myslateblue911

I have a 1983 911 SC. The engine was recently rebuilt and runs well. I'd like some suggestions and ideas for enhancing the performance of the car in terms of horsepower and torque.

stlrj

What's been done to it so far?

myslateblue911

As I mentioned before, the engine was rebuilt about 2000 miles ago. This included rings, bearings, seals, gaskets and machine work. I don't believe there was any high-performance work done to the engine when the rebuild was completed. I believe the shocks have been replaced, the clutch has been replaced, and 930 turbo tire rod ends were installed. As far as I know everything else is stock.

Amber Gramps

The most inexpensive performance gains can be had by loosing weight.

...and believe me, there is a lot of weight to be lost in a stock dress 911.

CAporsche

^ What is in place of the clock?

for performance, SSI heat exchangers are good for 25 hp or so.

myslateblue911

Can you give me some ideas of what could be removed from my stock 911 (83') to reduce the weight?

I also second question. What has been installed in place of the clock?

thanks

r911

SSIs first, tho it will take a lot more addons and $$ to get 25 hp

next, you can go to PMO carbs

and cams to match

after that, you'll need to completely redo the motor for more hp

CAporsche

reducing weight: rear seats and belts, a/c, smog pump (in my case '77), lighter wheels, seats if you want to start getting crazy. I'm sure others have a hundred ideas beyond that.

@r911 that is just beautiful.

r911

Thx! 15 years of work and not done yet...

I gained more than 25 hp with a hotrodded 3.2L motor

Jabrony

...at some point you have to ask yourself "how far do I go?" ... sure you can take all the crap out of the inside... you could not eat dinner... lose weight yourself... make it a remote control car... replace all body panels with duct tape.... sorry to poo poo you racer boys but at some point it gets ridiculous.

r911

Yes, everyone has to make their own decision on that. Hopefully, they will do it intelligently and not reduce wt. in 'boy racer' fashion (RS door panels only for example).

Same applies with suspension mods, sometimes they need to be reversed for a more cushy ride when life events necessitate (wife acquisition, kids, old age).

Steve993

Myslateblue911, without sounding too preachy, how do you know that you are driving the car to its max limits with its current configuration? Have you participated in lots of PCA and other car club Driver Ed events, where you have consistently shown to be one of the better drivers in your group but lack of power is holding you back? If not, I suggest you attend DE events to see just how well you and your car currently perform. I think you will be surprised at both the true capabilities of you and your car.

I have approx 200 track events under my belt and have been a track instructor with PCA, FCA, BMWCCA and numerous private organizations for almost 20 years. Lots of people come to these events solely focused on going fast and want to dress up their car with mods to go faster without yet being able to properly drive the car as it was built as the factory. A few laps around a challenging track quickly brings them to reality. I suspect it's too late, but I suggest that you first be absolutely certain that you are driving the car to its max before you spend lots more dollars necessarily. Just my .02.

Jabrony

Steve993... very well put!!

theiceman

sorry but that's just Bollocks ... typical Porsche track guy attitude.. "you can t justify more power unless you go to the track".. I am so fed up of the attitude of track guys who make you think just because you have a Porsche youhave to go to the track .. just total crap.

These cars are old in technology and an SC can be beat off the line by a Ford Focus for christs sake.
There is nothing wrong with wanting a little more grunt to your car without being pushed to the track, the track isn't for everyone.

OP Your engine build comments aren't specific, could even be just a top end from what you describe. Would have been nice if they had dropped in a 964 cam grind for a bit of mid range torque.
SSIs are about the only thing you can do for an SC. you wont get 25HP out of that mod you will get a modest 10-12 . This of course includes eliminating the cat , not sure how you feel about that. it will also require a dual inlet muffler and some oil lines so a bit of work although not much.

You can reduce weight but I think some weight reduced cars look like total crap. I don't want the inside of may car to look like something out of mad max but that is personal taste.

beyond the SSis and PMOs ( PMOs will give you tonnes of power but will require matched cams again ) it gets very expensive.

stlrj

An 83 SC is plenty quick off the line or, at least, it should be. I owned both 82 SC and 87 Carrera simultaneously and found the SC even quicker than my Carrera. So if you feel your SC is down on hp and tq, I suggest you have it looked into professionally before spending obscene amounts of money for very little benefit.

Cheers,

Joe