1984 911 3.2 - The beginning of the end

[gliding_serpent]

Maybe this is cheesy but I figured I would post about my new to me 1984 911 3.2 in Champagne Metallic. Part of this is for others, but mainly this is for me as a way to document work done. This is no big-budget, rare car, frame up restoration thread, but rather a thread of an honest car in decent shape being worked on by a guy with little time, little experience, but lots of enthusiasm. At times I will exercise more sense and farm work out. Other times I am sure to make a muck of things. When others are posting updates of rebuilt hot rod engines, I will be posting something far more routine. Call it the Porsche thread for the common man. Nothing cutting edge here, just lots of love.

To start this off, I can say I have wanted a 911 since I was 6 or so years old, and I was born in 1980, so that era is close to my heart. See below. Long story short; when I was young I liked ducks... and when I learned there was a car with a duck tail, "it" began.






Ducks are a little passe for me now... but my desire for a Porsche never died, and I do like the duck-tail spoiler. As my family said, there was never a time when I did not want a Porsche (mind you I felt Porsche went astray in the 996 generation, but that is for another day...).

Anyway, after my 1973 2002Tii made me fall in love with the rawness of classic cars, I opted for an air cooled 911 over a 997. The Magnus Walker video kind of solidified my plan. My original plan was to buy a beautiful ruby 82 SC that had a 3.6 varioram and irock bumpers with ducktail. 300hp and 2400lbs. The seller was on the fence and in the end opted not to sell. In hindsight, I should have offered him another 5K because it would have saved me a lot of money. That being said, the car was his dream car too, so I don;t think money was the issue. I then searched pelican, inquired on a few cars, thought about a widebody E class racecar with a 3.0, but thought better of it as I wanted a street car. After some hunting I finally just jumped the gun and got this baby from the Seattle area. It was a 84 3.2 with 56K miles (or was it 47?) and matching numbers. It was repainted, but it had tasteful, and desirable to me, bolt on go fast upgrades (lowered/uprated suspension, corner balanced, drilled airbox, sports exhaust, cat bypass, chip, strut brace, harness bar). Basically it was a solid mechanical car that was not so nice that I would be afraid to use it.

Long story short, after some hilarious errors by my bank with the failed wiring of the payment to the seller, I had it transported from Seattle to Boston via enclosed transport. God bless the sellers trust and patients, he had it on the transport I had arranged before he even had my money. Thank my bank for that one. They kept trying to send the payment to Washington Maryland. ;-D

After the car arrived in Boston, I flew down from the Atlantic coast of Canada early one weekday morning. I then took the train out to a distant stop where the car was located. I had never been to Boston, and the area was new to me, but I had a GPS and some pre-printed google maps, so I knew my general route. Here is the car when I first saw it. The transport company agreed to store it inside. The refuse bin adds character. Had it been a better camera this would be an ideal cliche "nice car in front of derelict building" photo.


My god it sounded good the first time I started it up. So loud, so sweet. My smile was ear to ear. I was far easier to adapt to for driving than expected. In one busy intersection a guy almost took me out as he sped down a lane. That was 30 minutes into ownership. Yikes. I turned my GPS on and made a run for north.

I followed traffic speeds up to Portland Maine to catch an overnight ferry to Yarmouth, Canada. I kept my nose clean and held my breath when seeing police as I was pretty sure I did not have proper per-arranged car registration. At least my insurance knew what I was doing, and covered me. I was supposed to do some of this in Canada before leaving. I was mistaken and thought I had to do this at a US DMV. They looked at me like I had two heads. Oops, I did have two heads. I just made a break for it. Apparently I had 24hrs grace to get it to the border and register it anyway, according to Hagerty's. My ferry + 1 car was already booked, and the next day I had a day of work starting mid-day, so I just drove.

US customs was not so bad. The US just wanted my documentation 3 days in advance, which I did. They verified the VIN and wished me a good trip.


I had a Guinness and burger at an Irish pub on the Portland waterfront and could not help but think how unreal this all was. I met a very nice couple from New York waiting to get on the ferry. They noted that the car must be new to me as I was on my hands and knees inspecting the underside of it while waiting to load on the ferry. That car sounded like hellfire driving into and around the ferry car bay. It was hard not to find excuses to rev it a bit. I had to get used to the throttle response, which was impressive. :-D


Leaving Portland on the ferry that night. It was a whirlwind tour.


The next morning we were pulling into Yarmouth. What a beautiful run into Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The pictures I have do it no justice. You just have to see it.


