I finally own an early 911!My story,my build(?) and more(+some really cool 911 shots)

[cheeze]

Originally Posted by Mythos

cheeze all shots(except the two where I'm driving my miata)are mine.

Great stuff then! I like the variety, style-wise. Content ain't half bad either.

[Flieger]

Welcome, I've got a 1971 911S that was "updated" by a previous owner. Currently running fiberglass everything with IROC style front bumper, which I have grown to like just as much as the longhood.

Great pictures.

[reddogmotrsprts]

Originally Posted by Alexm930

As you said the 911 is a car that needs to be understood to be driven at the limit.

I'd say the 911 is a car that needs to be driven at the limit to be understood.

[Mythos]

Since the car isn't running...I'm back to school.



I know that in this time and age books aren't really a 'hot' thing but they actually complent nicely the ton of info that is available already online. All are different and worth the money spent. Surprisingly the most interesting one is the Karl Ludvigsen book which I was really hesitant to buy(because of the completely irrational prices).

Back to reading...

[Alexm930]

Kostas, the Bruce Anderson book & Wayne Dempsey are a must have!! Enjoy reading. I have them & browse them often!!

[Bleedsblue]

I am also interested in building a 911 library. All of Dempsey's books are great, I have the equivalents for a couple BMWs.

[tharbert]

Welcome. If you ever tear into the engine, you should also have this workbook.

[Lapkritis]

Mythos - welcome. The disease knows know boundary between brands. The shapes and sounds emanating from these older 911's are universally captivating. Enjoy the ride!

[Mythos]

Finally...some actual progress on the car. The plan is to just fix the main issues that the car already has and with a healthy base focus on some proper on track driving. After that I hope I'll have clear idea of the performance of the car and what needs to be done but for now...just maintenance.

Here is the first order from Pelican:





So basically it is a new fuel acc., fuel filter(car had a starting issue,I had a lot of great help in a separate thread)and new gaskets for the oil leaks.







Fuel accumulator and fuel filter was very straightforward and easy DIY(there is actually already a great article about it here) and with a bit of luck-since I didn't do correct diagnosis but more or less guessed the parts to change- the car is now running beautifully and the hot start issue disappeared.

Since I have only a couple -borrowed- hand tools here I'll do the gaskets in a good friends workshop and at the same time have a more thorough look on the condition of the car but it should be a quite simple procedure. I hope I will not find any...surprises since not only engine is feeling great(all power is there and when warm idles and runs smoothly) but supposedly had a recent top end rebuild.

[RODI]

nice Thread, subscribed....

[will hung]

Great thread. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the RSR turbo model? It looks really high quality.

[martidj]

Enjoyed your story and photos.

[Mythos]

The RSR is an Autoart 1:18 model and it's a great high quality one. (I think they are not currently on sale but there are versions floating on ebay/shops).

Probably my favourite Porsche race car and race livery(together with Gulf 917s). Very difficult to do justice to the presence of the actual cars.

[will hung]

Cool. Thank you for the reply.

[Mythos]

There has been some progress on the car. That resulted on some driving. Driving properly on track resulted on me not so happy on certain things. The result of that will probably be a constantly empty bank account and more updates on this thread...

But first things first. What I mainly did the first months of 2015 was to address the main problems the car had. Did the gaskets(you can see a couple of photos above), an oil change(10l of oil apparently cost more than all the parts posted above) and general standard maintenance. Engine is strong, car is running great and the leaks are greatly reduced(yet not completely sorted so there is 1-2 more points to hunt).
However what made a huge difference was working on the brake system. Three out of four calipers were seized, a completely knackered brake line and questionable pads were the culprit of the TERRIBLE brakes on my 911. Calipers rebuild, brand new discs all around and Carbotech XP10 with some fresh Motul RBF600 fluid and...total transformation!

With the car finally ready it was time for a proper shakedown on track. The first week of February agonizing thoughts were corssing my mind. Did I buy an old car that I can barely afford maintaining? How it's gonna feel driven actually hard for the first time? Is it gonna be any faster than Top Gear's Suzuki Liana?





