When is it time to sell?

[IndyAlex]

I'm still early on in my P-car journey and thought about giving up MANY times while building my 911. After getting it where it is today, I am so glad I didn't give up. It's by far the most incredible driving experience I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

Will it need constant maintenance? Yep.
Will it always be imperfect? Yep.
Will it kick my ass every other time I try to make a change to it? Sure will.
Will I always look back at it multiple times after parking it? Yep.
Is it my ultimate stress relief and a form of therapy for me? It is.
Am I tired of the car? God no.

Everyone is on their own journey when it comes to cars. Only you can decide when it's time to move on from something. For what it's worth, I really, really like your build. It's raw, and I like that.

[nickelplated5s]

Originally Posted by r_towle

170 ish cars
997, 914, 911 (84)

Guess which one makes me smile the most

Just drive it

914, wish I'd kept mine. Passed on a 914/6 in my early 20's, 10K. It was a tad steep for me at the time.

[ant7]

Had my 3.2 for around 12 years now, and over that time we have had our moments, mostly though much needed maintenance, and partly reversing bodges acquired by previous ownerships.

My first was a Metallic blue 1981 SC Targa, which turned out to be quite an expensive learning curve, that said; it was eventually a good car, and I mostly enjoyed my time with it.
While owning that car, I acquired a white 1979 SC Coupe at a very reasonable price, as it too was needing work, the first drive of this car was so different to the Targa, feeling more taught and rigid as one would expect, it also seemed more eager to want to go too, needless to say I kept this one, and sold the Targa, I eventually sold this one too, but quite quickly regretted it, as I missed it very much, anyway; long story short after some time, I found the white gold 3.2 Carrera I still have, the moral of the story is, sometimes you only really appreciate what you had when its gone!
Good luck with what ever you decide to do.

[chrisbalich]

There are way too many posts for me to address them all, so I'm going to hit the high points as best I can.

An A90 Supra will cost as much, or more, than a 981 GTS...and has a turbo. For the same money, I'll buy the 981. But it's gotta wait. I have only so many dollars.

Originally Posted by MikeD930

Have you ever driven a 911 with a 'good working' 915? If yes then were you satisfied with it? If not then perhaps ask around if there's any pelican folks that would let you drive their 911 with a 'good working' 915 gearbox.

I've driven Tony's car (shoooo32), and Joesmallwood's car, and I expect next month I'll have an opportunity to drive a couple more.
They were both much more in line with what I expect from a 915. Did I drive them as hard as I drive my car? No. I tend to be very respectful of my friends and their belongings. But Tony's car did instill a sureness in me that there is hope that I can get my 915 satisfactorily sorted.

I have a group chat with Tony, Gabe, and Julian where we commiserate about 915 ownership amongst other things.
In that chat last night, whist watching Swiss hillclimb racing, I finally found my moment of clarity. I'll share it with you now, word for word.

"I believe in my guts that there is something wrong with the car…be it trans, clutch, cracked chassis, a combination thereof, or something else altogether.

So if I sell it without figuring it out and remedying it, the car has beaten me. (This will not do.)

If I figure it out and fix it, and it’s wonderful, I was right all along and the build continues its steady descent off the slippery slope into restomod bliss.
(Best possible outcome)

If I figure it out and fix it, and it’s still not up to my satisfaction, I’ve won (or rather, I haven’t lost) and the car is simply inadequate for my purposes. I can sell it and feel good about my decision.
(Not the ideal outcome, but I can live with this.)

So the move is to take the whole GD car to Andrew’s shop after Rennsport, let him fix it, let him confirm it’s good, and then move on with my life."

I hate punting on a repair. I don't mind getting help from friends and learning as I go. But I hate losing and I hate punting.
So I'm going to double-down on fixing this shifting and then move forward from there.

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

So I'm going to double-down on fixing this shifting and then move forward from there.

Good call!

[Rodsrsr]

For what its worth. I had my 915 rebuilt several years ago and it shifts very well, but the gamechanger was the Wevo shifter and coupler. Absolutely fantastic to drive.

