Backdating? (To do so or not to do so)

[xReddogx]

I know that backdating has been questioned, performed, and displayed to no end. I have spent countless hours reviewing and searching the PP threads for photos and information. Nonetheless, I am undecided as to the fate of my SC. Here are the facts....


1.) I know that backdating is not a money making proposition.
2.) I have always loved the classic lines longhood 911s.
3.) My wife would KILL me if I ever sold the SC, even for another Porsche.
4.) My SC is mostly original and in very good condition (i.e. - purist guilt).
5.) I am not willing to put "insane" money into backdating the car (i.e. - $7-$10k...I'd rather spend another 20k on top of that to add another cool car to the "stable").

So here are my questions...

1.) Those of you who have been brave and taken the plunge, do you regret it ever?
2.) Do you think that my color would look cheap as a backdate?
3.) Should I kill the originality of my car or just buy a shell and build my "perfect Porsche" from the ground up?
4.) Am I just annoying everyone with another backdate post that actually is not a backdate in process

Here is a picture to assist...



All the best!

[m1franck]

Sounds like you have already answered the question:

2.) I have always loved the classic lines longhood 911s.

Go for it.


5.) I am not willing to put "insane" money into backdating the car (i.e. - $7-$10k...I'd rather spend another 20k on top of that to add another cool car to the "stable").

Purchasing $20k long hood will cost you another $20k to make it right. Ask me, I know.

[Bob Kontak]

If you can do the work yourself, I say go for it. You don't have to do it all at once.

What is the backdate you want?

M1Frank - Owiee on the $40k. You have a pic?

[Axiom]

Check this link..
Carrera Backdate By TRE

[Jim Richards]

Let me be the 4th one here to nudge you in the backdating direction.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by xReddogx

1.) I know that backdating is not a money making proposition.
2.) I have always loved the classic lines longhood 911s.
3.) My wife would KILL me if I ever sold the SC, even for another Porsche.
4.) My SC is mostly original and in very good condition (i.e. - purist guilt).
5.) I am not willing to put "insane" money into backdating the car (i.e. - $7-$10k...I'd rather spend another 20k on top of that to add another cool car to the "stable").

Well, your expectations are reasonable. Do you think you'll keep the car long enough for SCs to perform an amazing turnaround in value and become collectibles that should not have been backdated ? How much is your car worth now ?

a few points on the above:
- you can undo everything you do with the backdate. Some if it may be silly to, $ for $, but you *could*.
- How rare is your car exactly ? Super low miles ? First one made, last one made ? If not it's not very rare.
- You can do it under $10K, absolutely ! It helps if you (or a friend) can weld and paint.

Now to answer your questions :
1.) Those of you who have been brave and taken the plunge, do you regret it ever?

Not once. My car needed paint. It was kinda bland. i found the bumpers to be incredibly heavy and that helped put my car on a diet. I think my car looks terrific now, while before it was just a beater SC.

2.) Do you think that my color would look cheap as a backdate?

I honestly can't tell what your color is from this photo !

3.) Should I kill the originality of my car or just buy a shell and build my "perfect Porsche" from the ground up?

If $$$ is an issue, no way you can rebuild a shell from the ground up for cheap. If you have that kind of money, buy a long hood to begin with.

4.) Am I just annoying everyone with another backdate post that actually is not a backdate in process

Not me ;-)

At the end of the day, even though backdates have been done a lot, it's a personal choice, a fun project, a nice weight saving, and in the case of a cheap SC it probably does not kill the resale too much. Now on a peach of an SC with low miles, concours winner, I would not do it. Once thing I should point out is that despite the weight loss, a backdated SC does not FEEL like a long hood, it just looks like one. I've had both... There's something about the SC that makes the steering feel heavier, and the car more solid... it's not quite the same, the oldies feel lighter at the wheel and not quite as "bank-vaulty" ! ;-) It's cool, but not the same...

I'd post a picture now but people are gonna get tired of seeing my car ;-)

[twistoffat]

I´ve looked at the threads of the guys who have done it with admiration for their skill and workmanship. At the same time I look at the production stats for the older cars and realize that their numbers are significantly limited compared to todays production runs. People seem to spend large amounts of time backdating or predating cars to obtain something they can´t normally get their hands on. When I then talk to owners at shows or whatever and they have clones or replicas they are proud but I notice still in conversation a hint of "well its not actually an original". My only question is that if I take for example an 81 SC and back date it does no one actually think that possible in 15 years people will be lamenting the lack of good available SC`s around and those that maybe have backdate their cars will be regretting that process 15 years later. Are we destroying history and creating a false one?

