Case leaks and noisy valves is where I started.. The valves were because the cams were gone, and the case leaks, well since you have to split the thing to really fix them there was my engine rebuild. And as long as I was doing that I went ahead and rebuilt the transmission. 5K wasn't even the entry point for that though.

steve215, where are you located? In southern NH, we had many P cars guys that love to tinker!!!

Did the same thing - picked up my car without a PPI. Your bound to find some things, you live and learn. Look at it this way - you will get to know your a whole lot better. I know I have.

Agree with Joe Bob that looking for a rebuilt 915 could be a good idea. Every now and then nice ones turns up at a good price.

Good thing about these cars is how relatively easy they are to work on yourself. Worst case if you get yourself in too deep then you tow the damn thing to someone who can clean up your mess.;)

I'm with Kontak. $500 and a little sweat and you will have everything fixed except the tranny. When you do it yourself you know what was done and you know who to blame if it doesn't work. You will learn so much more about how the car works, doing it yourself, that the education alone is worth the time it takes to do the work. Definitely pay for the alignment though.

An Alignment is doable just takes time and if you can't do it then what have you lost - nothing, I doubt that any alignment that you get for 100 bucks is going to be worth the money and that you'd do a better job. I had quotes for 450 for a aln. and corner balance but I still did it myself, costs in Canada are higher than down south. There is a 10 buck booklet out there on how to align your care PM me and I'll dig up the guys mail address.
Finn

Nice lookin ride BTW

You will be OK, I think. Start getting ready to get some oil under your fingernails! You'll save a lot of $$$ and you'll know it's been done right. Plenty of help here, and be sure to use the search function to read up on projects prior to going with the wrenches flying!

Good luck with her!

betcha the bearing replacement is wear and tear related to the monster wheel and tire combo on an 81. Bill K

Hi Steve215, Nice color and looks super clean on the shiny side-sounds like you're going to make out very well, and have a great car when you fix up a few things. Enjoy!

For $10k, I think you still got a pretty good deal. If it were me, I'd leave the tranny for now and fix everything else - it's all DIY-able. Though when it comes to alignment, I opted to take mine into the shop and pay the $200 or whatever it cost.

Get the valve adjustment tool and some silicone gaskets from Pelican, DIY the valve adjustment and fix the leak, give yourself 3 hours for this for your first time. But definitely DIY. Chain housing gaskets - piece of cake. Do it at the same time, while you've got all the oil drained out. Exhaust leak - couple gaskets, maybe some sealant. Tie rod - piece of cake, and cheap. Rear shocks aren't too expensive, and easy to swap out - budget an hour for your first time, but I replaced bushings on mine a few weeks ago and it took me under half an hour for both sides. If the ride feels fine to you, leave the front shocks for now. As for leaks, well, all old 911s leak at least somewhat. I park over cardboard in my garage. If you can live with it, leave it for now.

All in all, I can see you getting 80% of the way there for under $2k (plus maybe another $50 in beer :) ). The 3rd gear issue is indeed a problem, but again, if you can live with it, leave it for now.

There's a saying, all 911s are $20k 911s - pay it up front, or in getting it up to par.

Finn, I think the booklet you're thinking of is now online:

Home Alignment of Porsche

Cheers,

Dale