What did you do to your 911 -- infamous stories, history and technical

[911heaven]

I just had an inclination to start a new thread as above after reading the thread "What did you do to your 911 today?". I couldn't dig too deep into that one, for it seemed to be only about me, me, me and I, I and I. This thread could be the same, but if you post here it might not be the same. On this tread you have to be able to laugh at yourself for what you've done, not what you've done today, but in the past. If you can't laugh at yourself, then you might have a problem or you won't be able to post on this thread.

The old song by Hall and Oats: She's gone she's gone oh why -- I'd better learn how to face it is in order since the past can't be changed. Moreover, this thread could and might yield some social contacts between current and/or former owners of 911 Porsches.

I will sing the first sad song, these are stories that we have to remember, so we can laugh at ourselves because the truth of the matter is, in the day no one knew and I mean no one.

In about 2001-2 I bought a dismantled, but all in tact 73 RS. This was car #101. It was a doctors car out of Fukui prefecture, but they tried to put RSR pistons in it and never got it right via a Yanase dealer there in the prefecture. Long story short, I took it back to the USA via container and had a friend in OC CA put it all together correctly. I took it to the Porsche show in Ventura CA that year but it didn't sell. Shortly thereafter it did sell for the going price in those days (to AUS). This car had the lightweight steel bonnet and lightweight metal up in the rear upper quarter panel area according to the expert Jeff who came from WA to check the car for the buyer(s).


It was a touring model with power windows, had the sport seats, but it was white and the original color was yellow. At the time I thought it was to hard to bring it back to original color and so I sold it. Moreover, I just wanted to get a good down payment for a house since I was getting married at the time. Gee, how I remember that car and wish I had it now. I don't think about it everyday, but on some days. How much would it be worth now? I think I know so don't tell me.

So this thread is not for the faint of heart or prideful men, only Porsche men who can add to history, laugh at themselves for a lost car or share information on a lost car. If you can top my story, then feel free to post, or even if you can't top it, post anyway. Mine is just an example of: She's gone!! If you don't have another 911 you might not want to post. If you have one or two, you still have a 911 and that is enough in my opinion to still be happy and optimistic!

If this thread gets anywhere, one day I will post some photos of #101 and me both here in Japan and in CA. I have another almost dozen stories of lost early 911's, but this is my best story. How could she be gone?


Bernard

[puddy]

Wow Bernard, that's a tough one to swallow, but at the time made perfect sense to you obviously, if you hadn't sold the RS to buy a house, who knows how different your financial situation might be right now.

I don't have much to add in regards to Porsches since I'm quite new to the Pcar game, but I did miss a very nice 69T that was sitting in a driveway last year, guy wanted $14k, I t had been updated to impact bumpers but was a really clean car. I dragged my butt a little getting back to him knowing that it wasn't advertised online anywhere, big mistake, when I called back it was gone. Anyways I grabbed my current sweet car a couple weeks later for another great deal, and couldn't be happier.

[911heaven]

Originally Posted by puddy

Wow Bernard, that's a tough one to swallow, but at the time made perfect sense to you obviously, if you hadn't sold the RS to buy a house, who knows how different your financial situation might be right now.

I don't have much to add in regards to Porsches since I'm quite new to the Pcar game, but I did miss a very nice 69T that was sitting in a driveway last year, guy wanted $14k, I t had been updated to impact bumpers but was a really clean car. I dragged my butt a little getting back to him knowing that it wasn't advertised online anywhere, big mistake, when I called back it was gone. Anyways I grabbed my current sweet car a couple weeks later for another great deal, and couldn't be happier.

Yeah Puddy! That is a sad one, but I'm glad you are happy with the new one! Anyway, you never ascertained the 69T, so it wasn't yours to be sad about was it?
Is this car your first one? No one has noticed this thread yet, or they are too shy to spill a bit of shame and Porsche infamy stories. Not to worry. I'm going to bump this one last time and tell my second best and funniest story. If it goes nowhere, well we will just have to chalk it up to lack of experience or perhaps shyness among our Porsche friends. Maybe they only want to build on the one they've got, not lose points for the one(s) they lost. Oh well..