[Evan Fullerton]

There is a lot in a good built trans but if you are willing to sacrifice a little chatter and low speed drivability. Think about an unsprung organic material puck clutch disk. Noticed a significant improvement in 915 shift speed every time I removed weight from the transmission input shaft. A dragging pilot bearing would also tax the syncros more heavily.

[mikesarge]

I'll say that my rebuilt 915 with new bushings all through the shift system, and a WEVO, is a delight to shift 99% of the time. 1% of the time 1st and R give me trouble from a stop.

Before I had John Walker rebuild my transaxle, it was a damn nightmare. I still loved the car, but it was despite the trans, and if it was still like that, I bet I'd want it gone.

So, not knowing what's going on with your transaxle, I gotta imagine if it was addressed, you'd be a lot happier with the car- sounds like you've got a good plan set up!

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by Evan Fullerton

There is a lot in a good built trans but if you are willing to sacrifice a little chatter and low speed drivability. Think about an unsprung organic material puck clutch disk. Noticed a significant improvement in 915 shift speed every time I removed weight from the transmission input shaft. A dragging pilot bearing would also tax the syncros more heavily.

I'm going to order a complete clutch replacement with aluminum pplate. I prefer to keep the sprung disc since this is a street car. But I'll machine that flywheel down to nothing if I can get away with it.
If this trans were correctly working and I was just after faster shifts, I'd be milling material off all the gears to cut rotating weight.

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

I'm going to order a complete clutch replacement with aluminum pplate. I prefer to keep the sprung disc since this is a street car. But I'll machine that flywheel down to nothing if I can get away with it.
If this trans were correctly working and I was just after faster shifts, I'd be milling material off all the gears to cut rotating weight.

I might be thinking about this wrong, but isn't this the opposite of what is needed? You want the transaxle and the disc to be lite not the pp and flywheel - for rev match shifting?

Just an opinion from the gallery, keep it simple and focus on getting the trans built "right". If the box is "right", most of the other fancy footwork isn't necessary.

[acroguy]

Try this clutch travel adjustment....this made a big difference in mine.

Take your measurement as noted in the pic then have someone push the clutch pedal to the floor and then take another measurement.It should be 25 mm less.If not then adjust the jam nuts on the cable to get it where it needs to be.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by Joesmallwood

I might be thinking about this wrong, but isn't this the opposite of what is needed? You want the transaxle and the disc to be lite not the pp and flywheel - for rev match shifting?

Just an opinion from the gallery, keep it simple and focus on getting the trans built "right". If the box is "right", most of the other fancy footwork isn't necessary.

You're right.
I was thinking of rotating mass, not taking into account what spins with what.

Originally Posted by acroguy

Try this clutch travel adjustment....this made a big difference in mine.

Take your measurement as noted in the pic then have someone push the clutch pedal to the floor and then take another measurement.It should be 25 mm less.If not then adjust the jam nuts on the cable to get it where it needs to be.

This weekend, I'll tackle the new cable and have Kelly stand on it for me while the car is on the lift.

[proporsche]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

You're right.
I was thinking of rotating mass, not taking into account what spins with what.


This weekend, I'll tackle the new cable and have Kelly stand on it for me while the car is on the lift.

the main Q is how many miles is on your clutch..i do not see it anywhere mentioned?
Also what i do with new clutch cable is this..if you have a bucket and some old oil dip it in it for a while.This way the cable gets lubricated inside the protective tube.Is the cable you have an original or cheap version of it.I have had problem with the cheap types lately.It must have 15mm adjsuting nuts not 17 mm on the aftermarket-
If you screw on the replacement the clevis on the inside end ,make sure you do not go too far about 1 cm through it showing inside the little fork
Here is a video i made how to go about it ,if that helps you
Also you have to adjust the stop on your pedal cluster panel
Ivan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JLs8iccqLA&t=7s

[Joesmallwood]

One more thought, you mentioned going DBW at some point. It's my understanding the DBW can be used to tune rev matching by controlling the engine rpm during throttle off shifts. This is another possibility to make it more friendly.

