Could I/Should I create FrankenPorsche??

[GBG1000]

I had a fairly serious engine fire (ruptured fuel line) in my recently acquired 1983 SC Targa. I did not have comprehensive, so I own it.

Most damage was to the drivers side of the engine bay.

All wiring back there appears to be fried.

Fan/housing and fiberglass shroud are toast.
MSD and upper part of airbox are toast.
Distributer cap and rotor are toast- not sure about remainder of distributer.
I have no idea about the CIS, but surely the accumulator and airbox are toast.

The best offer I have had for the car thusfar has been $3000.

Although the car was solid, straight and rust free, it never was going to be a beauty- just something I could love to drive.

So to the crux of the matter- I would love to drive this car but want to do it on the cheap. What I want is a no frills driver. Any hack that is not a safety issue is okay by me. i.e. bypass wiring where necessary, pushbutton starter switch etc.

Change it to twin carbs to avoid all of the CIS component diagnose and replace, etc.

I know this will likely raise the hair on the neck of the enthiusiast, but at least I want to save it from the scrap heap and jsut drive and enjoy the basics.

Any advice on the best strategy to achieve my objectives would be appreciated. I cleaned out the engine bay Sunday, and will try to post some more detailed photos of the engine compartment this weekend.

Thanks in advance - Jerry

[Axiom]

I's not that bad, look at these two...http://axiom-motorsports.com/wst_page7.php

[DRACO A5OG]

Oh My Gosh, that brings a tear to my eye. Sorry to see that Brother.

It's your ride, do what feels right to you and your pocket book. I'm sure over time you can replace alot of the parts from a dismantler. The cost of Frankensteining it may be the same in the long run.

My $.02

[Dueller]

Wow...that's TRAGIC. Was a greaT looking car. But a lotta work to get it running again. Assuming the engine is OK, you're obviously gonna need a lotta parts to get it running. If you had a car that was wrecked in the front as a parts car you might could do it. But I see $8-10K minimum in used/replica parts to get that car going again with doing all the work your self.

[Bobboloo]

That really sucks. Sorry this happened to you.

You can fix this but are you going to be okay without being able to drive a 911 for at least 6 months? Doing it on the cheap will require you to do most of the work and it always takes a lot longer to fix these things than you would ever imagine. Specially when you are doing it on the cheap because timing is one of the keys to doing it on the cheap. i.e. when the deals present themselves.

If you want to get back to driving soon then you should pull the motor and tranny and sell the roller for what you can get. Then sell the tranny and the longblock. Use the proceeds toward your next car.

What ever you decide. Drain the oil, pull the motor out, remove the intake and invert the motor in case any water got in the intake, squirt some clean oil in the spark plug holes and turn the motor over by hand a few times while adding more oil.

If it was me I'd probably just fix the car but then I like fixing things.

[GBG1000]

Bobby- Thanks for your advice and encouragement.

Would going to carbs be a way to simplify the mechanical aspects? ie No computers/electronic sensors and controllers? I can get rebuilt solex's with linkage for $1500.

Believe it or not the body is easily fixed - I'll post more pictures when I can get to it in the daylight.

Where do you think will be the lions share of the work??

[ischmitz]

Sorry to see your loss. This really hurts.

It is very hard to gauge the damage the body and the engine have sustained. It depends on how long the fire was going and how hot things have gotten. All wiring harness and plastic parts on the engine are for sure history. If the fire was really hot it could have caused damaged to engine seals and/or the case. My guess is that at best you have short block.

Regarding the carbs I would say you can score a used complete CIS intake system a lot cheaper compared to carbs if money is your main concern.

I am almost tempted to say you'd be best off finding another totaled donor car of similar vintage with severe front impact damage and create the a Frankenporsche out of both. Finally, you can sell of leftover parts to recupe some of the financial loss.

... Keep us posted.

Ingo

[aftermath]

Forgive me for suggesting it, www.renegadehybrids.com

[HawgRyder]

I hope everyone reading this post goes out and checks their fuel lines before starting the car!!!
I have had engine bay fires in my lifetime and they are no fun at all.
Please don't let this happen to another member.
Bob

[Zeke]

I think used CIS is very cheap. Also, lots of cars totaled by accident and not fire, so all the wiring and CDI stuff should be very reasonable. I say if you look hard enough, you can get thata car running for 500. The lid and paint won't be too much more. Bumper stuff is cheap, but not reflectors. Consider a substitute.

I definitely wouldn't sell it.

[SCWDP911]

Do you know where the actual fuel line rupture took place, or was it imposisble to tell? Just curious as I have an 83. Sorry to hear it happened to you. Good luck on the rebuild. I think someone else's suggestion about finding the donor car might be your best best. Over the last yeara, it seems that I have seen one or two IB cars show up somewhere for $5-6k, of course they had issues, but you might get lucky and find just the right car forthe job at hand. Maybe the board can help by keeping our eyes open for you...

[Dantilla]

Perfect candidate for an engine swap.

I bought my long-hood from an insurance auction after an engine fire. I sold the 2.4 as a core, and found an '87 targa that was hit hard in the nose. Having an entire car for parts was a winner. Complete engine and wiring harness were the major items, but then there was aluminum banana arms, flares, lots of bits & pieces, bolts, screws, the choice of parts between the '73 and the '87, and then of course, the rest of the '87 to sell, further reducing the costs.

