Spent $5300 & I'm ecstatic!

[Ilan]

Just had to share my excitement with all of you...

Since I'm not as brave as many of you, I took my 87 Targa to the shop a couple of weeks ago for some major work. Now that I've had the car for 6 months and was certain I had a keeper, I decided it was time to get serious. With 93K miles I did the following: New clutch, new Bilsteins all the way around, turbo tie rods, CV joints cleaned lubed & new boots, new cam lines, new thermostat feeder & return lines, new air temp sensor, oil pressure switch, oxygen sensor, engine tuneup, lubricated & adjusted shift lever, and quite a few other items that were easy to do with the engine out. I used Wayne's 101 Projects book as reference to follow along my mechanic's progress. What was reassuring was that they checked nearly the same list of items that Wayne suggests in his book. And my wrench spent tons of time taking me underneath the car and showing me everything that they were doing. Interestingly, parts were $3,100, and labor was about $1800, which comes to about 27 hours. Those oil lines sure cost a bundle! I can't believe the difference in handling, power, etc. Its like a new car. AND, the little oil leak I had is gone. When many people are thinking about taking their car to the junkyard after 15 years and 100,000 miles, I put in 5 grand and will hopefully get another 100,000 miles with just the normal maintenance required of a car. And there is no substitute for the drive. DAMN, I love these cars.

[Superman]

I know what you mean!

[tight as a bull's ass]

that's awsome! Post some pictures.

That sounds like a blast....these cars are definitely great to work on and the satisfaction is afterwards when you go for that first drive.

[cegerer]

This is a good example for wannabee 911 owners of just how expensive it can be. Even on a car that is in good overall condition to start with and in need of only things that seem to be standard maintenance items. Few non-Porsche owners would guess that a clutch, 4 shocks, and several "minor" repair items could posssibly add up to that kind of money. But they do!

[mwbaum]

I dont think spending 5K to go another 100K miles is that bad...most American cars would either fall apart and/or be worthless by then.

[emcon5]

Originally posted by Ilan
labor was about $1800, which comes to about 27 hours.

Makes me want to move to Utah. 27 hours in the SF Bay Area would be around $2600. Sounds like you did pretty good.

Tom

[yelcab1]

$350 for a clutch package
$800 for 4 Bilsteins
$200 for 2 thermal oil lines (the ones to the cooler is much more)
$200 for turbo tie rods
$30 for new cam lines
$100 for various other stuff
-----------------------------------
$1700 for parts if you did it yourself and it is not that hard.

That's cheap for 100K miles.

[86coupe]

I paid to have it done like you spending closer to $6,000. Did about everything you did except transmission instead of bilsteins. Also replaced steering wheel with new OE covering and replaced the slightly faded carpet on the rear seat backs. Mileage was 102K.

Afterwards had the same exact feeling -- this car was built nearly 17 years ago and looks and feels new.

There is a robutness to the design, materials and build quality of these cars that makes them feel almost immortal. I feel more like a caregiver than someone who actually owns the car.

You got a good deal on the labor. LA rates are like the SF rates mentioned above. At these prices the mechanics I've dealt with have been top notch and they aren't getting rich off of the work.

I too am quite ecstatic, not just every time I drive it but every time I look at it or sit and smell that vintage 911 smell!

I have no doubt that the body and major systems will go another 100K. The only financial concern is having smaller things just plain get old like sunroof cables and fuel lines.

Actually these did go out on me after I thought I was done. The labor wasn't that bad in terms of hours but Porsche absolutely reams you on stuff like fuel lines and sunroof cables. I have an old Mercedes and their parts are dirt cheap by comparison.

I heard prices on both of these parts went up recently. Right now I can live with it but if these types of increases continue and if I need more parts it could turn this into a love / hate relationship. Would Porsche really want to do this to its fans?

They're making a lot of money now, it's time for them to give us a break on the high cost of parts. They need to help us keep the old cars alive.

[warment]

$800 for 4 Bilsteins?

I got a set from www.shox.com for my 1973 911 T for a little over $400. I am planning to order a set of adjustable Tokicos from them for my 2000 Mustang GT in the near future. I highly recommend them...

Bill

[VenezianBlau 87]

Ilan:

I too have an '87. My next projects are the Bilsteins and turbo tie rods and maybe the strut tower brace bar.

What differences did you notice in handling and power and to what do you attribute them? I'm curious what to expect. Since mine has the original (black) Boge shocks, I'm expecting some change.

Thanks
-----------------
Bob Sauerteig
'87 Carrera

[rob justice]

Next time, do the work yourself and your ecstatic feeling will be doubled!!!!!

[Ilan]

Venezian:

In terms of engine performance, the engine just seems to go through the revs faster and smoother. Apparently, before the repairs, the O2 sensor was bad, and the PO had some adjustments made that resulted in the engine running too lean, and rough at 800 rpm. Now at 800 rpm the engine is solid and ready to jump. As far as the suspension work; I was experiencing steering vibration, especially at higher speeds on worse roads, like Mikkel and others on this board. With the new shocks and turbo tie-rods, I still have a bit of vibration because of damage already done to the tires, but the car feels tight, and there's a more solid feeling over bumps and turns, and there's a reduction of suspension noises. It's subtle, but quite noticeable.

And finally, to those of you who have remarked about doing the work myself, with all due respect, I think there are advantages both ways... Although I used to do quite a bit of work on my own cars, my car would be out of commission much longer because of the learning curve, and because I couldn't devote every day to the work like my mechanic. I'd have to purchase special tools, I don't have a lift, and this is prime ski season in Utah. My satisfaction comes from applying all that I have learned on this board as well as referencing the various literature, and then interacting with my mechanic, to formulate an overal gameplan which he can execute while I hit the slopes. (Guess it comes from my years as an exec.) If one of your kids needed surgery, would you take them to a qualified doctor, or would you attempt to do it yourself? Heck, surgery is a pretty mechanical event. And you don't even bruise your knuckles