New to the Porsche world. Did I do well? and looking for help

[79-911 targa]

I was exposed to the 911 in 1973 and 1980 when my dad was an owner and fell in love like we all have.

Well I recently stumbled upon this 1979 911sc targa with the passing of a family friend. He had been restoring it through his recent few years of ownership. Newer shocks, seats, brakes, clutch, rebuilt transmission, rear carpet replaced, targa top recovered and new top seals. Fresh but cheap paint job that is not adhering well in a few spots but looks clean overall.

When i picked it up the motor had been dismantled less than two months prior and is in several boxes. As far as I can tell everything is there right down to the last bolt and washer.

I paid $1500.00 for it. Did i do well????

I'm not sure where to start.
How to tell what the current motor needs to live again??
Try to find a running complete replacement to just drop in and part out my motor to offset costs??
What about a long block and reuse good components?

Will other motors fit in my car? Say a turbo charged or larger displacement?
Please advise, I'm dying to drive her.

[timmy2]

You did very well at $1500.00
Buy Wayne's 101 projects and engine rebuilding books and Bentley manual and start reading.
Click on the engine building forum and start reading.
Go through any documentation the former owner had and see what was done or being done to the engine.
Welcome aboard.

[Flojo]

wow!
even without engine (parts) it was a bargain!

well, re-box the engine (parts) and have it rebuilt by a mechanic (or do it yourself).
or get a ready rebuilt engine; I guess matching numbers is not what you may care about too much...

[snbush67]

You did exceptionally well. If you are mechanically inclined you can find a used engine and get that thing on the road while you build the other one. Or you can just start out by looking for a 3.6 to go in there and be done with it. I think a major supplier for the 3.6 swaps is in Florida.

That is the best Porsche color combination out there, and the biggest bonus is that it is a Targa, they are faster and more desirable then the normal coupe versions.

[livi]

Excellent!

[Flojo]

Originally Posted by snbush67

... start out by looking for a 3.6

I see this as an overkill for a startup, dont you?

a nice 3,0 is just fine, no modification needed.

keep it simple and easy, as there is a lot of work/TLC to be done to the car to really make it a nice one.

[COLB]

I paid $1500.00 for it. Did i do well????

Well, that depends on the nature of the deal. Assuming the estate understood the value and sold you the car at "friend" prices, you paid a pittance for a car that is probably worth $10-12k with the engine in pieces.

I just hope there are no hard feelings if the surviving son discovers what the widow sold dad's car for!

All that being said, the ridiculously low price you paid makes it well worth your while to source a running 3.0 and get the car back on the road while you sort out what to do with the original motor -- that assumes you want it driving ASAP. Not sure what they are going for, but I would expect you could get one for $5-6k.

Don't be in a hurry to get rid of the original engine, though. If you are not going to send it to a rebuilder, box it up carefully, and inventory what you have. Some day, someone will want it -- maybe you!

Of course, since you acquired the car for basically free, you could box it all up, take it to a reliable shop, and have them sort it all out, and you will still be in good financial shape.

[JeremyD]

Mike Bruns is in Central Florida - take the engine to him - have him put a set of PMO's on. Probably one of the better engine combo's out there (79 3.0 and PMO's)

[Eli W]

You got ripped off, it is complete junk. The SC's are not worth anything and no one likes them.

To ease the pain of your horrible mistake I will send you a check for 3,000 grand to take it off your hands and have it turned into scrap.

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by Eli W

You got ripped off, it is complete junk. The SC's are not worth anything and no one likes them.

To ease the pain of your horrible mistake I will send you a check for 3,000 grand to take it off your hands and have it turned into scrap.

That is a new high for a 911 !!!! 3000 grand is $3,000,000 more than 2X what that 73 RS sold for at Amelia Island.......

OP Take the offer before he changes his mind!!

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by Flojo

I see this as an overkill for a startup, dont you?

a nice 3,0 is just fine, no modification needed.

keep it simple and easy, as there is a lot of work/TLC to be done to the car to really make it a nice one.

A nice 3.0 is fine, just fine..but eventually we all want more.

No I don't see it as overkill for a startup, who cares if it's his first Porsche or his last? I see it as a possible practical solution to harness some serious HP potentially for cheaper than what it could cost to rebuild the 3.0 or adding a Turbo as asked in his first post.

This way he just gets it all done up front, my recommendation will probably save him thousands.

[ant7]

+1

Originally Posted by timmy2

you did very well at $1500.00
buy wayne's 101 projects and engine rebuilding books and bentley manual and start reading.
Click on the engine building forum and start reading.
Go through any documentation the former owner had and see what was done or being done to the engine.
Welcome aboard.

[bike2ride95]

Build that car. For $1500 you can look back a year or two from now and have
a good laugh. Its meant to be yours so enjoy it and drive it like you stole it...
for that price, ITS A STEAL.

[79-911 targa]

Hi all,

Thanks for the warm welcome, knowledge and insight.

It does make sense to have my motor parts surveyed.
I see that Mike Bruns is very close to me.
What is the ballpark to rebuild these motors?

If one did upgrade to the 3.6L.
What is compatible and reusable on the car and/or the 3.0L motor?
What would have to be changed or added?

[kidrock]

$1500 for a roller in that shape? WOW. Just wow. You might want to look out your window to make sure you're not at the end of a rainbow.

[Sboxin]

$0.02 >>

You might visit with Mike Burns for an hour and discuss your options.
You will learn more in that hour than _ _ _ _ on the forums.

Good luck with your new Porsche !

Regards,

[snbush67]

Finally registered with Pelican- Introduction

3.6L Engine Swap : 964 vs 993......

instant-g 3.6l conversion options?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by 79-911 targa

What is the ballpark to rebuild these motors?

If you truck the engine to the fellow mentioned near you it will cost $5K if the case does not have to be opened. That may include installing the engine.

If you need pistons and cylinders add $4k.

On the upside, your 3.0L engine is a 930 case. It's the Turbo engine case but without the razzle-dazzle crank and high compression figures that come along with the 930 (Turbo) when under boost. Your engine, like mine, is grossly underutilized. That translates into your case innards being probably fine assuming no oil starvation catastrophe.

Take your time and read.

Good for you! You did real well.

[JeremyD]

Wow - lots of info here - some accurate.

I can tell you first hand that a 3.6 swap is not a cheap proposition. I can also tell you that in many cases - fixing what you have - then determining where to go from there would probably make the most sense.

I'll PM you mike's info as well as another option.

[79-911 targa]

Originally Posted by JeremyD

Wow - lots of info here - some accurate.

I can tell you first hand that a 3.6 swap is not a cheap proposition. I can also tell you that in many cases - fixing what you have - then determining where to go from there would probably make the most sense.

I'll PM you mike's info as well as another option.

Hi,
Thank you for the feedback.

You have a beautiful Porsche.