Help looking at buying this 911SC backdated to RS style

[RAF Jay]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

SC was 78-83. It's just been made to look a lot like a 74 Carrera.

Engine rebuild it going to be more than that if you are paying for labor on it. Probably closer to $15k these days.

Compression test is a good start, but SCs are known for breaking case studs. Part of a PPI on it should involve removing the valve covers and testing the studs.

Even if the brakes and shocks are good, it will likely need a ton of bushings.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm relatively mechanically minded, is it a simple job?.. I've done a rebuild before (on a Miata engine) which was easy enough.

How much should I be looking to pay for a PPI? I assume several hours labour... 5?

Say the suspension was trashed, how expensive is upgrading to coilovers? Not worth it?

[SkunkWorks]

A leakdown test would be more conclusive on the health of the engine, along with removal of the valve covers to visually check and test the head studs as Matt mentioned above.

[Pichu]

Originally Posted by RAF Jay

Thanks for the clarification there!.. So this has just had the bumpers replaced? Can you see any other bits and bobs?

To be fair, no one really wants those ugly SC bumpers anyways, these are an improvement but the half finished look might not appeal to Porschephiles.

Car looks cool, I would get it inspected and drive the piss out of it. Most importantly, does it make your heart beat faster??!

[Matt Monson]

I
wouldn’t kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

[RAF Jay]

Originally Posted by SkunkWorks

A leakdown test would be more conclusive on the health of the engine, along with removal of the valve covers to visually check and test the head studs as Matt mentioned above.

Okay, thanks for that.

I'll look for a specialist who's able to do all that. Assuming it comes back and will require a rebuild, should I just leave it alone? The car is up for around $40k.

[RAF Jay]

Originally Posted by Pichu

To be fair, no one really wants those ugly SC bumpers anyways, these are an improvement but the half finished look might not appeal to Porschephiles.

Car looks cool, I would get it inspected and drive the piss out of it. Most importantly, does it make your heart beat faster??!

Is there a guide/thread I could read that sort of outlines the full process of converting? I'm well aware it's been completed many many times, but is there a helpful go-to for this sort of thing? Would be nice to know how much work I could put back into it.


It does excite me, it's the sort of car that would stand out anywhere - which in itself might be an issue.

I'm lucky that I rarely have to commute into work (and if I do, it's <10 minute drive), so I'm toying with the idea of getting rid of the 'practical' 996t and getting something a bit more fun. Unfortunately, no access to a garage means it'll live outdoors for most of the year (I might be able to find some winter storage), which might attract rust and thieves. Something I'll need to think about I guess.

[RAF Jay]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

I
wouldn’t kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

I do love this colour... Just scared it might bring too much attention when leaving it in supermarket car parks etc.. A nice coloured normal equivalent goes relatively unnoticed

[NYNick]

Wait, it's as bad where you are as it is in California? Why else would someone be scared of a color attracting attention?

[RAF Jay]

Originally Posted by NYNick

Wait, it's as bad where you are as it is in California? Why else would someone be scared of a color attracting attention?

An old car which stands out is an easy target... Besides the point I guess...


Back on topic:

What's an expected life for a 3.0sc engine, and a 915 before a rebuild should be considered

[zociety]

Originally Posted by christiandk

The owner looks like a guy who knows his stuff - wrist watches that is - not Porsches. The SC looks hmmmmm. Value, 20-30GBP all depending on condition.

How have you come to this conclusion?

I'd say it's at least mid/high-$30k, assuming mechanically it doesn't need much work and there isn't much rust (as stated)

Happy to be proven wrong

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

Compression test is a good start, but SCs are known for breaking HEAD studs. Part of a PPI on it should involve removing the valve covers and testing the studs.

there, I fixed it fir ya M2...

[pingpong]

dont forget to purchase the manly bracelets

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by RAF Jay

Back on topic:

What's an expected life for a 3.0sc engine, and a 915 before a rebuild should be considered

that's a whole new can of fish there my man... if it's a number matching car the mileage and overall condition might give a good basis to comment specifically.

my grand pops always said "sometimes a pretty wrapper hides a half sucked piece of hard candy"...

