1978 911SC - to mod, or not to mod...
 

I recently purchased a 1978 911SC with the intention of modifying it to look like Magnus Walker's 911SCHR. Bought the car online and when I received it, it exceeded all my expectations. Car is beautiful and the thought of changing has me questioning my original intentions. From an investment standpoint, is it better to just keep it as it is?

I plan on holding onto it for a very long time.

Drive it for a while. Even those mods cost bucks and you should be aware of the "Slippery Slope". Examine why you bought the car in the first place but most of all get to know it first.

Its better to keep it as-is. It will always be worth more.
So get yourself another one and modify that one! ;)

Pete

If it isn't an ultra low mileage all original collectors dream, then do what you feel is right.
It's a car... :)
Oh, btw it is traditional for you to post photos of your car, first post and all.

If you have no plans to resell it, then customize it the way you'd like. If you're ever thinking of selling it, it'll lose some of it's value and appeal to purists if changed. Have you have someone inspect the car? We always recommend getting a PPI report before buying. It may look beautiful on the outside but have a ton of issues once looking under the hood. Best of luck with the car.


-Dmitry

Do you what you feel is right to you. Especially if you never plan to sell it. Drive it nd enjoy it to the fullest.

Why leave the car stock and pristine for the next guy? (It's like never banging your girlfriend so she stays tight.... for the next guy)

If you mod it and you feel guilty about it, keep the parts in case you ever want to bring it back to 'stock'.

there is something to be said for a mint, period correct car, but most of the "mods" done to give the car an "outlaw" look are reversible. We are talking about swapping original parts for mismatched racer look parts. Just keep the original parts in the attic.
Any time you customize a car you are limiting your resale market size. Unless your car is super low milage then do what you want and enjoy it... or as Magnus would say..."get out and drive."

Another vote for keeping it as is for a year.
Sort out any little mechanical issues.
Your decision may be more clear with time.

I had an 83 that I did mods to (M&K, SSIs, Rotas, RS carpet and door cards, stripped AC, heater backdate, and a few other minor things) and it cost me in the end. I ended up selling it to someone who was looking for exactly what I had but they knew the "no longer stock" brought a lower price. All that said, I'd do it the way you want. I LOVED my car when I was done because it was what I wanted it to be (this was pre-Magnus fame). I actually think if Magnus had the popularity he does now when I sold mine it would have been a plus, but…..
I've never been much for holding back on things for the purpose resale value. It doesn't sound like that was your original intention so I consider that….besides, it'll just be swimming around in your head the whole time…., "what if I just do the bumpers?"….."maybe just tweak the exhaust?" and you'll eventually cave :D

Such great feedback, thx all. First, here are some pics! One thing I might do is lose the sugar scoop headlights to give it a more aggressive stance. It's already at Euro height.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg
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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487819988.jpg

Had me hysterical here!

From an investment standpoint, it is better to not modify it because the people paying the big bucks for 911s are nerds that do not care that modified ones are far superior to stockers in every measurable way, except re-sale value.

This is a no brainer. From an investment standpoint keep it as original as possible. Modified cars seldom fetch the cubic dollars as stock originals.

BUT. There is always one. If you choose to modify it, make sure they are easily reversible and always, always, keep the original parts.

BUT BUT, Sticking to your original investment concern. The money you might spend on mods still will mostly be lost when you decide to return the car to original. The money would best be spent on part restoration and refurbishment.

I went down the path of modding my early car with easily reversible pieces, but a good chunk of the value of those was lost when returning the car to stock. I used the money from selling the non-original parts and much more to recover seats, new carpet, re-anodizing all engine compartment metal and much more before selling for 6 figures. You may not net that kind of money, but nice reasonable mileage cars in great or fetching mid 5 figures.

My been there done that advice is to use your discretionary money to make it the nicest 78SC you can and watch your original investment and pride only grow.

..

goals!

Nice looking ride. Classy.

Cars are not terribly good investments. Except for the very rare case of super low miles and exemplary condition on a car of some historical significance this is typically the case. However, after saying that, many typical investments have been returning less than what purchasing a nice 911 seven or eight years ago would have done.

But then you can't drive it. I like driving mine. It's not an investment, though I am thoughtful about what mods I might like to make.

Your car looks pretty good right now. If it were mine, I'd probably switch to Euro H4s to start and think about little things as your time with it continues. Get to know the car and see what she wants... ;)

Mod it!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487826420.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1487826420.jpg

I say mod it to your hearts content. Make it your own and enjoy the hell out of it.

Oh Booke, you were missed last night. Just like you missed my post above. ;)

Maybe you were keeping Kennik under control so the rest of us could eat in peace. :D

I saw your post Rick, just giving my input as well. Kenik's on a cruise in the Atlantic while I'm on an island in the pacific, so I was no help there.

Nice car :)

Subtle mods. Like SSIs, a 964 cam, wheel spacers on the back, lose any heavyweight rubbish in the engine bay that you don't want. And as said before; keep all the bits.

Leave it stock
 

It always makes me laugh ,when i hear others say ,--im not going to sell it,.
i will never sell this car .But you know what --sorry to tell you , but you are probably
wrong , most owners do sell even if it is in 10 years time.
My examples were, a 66 Jag E type, 72 stock 911, 53 Buick Skylark convertible,
54 Jag XK 120 roadster, 72 Alfa Romeo GTV, and nearly forgot 79 Porsche 911
with only 62k miles, 65 Buick Riviera GS,and many more classics, but they are all gone years ago.
Loco Petey that lovely example ,keep it stock,plus i will make a prediction that
78 SCs will be worth more than early Carreras in a few years, because they
were the first great 911 ,with 3.0 engine with really good reputation.

