Thinking of buying 74 911

mattgorham · 03-16-2010, 04:52 AM

Thinking of buying a 74 911, I have been told it has been restored and all it needs is paint. Below is a list of Q&A i asked. looking for input on what else i should ask. Car is in another province so want to be well informed before traveling. I have included a pic that was sent to me. Thanks in advance. Asking 9500 canadian.

One last question, how many miles on the engine and has it been rebuilt

"It has 60000 miles on it and it is actually a 77 engine which is a better engine as the 74 engines had trouble with the head bolts breaking off"

cool, is this the current state of the car. What has to be done to make it road worthy. What is the condition of the interior, suspension, brakes, floors. Do you have any pics of the inside.

"Just needs a coat of paint, the interior is in good shape and the car runs but just needs to be tuned up.suspension tranny etc are all in good shape."

wowzer911 · 05:03 AM

IMO it's too much money.
BTW 74-77 were all 2.7L motors, virtually the same.
I'd offer 7,500 max. if you want a project, or better yet buy an SC for not much more money.

wildcat077 · wildcat077's Garage

The car looks to be a Targa... Add the cost of a new paint job and the odd upgrades and the total cost of that car could well be close to 13000-15000 dollars !

Not a good buy in my opinion,but like Wowzer says,7000-7500 max !

Phil

gregwils · gregwils's Garage

You should get Pete Zimmerman's Guide to Buying a 911 or something like that. He's on the forum, you can search for him. It will provide you with a lot of questions.

I would try to be picky, there are enough older porsches around. I agree the price is very steep in its current condition and in this soft market. there should be a pile of receipts documenting repairs or parts purchases to justify, plus I would say to him "great, give me a call once you have it painted and tuned up"

The '74 cars weren't fully galvanized, so it will be more rust prone. I would be sure to understand what body work was done, how much rust was present and how they repaired it. I would also have a close look at the engine. Has it been rebuilt and if so, were all the appropriate upgrades performed - case machining, tensioners, etc.

the most important thing is to get a pre-purchase inspection from an 'expert' Porsche shop. I assume you are in Canada. Post or search the forum for a shop to perform the PPI near the car. It will probably cost $500 canadian, but it could cost you 10 - 20 x that amount if you buy a bad car, and that would be just to fix the problems, not upgrade it.

mattgorham · 03-19-2010, 04:32 AM

What body work has been done. Please be specific! How much rust was present and how was it repaired. Has the engine been rebuilt, if so what was done.

"The only rust present was on hood so we put a new one on we also flared out the back wheel wells to make it fit the 16 tires that were on it. We then took the black paint off and primed it. Iwas going to paint it kind of an olive golden color. The engine has not been rebuilt. The 74 engine must have went for the previous owner so he put a 77 in which was a better engine"

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

The 2.7 was an amazing motor. The add on smog equipment killed it. If it's been redone and the smog crap removed it should be OK....I also agree, a bit pricey.

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

I just went through this -

Just bought a 1974 that had been completely gone through.

As others have said - 1974 cars were not galvanized - so rust is the enemy here. So if it's been redone, you want to make sure it's done right.

Look for rust around the suspension points - front pan, battery area, torsion bar area.

#2 cooling - the stock S did not come with a fender mounted cooler - just an on engine oil cooler. So if you are going to drive at the track - or in traffic in the summertime - remember that. Non boosted brakes - it has CDI/Permatune - Make sure it has the updated fan with more blades -

As others have said - the 2.7 - if done right is a nice engine - a little peaky - power in the upper end - but still a nice engine. My car has turbo flares - but I can not believe the difference in weight distribution between this car and the 1987 cabriolet that I had. The 1974 has a lot more weight in the front (compared to the 1987)

They are much lighter than the later cars.

racer_X · racer_X's Garage

If you are going for the 74-77 cars, I suggest you look for a galvanized one with service records. You can be picky with these years, they are very very undervalued.

New 911 owner- what is fair market value and what should I do next?

If you can find a car with a rebuilt 2.7 with the head stud upgrade, up graded cam tensioners, and 11 blade fan, you will save yourself $6000 - $9000 in the long run. All 2.7s had the same problems, but these cars are old enough now that someone already spent the money to upgrade the engines (my records said that my rebuild cost the PO $6000 in the 1990s) So they can be a bargain.

IMHO: If you can find a upgraded motor (not a 77 2.7- a properly rebuilt engine of any type) in a middie for $9000 you are getting a fair to good deal. You can find them for less if you are picky or lucky (like me). A decent middie should be about 10K to 12k is good condition.

Good luck and keep posting your finds- these are a good bunch of guys

mattgorham · 03-19-2010, 06:58 AM

more pics from before removing paint.

vash · vash's Garage

painting a 911 correctly is very expensive.

lp997 · lp997's Garage

I just bought a 1974 911 coupe/non-S. I paid $6000 for a good running/decent shifting car with a 7R case. Inspect carefully for rust as others were saying. The undercoating is very thick on these cars and can hide alot of rust. Use a screw driver to poke at all of the noted points. Also pick up the carpets and inspect the corners of the pan and also look under the rear seats for rust. Also poke at the area around the front A-arms.

I would recommend a compression and leakdown test. My car ran good but needed a top end rebuild (bad valve guides). The best of the 2.7L engines have the 7R case. I would suggest looking for that. Also, my car had a sneaky repair: the timing chain exterior was upgraded, making me think the arms were addressed. They weren't...ticking time bomb. Lessons of buying a car with no maintenance records: buy it as cheap as you can and plan to spend a lot of money.

mattgorham · 03-19-2010, 07:48 AM

car is not local, in the next province. Think i am gonna keep looking for something that would be a little more first time buyer friendly.

mattgorham · 03-22-2010, 04:17 AM

I offered 7000, he came back with 8500. Still looking!

derRITTMEISTER · derRITTMEISTER's Garage

Hi Matt, are you located in canada? if your interested in a decent 74, pm me, i just posted and took these pics yesterday

prebordao · 03-23-2010, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lp997

The best of the 2.7L engines have the 7R case. I would suggest looking for that.

Humm... what's difference between the 7R case and others ? Have to look into mine...

derRITTMEISTER · derRITTMEISTER's Garage

check the stamping on the right side (if you're facing the engine) all of the serial #s documented

cheers!

prebordao · 03-23-2010, 06:52 AM

I will, but what's the difference between case types ? strength, lightness ?

prebordao · 03-23-2010, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derRITTMEISTER

check the stamping on the right side (if you're facing the engine) all of the serial #s documented

cheers!

Engine number is 6341044

dicklague · dicklague's Garage

are you sure you want a targa?

crater64 · 03-23-2010, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derRITTMEISTER

Hi Matt, are you located in canada? if your interested in a decent 74, pm me, i just posted and took these pics yesterday

Hard to tell from the pics but is your car Magenta, or Rose Red, or Fraise? In pics 1,3 and 4 it looks pinkish but in pic 2 a little less pink. Whatever the color, it looks great!