[911heaven]

Chris,

you were on about the 69T you didn't buy. I'll tell you about a 70T I did buy and parked at my father's house in an unused area. He kept it there for about a year or less, but because he's so fussy about his stuff and his property, while I was in Japan he decided to tow it out to my sister's house 6 miles out of town (lots more space and land). In doing so he had my mother in the 911 while he was in the truck -- the 911 was on a rope behind him with my mother in it. The car was a targa and we didn't get the top with the car, so her hat blew off in the wind and while she was looking for it in the back seat she went straight into a power pole! Fortunately, my mother didn't get seriously injured, but she got beat up a bit. I'm thankful mostly for that (her body). The 911 body ended up with a power pole dent all the way into the gas tank! It was a dead center impact.

Trying to keep it short here, but the 70T I had purchased for 1200.00 with title from a collision center that did high end cars. The customer had them do a full restoration quality body job, all finished with German surface in place. They got a lien on the title since the customer never returned after years. The engine was sent out, so when I got it there was no motor, trans. but everything else was there.

That year I'd bought a 73E in Japan without a title, so I cut it up, dropped the motor and gearbox and sent it back to the usa in container with other things. Those components were just waiting to go into this car. I ended up selling the damaged car with the components for peanuts. Who wants a 911 that's been smacked in right? I'm happy my mother made it out alive mostly. They were very sad about my car, but hey, just be careful about where you park your 911.

Bernard

[puddy]

Bernard, yes my current Porsche is my first Porsche and i'm very happy with it. I had been looking for a few months and was very fortunate to have found the car. Also very fortunate to have an owner who wasn't in a hurry and seemed to want me to have the car and was willing to hold if for me until I was able to take the drive out to see it and bring a deposit. Probably a 2 month process in total.

Interesting story about that 70T, so fortunate your mother wasn't killed! It wouldn't take much of an impact for a person not in a seatbelt to be seriously injured or worse. It was her lucky day I guess, not so much for your 911

[Charles Freeborn]

When I was in high school in the mid-70's in Delaware I worked evenings and weekends for a fellow that was a lawyer by day and car nut the rest of the time. He had a dealers license so he could buy at auction, re-furb and sell. He had a curious assortment of tastes - Alfa (I met him selling him a '64 Spyder I had that had had a v-8 ford engine transplanted - wish I had THAT car now...), Shelby Mustangs (could have bought a GT 350), Datsun Z cars, Oldsmobile 442's (still can't figure that one) and Porsche 356's. He had at least 3 Porsches that I could have bought / traded for work. Not me - nosiree I wanted american muscle, so I bought a Mustang first ('67 fastback - cool car), and when it turned out to be too much work for my budget (it had a backseat arson fire) I swapped it for a '67 Firebird. The 'bird had the very interesting OHC 6 cyl that could have been built a number of ways into a very interesting ride - but no - I put a 327 Chev motor in it. Any of those cars now would be big bucks - especially the 356's.... but probably not the 442's....
-C

[Ronnie's.930]

Bernard, is this what you had in mind (a Pelican thread on "garage goof ups")?

Things that make you go "DAMN IT"....

[911heaven]

Originally Posted by Ronnie's.930

Bernard, is this what you had in mind (a Pelican thread on "garage goof ups")?

Things that make you go "DAMN IT"....

Not really Ronnie. I thought it might be more refined than that. Rather than sad or bad experiences, people could talk about experiences they have had with 911 Porsches, which now with all the rise in hype and price might have some bearing on what cars are doing now. As I said when starting the thread, it could weave some kind of contact between current and former owners, yeild some lost information between them. If that is out of the question then I rest my case. Maybe your right, but if I pinch my thumb between a pair of pliers, I will not post something like that. I would have to be a moron to do so.

Bernard

[911heaven]

I thought this thread might have some hope, but this is last chance. I won`t add to it again. If anyone posts here, please talk about a car you had i.e. possessed in the past. Please don`t post about a car that you could have, would have, should have bought. If some people would join in it may come to something that may lead current or former owners and history/technical details toether for 911 cars in question. Who knows?

