first post rediscovered family 911

[tony buffalo]

So this is my story, I'm 29 y/o and I have been a Porsche fan since day one, family business was good in the 80's and through most of the 90's, it's a little slower now a days. My father is a Porsche fan as well so thats were my appreciation comes from, he used to own a 944, a 928,1988 930 turbo (with DP slant nose kit) and a 1985 911 carrera with slant nose, from those four he managed to keep the 911 carrera and eventually sold the other three, i grew up admiring the 911, always thought it was (and still is) the coolest car I have ever seen, even cooler than the turbo cabriolet. I got the chance to drive both slant nose cars, but for some reason always liked the carrera better, like any other business we had some good times and some really bad ones and eventually sold every Porsche we managed to own; life went on and i bought a 2007 Nissan Versa, i know i know its a huge downgrade but well i was in my mid 20's and its what i could afford...so earlier this year my Nissan "hot-rod" got stolen and all I've got is $6,000.00 left from that tragedy, I've decided to help out my dad dealing with some old debts from some old friends of his, one being a body shop owner, so this guy owed my dad some money from back then and since well business was not good with him either he offered to pay his debt with my old man's 1985 911 carrera slant nose... so speaking with my old man he made me a deal, i could keep the car and fix it, or buy another new compact car.....and thats how i ended up in here.

the car is in poor condition, hasn't been used in the last 12 years, hasn't been started in the last 8 and i have no idea where to begin. The guy that used to own it offered a paint job and a good interior restoration (seats, carpet, roof)

[matt f]

Hi Tony and welcome.
Do a thread search for your topic. There are many that discuss in detail exactly what needs to be done and in what order to bring your car back to life.
There's a wealth of knowledge here and I'm sure some of the experts will chime in to assist.
Congratulations!

Matt

[NOLAsc]

Wow. Nice "compact car." Once sorted out, it can be a good daily driver. Glad you got the old car back.

[tony buffalo]

Matt f thanks for the support and the good wishes, i hope im able to get it running, but im quite lost , don't know what to do first. i was thinking of purchasing a rebuild kit for the engine, but electrical seems to be a mess as well. haha

Tony

[Norm K]

I'd start by getting that window up.

Seriously though, as was mentioned above, perform a search and you'll find beaucoup information on things that need to be done before firing up (or even trying to fire up) a car that's been sitting so long.

You might also let us know where you're located. There are some exceedingly helpful folks here.

[tony buffalo]

People here are full of knowledge and really helpful, haha i know its far smaller than my Versa, Porsche's are great machines I hope I get to drive it Daily, paint job should get me started next week, any recommendations on the color??? the gages are red so it goes with the red body, headlights are from a ford probe in an attempt to renew the headlight pop-upsystem so thats gonna be an issue. i have a small budget (i think) so i have im able to pull it off.

[tony buffalo]

Yeah Trying to fire it up is not an option. It sat for too long
I'm down in El Paso Texas, i have located a shop that does Porsche service they have a couple 911's im gonna head there on friday to check it out and see what they can do for me.

Thank you all , it seems that i have a lot to do

[RWebb]

Ed Mayo is not too far away (in Texas miles) - or call and ask who he likes in El Paso.

You want to figure out if it is a real factory slant nose or an add-on kit - big difference in value

1st thing to do is to try and turn the engine over by hand - no spark, no starter, with the spark plugs out & Kroil sprayed in thru the hole

[tony buffalo]

Oh I read about that but I thought only Turbo's were made with the factory "Flachbau", this is a 3.2. I know these are steel fenders though, its gonna a bit of a hassle to fix the headlights. but I'll keep you posted if I struck gold with the "Flachbau" option. thanks for the heads up on that one
also RWebb, do how do i can get a hold of Ed Mayo?

Thanks for all the help, I'll make a "to-do" list.

[RWebb]

I don't have contact info but someone else here must. IIRC, he is in Austin.

[redturbo911]

You have your work cut out for you. Welcome and good luck.

[GeorgeK]

First of all, ig is a very nice car.
Then, DO NOT RUSH INTO ANYTHING!
Assess everything, then spend wisely. It might be inappropriate to spend on paint if other issues will be costly to get the car back on the road.
I'd say try and get it functional first, then worry about aesthetics.
Btw, it is not a factory flat nose. The rear wheels, if genuine 9s, are worth a pretty penny, enough to purchase 16 inch wheels and tires.

[bh912e]

Hmmm... Nice story, tough subject. most of us would not attempt to start the car without dropping the engine and replacing and or checking most hoses. If this car is a carrera 3.2 moronic car i would do a few things before attempting to start the car.

Pour top cylinder lubricant into each cylinder. Let sit for a few days
Manually turn engine over clockwise ( do not use engine starter)
Replace vacuum hoses going to both fuel pressure regulators
Replace air filter, fuel filter, and do oil change
Check oil hoses going to oil tank after draining oil ( replace if cracked)
New spark plugs
Remove idle control valve ,clean and lubricate with penetrating oil
Replace 02 sensor
Drain gas tank, replace tank filter, put fresh gas in
If after all that is complete, the engine turns over easily I would try and start the car.

Good luck!

[WIL84911]

Very cool story. Happy for you.

[john walker's workshop]

i would find a pair of turbo front fenders, fill the rear brake vent and make it look like a regular wide body. then it would be worth more and not so miami vice 80s look.

[$ Short]

Check with Lenny at Redline Racing in El Paso. He may be the the same shop your thinking about. Very knowledgable and active in air cooled porsches
Kurt

[livi]

Welcome!

[tony buffalo]

Originally Posted by $ Short

Check with Lenny at Redline Racing in El Paso. He may be the the same shop your thinking about. Very knowledgable and active in air cooled porsches
Kurt

Great info, than you very much! , the shop I found had a couple of Porsches in service but is not Redline Racing , I'll stop by later today.

[tony buffalo]

Originally Posted by bh912e

Hmmm... Nice story, tough subject. most of us would not attempt to start the car without dropping the engine and replacing and or checking most hoses. If this car is a carrera 3.2 moronic car i would do a few things before attempting to start the car.

Pour top cylinder lubricant into each cylinder. Let sit for a few days
Manually turn engine over clockwise ( do not use engine starter)
Replace vacuum hoses going to both fuel pressure regulators
Replace air filter, fuel filter, and do oil change
Check oil hoses going to oil tank after draining oil ( replace if cracked)
New spark plugs
Remove idle control valve ,clean and lubricate with penetrating oil
Replace 02 sensor
Drain gas tank, replace tank filter, put fresh gas in
If after all that is complete, the engine turns over easily I would try and start the car.

Good luck!

It is a 3.2, thats quite a list haha but will get to work as soon as i can.
Many Thanks

[71scgc]

Paint job is the last thing I'd be thinking about right now.

Make it stop.

Make it go.

Make it reliable.

Make it faster.

Make it pretty.

This should be your order of operations. Looks like it will be a fun project!!
Carter