1986 Carrera Coupe, finally an introduction.

[eolson]

I've been lurking on here for almost a year while searching for the right 911 coupe and I finally found it a few weeks ago. I'm the very happy new owner of a 1986 Meteor grey coupe! The hunt was long, but I finally found a great local deal that just needs some love, which I'm happy to give it. The odometer reads just shy of 80k, which looks to be honest from the overall condition. The seller had the engine and tranny out for 2nd gear syncros and clutch, but they are back in now and apart from some basic maintenance (valve adjust, brake flush, new tires, etc) I plan to just get it back on the road. I'll definitely have some questions as I go, but so far I've found a lot of answers by doing a search or using the manuals that came with the car.

I'm quite excited to finally have this, and hopefully my 10 year old self is finally satisfied as well. I'll try and update as I go.


On the trailer, arriving home.


Underway, ignore the mess.

[privatepang]

Congrats buddy! Thats a great colour!

[OsoMoore]

It looks like a lot of fun. I always thought 911s in dark gray looked sleek, kind of like a hunting cat.

[CCM911]

Nice! And at 80k it is barely broken in.

You will enjoy that ride for years to come.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by eolson

I'm the very happy new owner of a 1986 Meteor grey coupe!

That is the very best color!

[Kemo]

nice! hope you gotta good deal!

[redridge]

Congrats... man, that looks so familiar. Same plan and all... drove for a year and the "while you're in there" bug just took over. Enjoy in good health.

[yellowperil]

Good looking car and low miles. Is that a P1800 next to it in your garage?

[eolson]

Thanks for the comments, I'm in love with it and haven't even driven it yet! I do love the color and feel like I really lucked out with it. I don't really want to change anything about the appearance apart from a lower stance and someday some 7 and 8 or 9 inch Fuchs. For now I have a fair amount to do to get it to stage 0, so modifications will have to wait a bit, but I know it won't be long until I'll decide to "improve something.". It came with a great selection of parts and manuals, but I also have to source things like a toolkit (probably making my own), jack, stereo, new front spoiler, seat belt warning lens, and some other small bits.

That is my dad's '66 1800 on the side, another great car that we've taken on some great trips. Oddly enough they are almost the exact same size.

Erik

[mystro]

That color is fantastic. Congrats!!!

[JQ911]

Great color. Congratulations!

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by eolson

Thanks for the comments, I'm in love with it and haven't even driven it yet! I do love the color and feel like I really lucked out with it. I don't really want to change anything about the appearance apart from a lower stance and someday some 7 and 8 or 9 inch Fuchs.

Erik

Erik, (!!!)

Your car is nearly the twin of mine. On our cars, 7s and 9s would look pretty good. Because of the scarcity of tires in the 16" sizes, I suggest you look into 17" wheels. You'll save some money if you buy replicas like Euromeister, and you'll have a much larger performance tire selection. I plan on buying a set of 7s and 9s soon. Here is a pic of my car when I bought it:




Here it is after I stripped the black paint off the centers:




I much prefer the look of the wheels without the paint, but I am considering an RSR finish on either these wheels or the Euromeisters (when I get them, of course.) The only mods I've done to the car so far is to add a Momo steering wheel and extender, backdate the stereo to a Becker Traffic Pro (looks more subdued than the blingy modern stereos), relocated the subwoofer under the passenger seat, and installed a Steve Wong chip. My future plan is to add Ed's shift coupler (search for "the coupler whisperer") and begin chasing down regular maintenance stuff like plugs and OXS and injector cleaning and valve adjustment - the regular kind of stuff you have to do with these cars.

You will absolutely NOT be disappointed by the driving experience. I was amazed on who different this car feels than any other car I've ever driven.

[eolson]

Looks great Eric! We'll be in Vancouver, WA in August, are you near that area? I like both wheel combinations you've tried so far, but the 17s should also look great. I actually love the stock look with the black centers tying into the trim, but I could see myself trying some other options someday.

