Value of 71T Roller
 

I saw a 71 T roller at a shop today. Reputable local p-car specialist. He was going to make it into a race car. Non sunroof coupe. Painted white. Not a very good job, but decent. Had a run on the roof and cracked a little at the rear of the roof.

The front pan was replaced and the welding was so so. They didn't run a continuous bead. No motor or tranny, steel wheels, has the rear bars between the bumperettes that are chrome and round, don't know what they're called. He said it was an option in 71. Most of the parts are there, but not the cdi. Oil tank is there, wiring harness, no other rust.

The PO glued in the floor mats. When they painted it they left the piece in front where the bonnet latch is black. Not correct. The windshield was cracked when they pulled it to paint. So it's been sitting for three years after the glass out paint. All the other glass is there.

He's says it's just an assembly job and find a motor and tranny for it. Needs rear shocks too. Asking $5000. He has some used Fuchs that he would sell separate that are decent 15's for about $600.

I think a project would be fun, but I have no paint or welding skills, so this one appeals to me. What's a decent power train going to cost and what will the car be worth when I'm done? I don't want to get way upside down on a project.

Any feed back would be appreciated.

Tom Viers
Cape Girardeau, MO

my 2 cents
 

Sounds like a project gone bad. Cheap paint , bad welding, what else ? Someone cut alot of corners. Unless you are looking for an off road race car it is not a good investment of time or money. For 5k there are alot of better deals out there needing less work.

Just my humble opinion

Thanks for the reply
 

I wouldn't say it's a cheap paint job, just sloppy. It looks pretty good except for the run and the small crack. Of course that makes me wonder how they cut corners! The paint is 3 years old, but it's been parked in a heated showroom during that time. The welding was stitched every couple inches instead of a continuous bead. Didn't look like bad work, just not the way I've seen it done before.

Pics
 

I went back yesteday and took a closer look. I also brought a camera this time. The last two pics show the run in the paint on the roof. The rear deck lid has significant sanding scratches in it. I'm no paint expert, but it needed significantly more prep before it should have been shot. The front hood is missing. A lot of the window seals look new. A lot of overspray in the left rear wheel well, but not the right. I'm not as excited about it now as I was last week. I'd still appreciate comments/discussion about this car as I'm trying to learn the market as I look for the right car/project for me.
Link to photobucket:

71 Porsche 911 T pictures by TommyV9 - Photobucket

Tom

Cape Girardeau, MO

Hi, to me that sounds like a very good deal. I mean, can you really find anything better for $5k? I have bought a couple of rollers, noone near as good as this one, and I paid almost the same oney.

Put in a 3.0 l, lower it to the ground and drive it like you stole it....


Regards,

Johan

First off, the best way not to get way upside down in a project is .. . .. to not have a project. It's a sure thing, just like aging and taxes.

The owner of this car doesn't exactly own a car. He owns a 'headache' that for some reason or other is at least three years old. And for $5000 you can cure his headache! But then you wouldn't own a car either, but a headache.

How will you cure your new headache? Full restoration (one year minimum) or fire sale (see first paragraph)? There's no other way.

Or, in other words, take a long, cold shower.

IMO. The price is exactly right. If it were here, I'd be seriously considering it.

The question is: do you have a handy $10K for whats not there or not right, and do you have 100+ hours to invest? Do you have mechanical, body and upholstery skills? If you are not a do-it-yourselfer, this kind of project is not for you.

i'm not feeling the love here.

is that visible rust around the driver's side battery box? if you see some rust, there is more rust where you can't see it. are you prepared/skilled/got the cash to have the rockers opened up to see what condition they may be in?

have they sprayed the the area around the smuggler's box with truck bed lining or the equivalent? if so, why?

the front pan and pretty much the whole tub is put together with spot welds. weld stitching is probably ok in general, but it's not the way porsche put the car together. racers will seam weld the tub for additional strength, but after enough time metal fatigue will become a problem.

i would be very leery of buying somebody else's restoration without some idea of how skilled they might be. a reputable shop or individual, yes. if you can't find out their reputation, i'd pass.

I'm going to pass
 

Thanks for all the comments. Just don't feel the need to get this car after cooling off for a few weeks. I assume this was a sportomatic car, no clutch pedal. I'll keep looking.

Tom Viers
Cape Girardeau, MO

18 months later
 

I'm still considering buying this roller. As mentioned above, it's a former Sporto car, or at least it's missing the clutch pedal. Is this a concern other than need to find a pedal cluster? Will there be other issues with dropping a 3.0 and 915 into this chassis?

It's still for sale a year and a half later?!

For a 3.0/915, you will likely need to clearance the sheetmetal a bit for the transmission and consider going to a later gas tank.

Yes, still for sale. It's not easy to find. I've been there 3 time in the last 18 months and he was reluctant to say it was for sale and basically chased me off last time. I guess I caught him in a bad mood.

Why the later tank? I was thinking carbs, not CIS.

Maybe he chased you off because you've been kicking the tires for 18 months and he's got work to do. You can only looky loo for so long before you start to be a bother. I think you need to **** or get off the pot.
It give the contact to community and let someone else save this car. They aren't depreciating and they don't make them any more.

Looks like I failed the test of mind reading.

Sorry, my fault. I appreciate the knowledge here and access to it. I didn't mean to be flippant. I'm not even sure that CIS is the reason you mentioned a later tank, it was just a guess.


Matt, I really wanted a coupe, but had trouble finding one in my price range. I found a 71 Targa and bought it 8 months ago. Now I know I don't care for Targas. Oh well, my Targa is rusty and I am seriously considering transferring all the best of it to the coupe and parting the rest. An alternative would be to sell my Targa and buy this coupe and a motor and put it all together. Thanks for the input.

No worries. electronic communication is fraught with potential for misunderstanding.

CIS would indeed be the main reason for updating the tank. The second being added fuel capacity.

I've had a 3.0 in a similar '73 chassis, and it's a nice balance. If you can mate the 3.0 to an earlier 915 with the lower drive ratio (7:31 ring & pinion), 3.0 will feel like 3.4.