81' 911SC random questions

[liberty43]

Hi All-

Greenhorn here... Just picked up my first 911SC and was hoping to find a little more information on it other than what I've read. For starters...

The car came home with tinted windows which I'd like to see removed. My question is, A). Did this 81' 911 come with a factory tint? and B). How do I removed the tint without destroying the rear defroster lines?

I also have questions in regards to this worn 915 tranny which I highly doubt anyone would be interested in answering (until then I'll keep double-clutching).
If not, perhaps a decent gear oil and additive suggestion would be a good start.

Thanks, Andre

[Rot 911]

The tint is not factory. I know there are a couple of good threads on removing tint, one in the last week or so. A quick search should turn them up.

The 915 is very finicky about 1-2 gear shifts up and down. Going from 1-2 you should slightly hesitate when shifting between the gears. From 2-1 most times just wait until you have stopped.

The preferred gear lube is Swepco. Might improve things if your tranny is running some other lube. The Swepco is green so easy to see if you have that in your tranny.

[liberty43]

Thank you kindly, that was very helpful and I'll search for that thread.

If I may play devils advocate, is it worth the expense to rebuild the syncro's/gear box if this is my daily driver/back road bullet? Along with flipping the gear oil to hopefully something greener, would new bushings be of any help? Or should I shut up and learn to shift a 30 year old tranny like probably everyone elese on this site?

Thanks again!

[SCWDP911]

1. Welcome!
2. nice looking car
3. change the tranny fluid, but also make sure you learn and do, or pay someone else to do a shift coupler ajustment/alignment. I was amazed at how much better mine worked afterwards (search pelican for shift coupler adjust etc...).

4. perhaps most important friend - join the Plot! muuuuhahahahahaaaaaaa (see my signature below for more info)

[mholbrook38]

Welcome aboard. Nice looking car and in an area of great roads to have plenty of fun on.

The 911SC is a driver's car in that you have to pay attention to almost everything you do in the cockpit. Every gear change, every flick of the wheel, every blip of the throttle. It rewards you mightly when you do it right and reminds you quickly when you don't. Take your time shifting up and down and treat her right. You will find these cars are great to drive.

[Deschodt]

You are not exactly forthcoming on the shortcomings ;-)

Swepco is great stuff for a 915... A 915 must be shifted kinda slow but also kinda firm, hard to describe, kinda like a tractor, you may get used to it and swepco will help. If 1st is an issue it helps to go into second before you put it into first. That may do the trick...

A rebuild is not a bad idea but only if you still have issues after you verify that clutch is good, the shift coupler is good, the bushings are good, and everything is properly adjusted... Check those first, I guarantee you 1/2 of them are out of specs... I once briefly owned a 73.5 with a 915 that shifted smoother than a new honda...so I know they can be built that way !

Nice car by the way !!!

[liberty43]

Thank you all for the healthy welcome and advice.

I see that I am not alone with my addiction. I contracted the illness when I was just 4 years of age when I spotted a lime green RS crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Dad being a German, was quick to name the drug and its taken 34 years from that day to finally get my hands on it. I don't see any hope for recovery, so it's nice to have found a support group.

Thanks again, all the advice has been thoroughly noted.

Andre

[liberty43]

...Still curious if anyone knows how to remove window tinting without ruining the defroster wires (they are glued on from he inside, is that correct?).

[Fernando.Vidal]

Originally Posted by liberty43

Hi All-

Greenhorn here... Just picked up my first 911SC and was hoping to find a little more information on it other than what I've read. For starters...

The car came home with tinted windows which I'd like to see removed. My question is, A). Did this 81' 911 come with a factory tint? and B). How do I removed the tint without destroying the rear defroster lines?

I also have questions in regards to this worn 915 tranny which I highly doubt anyone would be interested in answering (until then I'll keep double-clutching).
If not, perhaps a decent gear oil and additive suggestion would be a good start.

Thanks, Andre

Hi Andre, nice car. Yours and mine are twin brothers. Look at it. The only difference is the distance that separates them: yours in Northern California; mine in Austria. The technical issues you mention are exactly like mine. Shifting gears is not easy. Don't ever shift from second to first with the car moving. If you want to shift rear, shift first before and then rear, so as to stop the gearput and avoid that unpleasant metal noise. First to second is also difficult. But it is nice when you finally learn. This is not a car for newcomers. My 20 year old son came to visit me and wanted to drive the car very badly. But he understood when I explained the technical difficulties and the risks involved. Cheers and congratulations once more.

[chocolatelab]

one of the threads on the board recommends getting a steamer from a home store. Bed Bath Beyond type place. The guy who dod it said using the steamer was the best trick ever for timt removal. Just peeled right off.

