Experts! Need your advice!! Help!!!

[wormster]

Have an opportunity to purchase two 911's that are in rough shape. One has a serial number of 9110120794 which I believe means it is a 911, circa 1970, 911T, Karmann body coupe number 0794. The other has a serial number of 9112101642 which I believe means a 911, circa 1972, a 911T, Porsche body coupe, number 1642. I have many questions and I hope you can help.
1 Can I use one car for a parts car to build 1 complete car? Are the body styles compatible?
2 Both were Hawaiin cars so salt has done there damage. Rocker panels rusted out on one. Is this serious?
3 Both I believe have numbers correct engines and bodies. Are the engines the same on both? I read the 1972-1973 had a bigger 2.3 liter engine.
4 On one car, I cannot get the trunk open to see the engine. It has been under a tarp for 8 years! and pack rats have made a home out of the car. Cactus parts and debris in the interior and engine compartment covering the engine!As a result, I believe the wiring will probably be chewed! So it will need a new interior, engine rebuild, body work, paint, tires. Basically a complete rebuild. The seller is asking $9000 for both cars total. Is the price reasonable? Can I use both cars to make one with regard to body parts, guages, steering, etc.? One of the engines is already out of the other car. My thought was two just buy one and rebuild it. But is it worth buying both, building one and selling the other engine to offset the cost of the restoration? What would be a guess on restoration and what would the car be worth after restoration? In other words, is it worth it or am I crazy? The good news is the car has been in the desert for the last 10 years so no further rust.
Sorry for all of the questions but am I looking at a really good deal or a potential nightmare and waste of money?
Look forward to your expert advise. Scott

[Matt Monson]

Hello Scott,
While your description makes both cars sound pretty rough, we could offer you a lot more help if you had some pictures.

The likelihood that you can make 2 cars into one without substantial outlay for additional parts is slim to none. The reason for this is because there are likley gonna be a bunch of things that are identically wrong with both cars. Furthermore, at this point in time if you were, for example, to cut the rockers out of the '70 to fix the '72 (the more desireable of the two cars) you would effectively ruin another restorable car. You are probably better off just selling off one of them in it's entirety and using that money towards your restoration fund.

Furthermore, assume whichever one you decide is the "keeper" it's gonna need a complete engine rebuild. It's also going to need a complete interior. Figure after you buy that car if you want something fairly nice it's gonna cost you $15-25k. There will be little trim bits and a lot of the parts that usually nickel and dime you that you can possibly pull off of car #2 but it's just so hard to say without pictures.

As for price? I'd probably start by offering the guy $6000-7000. I wouldn't go much higher than that. He probably knows, as shouild you, that there's a very small market there on the Island unless he's ready to ship the cars to Japan, Europe, or to the mainland. He's likely to sit on these cars for a long while if he is serious about getting is asking price for them.

[steely]

+1 for pics
Sounds trite, but I'd insist on unsticking the lid and looking at that engine. I'd ask myself if I would be shocked if the crank doesn't turn, or if I was prepared to rebuild the engine(s). Not sure what your background or level of experience is.

Can you get someone to do a ppi? Have an idea what a restored one is worth, and how much it'd take to do the resto? I am sorry I can't answer the financial recovery question regarding your potentially parting one of them (I don't know their state, nor am I familiar with the '72 market demand).

Please take this as an opinion, because I am certainly not an expert, but I don't think it is that great of a deal - unless you are super motivated, have funds, time and experience, and folks here can see what you are looking at - but I could be wrong. Best of luck to you, and I hope this helps.

Come back with some more info perhaps, and I am sure you'll get some more feedback.

[tharbert]

1 - Yes, many parts will be interchangeable. The 72 will have a few different bits like the oil tank setup and the shifter. The 72 should also have MFI instead of carbs.
2 - Rust is a serious issue with both of these cars. Some areas were galvanized but not all. Get an awl and check around a few areas prone to rust. Peel back the carpets and check the floorboards. Check around the bottom of the windshield. Check the rear torsion bar area and below the door hinges. Check under the hood, under the spare tire especially left and right sides where the batteries live. You can get new metal for all the damage you come across but in the end, how much are you willing to tackle?
3 - No, the engines are different (see here). The 72 has a nifty motor that, with a little work, can get you up to about 200 hp. Adding 2.2E pistons and cams and adjusting the fuel injection accordingly will result in a good little hot rod.
4 - Get the hood open! Search for "Stuck hood" for threads like this.
I'm no expert but $9k sounds a bit steep for two cars that aren't running with almost no history. I can tell you that if you don't get both cars, you will many times over wish you had. You can probably recover the cost of the second car from parting it out once you are done.
If I had to choose, I'd go with the 72...go figure. The 72 has some one-of-a-kind things about it that makes it a slightly more desirable longhood.
And Good Luck! Keep us posted.

Pictures! WE NEED PICTURES!