This last story is about a 70S I bought in Carson City NV in the early 2000s. It was tangerine orange and had been sitting with a siezed motor. Rust up in the back window only. The motor was off the shelf and had no number. The shop that rebuilt the motor put the wrong oil pick up in it and it immediately seized up. Thats how I got it.

Had it for a couple years in the hometown, even bought a 70S engine case off my close friend Chuck down in OC CA for 100 dollars. A couple years later I was drinking with Chuck at his house and somehow decided to sell it for 6k. So Chuck got the case back on the deal, repainted the car same color and did up the motor. Funny he didn`t put the S case into the car during the process. Perhaps he is frugal, but he probably sold the case for 200 dollars. I see Chuck often when I come home, but a few years back he sold the car. At the time I think some German buyers took it home. That car had the original purchace receipt which I also gave to my buddy Chuck. It was purchased in 1970 in Hermosa Beach CA. If you have this car or know who does, let them know it was in dry NV for many many years.

Glad I sold it to a friend, and no regrets really. I didn`t want to put big bucks into it without the matching engine no.

Bernard

[techman1]

The changes that life pushes you to make.
Back in 2003, I had a pretty good running '88 coupe. Grand Prix white, with about 120k. A little rough on the outside, some of the paint on the hood had gone alligator skin, looked bad, but no rust. Never really let me down, served as a daily driver for the past 5 years.

Here comes life. Second child, another car seat, not good ac in Florida. Bought a Honda Pilot for the family car, did not have the budget to keep the Porsche, so we put it up for sale. After being on the market for months at $18 K, we dropped the price until there was interest. All the way down to....$12 K. Yep, would be an easy sell now at $25 k

Now we have the budget for a "weekend car, and I have the '95 993 that I love, but I miss that car!

[GH85Carrera]

Just a couple of years ago a friend of mine was telling me how he had stopped at a local Porsche repair shop to get his car serviced. The shop had another customer all upset that his pristine 1989 930 engine had bent valves because he missed a downshift. The customer was ready to just sell the car. My friend could have picked it up for 15 grand. I asked him if it was still for sale because I would have bought it in a second. A 89 930 with engine that needs a rebuild for 15K. Yea, I think I could do that. I wonder what it is worth now?

[911heaven]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Just a couple of years ago a friend of mine was telling me how he had stopped at a local Porsche repair shop to get his car serviced. The shop had another customer all upset that his pristine 1989 930 engine had bent valves because he missed a downshift. The customer was ready to just sell the car. My friend could have picked it up for 15 grand. I asked him if it was still for sale because I would have bought it in a second. A 89 930 with engine that needs a rebuild for 15K. Yea, I think I could do that. I wonder what it is worth now?

Sounds like a good one Glen, but I want to remind anyone who wants to post on this thread. The reason I started this thread was more about cars one has possessed, and so I`ll repeat it what I just repeated:



I thought this thread might have some hope, but this is last chance. I won`t add to it again. If anyone posts here, please talk about a car you had i.e. possessed in the past. Please don`t post about a car that you could have, would have, should have bought. If some people would join in it may come to something that may lead current or former owners and history/technical details toether for 911 cars in question. Who knows?





This thread might never make it past midnight, but if you post on it, please post only about a car you had. It is about history, and perhaps the recovery of info. or perhaps some social contact that might occur between people who have bought or sold a 911 in the past. Just history, the past, and technical information.

All the best,

Bernard

[CCM911]

Too many rules, Bernard. This thread is dead.

[911heaven]

Originally Posted by CCM911

Too many rules, Bernard. This thread is dead.

Dear CCM911,

It may be dead since you tried to kill it. As you know, it ain`t over til the fat lady sings, unless of course you are the fat lady. I noticed in your garage you have one 911 and a host of other things. Is that your first Porsche?

Too many rules?? I thought there was only one i.e. post about 911 cars you have had (past tense). If you don`t fit into that category, well you are exempt and may say there are too many rules for you, but perhaps not for others!

