Zoidberg, my 1978 911SC

[David Inc.]

Love the name. I knew what it was going to look like before I opened the thread.

[canamfan]

Yup, same address/place In Kitchener, Waterloo. Always a laid back get together, Randy (the owner) is super nice, hope to see you & "Zoidberg" there

[LIRS6]

Hey best of luck with your 911 - exterior paint looks great given mileage/circumstances of storage etc.

Ref the oil gauge - bear in mind that the needle will typically sit in the red zone and only move into the white zone when idling and the engine is warm. Check your oil level (only with engine running) - if oil level is good (many limit to max halfway between the points on the oil stick) but still no movement of the gauge when idling, it could be a simple matter of the float exterior mechanism needing to be fiddled with.

Read this post - great info about your CIS : https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/758788-cis-troubleshooting-dummies.html

Jason

[jrwilson]

The clutch cable was adjusted and it works much better now, but the transition between off and on is still kinda sudden. I'm getting better at it, I only stalled out two times on some hills.

One thing that made me do a double take is when the car gets to temp I can hear the oil gurgling in the oil cooler. Was not expecting that!

So far it drives very nicely. Just need to practice hill take offs and I've been driving stick for 30 years.

[rwest]

Originally Posted by jrwilson

The clutch cable was adjusted and it works much better now, but the transition between off and on is still kinda sudden. I'm getting better at it, I only stalled out two times on some hills.

One thing that made me do a double take is when the car gets to temp I can hear the oil gurgling in the oil cooler. Was not expecting that!

So far it drives very nicely. Just need to practice hill take offs and I've been driving stick for 30 years.

Pedal cluster bushings can make a huge difference in pedal feel. Many people install the silicone bronze ones.

[jrwilson]

Took the car out to get some Montreal smoked meat out in the boonies and got a chance to really wind it up on some long curvy roads. I'm finally beginning to understand the appeal of these cars - it really wants to RUN. Plus the sound of it revving up to 5-6K was amazing.

I've owned a couple of dozen classics over the years because I love how they look and the IDEA of them, but usually the reality of them is a bit of a disappointment when they fail to perform up to how they look. With this car, it's totally lived up to the expectations and honestly, surpassed them. It's a nice change to really enjoy driving for a change!

When I got back I decided to tackle a couple of small projects. First up, the loose trim on the doors.





Bit of glue on the underside and some clamps, it'll be good as new. Well, better than it was at least.





While that's drying, I figured why not tackle the broken tach. I rebuild old pinball machines so I am very familiar with cold solder joints, where vibration causes the solder joints to crack and get disconnected. So, I pulled the tach apart, reflowed all the joints on the circuit board and put it all back together.







And it works! Huzzah!

[skinnerd]

Nice job there "master tech." Ha
Beautiful car.
Enjoy it!

[jrwilson]

So, got a list of options on my car and there's some interesting things.

Model Type: 911344 1978 911SC Coupé North America; 5 spd
Production Number: 1084562
Production Date: 1978 03
Engine Number: 6282046
Engine Type: 930/04 911SC-3.0 US 180HP@5500rpm 237ft-lb@4200rpm
Gearbox Number: 7186882
Gearbox Type: 915/61 5 speed manual with Gearset: AZ, HX, NT, QQ, SN & 8:31 P&R ratio

Color: 908-8-2 (R4) Grand Prix White painted at Karosseriewerk-Weinsberg using Glasurit materials

Interior Trim: 26 interior panels: Leatherette Lobster; seats & side panels: Leather Lobster; inserts Leather perforated; carpet: Lobster

Country Equipment: C02 Equipment for USA

Port of Entry: UP = Portland OR
Distributor: Porsche Car Northwest, Inc., Beaverton, OR, USA Distributing to States: AK ID MT OR WA

Options:
Y26 Group Option contains unknown options
M197 Stronger battery 88AH
M261 Right side mirror electric adjustable & heated 
M409 Sport Seats - L/R
M425 Rear window wiper
M454 Cruise control
M473 Rear spoiler

So much to my surprise the whale tail is actually original and not some add-on. Which is weird, I don't see any sign of the "911SC" badge ever being installed which I assume it would have been. Also, I have no idea what's in the "Y26" option group and the person who got me these details couldn't tell me either. The car has power windows and A/C so maybe that? All I know is it was a $3,000 option!

The rear wiper is long gone. I considered adding it back but everyone seems to think it's mostly a waste of time.

The person who ordered this crazy car in the PNW knew what they were doing - they skipped the leather everywhere except the sport seats.

Can anyone decode the gearbox info?