Canada Customs just wanted my money (duty, tax - total was in range of 14-17%, but I was balls deep so who cared at this point!!!). I was making good time (I had to be at work by 1pm), but then I sat around in the DMV as one employee went on a 1 hour break, and the other had to deal with a clueless lady trying to switch titles between three cars for her kids... and she new nothing, and literally had no information on any of the cars. It was a small town DMV. As soon as my car was registered (I was there two hours or more), I drove back home literally in anger. This end of the province is pretty quiet, so I just dropped the hammer on the two lane highway. I was cutting it close to get back in time for work. I was impressed with the pull this car had in 5th on the highway.

I drove 2.5 hours home and arrived for work 30 minutes late... tired, a bit sweaty, and not in work clothes. It was great.

That night the old girl cleaned up well and was in good shape. My wife though it was too loud. It is the kind of loud that makes your wife/mom roll their eyes and plug their ears when you arrive home with a big smile on your face. It is the kind of loud that makes men and boys turn their head and give your the thumbs up. The kind of loud that makes babies cry, and that scares toddlers if you get too close.

I had a PPI done in Seattle area, but had a trusted local mechanic confirm everything (including leakdown) upon receipt of the car when I got home with it. 56K miles numbers matching car with original records to confirm the miles. Engine has about 5% leak-down across the board which is respectable as I did not want a basket case. It felt mechanically strong. The original PPI was "generous" about the condition of the car (mainly paint and bodywork). I had the front spoiler repainted as it had some typical mild damage from being a low car. I also had a ding removed from a rocker panel (repainted), and a few paint chips fixed. PPI "missed" both of these things. "oops." Overall the paint was in pretty good shape, although it was an over-spray (but a good one).

[gliding_serpent]

As far as the car goes, I wanted something mechanically sorted, and cosmetically solid. This car was to drive and enjoy, so I got something that had all the tasteful bolt on changes common to a 3.2 with a performance focus. Most important, it was rust free.

Carrera SS (Sleeper Sport) and "Stage 1" lightness

The goal of my car build is to create an experience. The experience is one that is highly focused on driver connection with the car and road, without sacrificing drive-ability on the street, and without changing the classic design of the car. Everything is to be sharpened from stock: Lighter, faster, more powerful, louder, lower, stiffer. Elements not key to the driving experience will be (have been) removed such as A/C, the heater blower, rear seats, and the radio/speakers. Part of my design is that every change be easily reversible to stock. This is not a track build. This is not a bare bones no frills car, but rather a middle of the road compromise between stock and full out race car. Call it a street car that is track capable, without the uneeded distractions.

In short:
VIN #: WPOAB0913ES120879
Engine #: 64E02277
transmission #: 915/68 74E 02171

Engine:
- Original 3.2 ~5% leakdown across the board. Compression 155-165.
- SSI heat exchangers (December 2014, car came with OEM heat exchangers with Cat bypass)
- M&K 2 into 1 (gen 5) stainless muffler (December 2015. Car came with custom 1 into 1 Bursch 944 exhaust)
- Backdated heat and blower delete (dec 2014/jan 2015)
- Drilled airbox (to be opened cup style)
- Stage 1 Steve wong chip (dec 2014. 91 octaine, ssi, sport muffler, cup airbox, will be dyno tuned)
- AC full delete (December 2014. Car had rear condenser and compressor removed before I got it)
- Charcoal canister delete (December 2014, it was already blocked off by PO)

Exterior:
- basically stock
- H4's
- turbo/tea tray tail and front spoiler (to get duck tail)
- no rust
- repaint front splitter and passangers side rocker panel (oct 2014)

Transmission:
- 915 gearbox - love this thing and if feels great.
- lucas gear oil (to be swepco 201)
- Wevo short shift kit (Jan 2015, replaced OEM short shift kit)
- Stomski Smart racing shift coupler

Suspension:
- New Drive Axles
- Porsche 22mm front, 21mm rear sway bars (new rubber bushings winter 2014)
- 30mm Rear and 23 mm Front Torsion Bars
- Turbo Tie Rods
- 4 Wheel Alignment & Corner Balance (handles very neutral, will need to be repeated due to weight loss)
- Lowered w/ Steering Rack Spacer to correct Steering Geometry
- New Bilstein Sport Shocks all around
- New Front Urethane Bushings
- Front strut brace (cambermeister)
- Fuchs 6x16 and 7x 17 wheels (x2 sets, one with bridgestone RE-11A 205/55/16 and 225/50/16 tires new as of August 2014)
- BBS RS 7x16 and 8x16 wheels (Toyo RA1's ~15 heat cycles) (wheels bought Aug 2014)

Brakes:
- recent Rebuild all 4 Calipers
- SS DOT Brake Lines
- Pagid Orange Pads
- Potterfield R4-s brake pads

Interior
- Basically stock chocolate color. I nicknamed the car the" Ferrero Rocher" but "Drying Lizard" comes to mind for an old dried gecko found on an AC line.
- Harness bar and 5 point harness
- Rennline aluminum dead pedal, 3 pedal set with aluminum floor board (October 2014)
- Sebelt SW-365 black suede 380mm half dish steering wheel (December 2014)

--------------------------------------------
Parts wanted list: As of Dec 11/14

WTB: Ducktail
Wanted: used race seats (sparco evo 2) or similar
Rs americe style door panels
Rs carpet set with rear seat delete
Stereo delete (i have yet to even use it)

Here is the car as it was when i brought it home.


