Bittersweetness, and a tale of two Porsches

[zimmer266]

My brother passed away at age 49, in his sleep over Labor Day weekend. I'm missing him badly, this past week especially. I held it together for the cleaning of his place, and the sorting of his possessions, and the wonderful service held in Florida by his many friends.

The boxes that I shipped to myself, of his life in photographs, well, that turned out to be the trigger for the bottled up grief. He was my only sibling, and he had no wife or kids. Just one brief marriage of two years or so. He had a large collection of friends through surfing, golf, fishing, and work.

He also had a ritual, where he'd take his truck to the storage facility on Thursday night, and drop it off for either the blue one or the green one. He'd had a blue '83 911SC for about three years, and a green '86 Carrera for just under two years, and he'd drive them in turn on alternate weekends. Labor Day weekend was a green weekend. They are both sunroof coupes with about 145,000 miles. I think he belonged to the Space Coast PCA, and he had a collection of Panorama and Excellence.

What can I say? I have always lusted after 911s, and had test driven new and used coupes in the early 1980s. I had a one colleague with a red 1979 SC, and later another with a white 1988. I had specs memorized, and all that; surely folks here would understand... But I went on and had seven motorcycles, a marriage, two sons, and another marriage. I vacationed with my brother, my parents, and my wife and boys just three weeks before he died. It was our 7th annual vacation, too.

So I made arrangements for Alan's automotive progeny to come from Florida to Maine. There are car carriers that take snowbird cars south this time of year, and it's good business to have cars on the carriers for the ride back. The cars arrived in good shape on Sunday morning.

I rinsed off the green Carrera and dried it with a chamois to remove the road dust. After a tire pressure check, and a suitable warm up, it was given a proper introduction to the local roads. Twice other cars beeped and waved in appreciation. These aren't all that common locally, so it's an event to see one out and about. Neighbors and friends came to visit.

Monday I will clean and drive the blue SC. The SC is a little cranky, and seems to need a prolonged warmup (5-10 mins) or else it backfires and possibly stalls with even light throttle. After the warmup, it runs well, but the gearbox is fussier than the '86. It's a dark blue beauty with polished center spokes within black Fuchs wheels.

I could keep them both, or I could use the money from selling one to tweak the other. Alan had given some thought to selling the SC, but it's tough to think about doing anything at this point. I am going to have someone with 30 years experience look them over, and give me some advice, and a punch list of tasks. Given his memory, and my own longstanding desire and mischief, these cars deserve to be driven.

[Flieger]

I am sorry for your loss. I think you would be doing your brother proud to sell one for someone else to enjoy while modding the other so you can have even more fun. Removing some weight and redoing the suspension will make either car feel even more lively. Personally, I would go with the blue SC, but they are both great.

Are they both coupes? Is one a non-sunroof? Those are more desireable to people who track or autocross their cars.

[qship510]

I'm very sorry for your loss. I am also one of only two boys, my brother is my best friend (except for the wife).

If you have the means and the garage space, I personally would keep them both. Drive the green one as much as possible, and learn on the blue SC by fixing the warmup problem and then modifying it as you desire.

[tevake]

Welcome Zimmer, please receive my condolences on the passing of your Bro. That sounds like a tough loss!

You have come to the right place to share the love of the P cars, and to find a strong helpful community of enthusiasts and experts to help you find your way thru the care and feeding of these wonderful cars. I would think the connection your brother had with his cars will make them all the more special for you.

Do you know if your Bro was a member of the pelican family? Do you know his user name? I imagine you would enjoy reading thru his posts here.
Perhaps you could post some Pics of the cars, That might lead someone to recognize them and help lead you in the right direction here.

I suggest you take some time to acquaint your self with both cars, and to start to move thru this time a bit. Then some clarity will come to you.

Again welcome, and feel free to ask any questions that come up

Aloha Richard

[pete3799]

Sorry for your loss.
I would keep them both, that way while your working on one the other is available to enjoy.
What ever troubles you discover can be remedied by asking here.
Of course if you have no place to store them that may be a problem.
Whatever you decide keep us posted. There is a vast amount of knowledge available right
here so ask away.

