r911

replace bushings, replate rusty items, check for wear, etc. - must be a thread on it(?)

there is a spot where the clutch cable attaches and it commonly wears to the point of clutch problems or failure

you CANNOT assess the rust under it w/out removing it

when putting it back in, you can also put dum dum around the bolts to keep out splashed water

Craigw1926

Thanks for all the advise, fellas. I was originally thinking about picking up a 3.2, but prices are crazy and like some of you mentioned, I'd be looking at a minimum of $15K to find one, go through it and get it into the car. I'm not a mechanic and I don't have time to do much work myself.

I just found a local mechanic who's been working on Porsche engines since the 60s. He told me he's got a good running 3.0 (1980) sitting in his shop right now for $5K. I'm thinking I'll throw a little bit more $$$ at it and have him put the obvious performance upgrades in it before he puts it in the car.

This leads to me a follow up question:

What are the obvious upgrades to a 1980 3.0L engine? I'm smog exempt so I don't have to worry about anything there.

Amber Gramps

3,2 jugs and plugs. ....but don't google that.

FormulaRX

Lmao

r911

you kill the CIS and put on carbs or EFI; you need to put in a good cam to take adv. of those too

you thought the 3.2L was crazy expensive??

onboost

It all boils down to your budget and what you want to do. A 3.0 engine in the lighter/earlier car is decent/easy plug & play upgrade over the current 2.7... If the CIS is in good shape, and you're mechanic knows the motor etc.. your fine. Especially at $5k if the motor is decent.

Replace the normal gaskets and seals, add Carrera tensioners if not already there, advance the cam timing, backdate the exhaust w/SSI or similar & a sport muffler, maybe do a lightened flywheel and an old school crank-fire ignition and go have fun! Huge improvement over what you have now!

Everything else mentioned, while good and great stuff will exponentially add to you cost, you'll be headed towards that $15k mark so fast it will make your nose bleed.. especially if you're not doing the work. Don't get caught-up in all cool cam, weber, and P/C stuff unless you're really prepared to spend the money.

GTgears

As onboost alludes to, there are very few cheap power mods for a cis engine. Even a set of ssi heat exchangers will cost you over $1000. You crack into that $5k engine and you are at $10k in a blink.

Put it in. Do the exhaust. If you want to spend another $2500 do carbs. Don't mess with the cam. Wasted $$$ until the engine needs a proper rebuild. This is not some pushrod v8. Cans will cost more labor than parts.

996SPECticle

I've enjoyed eavesdropping y'alls conversation and would like to pose a couple of questions.
How would you class a Singer or Walker car? Restomod? Pro Touring? Something else?
I am much more familiar with the classic big 3 'Merican cars, 'Vette, Camoaro, 'Stang.(FU Mopar) For about the last 8 years or so people have taken an "average" one of these, one not particularly special on its own. Add modern suspension, brakes, tuned engine etc. and now have a car that will sell for twice or more the price of a well done "stock" example, much more than the sum of the extra parts. I realize much of this has to do with the sheer numbers of the US cars and parts to work with.
Do ya'll see any of this as trending in older 911's?

Along the lines of the OPs question, which do you think would be more desireable, an RS clone with period parts or something similar in design but with every modern update(including engine) that could be applied? Tastefully done of course.

Lets say some unknown guy in BFE builds a wonderful 70's example in his garage using many of the Singer/Walker "artistic" touches. Did this Joe in his garage just devalue his car?

r911

The CIS cam will work with carbs but will not make anywhere near the power, nor the give the feel, of a correct cam suited to carbs.

I agree re high cost for converting a CIS motor, and that a set of SSIs is a good improvement at 'low' cost. Many have done that before you, just as quite a few people have gone whole hog hotrodding.

If you stay with CIS, the motor will start easily and give good torque and fuel economy - it just won't rev like a sports car should. CIS is a perfectly acceptible FI system for a mid-70s family car.

Freddie Two Bs

I have no idea what or where BFE is, but in my view if someone builds a sophisticated restomod on a middie chassis, he doesn't necessarily devalue the car, but if he wants to sell it he'll have a much smaller pool of interested buyers to tap into.

sithot

Fixing the body will stretch the budget and it's the most labor intensive of any undertaking like this. I'll take a car with no engine and transmission before ANYTHING with rust in it.

A mid-year is a great car and they do make nice sleepers.

There is one in the garage. I'd share some pics but my editing software isn't handy and I've already supplied GOOGLE too many freebies.

996SPECticle

BFE=BumFuctEgypt 12 miles from the middle of nowhere

I would normally agree with the rust concerns but it seems too easy to be 20K+ into a drive train for a 911 these days.
I know its a bear to fix the cubby holes and corners where panels come together that rust out added to the fact there are so few "flat" pieces of steel.
I bought a $200 welder many years ago and with some practice and confidence it can be rather straightforward if not easy to patch some places.
I wouldn't buy someone else's work without a ton of pics though, It is too easy to cut corners for a cosmetic fix and make things worse. I'm afraid there are a lot of such cars floating around the marketplace. Anyone seen a street sign as a floor lately?

sithot

The body work on a Porsche can cost many times more than an engine.

Even if it isn't a complete mess a paint job can cost $15-$20,000 for "widows out" done by a professional who will use as little plastic as possible and block it until it's laser straight. That where the money goes.
The painting is the easy part although paint has gotten ridiculously expensive too. Thanks, EPA.

Street sign floor? Sure, and I've also seen a license plate in a Corvette door as a backing plate.

I've never kidded myself into thinking I could do rust repair as good as a guy in the business and I know a bunch of them. They are artists and can turn a disaster into a concours winner. The work is beyond reproach.

Home-improvement rust repair is generally limited to patching. Anytime there is structural rust you need a fixture (Celette or the equivalent) to lock everything down. Unsupported work can end up as a nightmare. Ever heard of doors not shutting once a car is lowered on it's own weight? Not pretty.
Alignment issues when suspension parts are replaced is another not uncommon misstep.

FWIW: We have a welder we use on the farm for fixing tractors and other heavy duty things that break. The welds don't necessarily have to be pretty, they just have to hold. Penetration is all we're looking for and that's not necessarily a good thing in the body business.

r911

I agree. But I can do most mechanical work myself, so I'm biased.

Maybe the OP owns a body shop?


A "benefit" to having to do body welding is that the body can then be strengthened to give less flex and be more sporty. IIRC, TRE said they got one as stiff as a 996.

Like the man said "stiffness costs money -- how stiff do ya wanna be?"

sithot

LOL.

"Viagra Welding".

A seam welded chassis is also wonderful thing.