Knob on Dash 3.2--Any guesses?

[NeedAJoker]

So I just purchased my first 911 about a month ago at the Mecum auction and although the heater controls are still hieroglyphics to me, I have figured out most other things except this...



Thinking it is aftermarket, but I could be wrong I guess. It has the central knob which twists like a volume knob, and the lower larger part twists into 3 clicking stops. Maybe a speaker fader?

Maybe this is a "we don't have enough info to know" but thanks in advance for an info.


Kevin

[dicklague]

DON'T mess with it until you know what it is

[dan88911]

Can't help with the knob. The small lamp next to it looks aftermarket as well.
Nice looking car.

[JohnJL]

I don't know what it is, but a few comments...


Nice car. I like the color. Gemini Blue? WHat year?

That spot is a total $unt to install lights and switches. Whoever did it was a tenacious bastard. There is almost no space behind there and its difficult to access. Someone REALLY wanted that switch and light exactly there.

[ArizonaGreen]

Fairly certain this controls a radar detector. I spend half a day removing mine with an identical knob. Prob put in sometimes in the 80s. Check inside your front and rear bumpers for any black boxes.

[AVDCAV]

That's a k40 radar / laser detector Top is volume
Back knob is left city. Right hwy.

[poorsha]

Maybe it rotates the license plates ala 007

[Bill Douglas]

Nice car Kevin. Are you enjoying it? Where have you been it it so far?

[bell]

Radar.....

[pc100porsche]

How was the buying experience via Mecum Auction ?

[NeedAJoker]

I am cross posting this from another forum as I think it told my history and beginning pretty well:

Background:I have wanted a 911 since I was 14 and after a 15 year wait, I finally picked up my first one at the Mecum Auction in Seattle this past weekend. I always said I wouldn't buy a Porsche until I owned a house, and had all the other life things squared away first. There were numerous times I wanted to pull the trigger on a 996TT but am glad I didn't as being patient led me to be in a MUCH better spot in life to be a proper owner.

I have been looking hard at 964's recently, and set my budget at around $35k or so. I had a PPI on one 2 weeks ago, but ultimately decided against it. My plan was to just keep waiting and find the right car, but when I saw that there were going to be a few 911's at the inaugural Mecum Auction in Seattle, just on the other side of the state, I had to go.

Well...

1986 Porsche 3.2 Carrera - YouTube

Notice my Dad in the background going totally APE S***, as I think he was just as excited to see me finally get what I had worked so hard for.

The Car/Purchase:The car is a 1986 Carrera 3.2, Iris Blue, 148k miles out of Arizona where it spent most of it's life with a PCA member. No real mods that I have discovered yet besides a Turbo steering wheel. The car is in spectacular shape cosmetically for 28 years old with that many miles on it, so I pulled the CarFax, liked what I saw, and set my limit at about $19k for the car. If you watched the video, you see exactly how long that lasted, and I ended up getting the car at hammer for $23k.

This is WAY more miles than I was looking for, but when I saw it, I just got the feeling that I was going to want to drive the heck out of it, and the higher mileage almost added a level of relief knowing that this would be a car I could drive guilt free without worry about what adding miles is doing to the value. Honestly being my first P-car, fulfilling a dream, I can't imagine that I will ever be in a spot that I would want to sell it.

Next: This is where I want a little bit of your help on deciding where to go from here. Obviously I spent quite a bit less than my budget, leaving me in a spot where I can throw a little money at improving driveability and reliability.

And So It Begins.. My plan is to take her into the local Independent to have them do an initial Oil/Filter Change, and I want to have them do a compression check/leak down to set a baseline for what I can expect with this engine. Sadly I don't have ANY documentation although I am sure it exists and will be trying to track down, so I seriously don't have a clue and the engine could have been rebuilt 5k miles ago for all I know.

From there, my initial impressions are that the clutch may need some work(?), and the suspension feels good and tight, but feels about what I would expect a car of this age to feel like, lots of vibration on highway, and just a bit tired. Also, the front bushings seem to be quite squeaky driving, and if I push up and down on the front of the car, it sounds like a old motel bed squeaking away.



Since then, I have done a few DIY fixes at home while waiting to get into the very busy independent shop. Started with diagnosing an issue of blowing the fuse every time I pushed the sunroof switch. It was stuck open for a week while I waited for the part from Pelican but alas, the new switch went right in and works perfectly now. Next I addressed the decklid shock which didn't work at all. After a pretty simple 30 minutes or so, the new one was in and working great. Lastly, the rear deck grill was missing the two center T-bolts causing it to bow up just a bit. It was a bit tricky as we had to lower what I think is the AC in order to get to the backside of the decklid. Overall went smooth and the grill is perfectly flush.

LOVING the first 500 miles so far, can't wait to own this thing forever.

Kevin

[NeedAJoker]

Thank you for the info, a radar detector makes sense.

I posted a little back story but it hasn't been approved by mods yet.

[McLaren-TAG]

It seems like a remote radar detector... K40. The high ends ones had front and rear detectors. You'd be looking for a small black box about the size of a watch case with a clear front facing line of sight. I had mine wired in a Saab 900 without the led and the knob inside the ashtray. Instead just making the e brake lights flash.