[flon3y]

Originally Posted by Craig_D

Congratulations man!! Great looking car. I hope you have as much fun with yours, as I do with mine!

Welcome!

Originally Posted by Craig_D

I might add, the first thing I did with mine, was to add a Wevo classic short shifter (has a spring to keep the shifter in the 3 - 4 plane and locks out reverse), plus the performance coupler and new shifter bushings.

The shifter was the one area of the car that was a real let down when I first bought my '78, and the Wevo stuff transformed the shifting experience.

Cheers.

Thank you Craig_D I intend to enjoy it to the fullest. A short shifter/bushings were on my short list for sure, coming from a 6-years in a more modern Subaru this transmission is like shooting blind. I'll probably try to do the coupler to at the same time, does it make a big difference as well?

Originally Posted by SCadaddle

Congrats!

A word of caution:

Having bought my first 911SC without removing the lower valve covers and counting the cylinder head nuts still intact, laying in the valve covers or hitting the floor, I wouldn't do it again. I'd have the shop check that out as priority #1. You might find yourself spending *several* thousands of $$$$ right off the bat if it's got the dreaded broken Dilivar head studs. Good Luck!

Although I have already committed to buying the car, one of the first things I intend to do is pull the valve covers, check the clearances, and install new gaskets to seal up any leaks. While I'm in there I'll obviously check for head studs too, but I'm hopeful there won't be any issues.

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

Congratulation, good choice.

My only regret is that I got a scissor lift a year later... I should have get it right away.

Never been in a shop since.

Get the Bentley book and read all the 911 post on PP and subscribe to the one that my be useful in your future.

I would love a scissor lift but it isn't in the budget for a while yet. I still have a floor jack and jack stands though so I'll get it done! I've never taken any of my cars to a shop and don't intend to start now.

Originally Posted by lyonsfin

Congratulations!!!! Great cars! I've had mine 5 years and routinely take it on trips, including 1000 mile treks up and down the East Coast!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by vesnyder

The '83 SC's are bullet proof! But you should have got a cabriolet I hope you have many hours of enjoyment out of that car before the motor needs work. Congratulations!

Coupes > Cabrios! But thank you, I do as well.

Originally Posted by Das Schnell Ei

I love that color.... Congratulations!

Thanks, it is pretty unique and subtle and has definitely been growing on me.

Originally Posted by CCM911

Nice car, good history. You are going to have so much fun with that car. Keep it clean. Keep it maintained. And drive it like you stole it.

My plans exactly.

Originally Posted by Discseven

FLON... nice buy. Love that bronze color. My money's on you being very excited about now. ...Welcome to Porschehood.

Originally Posted by 83_Silberpfeil

Congrats --- very fun car to drive and work on!

Thank you guys.

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

+1

I would change the rubber brake lines first just for common sense reasons.

You do have a laundry list but it's fun DIY stuff.

Every hour that you read old posts saves you $100.

I joined Pelican a few weeks ago and have been spending entirely too much time on here doing research ever since. I also bought and have been reading '101 Projects for Your Porsche 911', 'How to Rebuild and Modify Porsche 911 Engines', and 'Porsche 911 Performance Handbook 1963-1998' to get familiar with the cars. I wanted to make sure I could afford/be able to keep this car alive and turn it into what I wanted before making the commitment. From my past car experience I have learned how incredibly invaluable online communities can be. Brake lines and new fluid are very high on the list for sure.

Originally Posted by Reiver

Enjoy that SC, I love mine and I don't use that adjective loosely.
Give it a good check over but drive it and get a real feel for it before you start changing anything.
Driving means driving it like a Porsche and not like any other sports car...you'll figure that out.

I was lucky enough to borrow the car from the PO for a weekend prior to purchase. During that weekend I put about 200 miles on it so I am already learning what needs to be addressed first. The feeling of these cars is truly unique, it is all about the experience of it.

Originally Posted by universeman

Congrats! I have an 82 targa in that color. It's a head-turner. I plasti-dipped the "911 SC" logo badge so it matched the black of the rest of the car...just seemed right to me and easily reversible if I get tired of it.

I agree with the others, drive it a while to see what it needs. I had no idea how the thing was supposed to shift, but found it difficult (and the guy who sold it to me said, "That's just how Porsches this old were designed to shift.) No way. Changed the bushings (but not the coupler...yet) and the gear oil (Swepco 201 or the Kendall stuff) and it's transformed the drivability.

Good luck and have fun!

Thank you! I haven't seen any others this color but I knew it was original. The PO told me the name of it but I have already forgotten. The mechanic told me that the 1st and 2nd gear synchros are a little weak and I've read that choosing the right gear oil can make a world of a difference so that is where I was going to start then refresh the bushings/linkages.

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

The 83 coupe is nice, but a Targa would be faster!

Maybe, but it wouldn't look nearly as good!

Originally Posted by boss11

Congrats!

+1 on shifer bushings

I've owned my SC for year and a half and just changed the bushings - what a difference, should've done it straight away

Enjoy

Thanks!

Originally Posted by sugarwood

"The PO was great about doing necessary maintenance"
Not to be a downer, but the car seems a bit neglected, if anything.
It sounds like the owner drove it and changed the oil.
That's an interesting and large list.
You should type it out so posters can comment and help you prioritize.

Just to pick a few:
No horn.
Jumpy idle.
Inop blinker
Many oil leaks
Scraping noise in steering column.
Loose belts
Dings
etc etc etc

On the plus side, almost all of it is little stuff you can do yourself.
2015 will be the year you learn to work on a 911.

I fully agree with you. The car has seen better times but I hope I can bring it back to better than new with some effort. I have a list of everything typed out that I'll post shortly, but I agree with what you listed as some of the more important.

My first priority is to seal up any oil leaks I can and update to the Carrera tensioners ASAP so that I can keep the motor running strong for as long as possible.

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

Terrific car!!!!!! Have fun! If I can do a valve adjustment, so can you! Take care of it and it can go 300,000 miles easy.

Thanks and I hope so!

Originally Posted by LM3929

and even better, you have John Walker in your area if you do have a problem.

Lorne M.

Originally Posted by Jdub

I have always loved that paint color - beautiful car. Denny's shop did the PPI on my '78 - good folks.

I spy Mr. Walker's plate surround on your '83 - he is a great resource here in town.

By any chance, were you the gentleman who was advertising in Seattle for a decent SC or thereabouts via Craigslist?

John Walker was actually the one who has done all the maintenance on the car during the previous ownership. I gave him a call to talk about the car before purchasing it and he seemed to think it was in pretty solid just needed some tidying up.

I've been monitoring CL pretty closely but haven't posted anything regarding an SC, that must have been someone else.



Thank you all for the warm welcome, I look forward to becoming a part of the community.