SC restoration (work in progress) and intro...

[andrew1980911SC]

Hi everyone, I figure it’s about time to introduce myself, as I’ll soon be needing help

First, a little history…

In 1980, my uncle purchased a new 911sc from a Porsche dealer in Los Angeles. I was 7 years old at the time, and after my first ride in a Porsche, I made him promise to sell it to me "one day". Well to my shock and disbelief, on my 19th birthday, he drove up to Vancouver and handed me the keys. The car was mint and running perfectly at the time. But as expected, things start to wear, and 911s are not cheap to maintain while working 2 jobs and going to school. I absolutely refused to get rid of the car, so i put the car in storage when I was 25. Aside from a good friend of mine driving it for a year, it stayed in hibernation over the next decade while I was working abroad. A few years ago I moved back to Canada and considered selling it to another good friend of mine who’s been bugging me for years. So about 6 months ago, we’ve been bringing it back to life… and by “we” I really mean ”him”, with me watching and learning. Anyways, he realized this car was not really suited to a growing new family. So long story short, it is now my turn to bring it back to the condition it was 19 years ago. I look forward to all the advice and help on this awesome forum.

* There are older threads re: this car posted by user “Nixter” or “Glenwyatt”

~ Andrew

[day600]

It's a Beautiful car, best of luck with the restoration.

[vulcan300]

Very nice. What does it need to return it to its glory days?

[andrew1980911SC]

INTERIOR:
Carpets (cabin and boot), headliner, and sun visors need replacing.
Dash and door panels are good but the birdsnest of wires needs tydying.
Seats need some stitching repair, but the leather is in excellent condition.
Would like to replace the wheel and shifter with something a little bit more OE.
Needs a decent stereo setup. I’d like to display a period-correct head unit with all the real goods hidden away.

EXTERIOR:
Paint is… ok. A good cut polish or clay bar would help. Will repaint the whole car when everything else is done.
Hood and body part between the windshield has some minor damage (buddy drove off without securing the hood down).
Driver side door just started having problems closing properly (sounds like something is broken inside)
Sunroof might still be leaking. I’ve cleaned the drain holes multiple times before.
Driver rear window has popped out in the corner and some of the window trim looks a bit weathered.
Would like to powder-coat the centers of the Fuchs (black).

ENGINE/BRAKES/SUSPENSION/ETC:
Popped off the right side lower valve covers and 2 broken exhaust studs fell out.
Will probably do the brakes soon.
Adjust parking brake cable tension (source of annoying and embarrassing “WEEE” noise)
Transmission… seems a bit sloppy. No idea really.
Just passed emissions testing with flying colors. Starts instantly, sounds great, and no smoke… WHOOHOO!

So first things first… I guess I should replace ALL the head studs before anything else, who knows how long they’ve been broken. What else should I consider fixing/replacing or at least looking at while everything is pulled out? Also, what’s the general consensus on removing the rear seats completely? Is that a big nono?

[Flieger]

Ditch the extra weight if you do not need to carry children back there.

You should check the condition of your suspension bushings- rubber ones can sag and cause torsion bar wear. Aftermarket urethane bushings squeak bad.

[tcar]

So is it a "Turbo-look" M491 option car?

Assume it's not an actual turbo, or you would have mentioned it.

[andrew1980911SC]

i believe it is, but i'm sure someone will tell me otherwise. i could not find the illusive options sticker in the trunk and i absolutely refuse to pay $100 for a certificate of authenticity. i even tried calling PCNA to see if they could verify but they said no, something about having to manually research their records (will take 5 to 6 weeks... LOL sure!). anyways, it's not a big deal for now, i'm sure i'll figure it out as this project progresses

[mickey356]

Andrew,
Get Waynes book on rebuilding a 911 engine. Everything you need to know is in there. I used it religously (as did my mechanic) during my top end rebuild this spring. You'll probably hae to have the heads and valves redone, lots of other little things that you can R&R while you;ve go the engine out that are inexpensive parts but hard to get to while the engine is in. Might as well do them while it's out. Don't fool yourself into thinking all you need to do is replace head studs, I think when all was said and done on my car I spend somewhere in the area of 10K in parts, but then again I R&R'd just about everything stopping short of splitting the case.

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by andrew1980911SC

i believe it is, but i'm sure someone will tell me otherwise. i could not find the illusive options sticker in the trunk and i absolutely refuse to pay $100 for a certificate of authenticity. i even tried calling PCNA to see if they could verify but they said no, something about having to manually research their records (will take 5 to 6 weeks... LOL sure!). anyways, it's not a big deal for now, i'm sure i'll figure it out as this project progresses

What do the brakes look like? If it has Turbo brakes, it is more than a body kit, probably real.

[kiwiokie]

Originally Posted by andrew1980911SC

i even tried calling PCNA to see if they could verify but they said no, something about having to manually research their records (will take 5 to 6 weeks... LOL sure!).

..and after all that effort they still get it wrong more often than not

[dsmeyer]

Originally Posted by andrew1980911SC

i believe it is, but i'm sure someone will tell me otherwise. i could not find the illusive options sticker in the trunk and i absolutely refuse to pay $100 for a certificate of authenticity. i even tried calling PCNA to see if they could verify but they said no, something about having to manually research their records (will take 5 to 6 weeks... LOL sure!). anyways, it's not a big deal for now, i'm sure i'll figure it out as this project progresses

Sorry but the M491 Turbo Look option was not ever offered on 911SCs, only on 3.2 Carreras starting in 1984.

The easiest and best thing to check is the style and location of the rear brake calipers. A real M491 Turbo Look will have 930 trailing arms and the brake calipers will be mounted behind the rear axle. Standard narrow bodied cars have a smaller cailper that is mounted in front of the rear axle.