'76 911S, what do you think

[gjmascoli]

Folks
Came across this on CL yesterday and was planning to go see her tomorrow.
http://southcoast.craigslist.org/cto/3526517172.html

The seller got a lot of quick interested, rejected an offer for $7500, and now says he's keeping her. He'll let me have it for the list price, not a penny less.

I haven't seen the car, and based on emails I believe she needs at a minimum:
- head stud upgrade
- tensioner upgrade
- brake rebuild
- obvious body work
- synchros?? who knows?

I loooove the look of the narrow fender 911s and I know there is something to fear about the 2.7L, but I'm thinking this might be the project I'm looking for. I originally thought I might get in for $6,000, but you know, if I get this car turned around, who really cares about the $2500 difference in the long run, right?

What say you?

[Winter]

I think that there are a lot of "fixer-upper" middies so don't sweat it if this one doesn't work out. If you really want a middie, you'll be able to find one, and sometimes in very nice condition for under $10k. Keep your eyes on the classifieds here.

Good luck regardless of what path you choose.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

it's been in storage since '99. talked with the guy, $6K car.

[vintagecarlover]

Posting pulled down. Who got it?

[gjmascoli]

He pulled the post down because he wants to keep it unless he gets $8500.

Shaun
Interested in what you learned when you talked to him. Is it as I suspected needing:
- head stud upgrade
- tensioner upgrade
- brake rebuild
- obvious body work
- synchros

A lot of white smoke in the You-Tube video of the engine. Wasn't clear to me that he knew what he was up against with the current condition.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by gjmascoli

He pulled the post down because he wants to keep it unless he gets $8500.

Shaun
Interested in what you learned when you talked to him. Is it as I suspected needing:
- head stud upgrade
- tensioner upgrade
- brake rebuild
- obvious body work
- synchros

A lot of white smoke in the You-Tube video of the engine. Wasn't clear to me that he knew what he was up against with the current condition.

That's a good list and the car needs a complete going through. I asked him about rust, he said it has none, but when I asked about common areas, he got a little quiet and said he'll have to check. I didn't get the history of the car, why it has sat since '99, Todd just didn't seem like a trustworthy guy, didn't know much about it and I became uninterested fast.

For $6K, it could be a good buy if you were lucky. But I think this is a car that could really bury you into Carrera pricing.

[911ologist]

I let the car run for a while and the smoke cleared up. After not starting for a while oil tends to gather and takes a bit to burn off. Runs great. Spoke to the previous owner and the clutch and alternator were replaced at a legit german car mechanic in the Providence area. i have the receipts. Porsche was originally owned by a doctor up to 98,000 miles and the maintenance schedule was completef at the Norwell porsche dealer in MA. Called the dealer but they would not provide any information because i was not the original owner. I really don't understand why they couldn't provide the records. Any one ever come across this issue with trying to get history on a vintage car??

Anyway, I am assuming that since the car is running great and the car was maintained at the dealer that most of the necessary upgrades took place. It currenly has 109,000 miles and runs like a dream.

[faverymi]

I also talked to the guy.

I got the same impression about mechanical needs.

Add 7k paint job if not rotted

Mmmmmm. Not so good. Unless you want to drive it ratty.

[faverymi]

Originally Posted by 911ologist

I let the car run for a while and the smoke cleared up. After not starting for a while oil tends to gather and takes a bit to burn off. Runs great. Spoke to the previous owner and the clutch and alternator were replaced at a legit german car mechanic in the Providence area. i have the receipts. Porsche was originally owned by a doctor up to 98,000 miles and the maintenance schedule was completef at the Norwell porsche dealer in MA. Called the dealer but they would not provide any information because i was not the original owner. I really don't understand why they couldn't provide the records. Any one ever come across this issue with trying to get history on a vintage car??

Anyway, I am assuming that since the car is running great and the car was maintained at the dealer that most of the necessary upgrades took place. It currenly has 109,000 miles and runs like a dream.

Hi.

On your Cl post you mentioned that the car wasn't drivable because the calipers were removed.

Did you put the brake system back together?

Can you drive the car now?

[911ologist]

Shaun. I am actually a very trustworthy guy. I didn't remember who you were but after looking through my emails I found our communication and all i stated was that it was stored since 99 and you wanted to look at it either Monday or Tuesday. That was all. You're question about rust...no rot, some surface rust though as shown in my pics which i thought were very much detailed because i didn't want to waste anyone's time and surprise them on arrival.

[911ologist]

Rotors and calipers have been removed from the vehicle, both front and rear. The prior owner's PPI stated that the brakes were "dragging". When i spoke with the previous owner, he informed me that he had difficult items fixed (clutch & electrical) by a professional and decided to tackle the brakes himself. He said that he never completed the project and eventually lost interest. Sticker on the windshield is "99" so it sat for a while. He said he bought a Boxster shortly after.

This is my first Porsche and i wanted a project car. After posting it for sale I started to tinker with it. After charging the battery and getting it started, I began to have second thoughts. I did have a great opportunity to speak with some potential buyers and learned a lot more about the car. Actually, the best part of posting the car was talking to other 911 enthusiasts.

