the 2-3 shift. A 915 likes a certain shifting technique which has been described ad nauseum here before. Do a search and see what advice people have given.

The life of any transmission has to do with how it's shifted and how often the trans fluid is changed. Yes it's possible to go past 140k, although I have no idea what the history of this one might be. If 3rd gear is weak, that might give you a clue as to what to expect.

The headliner and carpet can be changed, although the glass will need to come out to do the headliner. It can be done by a do-it-yourselfer, although the rear glass is hard if it has the optional defogger wires.

The struts can be changed fairly easily, although you'll obviously need an alignment, which isn't cheap on these cars if it's done correctly.

Changing the valence is no big deal. Used ones are cheap, although I'd plan on painting the replacement.

I wouldn't assume ANY 911SC would not require at least some work after it changes hands. I've never bought any used car that didn't need some sorting. I wouldn't assume that a higher priced example would necessarily be a better deal long term. Get a PPI on this one and get estimates for what work is needed. Then decide whether it's worth it to you.

JR

[ros74911]

mike, very nice car. gpw is my color. sweet ride. ask bro if 7k is ok. it's family u know. 140k miles is nothing. u can enjoy this car for another 60k. as long as the engine has been properly maintained. you should be okay. if you're picky with little things then let it go. u can get a hang of 3rd gear issue. once you get yourself familiarize with the car.

[redtdi966]

One big important bit of infor you will have if you buy this car!



HISTORY! No surprises. But if you decide to hunt at least you have ytour bro-s knowledge.

BTW I like the white. My favorite colors are Red-Blk-white-Blue

[mike635]

Guys - thanks for the response, helpful. The next step is to get a PPI and go from there. One other

The other issue (non p-car related) is that in order to pull this off financially, I need to sell my motorcycle. The bike is a near mint BMW R100RS that I put a lot of work into and truly love but don't ride much any more. Not an easy decision but I guess I'm lucky to be in a position where I can make this kind of a choice!

mike

[htron435]

Regarding the tranny problem--

It is entirely possible that the synchro noise that you're hearing is simply from shifting too fast. A good guide to the shifting a 915 slow enough is to say "check - book" to yourself between shifts. This allows the syncros to line up, and it should eliminate the noise you hear. Even the best 915 can grind if you shift too fast -- they do not operate "normally" per se.

The good is that the head studs have been done. That's a big deal as you already know.

And keep in mind that there are no $8000 911s. They're all $20000 cars -- some you pay now, some you pay later! Having said that, it sounds like this car would be a good buy for $8000 considering the expensive work that's already been done. The likelyhood is that you'll have to spend another 2-5 thousand in the next few years on any 911 SC or Carrera you buy (EVERYTHING cost $1000+ to repair on these cars). And you'll get used to the white (mine is chiffon white w/brown -- definitely not my first choice, but the car was too good to pass up). Carrera script and a ducktail made all the difference in the world on mine. Good luck.

And by the way, you don't look like a "Mike".

[1911Guy]

Grand Prix White ROCKS!

Loose the white wheels.

Otherwise, a nice looking car.

[yelcab1]

8K is good.
Drive the tranny as is.
Front damper replacement plus painting $750
Shock replacement all around: $1000
Headliner and carpet set replacement $2000.
Oil change all around $150

About $4000 and you have a very clean SC with decent miles.

You can save $1500 of that if you do eveything yourself.

[Gunter]

Nice color, $8000.- might be o.k.
Replace all bushings in the shift mechanism and adjust the clutch correctly.
Head studs replaced with Dillavar? Not steel?
Replacing head studs is major.
When that was done, what type P/C's were found? Nikasil or Alusil?

[mike635]

>Head studs replaced with Dillavar? Not steel?
From what I've read, this is a very high dollar alternative to the stock studs. My brother told me they were about $100 each (and there's 12 right?) and were highly recomended by his mechanic.

>When that was done, what type P/C's were found? Nikasil or Alusil?
What does P/C mean? I know what these coatings are, assume all SC engines have the same type cylinders, true?

mike

[Gunter]

It is my understanding that the stock studs (24) on SC's are Dillavar and the recommendation is to replace at least the exhaust ones (12) with steel studs.

P/C's are piston and cylinders. SC engines can have either Alusil or Nikasil.
When replacing head studs, the P/C's have to come off.
Usually, they are re-ringed at that time and the type is determined; Alusil are almost impossible to re-ring. Do a search.
Whoever did the work would know what P/C's are in there.
There should also be a written invoice showing what else was done.
To me, that would be important along with the P/C's I.D..

[mike635]

Thanks, just talked with my brother and apparently the engine got an entire top end rebuild around 100K miles, this was when the studs were replaced, some with dilivar, and the upgraded chain tensioners installed. I'm going to look at the car and records in a couple of weeks and come to a decision.

There is another item that needs tending to, my brother isn't sure what the problem might be - there's a groaning in the steering column. I did a little searching and it sounds like there's a bushing that can be replaced? Big job?

[htron435]

It's a ten minute job if you take your time. Purchase the steering column bushing repair sleeve from Pelican. Pull off horn button, remove giant nut holding the wheel to the column, slide the sleeve in place (may have to lightly tap it in w/a hammer, replace steering wheel, replace bolt, replace horn button. Drive car. Search for a thread on the subject for more details and photos, but that's basically it. It's about as easy as changing a tire (easier).

[htron435]

I should state that my steering column wobbled inside the car but did not groan. If the groan is determined to be this bushing, that is the repair method. The noise could be something else entirely, in which case ignore my previous post.

[mike635]

Thanks Jay, I'll have a closer look in a couple of weeks when I look at the car again. It would be great if it was just the bushing.

mike