I thought this thread might not die due to the fact that there are guys out there who have had experience and mulitple 911s that they might want to talk about. I had the inclination that it possibly could become a quasi archive of information be it historical, technical or even memorable which may catch attention from others who might know about the car, had owned it later, or may even own it now. If this is over the top then I won`t labor it. It could be that there are too many 911s on the planet and this forum is too small to encompase them all, but this may possibly come to something.

Is there anyone out there who might think this is possible? Anyone want to contribute? I have another car to offer to this thread, but it`s time for me to shut up and let others some to the forefront. Some photos would be an addition to this thread if it makes it.

Not a spoof on the thread (what did you do to your 911 today), but maybe give them some competition?

Bernard

[hotaru]

Actually it is not about a Porsche I used to own - but about one I do own.
Coincident? the car is here in Japan.
It is 1977 911 Carrera 3 (not so many left) - all matching numbers and original 13,800 km and original paint/interior and no rust.
But it came with no papers and so far it looks like it would be almost impossible to get papers. So quite possible it will get parted or I will just keep it but can not drive it on streets - only racing...
Lets hope it will survive

[Neel]

Embarrassing, but true.. I was looking for my first 911 circa 1985.. I looked at one car that had been botched up for 5k.. I didn't know much about 911s back then and I passed.. Told a friend about it, and he bought it.. He sold the car in boxes later on for 100k.. Turns out it was one of 3 black RSRs imported that year.. One is still unaccounted for.. The car ended up becoming a show winner and brought big $$$$$$.. Ignorance is bliss..
I did buy a 70T.. Fixed it up and turned it into a beauty... For some unknown reason, I sold the car... (Probably divorce court)

[911heaven]

Originally Posted by hotaru

Actually it is not about a Porsche I used to own - but about one I do own.
Coincident? the car is here in Japan.
It is 1977 911 Carrera 3 (not so many left) - all matching numbers and original 13,800 km and original paint/interior and no rust.
But it came with no papers and so far it looks like it would be almost impossible to get papers. So quite possible it will get parted or I will just keep it but can not drive it on streets - only racing...
Lets hope it will survive

Dera Hotaru san,

You broke the rule on the thread i.e. only about cars you owned in the past. We will try to keep this rule, but since you are from Japan and I set the rule, you will get some slack this time. Actually, since you are Japanese, you get some grace because I have a Japanese heart to be honest.

Regarding your 911, I may be able to help you with the dilemma on paper work. To be honest, I bought a 911 last year with no paper work. My first inclination would be to try and buy your car for parts or as is, but I know it is your love and you want it to survive! Therefore, I can tell you there is hope. I had an old friend here in Nishinomiya hama who is a foreign car restoration mechanic, also an engineer. He has been a close friend for 17 years. No one I knew in the business could tell me how to get the title on a car like this. All the data from the rikyunkyoku had been deleted from older cars in the era my car was on the road. My friend directed me to a person who is sort of a lawyer or specialist on automobile law.

It cost me some money, but now that all the research and documents have been completed, all I need do is get a yobi kensa and I will get a registration number. I already have the appointment to do so. My problem is I need some time to get the car running and safe. My car has been sitting for almost 40 years and the former owner is most likely deceased.

Get onto my personal mail and we can proceed to get your paperwork if it is possible.

Yoroshiku,

Bernard

[emac]

Short---In 1971 I bought a Plum Crazy Hemi Cuda
I traded to a year later for a Fiat 850 Spider. Talk about the dumbest move of my life!!
Ernie 81sc

[techweenie]

Bought my first 911 in 1975 (yes, I'm old) and it was a black 66 sunroof coupe with sport seats. I thought they all had sport seats. It came to me with torque thrust wheels.

The opportunity arose to buy my first house... I was living in the Bay Area and found the perfect Eichler. Had to sell one of my cars. Sold the '66 GT350 and kept the 911... but was wooed away by a 73.5 T sunroof coupe with sport seats (silver with full lobster leather interior). Sold off the 66 for about what I paid ($3400) and kept the 73 for 7-1/2 years until my then wife got cancer and I felt I needed some spare cash more than that car. It turned out I didn't and I miss that car to this day.

[hotaru]

Hi Bernard,
email sent, thanks