[jrwilson]

So, reading up the other threads Y26 probably includes:

- A/C
- Power windows
- Sunroof
- Stereo (rear speakers)
- Wheels
- Sport shocks

My car has those and they're not listed.

[Mike Andrew]

Nice ride that's getting the TLC it needs. And glad that you have discovered why people buy these things.
It sounds like you have a plan and parts on order to begin to" get it where you want it". Lomg game is the fun part of ownership; watching things approach your vision for the car. From experience, it never quite gets there and there is always that next project on the Winter Project white board.
Enjoy.

[almostordinary]

All I can think of w this color combo.




Looking good!

[911SauCy]

Originally Posted by jrwilson

I'm finally beginning to understand the appeal of these cars - it really wants to RUN. Plus the sound of it revving up to 5-6K was amazing.

I've owned a couple of dozen classics over the years because I love how they look and the IDEA of them, but usually the reality of them is a bit of a disappointment when they fail to perform up to how they look. With this car, it's totally lived up to the expectations and honestly, surpassed them. It's a nice change to really enjoy driving for a change!

Your lessons will be frequent and plentiful young grasshopper

I literally laughed aloud when I read your first impression of the car, then this. As time goes on, this will continue to develop

[jrwilson]

Honestly Grizzy is a pretty close match!

Another small project today - fix the door switch. The rubber piece is worn out and the switch is intermittent.



I cut off the old rubber giving access to the nut. The switch just unscrews.



I blasted the switch with some Deoxit D5 to loosen up the innards.



Screw it back in and put on a new rubber cover, works great now!



In other news, I was checking on a sticking throttle and found this bad boy sticking out the top of the airbox. I think the mechanic forgot it when setting the fuel mixture!

[Mike Andrew]

A gift for the toolbox. Your guy is probably asking himself where it could be. Much like the 10 mm socket.

[Robey5]

Welcome to the “club”

i am a big fan of Zoigberg (both the character as well as your car).

I appreciate the story you’ve told here, and one thing that I can say with conviction is that these cars sound absolutely beautiful at 5kRPM.

I am not so sure what the “gurgling” you’re describing, because Ive never heard it. That said - I don’t think that the cruise control is worth saving: my car came with it as well - but never worked since I’ve been around it. Since you are able to reflow the solder joints and such, you may be able to bring this system back to life, usually the stupid module (near the smugglers box) has “issues” involving weak solder points. You may be a little ways away from that project, but - you have a nice rig considering the way it’s lived thus far.

I also see that you installed a little rubber boot over the door buzzer thing: you have a part number for that thing? (Mine is 0-2 in that department).

[jrwilson]

Originally Posted by Robey5

I am not so sure what the “gurgling” you’re describing, because Ive never heard it.

Since the radio is broken and the soundproofing is strangely effective, it's really quiet in the cabin of the car. Once it gets to temp I can hear the oil moving in the lines to the cooler. Or at least I assume it's the oil, since that's the only liquid involved in the car.

Another thing I've noticed is that the car is getting better as I use it. Like, the windows are going up and down easier and the sunroof works smoother. I think sitting for a decade did a bit of a number on it but now that it's getting exercise it's feeling better.

I also see that you installed a little rubber boot over the door buzzer thing: you have a part number for that thing? (Mine is 0-2 in that department).

Rock Auto: ÜRO PARTS 90161561620

[Jonny042]

Neat car and neat story!

You are really lucky you happened across a salvage car of model year 1980 or older - newer cars with a salvage title are pretty tricky to get registered in Ontario - you have to have a "structural safety inspection" done and the whole process is fraught with pitfalls.

Luckily, 1980 and older are exempt from the program and you have successfully "washed" the title and got yourself a really neat car at a decent discount!

Enjoy it!

[911obgyn]

When i got my car it had been sitting and for the first month and a couple oil changes i could hear the oil in the cooler tubes gurgle. Since i dont let it sit anymore its quiet.

[NotStock]

Originally Posted by 911obgyn

When i got my car it had been sitting and for the first month and a couple oil changes i could hear the oil in the cooler tubes gurgle. Since i dont let it sit anymore its quiet.

My oil lines and cooler gurgle and make noise like there's air in them. I assumed it was just because these things are dry sump and that the cooler is on return side. I imagine that the return pump outpaces the supply pump and as a result must occasionally suck air. Maybe I'm wrong, but thats how it went in my head and why I don't worry about it on my car.

[jrwilson]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

You are really lucky you happened across a salvage car of model year 1980 or older - newer cars with a salvage title are pretty tricky to get registered in Ontario

Yeah, I did a lot of research before pulling the trigger and was about 90% sure it would be okay, but I was still sweating bullets when I was registering it!

Thanks, so far so good...