Forgive my sins for I did not know the rules.

[GH85Carrera]

I did not know that new members normally write an introduction and post some photos. When I tell a story about my favorite subject I tend to get verbose . I am sorry if this is overkill.

Let me introduce myself as a new Pelican Parts forum member. I have read and learned a lot from this site. I have learned that what I thought was a well maintained clean beautiful 1985 Carrera is in desperate need of many upgrades. This has to be the most expensive board I have ever seen. I learned that I needed to quit using Mibil1; I need a new clutch cable, CV joints, shifter bushings, and a new head temperature sensor. The O2 sensor should be replaced, I need to clean my distributor and the list goes on and on.

I have a big box of goodies in the garage right from Pelican Parts, with “some assembly required.” I plan on replacing the head temp sensor and the clutch cable this weekend. I will see how that goes before I attack the other projects. I have a fresh copy of Wayne’s book just waiting for some greasy fingerprints. That is a great idea, write a book showing how easy it is to replace parts and then set up a convenient way to supply those parts. Just like a drug pusher!

I took possession of my 1st Porsche on September 13th 1974, and yes that was a Friday the 13th. It was a 1974 914 2.0 that I paid $6,150.00 for new and sold it in 1996 for $3,750 with 154,000 miles of joy. I hated to sell it but there was just not room in the garage.

I bought this 85 Carrera in 1995. The PO drove it every day. He had assigned parking in a parking garage. He parked in the shade between two friends with nice cars and it does not have any door dings. He kept it in great condition and I got it for a great price.

Paddoc photos

[GH85Carrera]

Anyone that drives a Carrera in the heat discovers that the A/C is poor. I fixed that last summer. I went with the Duel Kheul system from Griffiths. It is the best upgrade I have done to the car. Oklahoma gets HOT in the summer. The two condensers in the rear fender take a lot of the heat away from the engine. At Parade in Fort Worth in 2004 I was stuck in traffic on the interstate in 100-degree heat. The A/C was just enough to keep me from rolling down the windows. The engine temp was climbing. I arrived at my destination with a hot engine and a hot driver.

I had my A/C serviced by a local shop that I trust the week before my trip to the 50th Parade in Hershey. The A/C was on high all the time. I never got cold. Portland Parade was just to far to drive. For San Diego parade I knew my route was through a lot of the HOT parts of the country. I wanted a cure for the A/C problems. The Griffiths system did not let me down. I stepped out of the car in California and discovered it was well over 100 degrees. It was like driving a modern car; the A/C flat works and the engine did not get hot. All it takes is all new hoses, a new evaporator and two additional condensers in the fender. It does add a few pounds but I feel it is worth the cold air. That is just my opinion and my car and I feel cold air is worth the few additional pounds.

One disadvantage to driving a car is the possibility of damage. After Parade was over in San Diego we headed north to the Bay area. After two days in San Francisco we started south on highway one. On the third day down the coast just outside of Pozo California around 10:00 AM a (expletive deleted) deer tried to kill me. I stood on the brakes but it was just to close.

[911 in SC]

NICE! My car's younger sister (also GPW w/ burgundy interior). Looks great! Of course, you're completely correct in stating that your car is in great shape but is in dire need of replacement/upgrades... the slippery slope can be awfully slippery...

Holy crap! Didn't see your second post until after I posted. WOW - any more damage than what's shown?

I also sent you a PM several weeks ago inquiring about your upgraded A/C.

[Joe Bob]

Welcome to the insanity....one good thing about brown leather....OHSHIYIT stains aren't as noticeable....

[GH85Carrera]

The good news is the 911 took the hit and my wife and I were totally unhurt. The bad news was the windshield was smashed. The body damage was expensive but the 911 was drivable. I can tell you that even in Southern California there was no Porsche dealer worth a flip. Most of the dealerships would cut me off as soon as I said I have a 1985 Carrera. The instant response was “we don’t work on cars that old.” Only Beverly Hills Porsche was willing to replace the windshield. All they wanted was $950.00 for the windshield plus installation and it would take a week to get the windshield. Fortunately we have free enterprise in the USA. I found a company in San Diego called Diamond Triumph Glass that could replace my windshield the next day. Just $450.00 later and I was on the road with an OEM windshield with the antenna in the windshield. Let me tell you it is not fun to drive through LA at rush hour with a good windshield. It really sucks with a smashed windshield that makes it impossible to not lean far left or right.

The good news is after the deer hit all I had to do is find a talented body shop. My 911 now has no rock chips and looks as good as new. This is a car that is driven. The odometer rolled 123456 miles on the trip home from California. It will never be a concours car, I prefer to drive it.

The biggest reason I have my car is called autocross and the occasional DE. I guess DE will be over since I don’t plan on putting a roll bar and 5 point seatbelts in my 911. I plan to drive to Charlotte NC In June.

[911 in SC]

Give me a yell when you head up to Charlotte. I'm half way between Atlanta and Charlotte, off of I-85.

[Gene Wilkes]

Beautiful car and great intro!

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by 911 in SC

Give me a yell when you head up to Charlotte. I'm half way between Atlanta and Charlotte, off of I-85.

My Brother lives in Montgomery Alabama so I will swing throught Montgomery on the way. Then we are off to Charleston South Carolina. Then up the Charolette for Parade.

[livi]

Welcome!

Great story and very nice car, with the ultimate color and model year (IMHO).

[GH85Carrera]

My "other car" is a 1986 El Camino. It is has the same color combo, white with a maroon interior. I do seem to like that color combo. It is hard to beat perfection

[azasadny]

Gorgeous car! Welcome aboard!!

[Gooch1971]

Good to see you the other night at the Christmas Party. Hope you understand that I just had to have the 1:87 scale Porsches in the Dirty Santa. The January autocross can't get here soon enough. I've been so busy and was sick for week that my car hasn't been out of storage for a nearly a month. The whole family is having withdrawls. See you soon.

Chad

[Jim2]

Good intro.

White beard? 914 for 22 years? you must be hooked for life!

[pgeorgeson]

I can predict your future. You will drive some autocrosses and love it. You will start thinking about little things, like a seat belt that holds you in tighter, a steering wheel that feels a little better in the hands, steet tires that have a little more grip, etc.

Then one day you will head to the track for a DE. Next, you will be searching this board for harness bar recommendations, thinking you don't want a roll bar, but would like to install some harnesses. You will put the harness bar in, then run a few more DE's.

At that point, you will decide that if you are going to track the car that much, you should make some more modifications. You will lower it, put turbo tie rods in, get some race seats, and decide you had better put a roll bar in.

This will take 2-3 years. Ask me how I know.

[jkarolyi]

Welcome...nice car! May I recommend one further project? Replace those horrid dim-bulb US spec headlights with an H4 kit. These are the same headlights that came on non-US 911s from the factory and are a big upgrade in lighting and looks.

Good to have you here...post often!

[88911coupe]

Welcome, I can relate about the summers in Oklahoma...I'm from Tulsa but have lived in Dallas since the 80's and I think it's worse here for a/c. I solve my a/c problem by getting a new A4 as my daily driver. I do plan to upgrade my a/c now that the car is down for some engine work.
Nice interior, is that a pretty rare color?

[bpoteat]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

My Brother lives in Montgomery Alabama so I will swing throught Montgomery on the way. Then we are off to Charleston South Carolina. Then up the Charolette for Parade.

Charleston is one of my favorite US cities...and so close I get to visit often.

[Zef]

Welcome aboard...very nice ride...a real classic...!

[Crachian]

Why is Mobil 1 bad?

[gerrygug]

No!!!
Please don't start another oil thread.
I'm still confused from the last one.