[billybek]

Sorry to hear of your brother. I can't imagine what that would be like to go through. 49 is too young to have that happen.
I would hang onto both cars for a while and try to get the SC running to it's potential.
It might be helpful if you put your location in your info. These Pelicans are a helpful bunch and you may be surprised to find one in your area that can help you out.
I was in Maine last year (Great Pond area) and the roads there would be a wonderful place to own a 911 (or two!).
Post some pictures of the cars when you have a chance.
Welcome to the forum.

[47silver]

sorry for your loss, enjoy the cars. you will have fun with them.

[Winter]

You don't have to make a decision right now. Take your time, enjoy both cars, and savor the experiences that your brother enjoyed. I'm sure he'd be stoked that you are out playing with his toys.

My best to you.

[crustychief]

Sorry for your loss.

[zimmer266]

Hey, thanks for the replies. The wishes and condolences are appreciated.

Alan did go onto Pelican to read, but I don't know his screen name. And he would indeed be stoked to know that the cars are being driven. Heck, I've gotten better at 2nd to 3rd shifting today in the SC, and I feel proud of that alone. The SC in particular seems to like being either on or off the throttle. None of this lazy cruising/posing will be tolerated.

I am in Waterville, Maine, and Great Pond is maybe 15 minutes away, although there are several lakes in the area. I've got the name of a guy in Old Orchard, from two separate sources. I'd post his name if that's okay here. I've also heard of two nameless fellows in Augusta, and perhaps in Fairfield or China, who might work on Porsches. Any suggestions are appreciated. Old Orchard is maybe 90 miles away, so doable but time consuming. I do not have a large selection of tools to work at home, but I do have the space. I have a separate building with space for more than two vehicles, so there's also room to move around.

I drove the SC today, and it warms in about 5 minutes. It bucks a bit if I am doing constant throttle at 2000 rpm, and seems happier if I downshift to keep it over 2000. It's a little squirrelly in terms of straight line tracking at higher speeds, and this is after setting all tire pressures (P-Zero Nero) to about 31 PSI. After warm I checked the oil level, and added about 700mL to bring the level to just above the mid-portion of the dipstick's range. I felt bad about the 10% ethanol gas, but added a bit of Seafoam, which has been useful to me in the past with bikes and an old Saab turbo.

At the moment, I don't want to sell either one, because I suspect the SC might be pretty sweet once it's sorted a bit. On the other hand, the Carrera doesn't mind constant throttle as much, so it's an easier car for in town driving.

[pete3799]

Don't forget to post some pictures when you get a chance.
Best of luck with your new wards.

[doug_porsche]

Sorry for your loss. You never get over it you just learn to live with it.

Whenever you start the Porsche just say "This one's for you Alan."
Drive it in a way that your always proud to say: "Yep, that's my brothers car, and someday it will be my kid's".

[zimmer266]

The boys have certainly proposed that they should each get one. Al might like that, too. Do wish I could pick up the phone and call him.

Thinking like that lets the wave roll though. *sigh*

Pics tomorrow, perhaps.

[Noah930]

Deepest condolences for his unexpected loss.

This is definitely the place to be for maintenance and upkeep advice. Sorry you came to find us under these circumstances. If you can financially and logistically keep the two cars, why rush into any decision now? Hang onto them, drive them in the meantime as they were meant to be flogged, and take your time in figuring out what you want to do with them. You might just decide you want to hang on to them forever, too.

[tmsautoart]

So sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. I have 2 brothers that are twins and only a year and a half older. We are the best of friends as it sounds like you and your brother were. I can't stand the thought of losing one of them. Please post pictures not only of the 911s, but your brother as well. Would love to hear more about him and his cars. I agree with the others who say "keep them". Its a great way to remember and honor your brother. Keep a small picture of him in the glovebox as well. Pass them along to your kids or other family members on the condition that they stay in the family. Again, sorry for your loss.
Terry