Project '70 911t

[Nickalex86]

First time car owner with a few questions, please be patient...

This car was passed on to me by my grandfather. At first I was afraid...being a 32 year old car I knew it would have some problems!

Then I saw it...drove it...and fell in love with it. Sleek styling, exotic sound, and really fun to drive!

So it's been two weeks driving it now and I've noticed a number of things:

1) suspension in the back squeeks pretty bad on every bump
2) stick shift is verrry lose and makes shifting with precision difficult
3) idle is a bit rough, with dips in the rpms every 3-4 seconds
4) occasional backfire (?) after a long drive
5) back seats collect water slowly after a good rain
6) odometer/tripometer not working
7) loose ball joints
8) driver window not moving without my hands to help it

OK some other info....

My grandfather had a short throw kit put in a long time ago. A couple years ago he pinched the oil line somehow and consequently spent $10k to have it rebuilt. Since then the car has sat more or less untouched. I know that the water leaking problem is b/c the gaskets are old and shrinking, and water is coming in the rear windshield's lower corner i believe. My question about that - is there a particular line of gaskets i should get or will any aftermarket deal work? I want to make sure there is no water leaking in! As for the ball joints...I just wanted to know if this was something I should fix soon or if it's no biggie. For the window...I was just wondering how one would remove the door panels.

I've spent hours sanding down exterior rust sports and spots on the floor pan. Patched most up with some bondo (small spots) and shot what laquer I had. As for the inside, most of the carpet has been torn out and I painted the entire floor with a black rust-preventative substance. This is what I know how to do, but as for the list, I don't really know where to begin.

Sorry for such a long post. Thanks for reading and please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love this car and I want to know as much about it as I can. I am working hard for all of the payments but driving it makes my work worthwhile. Thanks in advance.

Nick

[Hockey fan]

Hey Nick,

I'm also a "recent" owner and had alot of the same questions you did. Really, the best thing you can do is pick up a copy of 101 Projects for your Porsche 911 written by Wayne Dempsey who owns this site. Many of the basics are explained and projects laid out in a simple, easy to follow format. The book is available here on the site or at a bookstore in your area. Borders, Barnes & Noble or one like that. Although it's always best to order here

This board is a wealth of information for the new owner. Also, the "search" feature will pretty much bring up an answer to just about any question you might have. For example type in "ball joints" and you should have plenty of info to read through.

Good luck with the car - the early ones take a little work to get back in shape but well worth it.

Jeff
73.5 911T

[john70t]

Welcome to the board and nice choice by the way.

Hockey fan hit the mark- a search of the boards will answer about 90% of your questions, but then again every problem possible hasen't been experienced yet. There's always time to make new mistakes ha, ha, ha.

Seriously though it sounds like you hae have a very good comprehension of what needs fixing.
My advice would be to find a nice comfortable place to spend a lot of time and dig deep in the pockets. Take care of the leaks first, a few months of rust can do more damage ethan you'd expect. Caulk with clear silicon and soak with WD-40 if you have to, but stop that rust!!!! Those SCWDP guys would like nothing better than to see a beautyful old timer go down in brown flames. Don't giv'em the satisfaction.

Then on to the fuel/electrical checks and cleaning etc...

[Bobboloo]

Hi Nick,

Welcome aboard. Here's some pointers on your problems.

(1) The squeaky rear suspension is probably polyurethane bushings. Just a guess of course. It's just that the stock rubber bushings don't usually squeak when they get old. They just get sloppy. The fix is to replace with stock rubber bushings on the rear control arms and neatrix on the swing arm. The factory doesn't sell the swing arm bushings. They'll just sell you the whole arm for $$$. I would start with the control arm first (cheapest).

(2) The stick shift is an easy fix and a great starter project. There are 3 bushings to replace. The 1st one, is the cup at the end of the stick shift. The 2nd, surrounds the shift rod that ties the stickshift to the tranny via the center tunnel. The 3rd is a pair that goes into the coupler that ties the shift rod to the tranny. The coupler is accessible underneath the plate in the back seat area atop the center tunnel. There is a "tech article" that you get to from Pelican Parts home page that explains the proceedure for replacement.

(3) & (4) These problems could be electrical or fuel related. I'm not the one to give the advice on troubleshooting. So I'll let someone else chime in on that. I believe however that proper procedure is to start with electrical and move on from there. Just to venture a guess though. The car hasn't been run in a while right? So maybe you should drive it for a while to see if it will settle in. It does sound like it might be contaminated gas.

(5) This problem is diffenently your rear window seal. It will eventually lead to two big rust holes where the back seats go. I would take the seat bottoms out and allow the area to dry and check for rust and treat with the rust solution you have. The seats are glued in so go slowly. Get a rear window seal and have it installed by a glass shop. just make sure you get the one that has the insert for the chrome trim and make sure the glass shop installs it with the trim. That way it fits best and it doesn't de-value the car should you ever decide to sell. Be prepared however to find more rust however when the rear glass is pulled out. But beware. When you start chasing rust problems on these early cars it can lead you toward a full restoration that out costs the value of the car many times.

(6) How bad does it bother you? If it really bugs you get a replacement speedo or send yours to a speedo repair. The problem with repairing it yourself is not having the tools to replace the trim ring properly.

(7) Replace ball joints. You can do it yourself with a ball joint removing tool and a lot of determination. You might just want to take it to your favorite tire store and have them do it. The ball joints can be very stubborn.

(8) The felt runners are probably worn out in the channels that the window slides in and or the window may also just need cleaning and re-lubing on the inside of the door where the bracket that holds the glass attaches to the lifting mechanism. To get to it. You first remove the door armrest with a long allen wrench (5mm?). The door release mechanism pops off. Next pry the trim off the window regulator and unscrew the regulator. Then unscrew the top of door trim pad and lift off. That should leave just the panel which snaps out. Just go easy because the panel is made of pressboard (masonite) and breaks easily.

Whew....

Good Luck
Bobby