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by RAF Jay

An old car which stands out is an easy target... Besides the point I guess...


Back on topic:

What's an expected life for a 3.0sc engine, and a 915 before a rebuild should be considered

120k mi on an SC engine is generally just broken in, if it has no stud issues to address. That's the wildcard. They can break at any time, but sometimes an SC will go 1/4 million mile before a rebuild.

The pesky little 915 gearbox is another story. At 120k mi there's a decent chance it may be up for it's second rebuild. But again hard to say. Often people do a "half" rebuild on them and do just a couple synchros to keep it limping along. Other times they get the full monty. In general, they need synchro service in the 75-100k mi range, but that can be pushed out longer with a caring driver or it can come up on you at 50-60k mi with a thrasher. YMMV.

As for the car park? I don't lose any sleep over it. They are cars. I drive them. I've never had someone deliberately mess with one of my cars and I just try to park somewhat strategically to avoid being open to door dings. It's not like I'm going to leave it at the airport for a week while I am traveling.

[RAF Jay]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

that's a whole new can of fish there my man... if it's a number matching car the mileage and overall condition might give a good basis to comment specifically.

my grand pops always said "sometimes a pretty wrapper hides a half sucked piece of hard candy"...

I do like that quote. The guy claims to have owned the car for a while, and only had the car sprayed because he was using it for his watch advert (as linked), but said it mechanically and structurally it was fine. His new toy is a Ferrari and thus never really uses this one.

Unfortunately there's been a small stall on the sale, which suits me fine as gives me more time to research.

[RAF Jay]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

120k mi on an SC engine is generally just broken in, if it has no stud issues to address. That's the wildcard. They can break at any time, but sometimes an SC will go 1/4 million mile before a rebuild.

The pesky little 915 gearbox is another story. At 120k mi there's a decent chance it may be up for it's second rebuild. But again hard to say. Often people do a "half" rebuild on them and do just a couple synchros to keep it limping along. Other times they get the full monty. In general, they need synchro service in the 75-100k mi range, but that can be pushed out longer with a caring driver or it can come up on you at 50-60k mi with a thrasher. YMMV.

As for the car park? I don't lose any sleep over it. They are cars. I drive them. I've never had someone deliberately mess with one of my cars and I just try to park somewhat strategically to avoid being open to door dings. It's not like I'm going to leave it at the airport for a week while I am traveling.

A great reply, thanks!

How much would I be looking at to replace the head studs?

Is it worth preemptively getting them changed? If they fail, will it cause serious damage?

So assuming there's no information as to when it has been rebuilt, just taking it in a test drive and feeling the gearbox is the best way to figure out? The 915 is notorious for being tricky to shift into 1 and 2 gears right? Or should it still slide in relatively easy?

Thanks again M2 for the comprehensive reply.

[Matt Monson]

People drive with the studs broken all the time, sometimes not realizing it has happened. Doing them requires a full top end rebuild. I personally wouldn't spend $8-10k pre-emptively.

The biggest problem with people new to the 915 is they baby it, making shifts at 2500-3000 rpm. It's a sportscar. It needs to be shifted up around or above 4000rpm. So many newbs go on a test drive and come back complaining because they were driving it like a granny.

2nd does take what we often call a 2 stage shift. You start to pull it in gently and can feel it start to engage and pulled onto the synchro. At that point you finish the pull and click it in.

[1979-930]

Have you driven the car or any 3.0 Porsche? What is the reason for wanting to go from your current car to an old Air Cooled car?
This car is going to drive and perform nothing like your Turbo.

[NYNick]

Originally Posted by 1979-930

Have you driven the car or any 3.0 Porsche? What is the reason for wanting to go from your current car to an old Air Cooled car?
This car is going to drive and perform nothing like your Turbo.

OMG this, this, a thousand times this!

I had my brother (a pretty much non car guy) drive my 997 once. He owns an old Alfa.
He told me it was like flying an F16 versus a Sopwith Camel.

[Matt Monson]

I like Snoopy.