[Peter Seow]

I think backdating is not very important in weight savings. Removing the original bumpers for fiberglass is enough. yes i do like our short hood looks.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by twistoffat

My only question is that if I take for example an 81 SC and back date it does no one actually think that possible in 15 years people will be lamenting the lack of good available SC`s around and those that maybe have backdate their cars will be regretting that process 15 years later. Are we destroying history and creating a false one?

Well that is always possible, of course... then again there is a boatload of nice SCs and Carreras out there, all galvanized and therefore likely to remain "OK" in great numbers longer than the long hoods did !

Maybe in 15y there'll be a trend to put the backdated cars "right", like these days people restore modernized longhoods to their former glory... Or we'll all be driving electric cars with a very small gas allocation to run our classics...

My only point is my car was a $9000 car. I did not destroy the Mona Lisa !

[twistoffat]

My only point is my car was a $9000 car. I did not destroy the Mona Lisa ![/QUOTE]

Hmmmm

[Wil Ferch]

It's an intersting dilemma. I'm glad we can have civil conversation about this without undue emotion. Think about the go-go 80's.... Miami Vice.... and the trend toward the slopenose or "flat-hood" look of the racing 935's. At the time, it was considered OK to do.. and some cars were "all white". I'lll bet with the passage of time, this doesn't appeal so much anymore today.

That said, "classic" 911 production peaked in the mid to late 80's..with 50,000-60,000 cars/yr produced, if I recall correctly, under the Peter Schutz regime. Prior 911 production was like 65/day making then about 25,000-35,000/yr. So....there were plenty of good mid 80's to do this with and still have a goodly number available as "original"..as a counter argument. In the end, I believe cars left unmolested for a long time period will be especially appreciated. Look at the 1955 Speedster done correctly today, and compare that with the California look it once had when it wasn't so dear in the early 70's...nerf bars and wide fender flairs and big tires. yeah...maybe cool at the time...but people will be gravitating toward original Speedsters now.

[Jack Olsen]

I think that car would look great with a long hood.

[Jim Richards]

everyone knows your an evil longhood guy, Jack.

[mikehinton]

I agree with Wil - it is a difficult dilemma. I've also thought about this often - I have a nice '87, with 171K miles. Problem is, it looks great already, and is a gas to drive. I think one of the hardest parts about undertaking the project is that you won't be able to drive it while you complete the backdate! I think I'll just keep watering the money tree out in the back yard and hope it produces enough for me to buy a long-hood 911T someday.

Good luck with your decision-making process.

[CharlesJones]

Personally I love the look of the short-hood impact bumper cars. I like the look of the early long-hoods cars too, but not necessarily more than a short-hood. I think your SC looks fantastic as it is - if it was me maybe I'd change the whale tail spolier for a duck tail (look great with short-hoods, IMO) but that's about all.

I think if you really prefer the look of long-hoods then that might be good enough reason to backdate. But remember sometimes its easy to find yourself wanting what you haven't got just because you haven't got it! The other thing is quite often backdates just don't look right. I mean I've seen some absolutely fantastic ones on this board, but some just look a little shoddy and not quite right in my opinion. How good a backdate looks probably correlates with how much money is sunk into it, so its my guess that a good backdate is a costly one. A well done backdate does look ace though!

[Nine17]

That 911SC is a great-looking car. I wouldn't touch it. A proper back-date will wind up costing a lot more money than you seem to think, but will always be a fake.

[Macroni]

I wouldn't. A high quality backdate is an expensive proposition and IMO a very poor value proposition. If you want a long hood I would add to the stable.

[mikesride]

Nice car!

My $0.02 , The best looking 911 production run was between 1978 and 1983. The cars of course were crazy popular for "my age group" I guess. That being said it is just a car anything you do to it now can be undone later if you ever want to!

Have fun!

[Mark Morrissey]

My car is a backdate and it's no fake. It's a real car. In this era, with hot rods and all, no one — no one that I've met anyway — really gives a rats ass that my car is "fake." Only that it's cool, fun to look at and even more fun to drive. And everyone whose seen it, loves it. And with all due respect Nine17, don't you drive a CS clone? I can't imagine you calling that a fake. SCs are great. Really great. I love 'em. But they're everywhere. You can create a unique car with a backdate and no one will have another like it.

It's a personal choice... not for everyone, and yes, it costs a bundle to do right. But, you will have the best of both worlds. Depending on what parts you add to it, and the job done, could end up being worth more than the original car.

Just my 3 cents which is only really worth around 1 cent. If that.

[bluesky]

I love the longhood-look.......

however regarding your car, I would add a ducktail and hang the stock tail/decklid on the garage wall as art.

Then, I'd add a prototipo steering wheel to the mix to complete the vintage feel.....of course, hanging the stock wheel next to the tail-art on the wall.

That way if you want to reverse things back to stock it is an easy task.