I gave up trying to do the final dial in and brought the car to Scott’s Independent and am now finally able to enjoy the car fully. They did a full health check and were very complimentary on my motor build. Now that the MFI is dialed in, I should be good for a long time - I was off by 5 clicks on the main rack and idle circuit!

Not sure if I will continue to post on this thread or start new threads now that my build is complete. Either way, I wanted to post an ending to this wild journey as I finally arrived at this milestone.

For those that followed along the past 2.5 years and over 1,100 posts, I hope I was able to provide some helpful information or at least some entertainment 😊.

I learned a lot about these old cars and a lot about my own patience and abilities. These types of restorations aren’t for the faint of heart – these old cars have so many hidden surprises that will test both your patience and your wallet. However, it is very doable for an average do-it-yourselfer.

A little more about me – I am a father of 4 and a busy insurance executive. Having just paid for 2 of my kids college and now just about to begin paying for my 3rd kid’s college expenses, picking a rather expensive and time-consuming endeavor like this was probably not the best decision – but hey, you only live once! Hard to believe I was able to finish this thing in 2.5 years given how much I am stretched in other ways – and the work was done in literally the smallest 2-car garage you can build that is packed with ‘stuff’ that a large family packs in the garage – not the best working conditions. In fact, you may recall I sold my 993 C4S partially to help clear some room in the garage.

From the beginning, I wanted a hotrod that someone might have built in the 70's using parts from other models/years - a sort of sleeper hot rod. It was also important to me to keep it as a narrow body and mostly stock on the outside. I also wanted it to be a balanced car – the type of driving experience you hear folks describe for the ’73 RS. It needed to be a throwback experience - one that you cannot experience with any modern car - and not steer too far away from the essence of what Porsche was doing with these cars in the early 70's.

Let’s get to the driving impressions.

I could not be happier with my choices in suspension. Yes, it is a bit firm when encountering large bumps in the road, but generally the car is very compliant and feels extremely capable. Having driven other 911’s, such as my 911SC and a 993, it is shocking just how different these early cars feel. The steering is incredibly light compared to my SC and the car feels so much more nimble. The feedback you receive as the driver and ‘connection’ you feel to the road is unlike any other car I have driven. I did put the car on a diet, so the car is fairly light at 2,133lbs -- I am sure this is a big part of the reason it feels noticeably different than my SC which is ~500lbs heavier. The 185/70 tires and current camber settings does provide a little more of a ‘challenge’ compared to other 911’s I have driven. Long term I may need to figure out getting a larger wheel/tire combo out back and/or a more aggressive camber setting. I do want to lower the front a bit more - but I do not want to go too low. Final comment about the ride – the sport seats make an enormous impact. The stock ‘comfort’ seats really shouldn’t be in a 911 once you add HP. The sport seats are very comfortable and the bolsters really help hold you in during spirited drives and this suspension setup.

The braking is strong and provides confidence—although I will say that the pedal is still a tad soft and I expect it may take time to firm up as the entire braking system was replaced/rebuilt. This is one area where my SC and 993 felt a little better – a little more confidence provided in the pedal feedback. I actually really like the feel of the SC brake pedal – although it has the hydrovac servo/booster (first 911 to have this – introduced with the SC), so I may just need to get used to the feeling of no ‘assistance’ with the pedal.

On to the motor. Wow – simply wow. I could not be any happier with my choices. The torque starts down low and the power band is VERY broad – and this is from 2.5 liters! The power band starts around 3k and just keeps going! It feels strong right up to the new redline of 7,300. The other very noticeable feeling I get from this motor is the throttle response – it is just awesome. I had heard good things about MFI throttle response, and now I get to experience it. The car is on the louder side – but I like it (it is a hotrod after all). I was worried that it would be annoyingly loud on the inside since I stripped out much of the interior, but that is not the case – it sounds just right to me inside, although I think my wife may disagree 😊 I am so happy I stuck with the early mag case and smaller displacement -- it is so hard to duplicate the sound and personality of these motors.

The transmission is stock – and I am sure it will need attention in the future (slight occasional grinding). It has never been rebuilt – I’m sure it helped that it was a T, as it didn’t need to handle the power of the E or S all those years. It shifts surprisingly well – it just goes to show that replacing the bushings goes a long way with a 915. I even kept the stock shifter and I am happy I did. Shifting this old gearbox with its original design is part of the character and provides a truly vintage hotrod experience. In fact, my SC (also having a 915 gearbox) has the factory short shift on it, and I am glad I kept the stock lever on this car as it just feels ‘right’ – it feels like it matches the rest of the personality of this period hotrod.

The car needs some minor details to be taken care of over time, but at least for now I can close out my build and start to enjoy driving the car. I have now put 500 miles on the car and am enjoying every mile. I plan to put many miles on this car - hoping to drive across states and do some fun rally's!

Here are photos of the car out in the wild.

Cheers!