This was far more ecenomical that trying to scrape up parts as needed. If you have the space (the two cars were side-by-side on jackstands in my garage for several months), try to find a complete parts car. It was a fun learning experience, and now I've got a sleeper of a hot-rodded 911.

[Bobboloo]

Originally Posted by GBG1000

Bobby- Thanks for your advice and encouragement.

Would going to carbs be a way to simplify the mechanical aspects? ie No computers/electronic sensors and controllers? I can get rebuilt solex's with linkage for $1500.

Believe it or not the body is easily fixed - I'll post more pictures when I can get to it in the daylight.

Where do you think will be the lions share of the work??

You could do carbs but I agree with Ingo. Putting CIS back on is the cheapest and easiest route. You should be able to get the whole CIS setup for about $350. Rounding up all the bits and pieces are the hardest part and they can nickel and dime you to death.

I've seen you searching in the classifieds. That's the best way to go. I've seen at least 4 or 5 SC Targas parted on there in the last month or so. People by them for their drivetrains and then part them for extra cash. I'm sure you can locate everything you need from the various cars on there already. If you can find one , however, when it goes up you can request everything you need in one bundle. Once again timing is key.

Looks like you'll need a wire harness from the tunnel back, 83' relay panel with all the ancilliaries, coil, CIS setup, alternator and fan, fuel and oil lines.

The longblock is probably just fine considering heat rises.

I think your looking at about $1000 in parts and then figure paint will run you another $1000 for the good stuff. A gallon of Glasurit is $500 for the base color and the other primers, reducers, catalysts, and clear coat supplies will run another $500. If you can find a shop that will sell less than a gallon then great but sometimes a gallon is all they will mix/sell.

You could also consider a 3.2 transplant if one becomes available at a decent price and includes everything you need. Still your easiest, fastest, and cheapest route is replacing what you lost.

[Bobboloo]

I see Dantilla was posting while I was typing in. re. 3.2 transplant. Funny thing I actually bought the P+C's from his 73' years ago to rebuild the 2.4 in my old 72' Coupe. They had low miles and spec'd as new. I rebuilt the motor and didn't even have to break it in. Started it up and it ran great. A healthy 2.4T is a fun motor around town. I sold that car two years ago, needing nothing, for $6500. To think what I could get for it now. Ouch!

Anyway, in case you didn't see this post in the classifieds. It's an 83' being parted that went up last week.

Parting out 1983 911

[SCWDP911]

not to hijack, but I had been considering picking up an extra CIS assy for future parts robbing as needed. Where are you guys finding these in good condition for $350 for the whole assy?

[Bobboloo]

Originally Posted by v8_ranch

not to hijack, but I had been considering picking up an extra CIS assy for future parts robbing as needed. Where are you guys finding these in good condition for $350 for the whole assy?

In the Pelican classifieds.

[SCWDP911]

Seriously?! Must have missed that one. I will have to start paying more attention I guess. I have seen them mostly go between $500-1000 IIRC...

Thanks

[Bobboloo]

The big port 78/79' are the most popular since they are good for a big bore 3.2 rebuild. I sold a big port setup earlier this year for $350.

Here's a smaller port 83' on Ebay for $400. Can't tell if the WUR is missing or not from the pic though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-911-1983-CIS-Fuel-Injection-System_W0QQitemZ160182023940QQihZ006QQcategoryZ335 53QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[GBG1000]

Bobboloo-
Thanks for all of your posts!!!

The specific information you provide is exactly what I need to help me assess my options.

Regards- Jerry

[GBG1000]

Originally Posted by v8_ranch

Do you know where the actual fuel line rupture took place, or was it imposisble to tell? Just curious as I have an 83. Sorry to hear it happened to you. Good luck on the rebuild. I think someone else's suggestion about finding the donor car might be your best best. Over the last yeara, it seems that I have seen one or two IB cars show up somewhere for $5-6k, of course they had issues, but you might get lucky and find just the right car forthe job at hand. Maybe the board can help by keeping our eyes open for you...

I strongly suspect it was the short line between the accumulator and the steel line. Here's why - this is real embarrassing but hopefully others learn from me (this humbling admission is my contribution to the thread).

PO had aftermarket tail. Hinge to this engine lid wore a hole in the original line. It almost caught fire once previously before I found the leak. So I look high and low for a replacement line. NLA. Even tried dealer- he couldnt get from Germany. They refered me to an old guy that they said would build the line for me. I went 1 hr to see this guy- he said H_ll no, i don't do that but I'll tell you how to do it.

I cut the metal parts loose from the original hose. Fit some 5/16" fuel injection tubing (web site said 900 PSI) secured it with fuel injection line clamps at each end and reconnected it. Boy was I happy to have my car running again.

Melt down happened about 5 days later. I did some forensics after the fact. The line was toasted, but still connected at both ends. Could not tell if it was ruptured (too brittle to examine). Maybe the clamps wore through. Therefore, although it appeared to be connected, I strongly suspect that I was responsible for the damage and just thank God I got out without being torched.
Sure there is possibility that something else caused it, but that would be a big coincidence.

You guys can laugh a bit..... it is alright. No use crying in my beer. I'll be back.

Hope this in some way will help others.