I see nothing special with Magnus walkers car And I don't understand all the hype. That car you bought is a nice find!! Enjoy.

seems like the biggest thing right now is modifying everything Porsche to make them more unique or personalized. stripes, body kits all the rage. to me, i think stock can be better sometimes. your SC looks great. i would not touch it. if anything, i would get some 17" euromeisters and that is it.

I think it looks good as is. Single mirror, polished trim, 15" Fuchs. You could throw on a duck tail and change out the mirror to something smaller to "back date" it to a '74 Carrera and it would all be reversible.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Only real body work it needs is removing of door rockers. Does anyone know if going to rsr bumpers makes it hard to go back to impact if needed?

The heart wants what it wants. Like someone else said, cars aren't investments. It's also not hard to keep everything to put it back. All the mods you are looking at are bolt ons. It's not hard to remove the bumpers or to put them back on. It's a couple hours of work. Keep the original bumpers hung up on the wall. These are IROC bumpers BTW. And that is a fair amount of body work to get them right. I'd budget around 2k per end. Figure about 400 on the bumpers, another 100 or so on a mounting solution and 1000-1500 to fit, bodywork and paint.

Some other mods he has
Vitaloni mirror on the standard flag base
Roll cage
Plastic rear windows
Rocker delete
Side decals
glass duck and hood
IROC front and rear bumpers
8" rear wheel 7" front
longer wheel studs
Steel lugnuts
Momo
RS door panels with tartan inserts
Custom tartan seats
racing seatbelts
Dual out muffler

I forget what other mods it has as it was a former AX car. Probably various suspension/motor mods.

That is a nice car. I'd put H4's and be done. Do what you like but food for thought...
Tastes change

I have had my 83SC for almost 13 years. It has the duck, 17 inch wheels, recaro seats etc and now years later I want to put it back the way it was when I got it.

It's a 78SC for Pete's sake, not a 356 Speedster. My lightly modded and sympathetically restored SC is worth more than almost every stock SC out there. It's just that some purists (or collectors) value 100% stock cars because...um, I really don't know why to tell you the truth.

There's a beautiful Porsche Museum that's dedicated to preserving the originality of the models and the marque. You don't own a museum piece do you?

Do whatever you want. It's a car, not a Monet.

Geez.

Personally, I'd be willing to pay MORE for an SC with H4's, SSI, backdated heat, 16X7 & 16X8 fuchs, narrow rear bumper pads, and ducktail. Other suspension, engine and brake mods could also be considered. It just all depends on the buyer and their taste and intent when it comes time to sell. Don't ever expect to get 100% return on the cost of the mods though.

I've always been curious why you see single purpose track cars with gutted interiors, a lot of suspension, brake, and body mods with relatively stock motors advertise for as much as or more than clean, low mileage unmolested originals. Yet a subtly modified street car is somehow worth less than an original?

Do what makes you happy! Life is too short.

I completely agree with Josh D.
I just bought a very nice, completely stock '79 SC, with the intent of modifying it to my own taste, as I have to every other Porsche I have owned. I'd rather enjoy the car modified the way I want, rather than have a car I felt "obligated" to preserve for someone else.

If I were looking for an SC that would maximize future value, I put a stock 78 at the top of the list. This is the first year SC.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that a big part of the reason our cars are becoming worth a ton of money is largely due to Magnus and Singer, the mods they made, and the spotlight they have shined on these cars.

Some above said life is short and your tastes change - so leave it stock. I'd say tastes change, so modify it now while you are interested in that. In 5 years, you may want a stock car, but at least you will have experienced the process of modification and living with what you built. You might always wonder what that is like. I've lusted after lots of cars that I wouldn't want now. But I'd like to have experienced them - good or bad.

Life's short - go for it.

HAAA!!!! Nothing? Maybe not specific to Magnus' cars (cuz it's cool to diss cool - eye roll), but then I guess that extends to other modded hot rod porsches? There are so many modified cars on this site that are nothing short of automotive art. Cars that have been positively modified by today's technology. Not to mention that almost all of them are done in the spirit of other PORSCHES. To say you see nothing special in Magnus' car is to say you see nothing special in Porsche cup cars, or the like.

I think there are three types of 'Porsche Admirers'....
Purist - nothing but stock
Maniac - anything that gets the car to track animal, or close to it.
Porsche Car Guy - has an affection for anything that has ever come out of Stuttgart regardless of what, when or who.

Man!!!! I'd kill to say I owned half that list!!!

I don't want to be the guy to turn this into a Magnus thread, but his slate grey 964 is a stunning work of art. If you have seen the car in person, you see dozens of subtle body work and engineering details that took not only careful and imaginative thinking, but incredible craftsmanship and skill to execute. If one loves Porsches, I don't know how one would not appreciate the aesthetics and care taken in the building of that car. I'll have another cup of Kool-Aid please.

Mod to your hearts desire!!!!!!!

Where in all this doth the sleeper lie?

Sort of fun passing all the "track" built cars in a slim hipped narrow tired light weight.

There are some nice Singer type builds out there but the time issue is huge. Especially when you've got little kids and a mortgage.

Safe to say there's a hindquarter for every seat.

Go for it. Nothing overly rare about SCs and as much as I'd love for them to be collectors they just aren't. Desirable, yes but there were a ton made and a lot available still.

+1 to that - many of the build threads here are several years long. Very impressive work, but beyond the scale for me anyway, and I bought the car to drive it!

I vote accordingly for a rolling project. Make changes as you continuously drive and enjoy the car. You can feel and see the changes, get feedback and gradually mould the car into what will become 100% your own perfect 911.