race911

So I've had the car you see below sitting around for about 8 years now. Originally I found it in 1990, and it was going to be an RSR conversion for my then-girlfriend. Yes, a longhood RSR (though it probably would have initially had a carb'd 3.0) for a 20-something blonde......... But a week later a dead '77 dropped in my lap, and the project shifted to doing a 3.0 930 for her. (That car turned out really nice, and the only things non-correct were the rear trailing arms, and that I kept a 915 trans in the car.)

My cousin, then going to Cal took this (then) puke yellow '73 1/2 CIS T Sportomatic, with factory air and sunroof off my hands. I'd given him a ride in my 911 when he was a teen, and he was hooked. So here was his chance to do the RS he'd envisioned. Except he didn't have any money. But he went at it, and disassembled the car to the barest of shells. Zero rust, ever. After the hard work was done, which didn't cost anything, he was out of college and could afford to build the car. It was finished off in Grand Prix White with real RS flares, an MFI 2.7S engine, S front spoiler, S deco, fabricated RS rear bumper ends, and I think it even had a real RS (or at least '74 Carrera) ducktail at one point. Damned near perfect. He even painted the car himself.

But life moves on......... The 910 project (www.newhistorics.com) was moving along 7-8 years later, he never drove this car, and he needed the bucks to buy a lathe and CNC mill. So I took the roller off his hands, liquidated all the expensive (and getting to be rare) trim parts, had a cage welded in for running it in our local Spec 911 series. And then the engine I hastily threw together coughed a piston in the first race. So in the corner of the shop it went. Then it periodically got moved around to other storage places. Sat and sat and sat. Until a couple of days ago, when I pulled it into the current shop.

Now I'm staring at this car, having nearly zero interest in torsion bar 911s, thinking this chassis is too nice to trash/expose to wheel-to-wheel. What to do? I've got everything and then some to do whatever combination suits my fancy. Engine? 2.7S, 3.0, 3.2, 3.6 (any with carbs or injection), hell even 3.0 and 3.3 turbo parts are laying around. Trans? Mg or Al 915, w/ or w/o Quaife or LSD. Suspension? What's on the car is decambered/raised spindle struts, custom valved Bilsteins, 22/31 T-Bars, Charlie Bars for stabilizers, 930 brakes. All way too much for a non-competition car.

OK, I've typed enough. We'll see where this goes over the rest of the summer.

race911

A few photos I found from when it was completely disassembled.

Ed Hughes

Dilemna.

I'd say that in this case, the roller has more value as the sum, than the individual parts. If I look at Ruby, she's probably got more value parted out than if I ever sold her. Not so with this...

This could be a nice "R Gruppish" car with just a decent engine. Heck, the perfect Calif car missing the smog requirements. I ought to buy it and move some parts over...

race911

Some photos I found from when I got the car as a roller in '02.

race911

And here we were today, being productive.

whalebird

Some guys have it all. Mid-20s blondes and early cars sitting around.
I've always liked the idea of an early car with a 2.3 twin(small) turbo set up similar to a 962 and an intercooler that will fit under a duck tail. You know...a high revving twin turbo!!!

race911

Well, she's mid 40s now.............. And 20 years ago there were longhoods in decent shape sitting around pretty much everywhere. This one was about $3K, and it was running. Sort of, had a broken piston. One that I'll always remember "getting away" in that era was a fully optioned Gemini Blue '73S for about $4K. Guy decided to keep it, and I ended up doing the engine/trans on it, then he got it painted. Probably spent over $20K back when those cars weren't even worth $10K.

I've got the pieces to do a small displacement turbo, except a 66mm stroke crank. I'd just set it up like a 3.0 turbo and wouldn't worry about an intercooler for a street car.

race911

Further stripping last week. (Gratuitous shot of C4S, and the later air cooled cars I'm now accustomed to are most of the reason I can't wrap my head around torsion bar cars anymore.)

VintageRacer

I'd cut the cage out and install a nice 3.0L engine in it. It already has some nice suspension pieces.

Why was the front bumper painted black when it was a O/T car?

race911

A 3.0 would be the most appropriate choice as the pieces I have laying around are from a 3.0 930 engine, so that would be the lightest lump in an AL engine I could come up with. But the fuel mileage/driveability of running carbs anymore out here is very undesirable. Especially 46's.

Front (and rear) bumpers were never painted. Car was quickly assembled for a club race initially, and I didn't get around to painting anything.

None of the suspension that came off the car is really suitable for a street car. If you're truly interested in performance, rather than claiming stiffer-is-better. Maybe for autocross; even then I'd take my chances on a softer car I could surf, at most venues.

The most likely scenario for this car is selling the shell off, or now that I have time to build it to spec to a buyer's exact desire.

VintageRacer

I agree. The 3.0L is a great engine for an early small bumper 911. It has good torque and good reliability.

I like the carb engines due to their simplicity. I don't worry about gas mileage.

It's all in a guy's personal opinion. In this part of the country, we can work with a stiff suspension. It's hard to claim that a non-A/C car is a suitable street car around here.

I'd be interested in the car if I wasn't 2500 miles from you. I like early longhoods (and have never owned anything else). This car has a great looking body shell and some nice suspension parts. Please keep us posted on what you decide to do.

BTW, my favorite Porsche is my 1973 911T in Gemini Blue with a stroked 1973 911S engine (carb'd).

race911

Gratuitous bump since we've got someone looking for a completed RS-ish car.

All I've done the past couple of weeks is work over the paint. It's still amazingly good. Got it about 75% done with the buffer and clay bar.

Looks like this one will roll back into storage shortly as I've gotten somewhat motivated to do the mechanicals on the RSA. Been trying to sell it as-is, cheap, as I had my eye on Evan's 993 race car you might have seen in the for sale ads. But, it seems no DIY market for cars that have an entry point at $20K+. So I'll spend my spare time doing the top end and trans on that, and re-list it ready-to-go at market value.

race911

Too funny to find this post in here from when I first pulled the '73 chassis from deep storage.

So, yesterday, the (likely) engine and (definite) suspension are starting to be extracted.

VintageRacer

Good luck on what sounds like to be a fun project.

P.S. I was in your neighborhood a couple a months ago for the Saturday morning EASY get-together. It was fun.

race911

Wait, are you the seat guy?