I need your guys' opinion.

[tb912]

First of all I gotta say that I really really dig the "Hot Rod" porsche scene. The aesthetics and attitude of the cars are just awesome. I would love to add some of this flavoring to my car, but the problem is my car is a '68 912. A four banger. A slower stepbrother of the purer 911. So the problem is, do I make the modifications and pretend I'm in with the "Gruppe", or do I face the facts that my car will never be anything other than a entry level four cylinder faker? Don't get me wrong! I LOVE 912's. But do you guy's think it could ever walk the walk??

[tb912]

oh yes, and here's a picture of the machine.. it's pretty stock I have 5.5 steelies on all fours, a stock interior, and a spit shined engine/compartment..

[RWebb]

blow a few thou on the suspension and don't worry about the motor

you have improved handling balance over a 911 anyway

[Gogar]

IMO you'll never be happy trying to make that a hot rod. AND, it looks like it's in nice condition, so appreciate it for what it is, and if you get really itchy, sell it and find a 911 that's a little ratty or something and go nuts.

[Zeke]

Search around for "912R." That's a very cool R Gruppe car. It might have recently sold.

[rafgol]

Originally Posted by Gogar

IMO you'll never be happy trying to make that a hot rod. ..... sell it and find a 911 that's a little ratty or something and go nuts.

That's what I've done, I also had a '68 912-er, a real nice car, but I could not go "oumpf" like a real 911.

So i drove it for two years, made the best of it, and finally sold it (with mixed feelings )for a fair price , and bought me a nice '76 2.7 911.

The cars don't even compare. A completely different vehicle. You are a warned person...

Any car can make you happy, as long as you love and nourish it.

[Fishcop]

IMO You can have credibility with a tasteful gruppe style 912...

Widen the steelies to 6" and 7" and dress with good tires, set up suspension and lower slightly, "porsche" side script, and euro (H1/H4) headlights will have it looking very nice. When funds allow - a Prototipo steering wheel and Nurburgring seats will really improve the interior.

You can build a smoking 4-banger, Britain Smith on this board has built a killer turbo 912, or you could drop a 911 engine in at a later date. I kinda like the idea of a "911 hunting" 912 - that would give you some cred

[FinallyGotOne]

In my opinion the 912 is a classy little coupe. They clean up and look like a million bucks (or marks) but unless you trick out the engine, I'd just make it the classy coupe that it is meant to be.
The 911 is much more business, and has a good option of mods that can be done. I'd personally love to have a nice 912, ass well as my little 911 race car.

[Macroni]

do it......

[tb912]

I was thinking
-h4's
-Sport seat/rallye seat
-fog lamps
-trim delete
-deep sixes or minilites
-some cool steering wheel
-lower it
-suspension
-brakes
-script decals

I'm still torn because it's so original as is.. all the interior is correct etc.. I could make it all easily reversable

I just love the look of bob tiltons car but I'm lightyears away from that. so maybe a ratty version

sigh

[9146racing]

keep it as is, it is a clean car, if you hotrod it, only do what can be reversed easy!!
or buy another 912 and drop a 6 in it and add what you just posted, converted 912 are fun

[tb912]

I don't know if I could bring myself to convert one unless I was going to go ALL out. like speedo's 911r replica. And I don't have the funds or the skill. 912's seem to be going up in value and rarity so it'd be a shame to make a fake 911... maybe it's just me though.

[micheloaks]

Anything which can be reversed is all good...912's are great cars and comparisons between 4 versus six are often 'off point'. I agree with fishcop... build a solid motor maybe type 4, keep the original motor fresh and original on a stand, make the simple mods and go 911 huntin... or keep it looking stock with bigger motor box, brake upgrades...My 2 bob's worth anyhow

[911st]

One time I went to a DE/TT of the local Porsche Club at Laguna Seca. There was a lot of big bad Porsches there.

There was a 912 there, clean w just a little attitude. That car got more attention from fellow owners than any other that week end.

The owner was a decent guy and very approachable.

I could have a ball w a 912 and my interest is going to the track. You can learn a lot about getting the most out of a car with a car like that.

I would caution against getting carried away modifing it. It is often cheaper to sell and just buy a car somone else spend all the money on.

[Rodsrsr]

Dont let the 912 fool you. One of the quickest cars at the last autocross event was a 912. The track is a different story. I just don't think a 912 would do it for me at a track event.

[aminter0]

Great looking 912! I would personally love to have a 912 SWB... something about them...

[Rich Lambert]

You sound conflicted as to whether you really want to do this or not. Money can be an issue, but the skills are right here. These things aren't rocket science, they're actually pretty simple, especially SWB cars. As far as keeping it original, unless your car is a concours queen, you're not going to lose much value by modifying it...you may even make it worth more if you keep the mods tasteful and functional. Go for it...make it your own.

White SWB's rock.


Seriously though, I've had a few 912's. I vintage raced a '68 912 for 3 years and it was a blast.
The things that will give you the most bang for the buck are;
-Suspension upgrades like adding a front sway bar, new shocks, bushings. bigger T-bars, and get it lowered, aligned, and corner balanced.
-Optimize the stock brake set-up (which is more than adequate for a lightweight 912) with SS lines, rebuild everything, and get some good pads.
-This one is huge. Change the gear set in the tranny to as close as you can get to an A-E-I-O-U hillclimb ratio and it will be much easier to keep the car in the power band. The 912 was geared to be a touring car with very tall gears and they'll just kill you trying to accelerate out of a corner, especially uphill. Your top speed will go down, but the fun factor will skyrocket.

All of that is stuff you can do in stages as time and finances allow. In fact, I've found it's better to do one thing at a time in order to get a feel for what the modification is actually doing to your car. Try to keep the "while you're in there" stuff in check.

Good luck and keep us posted...and more pictures too.

[dentist90]

Enjoy your piece of automotive history. Seeing as it's not going to smoke a Honda at the stoplights, keep it as original as possible. There are enough bastard 911's around already.
(But what do I know?)

[Drive-em]

+1 for Rich Lambert's comments.
You can build in some attitude and performance without breaking the bank.
I just couldnt stop myself

[tb912]

Hey Rich! that was exactly what I wanted to hear and what I was leaning towards! thanks so much for that. I'm pretty confident in following that direction now. I don't think I'll be losing money any time soon being that I got the car complete and mostly original for $4500. the rebuild is complete and now it's just down to mods and cosmetics.