I was worried the car might be a bit stiff for my weekend driving needs, but I am happy to say it is perfect. I just don't aim for potholes. This car also fits my ideal build - "sport sleeper stock". I.e everything is bolt on reversible, performance focused, with the street in mind, but HPDE capable.

An air cooled buddy of mine warned me prior to picking up the car to try and not be to disappointed, because it is an older car. All I can say is it was a dream realized and I love everything about the car, including the great shifting 915. Nothing beats a car without power steering, ABS or all of that other unneeded electronic gadgetry. That being said, it is from a different era than my Tii which is a good thing because I like different experiences with my cars.

[RSBob]

Great story and a beautiful Porsche. Congrats!

[gliding_serpent]

Week 1 HPDE and the stuck throttle

One of the first things I did (one week into ownership) was take it to our local track (Atlantic Motorsports Park) for a one day HPDE. Call me crazy, but I figured there was no safer place to learn a new car. A buddy that has a sc 3.6 conversion showed me the ropes and I felt out the car. It was touchy with understeer and oversteer during my first session. After, I checked the tire pressures and realized my pressures were way too high (45 hot, I did not bother check prior to this first run).

After I got the pressures out of the stratosphere the car had no understeer and was quite neutral. I aimed for 34 hot. It was a real pleasure to drive, but I admit that I focused more on smoothness and really only ran 6/10, maybe 8/10 max. It really is a pleasure to drive and the 915 was fast and precise. It was a fun and challenging car to drive well, which is what I want in a car. Drive well and speed comes. Drive poorly, and don't expect the car to cover up for your mistakes. The fact that my car kind of wants to kill me if I drive poorly really appeals to me.

The car really blew away my expectations and oozed personality. The unique handling and feel really had me smitten.










I did have a few episodes of unintended acceleration. After coming off the hard throttle on the front or back straights I would occasionally (x4 through the day) get the throttle sticking slightly. As such I would go into my braking zones with a split second more throttle that desired. It happened at the end of the day while I was showing a WRX STI to "respect your elders." Gave me a bit of a scare and I had to pull off a save, coming what felt like inches from the grass in a key braking zone at the end of the fastest part of the track. I called it quits (but the day was done anyway). I ruled out the floor mats, and driver error. Winter project I guess. I lubed everything up and I ordered new springs. I am looking into the common causes including the cruise control.

Back to the sound, my dad was there and took the on track photos above (and has the white z4 M coupe). He originally was on my case to swap in a stock exhaust (he has an OEM mentality). After hearing it in full song he said it sounded more like a V8 than the V8's. He never since has advised an exhaust swap. He is quite impressed by the car.

[gliding_serpent]

A few more interior shots. Seats are pretty good, but re upholstery is on my low priority to-do list. I am anal and like things just so...

[gliding_serpent]

Here is some footage of me driving it. This is first time I had the acceleration issue. Subtle I know, but I like 100% control so I pulled in after I locked things up near the end of the video.



Also had some light rain that day so it was a real trial by fire. As you can see I took a few laps to get up to speed and did not often go above 5.5K rpm. I was not too focused on overall speed, but rather getting a feel of a car.

[gliding_serpent]

Shoe Collection

I really have to admit that my thread should have started with photos of wheels. After confirming purchase of the car I was buying 6x16 and 7x6 fuchs, and later a set of 7x16 and 8x16 BBS rs wheels with 11 and 23 offset. So I have two sets of identical fuchs... at least their values wont drop.



My 205/225 RE-11A's go on the fuchs. Very impressed with them on the road, in light rain, and on the track. I will be interested to see how long they will last in the rear with so much negative camber. Considering my car is more for the occasional spirited drive I am not so worried about the 200 wear rating.




I have 225/245x16's toyo RA1's on the BBS RS wheels. They came with the car. I have yet to test fit, and my fenders are not rolled. They should be tight but I think I have enough negative camber to make them fit.



A bit of a shoe collection. This is all my soft rubber for the 911 and tii that gets to stay indoors. The rest is in the garage or on cars. My 328 and wife's Speed 3 both run Michellin super sports for daily driving. The Tii has Falken 615k's for the road, and Toyo R888's for the last HPDE I had it out for (and what fun that was!!!).

[gliding_serpent]

And the end begins...

After feeling out the car I quickly began to order parts.
- New wiper caps (one was missing)
- new wiper blades
- new hood shocks

Changed the oil, brake and transmission fluid... just to be sure for my own documentation purposes. 57,400miles.