Cheers

[gjmascoli]

Fellow 911 fans
Just an update on this '76 911S.

I met with Todd today and found him to be an upstanding guy, for anyone who may have had second thoughts last week. I have purchased the vehicle! I am delighted to finally have a project. The car is totally original as far as I can tell.

History:
Car was owned by a RI doctor since delivery in '76 until '99. He put 109,403 miles on the car and always had it maintained at the local Porsche Dealer. Todd has the maintenance book with all the stamps up to 98k, but not all the receipts.

The next buyer had a PPI done at German Motors in Providence in 99. They identified slipping clutch (replaced) and electrical (new alt and updated electrical) and dragging nrakes. This buyer put about 100 miles on her and then removed the brakes for rebuild, bought a Boxster and got distracted, let the car sit until he sold to 3rd owner (Todd's god father) around 2009 or 10. He never registered or drove. Todd bought in Sep'12 and never registered or drove.

The engine started on first try and had white smoke initially which went away as the engine warmed and then came back intermittantly. It was only about 40F outside, so there was certainly water vapor, but we could smell oil too. Oil could be from the leaking left side valve cover. Rev'd to 4500 a few times, seemed OK.

I have no misconceptions about this engine. It is a 2.7L with therma reactors and 109k miles and no record of a top-end or complete rebuild. I wanted a project!

Seems a good sign on the transmission front that the PPI recommended new clutch but did not note synchro issues. Keeping my fingers crossed.

So the car has a new clutch with 100 miles on it but has sat for 13 years. I know this may present it's own problems, interested in advice on moving forward. What I'd like to do is rebuild the brake calipers, install them with new lines over turned rotors (set of four unused included in purchase) and get the car on the road for 100 miles or so to see how to proceed.

First concern: I think we have at least a little 13 year old gas in the tank. I'm I causing problems by running the engine even for a short time to check things out? Do I need to pull the tank and clean and do a full cleaning of the fuel system? Additives for the fuel system?

Let me know if anything strikes you from the few pictures here. More later.

[CountD]

Honestly I think it's great that you got it. With all those records it seems to be a fair price.

And YES you are causing problems starting it with all that old stuff in the tank and circulating it through the system. You need to put a hold on this (and I know it's tough).

Please forget that old tank and buy one right here from Pelican and be done with it. Those tanks have a lot of rust, and just by draining it and cleaning it does nothing. The tanks cannot be seriously cleaned unless they are split or the big hole is made like another user did. Save yourself a huge headache and get a new tank and start from there.

Most CIS problems with these mid-year cars can be fixed with clean fuel (ie. new tank), new filter, and new injectors. I know it can become very spendy, however in my mind the CIS system is very reliable if you replace these 40-year-old parts with new.

[gint]

If you've already been running the motor from the gas in the tank, I would just consider draining the tank and then put fresh gas in it for now.

[NeedSpace]

Mascoli,
congrats on the purchase and welcome to ghe middie world!

I wouldnt assume the tank has rust. Drop it and check it out first. My 1976 911s tank was in great shape aftdr i cleaned it. Just out my post 1976 911s garage find... on page 5 is very detailled instructions on what i did.

Also, feel free to reach out to me to consort, 76 model is somewhat different than those that are newer...

[gjmascoli]

Thanks guys!

I still have to arrange for the car to be delivered top me in CT.

NeedSpace - I know your thread and will now be reading it front to back.

It will be a long process for me because 4 kids and work travel will tie me up, but its the journey as much as the destination on this baby!

[JP911]

Did you put in fresh oil before starting? (personally, I would be more worried about 13 year old oil)

[timmy2]

Congrats on the purchase.
You can get a good look in your gas tank by removing the fuel sender and looking inside with a flashlight or a $20 USB borescope hooked up to your computer.

[NeedSpace]

Originally Posted by gjmascoli

Thanks guys!

I still have to arrange for the car to be delivered top me in CT.

NeedSpace - I know your thread and will now be reading it front to back.

It will be a long process for me because 4 kids and work travel will tie me up, but its the journey as much as the destination on this baby!

I know the feeling...kid stuff today is keeping me from fixing my heater.

Are you in southern Connecticut? If so, you should try to set a goal of making it out on the spring NY/NJ/CT run...
NY/NJ/CT/PA anual Thanksgiving Run

It's a fun run and a great group of guys. Also, it will keep you from getting too bogged down in "while you are there's". If this is your first classic, I would recommend just working on getting on the road. There will be a number of things you are planning on doing but bump most to the longer to do list. I know way too many people who start digging in too deep before they enjoy it and it winds up spending its life lonely in the garage! ...as the previous few owners did.

[CountD]

Originally Posted by JP911

Did you put in fresh oil before starting? (personally, I would be more worried about 13 year old oil)

How true...when I drained my 20-year-old oil I could not believe how much it had changed (and how there were so many other smells coming from it)...

But seriously, about the tank - you may be lucky and it may be clean. But many of the mid-years I have seen have been pretty bad, especially from the Northeast. But you may be lucky. Yes, yes, yes, get it on the road first before getting into any other repairs.