[chocolatelab]

Window tint vs. defroster wires

see if this link works

[liberty43]

Hello Fernando! I just responded to your letter. Thank you for the compliments as well as advice. I actually had an 87' Carrera with no tranny issues (G-50, debatable I know) but it was very short lived due to our countries policy of creating boom and bust economies and NOT adopting "Austrian Economics" (faith is apparently better than gold). Funny story about your son, my wife also asked if she could drive the car to which I replied: "Never." But here's some money for a new purse.

From the looks, your car's in a lot better shape than mine (paint, original Fuchs, etc...). Absolutely gorgeous. Hopefully by Spring they'll look even more identical.

Andre

P.S. Shifting's coming along... plus the car likes to tell me when I'm not doing the right thing.

[liberty43]

Thank you Chris...

[j_mancini]

Re: your trans, like was mentioned by Shane, first check clutch and shifter adjustments as discussed many times on this forum. Then if you're still getting the grinds, you may need trans work. You didn't mention miles on the car, as that may be a factor. Mine has about 160K, and it had what I call a "3-second" transmission - needs a 3 second pause between shift and then no grinding. It was certainly usable that way, but now it's out and getting a "refresh"! Once apart, I've found that nearly all shaft bearings need to be replaced. I suspect the PO didn't change the trans oil much (if ever!). So, new oil cannot be a bad thing.

BTW, there a high probability that just any problem you might encounter has been discussed, debated, and resolved several times on this forum - it's an invaluable resource!

Cheers. And great looking ride you have!

[yelcab1]

Originally Posted by liberty43

...my wife also asked if she could drive the car to which I replied: "Never." But here's some money for a new purse.

....

I wished my wife would want to drive my cars. So it would not be so expensive to buy her new Gucci bags all the time.

[MichaelN]

Well Andre - welcome to the club from another just as new as you - and with a very, very similar '81 SC to boot! Mine has 125K miles with no work on the transmission and my initial reactions, back in the Summer when I got it, were very similar to yours. Shifting is a bit of a bear for a while, but you will get used to it, and you will get better at it. I went ahead and freshened the bushings, drained the oil and refilled with Swepco and......there really was not that much difference (but I do recommend doing both). But personally, I would not go to all the considerable expense of a rebuild, partly because the end result may not be the smoooth shifts that you may be expecting, and mainly because that grumbly 1-2 shift is just part of the character of the car, and believe it or not, mastering the shifting really becomes part of the great satisfaction of driving these cars. No, I'm serious. It's great fun and no small source of pride to drive these old dogs smoothly and quickly. I now love it and I think you will too.

By the way, since this picture was taken I've ditched those oversize rear tires and, like you, I'm working on removing the window tint.

[liberty43]

Thanks Michael- I completely agree (nice car btw). Maybe years down the line I'll re-build the tranny, but for now creative shifting is definitely part of the 911/915 experience and keeps others away from your car (Gucci bags are still a small price to pay).

Anyone want to recommend an upgraded motor oil from the PO's Mobil 1 habit for this SC? Or is Mobil 1 not getting worse as rumors might suggest??? P.S. I live in the mountains of Northern California, but only about 2500 ft (32-100+ F)

[MichaelN]

Oil talk is huge on this board (as it is on every board), but a brief history of Mobil 1 is that it did get worse, but now it's better - at least in the 15W-50 version. In their Product Guide dated 4/7/09 they list the following levels of Phosphorus and Zinc:

Phosphorus - 1200 PPM
Zinc - 1300 PPM
"Racing and Flat tappet applications"

Phosphorus and Zinc are the important ingredients for our old cars, and at one time they disappeared from almost all of the major synthetics because of concerns about their effect on oxygen sensors, etc. But they've made a comeback in M-1, at least in the 15W-50. But I invite you spend the next several days reading all the posts around here on oil! Looks like it might rain....

[liberty43]

You said it. I've heard everything from mixing motorcycle oils to the dynos Vs. the Syns, Mobil 1's good, Mobil 1's satan's piss, heavy wieghts Vs. light wieghts and on and on. You weren't kidding about it raining all right.

From what I've taken in and until my corner parts store starts stocking Brad Pen (why I need this I don't know), I think I'll go with your recommended M1 15W 50. Seeing that your car resides in the Bay Area (mine actually came from Fremont), we share a similiar climate. It is however 32 out at the moment, so lets see if that changes things...

Thanks again for your reply, I know it's all been said and done, but being a rookie makes all this invaluable to me.

[liberty43]

Michael-

What were your thoughts on the M1 0W 40? Especially for colder climates here in the hills (albeit still in California). It'll be 35-55 degrees for another couple months, think the heavier weight will still suffice?