The second Sunday of February all this thoughts went away. Since I hadn't driven my 'home' track for more than 3 or 4 years just being there with good friends and the car was more than enough. While the track(Megara circuit)is quite simple and not very...challenging as a layout it is a safe place to test and have a benchmark of how fast the car actually is.

Here is video from a couple of the last laps of the day:



Driving the car fast is such a great experience. It's not fast. Not modern car fast. But everything is manual. Everything requires effort. From proper braking to balancing the turn in to getting the right amount of angle vs speed in the exits. Even the straights with the tricky 915 gearbox keep you busy trying to nail moderatly quick upshifting and downshifting. You get out of the car and you feel like you actually did something. You feel like you drove well...(at least until you look the lap times). I clocked easily low 1:12 laps at the end of the day and the car as is could probably go to low 1:11.

Main things holding the car back:

- Suspension setup. You can't really see that in the video but the car has serious valving issues(undervalved). Except that the whole setup is a tad too...'oversteery' and I have a feeling, although I have no 911 experience, that it is too soft. Bigger torsion bars or coilovers and higher rates are probably something that can't be avoided.

- Front tires. The car has a quite used set of Toyo R888 mounted but the fronts are in considerably worse conditions than the rear. I'm contemplating trying 225s instead of 205s in the front.

- LSD. The car needs a diff. I so much want a proper one but I would be happy even with a mid-range Kaaz/OS Giken unit.

In general I have a feeling that with a sorted susp. setup and maybe a bit more tire this car could be driven quite fast as a 'momentum' car. (Right now the balance power/tire is more towards 'fun' than 'fast').

On the bright side...the car worked flawlessly and drove quite a few laps without skipping a beat. I have a feeling that I will destroy a gearbox at some point or I should accept how it works and live with it. The brakes were awesome(and since this is a short 'stop n go' track brakes get actually no chance to cool). Only praise for Carbotech's XP10-XP8 compounds. Driven them in multiple cars, always brilliant balance of max braking force, great modulation and a wide range of operating temps.



At the end of the day, after going through a full tank of gas and not managing to break anything I was so genuinely happy that you will never hear me complain about my choice. It was the moment I was taking the shot above that I fully got my head around it. I was at the track that I first fell in love with driving when I was 18 with a car I lusted over for years. Lap times,speed and cost weren't really that important. I was...happy.

This is why when a couple of weeks after I had to put the car in storage and fly away it felt so difficult. My last mountain drive was in weather conditions in tune with my mood. My mood of leaving the car and Athens away....

[CCM911]

Very nice thread, Mythos! And a very nice car you have bought for yourself.

I only have one comment. Crack open your wallet and buy yourself a Bentley Manual. It is world's better than the Haynes.

[Zack at Pelican Parts]

As a photography enthusiast myself, the shots in this thread are fantastic! And I'm extremely jealous of your 'ring experiences.

The Bentley manuals are a great asset to have, although the fact that your car is a bit of a hodge-podge of an earlier body and later engine/running gear may prove to be a challenge. We do carry the Bentley and Porsche Factory Workshop manuals (found here), and we have an extensive catalog of our own DIY technical articles (found here). Let me know if you need any help finding anything, always glad to help a fellow enthusiast!

[Jeff Burger]

I have a feeling that I will destroy a gearbox at some point or I should accept how it works and live with it.


nice thread!

I am thinking you have a 915 gearbox by the shifter and shift pattern. If you want the gearbox to last longer a slight pause to allow those antique synchros to work - more fingertips and less palm on the shift knob.
You may want to get a second job you are well onto the slippery slope

good luck !

[JacobS911]

Inspiring story and pictures!

Like you I just took the plunge on what I thought was unattainable, but I have a 930 in my garage that has been neglected and I'm starting the process of bringing her back to life!

Jealous of the ring pics!! Keep em' coming!

[LJ851]

What kind of wheels are those? They don't look like any 15 inch fuchs i have seen.