But wait, there's more...

Has all the slop been taken care of?
Will the tranny shift?
Will the engine reject the new tranny?

...stay tuned for the real test, but for now, here is what was included in the big binder to help us hope for a happy ending


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315060818.jpg

I like the idea of an AFR.

Somehow I ended up with two MSD boxes, so maybe I should run a secondary the way they do in airplanes in case of failure?

So there ya have it. First inspection looks like its a keeper, but to hedge my bets, I know worst case it is a donor. At this stage I happen to know where a solid SC tub sits, waiting for a powertrain and hop up parts.

For $5k I could have the SC, a weekend's work and be driving.

Will I find surprises in this 73 that will gobble up more than $5k, or will it be solid and hide from the crusher???

I expect it will gobble up more than $5k even if there are no surprises, and as a pre-'76, it has no factory rust-proofing.

But it is a long-hood car, and it'll be worth it.

trans
 

my 73 has a similar trans setup and I love it. Dave at TRE did it for me and the Wevo shift gate and shift coupling are terrific. I have a factory short shifter in my car and not the Wevo.

Look at the Daytona-Sensors Wevo IV sold by our hosts here. I feel it is the best of the AFR setups and it will give you 2 hours of data logging in a very rugged mil-spec design that works well. I have had mine a couple of years and I love it.

Good luck with the car.......there is nothing like a great 1973!!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315151451.jpg
my 1973 in the foreground, Bruce Meyer's touring RS in the background.

Thanks

VERY nice cars!

Ok, so here we are at a decision point.

The advantage of buying a car already apart is that you can more easily assess its condition. The big book of receipts provides evidence of the rust repairs already completed, and visual inspection backs that up.

Mechanicals also check out, but undoubtedly there will be surprises along the way. Most of it is new or looks to be in good shape.

How bad can it be?
Cue the music…

D'oh!

...http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315233244.jpg

wow...is there a lot of ???? lurking under the outside skin of this tub...???

What to do w/ this tub all depends on what your intentions & $$ situation is to achieve such... ****think long & hard about these 2 points....THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP WHEN CONSIDERING A CAR RESTO ~ PROJECT...****
Best of luck here...
Bob

Good advice Bob.

The "flare on flare" job was not that big a surprise. In fact it was a big reason that the previous owner bailed on the project.

Best case was just fill it, use it as a track beater for a few years, and then tackle a bigger restoration in the future, but it seems as much work to trim back the junk underneath and fill the outer skin as it is to just take it off and do it right...and once cut, who knows what can of worms I will find and not want to leave alone.

Here it is from the outside. I knew going in that along with the hood and front fenders, this part was going to take some work, and I've flip flopped on my intensions for this car a few time now...

As purchased
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315248831.jpg

Decision. Both feet in!


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1315352364.jpg

Carefully separated the weld.
(We also found remnants of some old fiberglass RS flares sandwiched between the old steel flares and the new lap welded steel flares).
I knew the old stock steel hadn't been trimmed back and were ready to cut a tire, but the RS flare bits were a total surprise.

That's 3 flares in one...

nice work Wayner...I would look at this way, you can now better decide what direction this car may take with or w/o you...AND, more importantly, IF you decide to sell, the next person knows what is up under these rear mulit-layer flares...trim her back to where ANY flare can be attached to the car whether it be fg or steel...breath deep now...you did it...great to know what it is now isn't it...??
So..............what is your plan...?? :-)
Bob

Good question Bob

Part of me thinks a long hood should be narrow again (this is a recent thought).

Part of me wants a hot rod, which is what I wanted to begin with. Part of me says an entire fiberglass quarter would be quick and easy. Another part of me says there is good value in steel...

well...to begin with, do you have a #'s matching car here = tub/engine/trans...?? If NO, ALL options are on the table. IF YES, still all options on the table BUT, you may wish to mothball the engine & trans and do the hot rod thing...

This all comes down to what "YOU" want in a porsche car...only you can answer that. Usually $$ is a big factor but sometimes a long reaching change to what you start with/objective is what happens...

I like to reverse engr things...so...when do you want to realistically have this car done...?? What is your budget...?? Who will be doing the work...??

$$ & timeline are major factors that will shape what your options are. For instance, if you want this car to take to a poc gathering next spring, then you need to get a plan nailed down & jump on the loud pedal to get this project underway...if the car in its final iteration is more important, than you have time, BUT, you also don't want your project to turn out like the guy you bought it from = never finished it either...

If this is your 1st car project, my opinion would be to keep it simple which will almost always cost less than the wild flared project.

Also, keep in mind, when ever restoring a porsche, unless it is a rare "S" or such, you will probably spend x $$ and only be able to sell it for 75% of X when all is said and done...usually...it always depends on the level or work & the authinticity of the parts & the overall quality of the car relative to what it is a clone of...

food for thought...

Bob

In 73 an E was much more rare than an S :-)

for some you may be correct...for most, I am sorry but not the case...

do you have the tubs # matching eng & trans...??

I think that is my main decision criteria. As soon as the original engine and injection system were removed, I believe value dropped. Looking at just the tub, im not sure how much more a 73 longhood project is worth compared to a 74 that is backdated ( or not)

if the goal then is to build a "long hood" hot rod of some degree, then, have at it. Just remember, every dollar you spend on the car going fwd you will only get back 50-75 cents/dollar spent...look at what is before you that you just bought & the $$ the PO put into this car...see what I mean...

Best way to get a hot rod long hood is to buy one already complete from someone selling one in the classifieds sections on pelican...but...that takes a bunch of the fun out of creating one yourself...I understand this all too well...

All in all, what ever you do, make a time line as to when it needs to be complete as driving these cars is the best part of the Porsche experience...along with the people you meet along the way = get the car done asap to enjoy it asap...

Given what I already have, what do you see as the alternative?