These photos were taken when the car was pulled from storage. We immediately had new tires installed as I was concerned that I would damage the Fuchs given that all 4 tires had rotted.

In regards to Sunroof's comment "LEAVE EVERYTHING ORIGINAL, DO NOT CHANGE A THING"... It was my intent to leave the original paint and just repair and professionally color match several areas needing attention. Am I better off not repairing the affected areas (several dings and a small indentation in the engine bay lid. Also, the original headliner is horribly discolored. I am going to try and clean it but am concerned it wont clean up. If I have the body issues professionally corrected (I will end up with at least 95 percent original paint) and replace the headliner with a professionally installed correct headliner, will this weigh negatively on the car's value? I'm a purist and also a perfectionist and sometimes those two traits are in conflict with one another.

You hit a home run, DNJ. Congrats.

I always thought that the 1973.5T came with CIS not MFI. I could be wrong on this and I hope someone chimes in on. Have your VIN # handy as that will determine the 73 from the 73.5. These models came with a drivers side mirror only so do not add a passenger side mirror. Again keep it ORIGINAL. Headliners when done correctly require a window out installation. This would be a great time to replace the front window, if needed to add value. Its a hard job so find a good shop experienced in this. You have a great car and I hardly see "T's" on the road anymore only at events. I bought mine almost twenty years ago that was totally restored for $9,900!!!!!! Talk about a return on your investment!! Who knew?
Keep us posted on your progress. Many 1973.5T owners on Pelican who can give you sound advise.

Bob

You are correct. If it has MFI, it's an early '73 (or an E or S).

73.5 is CIS. There are three versions of a 73T. The ROW version got Zenith carbs. The first production for the US market got MFI. And the 73.5 got the first iteration of CIS to meet the new emission standards that were coming. They were also built on 7R cases even though their were not yet 2.7l.

carbs will be a 911/57
mfi will be a 911/51
cis will be a 911/91

Looks like you described.
I second the "don't touch a thing" sentiment. If you need shiny paint, have it polished out. Doesn't matter if it "can't be saved" or you get down to primer. Paintless dent repair as much as possible, but try not to get too aggressive if it means cracking or flaking paint. Scrape away / wire brush and clean up any surface rust with Ospho, put something like Gibbs on as part of your cleaning routine. Clean everything as good as possible. Don't restore wheels. Don't "repair" any of the imperfections. Obernauf's leather cleaner and conditioner to soften and moisturize the seats. I'd even keep the discolored headliner. Please preserve as much as possible, or sell / trade for a "perfect" restoration if your perfectionist side wins out. In my opinion, this car is way cooler than any restoration.

But it's your car, do what you want. Congrats on getting back into an old Porsche!

Depends on the rust, rust and rust.

Thanks Flynt. I will do just that. totally clean this thing up and leave as is (even the headliner, it isn't ripped, just dirty/discolored). Several questions regarding the build date. The VIN decal on the door post says it was built 6/73. I checked the VIN and it is a late VIN and definitely a 73.5. Also, in discussions with the daughter of the late owner, apparently he purchased this car new and took delivery when stationed in Germany and brought it back with him to the states. She says there is a file of documentation on the car in the house somewhere and when she runs across it she will get it to me. I am ordering the COA. Will this indicate where the car was originally sold? Also I would have thought that the spedo would be in KPH when in fact it is in MPH. Anyone have any insight into how this was done when a US serviceman took delivery of a vehicle in Germany. Would he purchase stateside and then just take delivery in Germany with the car set up for the US market? Hopefully she willl be able to locate documentation that can shed light on this.

Generally German delivery to an American was set up as a US spec car. Look at the engine type for what I posted above.

Production of 73.5 vehicles started in January of 73.

Thanks Matt. That would make sense. Also, per both the build date 6/73 and the VIN which is a very late VIN for that listed in the 73.5 VIN range it is definitely
a CIS car not MFI. I'm still learning ;)

You’re welcome. Ask as you figure it out. And share the discover with pictures please. We like pictures.

the rubber bumper over riders didn't replace the chrome ones until 73.5, yes?....

Nope, those were on all 1973 US 911 models.

some really early cars snuck thru with bumperettes that were constructed just like the chrome ones on other LWB cars, with the rubber insert, but they were black instead of chrome

that's what i was thinking of....

DNJ - You are sitting on a gold mine there.......I've had my 73.5 Targa for 29 years. Good advice above and yes, a 73.5 will be CIS and that will be an issue for you if left sitting with fuel in it.....Also, replace your rubber brake lines and they swell shut and your brake pads will drag.......Like Sunroof said: Don't change anything. Keep the paint if you can. Rust can be hard to spot, so check closely.

For bumpers, I just took the front bumperettes off and it looks a lot better.....When I went with a high compression 3.2 engine, the stock 2.4 sits on a pallet to go with a future owner...

Congrats......

DNJ - let me touch upon the first CIS fuel tank that you have. Its one of a kind! Look at the photos of the tank split in half and you will see the swirl pot (made from bakelite), the area where the large (22MM) screened filter screws in, the fuel lines (one in and one back) and the baffle. All CIS tanks will look the same aside form the configuration of the fuel lines and the area for the spare tire. The 1973.5T tank holds the full size spare tire while later models the tire saver spare. Again, try to keep it all original! You can bet that the tank is rusted and needs refurbishing. An easy way to clean the tank it to remove, drain and take to a radiator shop where they boil it to remove external and internal scale. The next action is to coat the inside. I made a terrible mistake by using a product named REDKOTE that is a US Navy approved internal tank coating onboard ships. The problem was that REDKOTE did not adhere to bakelite! As a result, the REDKOTE flaked off the swirlpot and blocked the screen with enough material to leave me on the side of the road dead. It took awhile to figure it all out. Take a look at the POR 15 coating kits for tanks or other products that will do the job, but avoid REDKOTE for this tank. As for external coating, I used the POR 15 black coating on the outside and finished with the original Wurth gray rubberized coating.

Bobhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1565181951.jpg
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Thanks Sunroof. This is very helpful info. My first order f business will be to go over the entire vehicle in great detail -extensive cleaning and inventory of any potential issues that I overlooked when I first viewed the car. I am sure there are things I overlooked as I was shaking with excitement when I stumbled upon this vehicle - a story for another day. I assume as well that the tank will be a mess and that the CIS will have to be totally rebuilt as I doubt that I am so lucky that the PO drained all the fuel prior to storage. After I get it cleaned up, brakes functional, and all potential electrical related challenges addressed, I will probably opt to take this to an early 911 specialist to go through the mechanicals and properly resurrect this to driving condition. Does anyone have any Southeast US recommendations for me?

DNJ- where are you located? Excellent sources here in Atlanta. I have been a Porsche owner for over 40 years and although several great shops have closed, many remain that handle the old longhoods.

Let me add one more interesting feature about your car and that's the hand throttle located between the seats. The hidden plastic "claw" that is adjustable and holds the throttle rod gets brittle with age and breaks. You can see it when you pull back the handbrake cover. Make sure to have this checked out. This first CIS does not have a thermotime switch and requires the use of the hand throttle for cold starting. State of the art back then!

Bob