[Evan Fullerton]

With stock gearing, I don’t think you want to take a lot more weight off the rotating engine assembly than the Aluminum pressure plate. The “sport” one still has a steel friction surface, the RSR one is a plasma sprayed aluminum friction surface. The “RSR” light flywheel I think really needs close ratio gears before the rev drop doesn’t exceed shift speed making up shifts jerky unless you really punish the syncros. 3rd gear Syncro was the one I seemed to kill first.

Pulling weight off the disk however reduces inertia that the syncros have to overcome to match input and output speeds. I’ve see some drill the gears themselves to reduce some weight but I don’t think the risk/reward is worth it for a street car.

[acroguy]

Just to clarify my earlier post on clutch travel adjustment.You set your cable preload with the jam nuts on the cable at the transmission and then once that is done you set the travel distance with the pedal travel stopper on the floor board.

[pmax]

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

[Arctic Rat]

Seems that you already have your answer. if you have been thinking about selling it for a year, it's time to sell it! It's one thing to fight the car to drive or enjoy, it's a whole other think to fight yourself. It's just a car for pet sakes, sell it...... If you miss the pain, buy another one.

Joe D

[Garen]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

There are way too many posts for me to address them all, so I'm going to hit the high points as best I can.

An A90 Supra will cost as much, or more, than a 981 GTS...and has a turbo. For the same money, I'll buy the 981. But it's gotta wait. I have only so many dollars.



I've driven Tony's car (shoooo32), and Joesmallwood's car, and I expect next month I'll have an opportunity to drive a couple more.
They were both much more in line with what I expect from a 915. Did I drive them as hard as I drive my car? No. I tend to be very respectful of my friends and their belongings. But Tony's car did instill a sureness in me that there is hope that I can get my 915 satisfactorily sorted.

I have a group chat with Tony, Gabe, and Julian where we commiserate about 915 ownership amongst other things.
In that chat last night, whist watching Swiss hillclimb racing, I finally found my moment of clarity. I'll share it with you now, word for word.

"I believe in my guts that there is something wrong with the car…be it trans, clutch, cracked chassis, a combination thereof, or something else altogether.

So if I sell it without figuring it out and remedying it, the car has beaten me. (This will not do.)

If I figure it out and fix it, and it’s wonderful, I was right all along and the build continues its steady descent off the slippery slope into restomod bliss.
(Best possible outcome)

If I figure it out and fix it, and it’s still not up to my satisfaction, I’ve won (or rather, I haven’t lost) and the car is simply inadequate for my purposes. I can sell it and feel good about my decision.
(Not the ideal outcome, but I can live with this.)

So the move is to take the whole GD car to Andrew’s shop after Rennsport, let him fix it, let him confirm it’s good, and then move on with my life."

I hate punting on a repair. I don't mind getting help from friends and learning as I go. But I hate losing and I hate punting.
So I'm going to double-down on fixing this shifting and then move forward from there.

Based on following your thread throughout your build adventures / misadventures, I'd say you're making a wise choice. I also don't think you're punting a repair, rather you're prioritizing its timing against another event. No shame in that, going to RR with a $hit shifting LBDC wins over having it in the shop during that time, I would think.

Hell, I'd even suggest buying a second 915 in case yours has a twisted evil case! Plus you're too deep, so a crappy 915 shouldn't bring the whole thing down. As you stated, you'll regret selling it over an unsolved issue, and you will never get to build one like it without spending 2X, 3X... Plus I don't think doing the same exact improvements again on a similar car will be fun the second time around. That would likely feel like more of a job than a hobby.

Your better-half is right. When $$ is available, own both vintages of Porsche at the same time, before you decide. She knows... She's right! (my money: when you get that 991 or 981 or whatever, you'll find reasons to want to keep both, with the only challenge, potentially, being the financial impact of doing so. A case of what else can you do with the money if you sold one of them)

[bickyd]

EVERY old man is heart broken after his wife dies. He never knew how much he really loved and cherished her. Your old Porsche is the same. stop being foolish with these silly questions and acknowledge the richness you probably don't deserve.