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I was made an offer I couldn't refuse on a 911SC Targa that has been dormant in a friend's garage for the last seven (7!) years (!!!)
Fortunately the tires still held air and his driveway is on a slope so I was able to roll it onto my trailer and drag it home but now I need to determine how do I best go about preparing to fire it up again safely.
I'm thinking, pull the plugs and shoot some light oil into each bore to help free the rings, and dump and replace the gas. What else should I do to address or minimize the effects of entropy?
How many miles on it? The SC 3 liter motor is bullet proof but if its substantially over 100,000 and hasn't been treated well you can expect guide wear. Do it right , before you start it (after dropping/replacing the oil ) get yourself a compression test. With the plugs pulled the oil pressure will build and lube all those parts that haven't been for the last 7 years. Looks like a very nice find.
How many miles on it? The SC 3 liter motor is bullet proof but if its substantially over 100,000 and hasn't been treated well you can expect guide wear. Do it right , before you start it (after dropping/replacing the oil ) get yourself a compression test. With the plugs pulled the oil pressure will build and lube all those parts that haven't been for the last 7 years. Looks like a very nice find.
It's got 69k miles showing but the title has been listed as mileage exempt since 33k miles in 1995 - judging by the condition and what I've known of the car (since 2004) I'd say that's likely close.
I'll put the gauge on it as I replace the plugs and wires, see what sort of numbers it makes. Prolly get leakdown specs as well...
I drive my wife crazy as whenever we drive past someone’s open garage door, I’m always slowing down and looking for that distinctive 911 or 356 shape with fingers crossed for that elusive barn/garage find!
Sounds like you’ll soon have the excitement of hearing her fire up for the first time for you!
Guides will be fine, they are solid on the SC. Mine checked out perfect after 250,000 km, guides were an issue on the 3.2 . on the SC your worry will be head studs. But the 3.0 litre is a damn solid motor.
Great find! You'd said the 'minimize effects of entropy' and I believe meant 'atrophy'. Word choice aside, super cool that you scored that car!
My '85 3.2 car had been 5 years dormant, and I had to extricate some mouse nests first, dirtdobber nests IN the engine compartment, leaks galore. So I just bit the bullet and had the motor pulled.
Did all the usual then, and was of course very accessible. Gaskets, seals, sensors that you can't reach in car, some 'normal' wear item culprits. Did a clutch and alternator mostly as precaution. You many not need to be this extreme, but I knew I was keeping the car and fortunately haven't had any real issues since (5 years).
So consider the 'one and done' approach IF this is a keeper for you. Either way, ENJOY!
This car was lucky in that the garage it was kept in was well-maintained and busy with motorcycles and woodworking projects, so no critter or water issues to have to un-do, just alleviate the random effects of the passage of time like the fuel system going gummy.
Got her cleaned out, fluids freshened and fired up! Running great, although the tires have the mother of all flatspots going so driving around is a bit rough. Been installing bits and pieces from the collection of spares the PO had accrued under the guise of good intentions - cap, rotor, plugs and wires, boot lid shocks, and the like.
In a back-to-back with my 993 you can feel the similarities but also the advances that came between generations. Top-off motoring is very pleasant, but the 993's place is safe. This will make a fun car for someone to enjoy the air-cooled experience but I don't have enough extra room in the garage to justify another extra car.
It's been a fun project resurrecting it though.
Christian
'95 Carrera
'82 911SC Targa
<some other stuff and motorcycles too>
It was a long-shot, trying to convince my wife this was the car to replace the current convertible at our house (E36 M3), so on to the next person to enjoy this fun car, some one is going to love it:
Sorry to shill but this is a good car that has enough story to make it a great candidate to get someone into 911 ownership toward the bottom of the market.
Auction closes out Monday, if you or someone you know has been mulling air-cooled ownership take a look, reach out and ask me anything you need to know to value it, and place a bid.
I just today decided to look into getting an AC to play with, looks promising quick question with new tires would you drive it to CA?
It's a 30-some year old car so one can never be certain what to expect, but after having put almost 500 miles on this car recently, I would not fear such a trip with her. Then again I have done a buy and fly from halfway across the country a couple times and know that occasionally things don't go according to plan, like the Ducati that spit out its fuel tank vent hose somewhere in Georgia such that I could only put about a gallon of gas in it before it dumped any more out the bottom of the bike - getting across some stretches of the country with only ~50 miles between stops is a bit nerve-wracking but its part of my history with that vehicle now.
These days, a cell phone and a credit card allows one to fix just about anything from anywhere, but I recommend approaching any such prospect with a sense of adventure and some flexibility in one's schedule.
03-20-2018, 08:28 PM
Revival! The Awakening!!
