Superman, care to elaborate on this ignition timing adjustment. How does one check the setting? I have a 1980sc and am currently looking for more HP. I have a cat delete and Chris at air cooler in Honolulu stated that there is not much more to gained by backdating the exhaust or adding SSI? Any thoughts,,,I live in Hawaii and do not need heat maybe a little warmth in the defroster if it super humid by I could get around that. I don't want to have a super loud 911 but I would like to maximize what I can.

Thanks to all-

Regards-

JS

JS,

Backdating and adding SSI's will give you about 10 horses but..................it'll cost about $1000.- and you also have to modify the oil lines.
So, do you want to spend ~1k plus your own time to add 10 horses?

Superman and others have disconnected the vacuum retard and set the timing to 33-35 deg at 5-6000 RPM and let the idle drop where it may. But WA and BC have much cooler air temps, HI has not; very important. :eek:

Unless you fully understand CIS and ignition issues, you're inviting detonation and hammering the rings. :(
Also needed is a good Stroboscope and a gas tester to maximize timing and mixture.

Do you have the knowledge and equipment to experiment?

Going by this, and previous posts, I get the feeling that you're looking for a cheap way to add HP to a 911 and that's an illusion.
To add serious HP, you have to spend serious money. It's that simple. :)

How much $ do you really want to spend? :confused:

Chris at air cooler in Honolulu should have suggested the FIRST THING TO DO is backdate exhaust to a 74 OEM 911 or go SSI. Not only did that improve mthe sound, it definitely is more powerful. AGAIN lightening that car is another major improvement. I removed the entire front and back bumpers, bumperettes, rubber, shocks, etc... and replaced with fiberglass. and reinforcement bars. The front bumpers and back bumpers are so damn heavy! My bumper cover now weighs maybe 5 pounds with the lip. and teh back weighs about 2 pounds max. Also pulled off Carrera tail and replaced with very light weight fibergalss tail. Had to have it all lowered and aligned after to give it the correct stance again but it is fairly quick. I would never think about advancing thetiming. A rebuild is WAY too expensive. Honestly for under $20,000 it is the funnest car I have ever driven!

That's exactly correct. Your car has plenty of power. Backdate exhaust (or SSI), adjust ignition timing (maybe). Lighten the car. Do a Drivers Skills day, then autocross your ass off. It is all driver. The good drivers in our area can probably whoop me with a Willys Jeep.

The SC and early 3.2 years were also 928 years, right? Porsche wasn't as concerned with R&D for the 911 as they once had been. At least, that's what I've read. Nevertheless, my '80 SC was plenty quick. I never thought of it as 'down on power.' Sure, you could find quicker cars out there. But how many cars built between '78 and '83 were much quicker or more fun to drive?

Virtually nothing. The 911's from that era were Corvette-eaters.

Today, most Dodge pickup trucks will clobber my SC in a straight line.

Underpowered 78-80 911SC
 

Jesper (jsveb), I think you hit on something when suggesting that the factory during this period was putting it's money on the new 928 (thinking that the 911 had run it's useful life). Porsche received enough complaints from their European customers on the early ('78-'80) "detuned" 911SC that the factory responded with a secretive 3.1 liter engine option. This Europe only motor was the answer to disgruntled drivers who felt that Porsche was taking a step backwards with the 3.0 SC.
This theory is well documented in an article in this month's (Feb.) Excellence magazine about the "911SC Variant".

LINK: Excellence Magazine

The author points out that Porsche was careful not to let the 911 out-perform the new 928 that they felt would be their new flagship. Fortunately the 911 continued to be developed when Porsche customers let the factory know what vehicle they were passionate for. Interesting bit of Porsche history in the Excellence story.

I never paid much attention to the 928. It was faster than the 911??

Road and Track 0-60
928@7.0
SC@6.3
only ones fasteron this chart than the SC are 911 Turbo@5.0, Ferrarri 512 Berlinetta Boxer@5.5
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1263354580.jpg

0-60 in 5.5!!:eek:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1263355175.jpg

What Supe said. Cams and SSI make a big difference on the SC. My car was faster than any stock 84-89 carrera with those mods.

George

Waiting for JS to let us know how much he wants to spend. :)

SSI's and oil lines = $1000,- +
Cams regrind to 964 or? = $3-400.-
Swap the CIS to a non-Lambda = $300.-
Or carbs = $2-3000.-
98 mm P/C's = $2000.-+

Take your pick and add labor. Or DIY.

I would have to agree with Bill. Additionally, these cars were plenty fast for thier time.. and beyond.

Fast being relative to ??? These cars offered more than enough to get most who owned them in trouble. Between the speeding tickets, brown-streaked shorts due to near misses, and those who actually crashed them because they thought they knew how to drive... what more could you ask for?

Hi there, 911SC3;

The main reason for the less than inspiring performance figures of the early 911SC when compared to some of it's predecessors lies in the fact that the head honchos at Porsche in those days were focussed on promoting the 928 to replace the 911, as Bluebox88 already pointed out. I learned about the hush-hush 3.1litre option a couple of years ago and recently found out the whole story through the article in Excellent magazine as well. The thread I posted on the subject might be of interest to you: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/281573-911-sc-3-1-a.html