- undercoat/wheel well guard freshened
- clean up undertray
- as mentioned above a few chips were painted, repaint of front lower spoiler and one rocker panel that had slight damage

I also replaced the slightly grungy trunk carpet, and installed the cambermeister strut brace along with the two new hood shocks mentioned above. I also sanded off the tarnish and early spot rust from the cross brace and painted it a more low key satin black. Much better... no more hood on head either!



I still need to make a few small relief cuts in the carpet which I plan to secure with Velcro. I am thinking about a lightweight plastic mesh solution that I can cut and bend to the shape of the trunk that will then allow the carpet to lay on top of it more evenly. In other words, it would hide the contours of things like the gas tank and the spare tire.

[gliding_serpent]

The Sleeper that stands out

The leaves are changing and fall is upon us. The car will need to go into storage in the next month so I am using it as much as possible. Today and yesterday I took it to work which drew a lot of attention in our sleepy little village/town. Not my style to be so bold and loud, but I just love the Turbo tail and sound of this thing too much to change them. That being said, I chose a more subdued color for a reason, as I tend to prefer being low key. I certainly love the champagne metallic color. I find it goes well with the impact bumper cars. Black is too much work, white draws too much attention to the rubber, red draws too much attention, silver is fine. A graphite metallic would be my next top choice.

My dad followed me once through a nearby town and said it was funny to see all the heads turn as I drove by. He now wants to buy my car if I ever trade up to a sc 3.6 hotrod (my original plan). I told him I would rather start a collection given that my wife was talking about a six-car garage...

Taking the scenic route home today (more of an extended intended detour around some great, traffic free, secondary roads) I got a thumbs up from two young children who probably have no idea what an old 911 is. Maybe there is hope for our youth...

[gliding_serpent]

I just need to add that my daughter who is just about 2.5 years old, walked by my car last week and rubbed her hand over the hood crest and said "Porsha." Good girl. She always asks to ride in "daddy's brown car" or my "blue car" (Tii). Some day... once she and her younger brother (pictured in an earlier post) are out of kids seats.

[Airc00led]

EXCELLENT taste in cars! I had an 02 rust bucket I enjoyed for a while, attempted a restoration and finally had to part it out, too far gone. I at least learned how to weld on it though. I've been on a slow hunt for another as well as a mid 80s 911.

Right now I'm enjoying my 69 VW Westy. But I hope to grow up and have a stable like yours one day.

Good job sir!

[gtihop]

Be sure to take it on the 3 remaining pca tours this year starting on sunday!

[LakeCleElum]

A nice car you can enjoy for many years to come. Thax for the photos...

[Hnichols]

It's a nice choice to have: should I drive the 911 today or the Tii?

If you're like me, you have a special appreciation for the Porsche's galvanization...

[c2kid]

that's such a nice story to hear. it's all too often people don't realize the gifts they've been given. goodonya. cheers, geoff

[shaunmbenson]

Congrats on the car and thanks for lovely posts -- and yup -- it starts young. I was 8 with the classic 80s carrera poster on my wall. I'm now enjoying my 3rd Carrera

[911Maverick]

Congrats on the purchase. I picked up my 86 (not in as nice shape as yours) on July 8th of this year. It has been an awesome ride ever since. I have not taken it out to any DE's this year but as I had a baby boy 4 weeks after buying it.

That is the plan for next year though and I hope to have as much luck as you are.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by gliding_serpent

After feeling out the car I quickly began to order parts.
- New wiper caps (one was missing)
- new wiper blades
- new hood shocks

Changed the oil, brake and transmission fluid... just to be sure for my own documentation purposes. 57,400miles.

- undercoat/wheel well protectant freshened
- clean up undertray
- as mentioned above a few chips were painted, repaint of front lower spoiler and one rocker panel that had slight damage

I also replaced the slightly grungy trunk carpet, and installed the cambermeister strut brace along with the two new hood shocks mentioned above. I also sanded off the tarnish and early spot rust from the cross brace and painted it a more low key satin black. Much better... no more hood on head either!



I still need to make a few small relief cuts in the carpet which I plan to secure with Velcro. I am thinking about a lightweight plastic mesh solution that I can cut and bend to the shape of the trunk that will then allow the carpet to lay on top of it more evenly. In other words, it would hide the contours of things like the gas tank and the spare tire.

Carpet looks really nice. Which kit/color was it, and how is the fitment overall?

[Josh D]

Beautiful car, love the color.

I sure hope that wasn't a BRZ that blew by you on the track. Me thinks you need to go back to the track and get some redemption from that guy before he goes and tells all his buddy's that he was blowing away 911's at the track with his BRZ!

[yelcab1]

so you are gonna get a duck tail?