Popst3r

I just got a quote for 3.o liter 79 sc 964 cams 3.2 bore clutch for 35k

AG81

That price seems about right. I got a quote for 964 cams and some other goodies on a 3.2 that does not need a rebuild. I am wanting ITB's.
Pricing was about the same. I got a price on a 3.2 to 3.5 for about $35K to $50K.

Qtrfoil

These 2022 prices are consistent with what I'm going through. Prices on parts and hours have exploded, even in the last few years.

Which is why, despite some of the comments here, I'd be extremely reluctant to recommend a high mileage 911 to a first time buyer, unless there's been a very serious rebuild. These are engine prices, before you get to a likely clutch and all the rubber, much less suspension, interior, maybe paint, etc.

I'm ambidextrous on these fora, and there are other Porsche options that would get a much better prepared car for the same money. I also suspect we're near the top of the sale price curve on 911s, though others might easily disagree, and I wouldn't automatically assume that adding a lot of money in will be realized at resale. $.02.

AG81

^
Correct...... with these old 911's your buying the engine and transmission. So do your due diligence. It does not take long to get to $100K+ in one of these if you have to have the work done at a shop.

A cheap car is not cheap......

Qtrfoil

Which is why I'm eating a lot of salmon and kale lately - I need what I'm paying to be amortised across a bunch of years before I die with mine. Send thoughts and prayers please!

TheTorch

I did a full 3.2 to 3.4 rebuild / split the case, new P&Cs. I was about $11K all in, but all the labor was mine except machine work. Major costs:

• Head machining, new valve guides, rebushing rods and rockers, new valves: $3-4K (Competition Engineering)
• New 98mm Mahle 9.8:1 P&Cs: $4-5K (EBS)
• Tools, gaskets, seals, oil, new case studs, hoses, timing chains, ARP bolts, Supertech head studs, new engine baffles, rod and crank bearings, etc., etc.: $3-4K
• Sold my 95mm cylinders: recouped about $1K
• Other stuff you pretend you didn't spend money on but did: at least $1K. (Seriously this number gets big fast. Want new crankcase through bolts and nuts {11} : over $80 EACH )

Torquey 3.4 liter leak-free engine that burns no oil: priceless.

Other costs, especially if you can't DIY:

• You want to change the redline? Add $3-4K for stronger valve springs, new cams.
• You want a dyno tune? Add $2-5K dyno time.
• You have a mag case? Add $2-3K for line boring, cleaning, etc.
• Crank magnaflux and polishing? $$
• Need to drop the motor after the build to fix something (typically a small leak that will drive you nuts like a tiny, tiny intermediate shaft paper gasket leak)? $$
• Valve adjustment after break in? $
• Change to EFI? parts are expensive, but the tuning costs will bury you if you can't do it yourself. You will not believe how much effort and time is needed to tune everyday driveability: cold starts, idle, cruise vs WOT, etc. WOT tuning? probably the easiest part. Want to have perfect cold idle at all temps, smooth warmup and drive off capability, easy hot starts, no lurching, no pops or backfires, decent cruising mileage, responsiveness from 2K to redline? I did 102 different tuning configs in the first 6 months, and since my rebuild completed in September, I have done 42 different tunes. Personally, I enjoy it and computers are my career so it's not work per se. If you this isn't you, pay someone to set it up for you. It won't be cheap. If it is, it won't be good.

Qtrfoil

So, you're saying I need to live to like 130. Red wine, maybe, I'll try that instead.

theiceman

i was think the same thing. I did my own top end about 7 years ago now since the studs broke in my car , cost about 3.5 K all in but all the labour was mine.. i bet even that would be insane now.

certainly pays to know how to do that stuff.

FA18C

This is actually one of the reasons I bought my car. I have always had in my mind that I would rebuild a 911 engine, but have no desire to start a car from a bare roller. So I will drive this until the engine tells me it is time. But in the meantime, I get joy from improving everything else on the car while I prepare. First engine drop will be to do the clutch, and I expect I will learn a lot, and clean up some other while I am in there stuff. That will give me a feel for whether my confidence is just the beer talking. I have several spreadsheets...I can do everything on the G50 clutch for less than $2K, with a $500 kicker for while I am in there for the triangle of death stuff, some new engine area gaskets etc... But applying DIY logic, the savings from labor either paid for the clutch, OR pays for a scissor lift. This in turn makes future engine drops and other work easier, thereby also paying for itself. My engine rebuild spreadsheet sits at right around $9-11K for parts - depending on options. 3.2 to 3.4 P&Cs is a $2K difference, which grows if I have to make it breathe better for the displacement. If the bottom is solid, I am leaning towards doing the heads and valves, and likely new P&Cs and head studs all around as well as Webcam 20/21 or 964 cams. Then stick with a premuffler, stock muffler and chipset. For a street car, I think that will work for me. So hold my beer and watch this...

rstarga

I've had my car almost 50 years. You will NEVER recover what you put into a well maintained car!
Not in yesterdays dollars converted to todays dollars. Drive and enjoy, that is your reward.

FA18C

RS - agree, if you are paying a wrench. I had a 70E for a decade. Did all of my own maintenance, got some help on the clutch, be rolled up my sleeves and figured out the MFI, tuning and all of the maintenance. When I sold it, I got every penny and then some back. If you hemorrhage $35K on refreshing a car and over pay, and try to sell it immediately after, I would agree. The market will not always go straight up, but always rewards good cars. The investment is in having a sorted car to enjoy for the next 15-20 years - that we can agree on.