opinion on ‘66 912 (w/ Nadellas)

[cthtpa]

Looking at two ‘66 912 coupes, both still have Nadella half-shafts.

One has had rust repaired and been repainted. Has some minor rust in pan.
Other has original, somewhat faded paint.

Both with Fuchs wheels.
Each has had various recent maintenance: bearings, brakes, struts.

Engines are original, both rebuilt.
(Anyone know how to verify the engine is correct?;
where numbers found and what they should be?)

Mileages are in the 75,000 to 100,00 range (assuming odometers have always worked).

One is for sale for $9000.
Other for $7000.

I understand the Nadellas are no longer made, parts are not available, and a conversion to CV joints requires a 67+ transaxle and shafts.

Anyone know how to determine how much life the Nadellas have left in them?
Is it possible by visible inspection?

Would selling Nadella transaxle to buy CV transaxle substantially diminish the value of the car?

Also, what are the rust areas to look out for on these very early cars?
How severe should any pan rust be to kill the deal?

Based on the limited info above, do these prices seem reasonable?

Sorry for all the questions.
Thanks in advance for any responses.

[vanwyk4257]

You shouldn't need to swap transaxles to install CV's. I know you can buy complete rear axles with the Lobro CV's installed for a "reasonable" amount of money. As for condition, I wouldn't expect any of the nadella shafts to last very long, so I would just plan on upgrading them on either one of the cars you are looking at.

The main "structural" areas to check for rust are the front suspension pan, rocker panels, especially near the jacking points, the torsion tube area, and the longitudinals below and around the spring plates.
The front pan and rockers aren't that big of a deal to replace and aren't a killer. The longitudinals and torsion tube can be dealt with but financially unless you can do the work right yourself you are better off finding a car that isn't as rusted.

There seems to be a surge in interest in the 912's lately, probably becuase the 356's are getting so expensive so people are starting to gravitate to the 912's now. Without pics and descriptions specific to each car I would say those prices may be a bit high. I've seen really nice rust-free examples selling in the $10000-$12000 range not to long ago, although the market may have gone up a little bit since then.
Take your time and wait for the right car to come along. Buying a car that needs a lot of work will result in quickly having far more in the car than you're likely to ever get back if you sell it.

Good luck in your search!

[cthtpa]

Michael,

Thanks a bunch for the information. I do have one other question (which demonstrates my inexperience).

What are the spring plates to which you refer?

Thanks,
Charles.

[vanwyk4257]

If you look inside the rear wheelwell in front of the tire you will see a flat metal "plate" and a cylindrical part protruding from it. The part you see protruding is where the outside of the torsion bar inserts into the spring plate. The flat piece that attaches to the rear control arm or "banana" arm as they're sometimes referred to is the spring plate.
I hope that helps.

I would definitely recommend getting a pre-purchase inspection or at a bare minimum having someone who knows these cars well look at them for you. These are great cars, but you can really get in over your head with an early 911/912 if it has major rust problems, and sometimes you won't see them unless you really know what to look for.

[Rockafella]

Buy a rust free 912. I've had my fair share of 12s and they were the entry level car of the day. If they are abused, they were abused all over.

As for the nadellas and cv's, I believe you can change them without updating the transaxle. My 66 had one on each side.

It is just as expensive to restore a 912 as a 911. Buy a nice one and enjoy.

My favorite Porsche was my 1967 912. I gave it to my father and am really happy it is still around.

I bought the nicest one that made sense. This one was well taken care of by the pervious owner. He rebuilt the motor twice and addressed everything it needed. It had 230k miles on it and was driven daily:

[bmendel]

the nice thing about an original paint car is you can see what's there, recently painted cars could be hiding anything underneath.

if you are serious, pay the $150-200 for a professional PPI, it is cheap insurance, and you'll know what your getting. Fair price depends on where you are. Decent driver type cars are 10k or more, or being sold by someone who has no idea what they are worth. Really nice cars have been selling in the high teens to the low $20's recently. Check out www.912bbs.org

[cthtpa]

Thanks to everyone for the input. It was very helpful.
The original paint car is apparently already gone.

The car with rust repair turned out to be fiberglass and bondo repairs. Kind of a shame, b/c the car ran well and had many pieces still in good condition, as well as some new parts.

If anyone is interested in car for whatever purposes, I will be happy to pass along the info I have and my impressions from crawling all through and over it.
Owner seems motivated. Car is in NE Florida.

I, of course, have no association with owner and no financial or other interest in car's sale.