What to do...

[lateapex911]

if only I could have the question be something easily specific.

So, I have a 1973 911 E, with S trim, Fuchs, in medium yellow. Because of my SCCA racing, and work, and family, bla bla bla, and the fact that it was just not running right, it got pushed to the back of the garage, so to speak.

Bit of history. Bought in 1993, and did a moderate restoration on it, replacing rotted areas. Drove it all over California and the east coast, where it got it's share of wear. My company went belly up in CA, and the 911 broke it's timing chain about the same time, and it got towed east. This was 1998 or so, and an acquaintance, Rick Deman of Deman Motorsports suggested he could build a neat RS spec 2.7 motor for less $$ than it would cost to rebuild the stock 2.4 and re do the MFI, which had worn shafts etc.

So, (Stupidly) I thought more power is nice, and i knew the MFI was tricky and there were only one or two guys in the country that could really work on it properly, so I went that route. (Kicks himself!)

Now in the intervening years, things have changed. Early cars are worth serious money, and the internet has spread the MFi knowledge far and wide, making it a far more doable/ reasonable ownership experience. I loved my old MFI. Webers and now the PMOs, (when it runs right) are neat too though.

So, as it stands, the car needs some bodywork, and a good going through of the motor, which has been a constant source of issues, never running right. (Constant irregular pops, thru the carbs, and the exhaust) The used Webers he sold me were replaced with PMOs, (I finally decided I sucked at tuning carbs, and or they MUST have had bad shafts, etc, so I got PMOs, which....run EXACTLY the same) and the ignition has been replaced and so on. Anyway, That needs looking into deeper.

The suspension has had some work. Elephant racing spring plates, Wevo ARB mounts, alum trailing arms, Smart Racign sways, Powder coated Konis, Polybronze with S calipers. Upgraded torsions, etc. I tried very hard to do all that work "right". I sandblasted it all and powder coated things the proper color.

And it needs seats (currently has 78 SC seats), and door pockets and the like.

But...it's a 73E, which has become rather valuable.

Before I dive in and spend time money going in some direction, I need a plan.

I THINK I know that getting the body back to perfect (and not adding flares/wider wheels, etc.) and making the interior like new is a good basic start, and will be correct no matter which final route I choose, but...what is the smart plan long term for the engine?

Should I call Rick and see if he has my old case kicking around and if so, suck it up and send him ransom payments? And the same for my MFI?? (I'm sure he's sold them for a tidy profit by now). But numbers matching stuff would be nice, as I assume the big $$ E's are all numbers matching...right?

Or should I find a non numbers stock setup?

Or just pull the 2.7 and go through it making it right and run the PMOs?

Or, sell the PMOs, get the proper cam and find 2.7 MFI stuff??

Now, I'm not flush with cash, and while I'd like to "do the right thing", it has to make financial sense.

Sorry for the vague ramble, but I know you guys, and you'll have good ideas and opinions.

I really want, no matter what, to be driving the darn thing. The 911 is 50, my car is 40, I got it 20 years ago, so now seems like the right time to get it back in good respectable condition.

[tijnes]

I would make the car run properly with the 2.7 that's in there now. As you said make the body and interior look decent and have fun with it.

In the mean time I would definitely try to find the original case and start collecting MFI bits and just store them.

The big dollar cars IMO are either "original survivors" or perfect restorations and if you make it to that level you will most probably never drive it again.

Martijn

[E Sully]

Rick is only a few miles from me. I've known him since the early 90's when he saw my car in the driveway and introduced himself. He was working out of a small garage space back then. He has built quite a nice shop now, but he is expensive. It would not hurt to give him a call about the engine, but there is a good chance he has sold it or will want quite a bit for it. As you also know, MFI parts are quiite expensive now. Financialy, restoring the car with the cost of parts for the engine and interior would be quite high.

[lateapex911]

Originally Posted by tijnes

I would make the car run properly with the 2.7 that's in there now. As you said make the body and interior look decent and have fun with it.

In the mean time I would definitely try to find the original case and start collecting MFI bits and just store them.

The big dollar cars IMO are either "original survivors" or perfect restorations and if you make it to that level you will most probably never drive it again.

Martijn

True, such is the problem with expensive high quality cars!
I have a long way to go to get there, of course!

I think the key for me is to not sweat things that might not be 'original' if they are bolt ons, as they can always be made original at a later date easily.

That said, the serial number carries some value that I need to respect. Figuring out it's worth for insurance issues will be tricky.