I sure do love seeing all of the other meteor grey cars!

[eolson]

Proud to say that we finally fired this beast up today! It took a lot of time to figure out all of the wiring and connections, but after going through the Bentley manual and double checking everything we finally got it to go! We had some stumbles that ultimately came down to bad gas, which I never thought would be that much of a problem. It wouldn't even stumble on what was left in the tank, but after a drain and a few fresh gallons of 92 it kicked off almost immediately! I suppose it's that type of precision I'm going to have to get used to with this car. I've read more than once about having to play by Porsche's rules when doing repairs and maintenance, I suppose my lessons started with what type of gas it takes...no exceptions.

Excited to get this beast on the road and give it the Italian Tune Up it deserves, and I continue to love this website for how much great information it has to offer!

See you on the road.

[dshepp806]

NICE,..WELCOME,..ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEST!

Doyle

[86 ssinit]

Great color!! hope you get it up and running soon. Good luck and enjoy it!!!!

[PabloX]

Congrats! I have an '86 coupe as well. I just got done doing a few things to it this morning.

If it's never been done, I suggest replacing the O2 sensor right off the bat. I bet the shift coupler needs help as well.

[WERKD e28]

Here it is after I stripped the black paint off the centers:





noice !

[Cherry Bomb]

[QUOTE=eolson;6840658]I've been lurking on here for almost a year while searching for the right 911 coupe and I finally found it a few weeks ago. I'm the very happy new owner of a 1986 Meteor grey coupe! The hunt was long, but I finally found a great local deal that just needs some love, which I'm happy to give it.


Love the color, love the car, great find. Makes me happy to see so many older 911s being rescued and enjoyed. I am in the same boat as you, with my recent 83 SC purchase. It's been on stands for some weeks now, receiving the love it deserves and I can't wait to make that first [legal] maiden voyage. I'm also happy to see I wasn't the only trailered 911.

[eolson]

I have a running and driving Carrera! I'm thrilled to have finally put this car back on the road last week after a long 2+ year sleep. It took a lot of head scratching to get some details worked out, and with a toddler in tow it was tough to find good stretches of time to work on it. I ended up spending a lot of late nights sorting through wiring and other issues that just take time and thought, but it was all worth it now that it's going! The biggest hurdle was getting it to accelerate without stumbling, and for a while I was nervous I would be heading down the path of the speed reference sensor, O2 sensor, etc. Luckily I think it ended up being the fuel pump and a need for a full tank of fresh 93 octane.

It's all sorted for now and I must say, the car is everything I hoped it would be! They say don't drive your heros, but if the hero is a 911, I can't see how anyone could be disappointed. Thanks to all Pelicans for such a helping community, I didn't post much but found most of my questions answered with a search as it seems by now most things have been covered. Here's the short list to make it a little more reliable and safe:

--Driving lights on the passenger side aren't working, bulbs were replaced but I still can't get them to go. I'll clean the contacts next and try them with a test light, but otherwise frustrating since they were working and now aren't.
--The engine lid seems to pop open while driving, not sure if it's when I hit a bump? Anyone ever had this happen? Seems to shut firmly so I'm a little stumped.
--Looking for a turn signal stalk as my high beams stay on and only turn off if I hold the stalk just right. Can this be cleaned or is it easier to just replace it?
--Fuel level sending unit, going to try cleaning it before replacing it, we'll see what happens.

What I've done so far:

-Fuel pump and filter
-New tires
-Engine and tranny installed, wired, and plumbed with all linkage connected/sorted (paraphrased, this was all very time consuming to do correctly)
-Brakes flushed
-Mitch Leland's steering bushing
-Clean

There's probably a lot I'm leaving out, but it's nothing that hasn't been done before, just the small projects a 911 owner has to do and has to learn. Let the journey begin!

Erik

(My best attempt at a Magnus Walker shot, but Minneapolis is not Los Angeles)



I'll be taking some better shots as I drive it more and before having to put it away for the winter.