redidrum

Anyone know what is the easiest way to lower my 1982 Porsche 911sc? Need to drop it about 1 1/2 ito 2 inches. Sits too high.

Thanks,

Ron

Peter Zimmermann

Actually, the correct way to lower the rear is to disconnect the sway bar, then disconnect the bottom of the shock, then disconnect the trailing arm from the radius arm and measure how many degrees the radius arm is at. Pull the radius arm away from the chassis in order to expose the torsion bar, which will allow you to turn the bar a certain number of splines to achieve the desired ride height, again by measuring how many degrees the radius arm is at after pushing it back into place. For example, your car is probably at about 40 degrees, changing it to about 35 degrees will give you the height that you want. Of course, unless you've done it a few times there is a bit of trial & error involved. Also, the time it takes for an expert to do the entire job (front & rear), including alignment, is about 5 - 6 hours. This is not an easy job for anyone other than an experienced Porsche technician or an alignment specialist with lots of Porsche experience. Remember, there are a lot of ways to do this job wrong, only one way to do it right!

paradisenb

Peter is right about lowering the car by changing the location of the torsion bars and it is a difficult job. Even very experienced experts will tell that. They never really enjoy doing it. After the car is lowered it must be aligned and corner balanced. Very important.
IMO any car will enjoy improved handling, if they have ever had anything changed and perhaps all older cars in general, after being corner balanced.
I think I spent about $350.00 to have it professionally done. Here are the results:

SGOGT4

Randy -

It looks as though they never got around to the rear (or is that just the driveway)

redidrum

Thanks guys,

I've got my hands full here.. Want to Completely Flush all fluids this weekend, lower the car soon and buy a fiberglass top. Removing small dents tomorrow with my paintless dent removal buddy.

Anyone know what is the best price and website for a hardtop targa top?

Where is the idle adjustment ? I need a Maintenance Manual soon.

Thanks,

Ron

Peter Zimmermann

Ron: You better re-think lowering your car! If the pic is yours the car already appears to be at Euro ride height, which is exactly where you want it. When viewing the car from the side you should be able to see an air gap between the top center of the rear tire (.25" - .75"), and the closest point of that rear wheel arch. Any lower than that the shocks lose their effectiveness and the rear can't squat when exiting corners under heavy throttle. You also lose the ability to drive across railroad tracks, bad pavement, etc. with some degree of comfort. As a reference my car (sitting on a clean, level, concrete floor) measures 24 7/8" from the floor, through the center of the rear wheel, to the wheel arch, and 25" at the front. This gives you a predictable, consistent handling car that looks "right" and can still be driven on the street/freeway.

redidrum

Peter,

I was rethinking lowering. It is last on my list. That is not my car. Just one that looks like it.

Where is the Engine Idle Adjustment at?

Need manuals on CD ?

Thanks,

Ron

jet911

According to B. A. "Porsche 911 Performance Handbook," the european ride height as measured from the ground to the fender lip should be front: 25 1/2 inches; rear: 25 inches. The 1/2 inch difference gives you the correct nose-down slope of approx. 1 deg neg slope. As noted in his book, this will be an approx. height. To be absolutely correct involves a process of measurements. I believe there is an article on the topic either here or at PP that goes through that process plus it is outlined in the above mentioned book.

Peter Zimmermann

Idle adjustment can be a bit tricky, and might be a sign that something's wrong with the car. You might have a vacuum hose/nipple problem, you might have a sticky ignition distributor vacuum box, your fuel mixture might be wrong, your linkage may be rusty, you might have a broken return spring, etc. But, if you want to slow the idle look on the left side of the throttle body, which is just to the left of the center of the engine forward from where the cruise control bowden tube connects. The idle adjustment screw is about 1/2" in diameter, is slotted for a flat-bladed screwdriver, and has a clearly visible spring on it. Turn the screw clockwise (most can be turned with finger & thumb) to slow the idle. This should be done at running temp. Once again, I will warn you that something might be wrong with the car that's causing the fast idle, your adjustment should be considered a BandAid until the car is checked. FYI: Left/right/front/rear directions are always given as though you were standing at the center of the rear of your car looking forward (left is the driver's side). Hope this helps...

paradisenb

My car is lowered, front and rear, to the euro specs listed above. The slope of the driveway makes the rear look a lot higher. These cars handle much better at this height. That little difference in the center of gravity translates exponentially to improved handling. Love it. Now!

redidrum

Thanks everyone!

I'm taking it all one step at atime. As you can see by my recent pictures, the car colud use some lowering.

Ron