New Owner 1986 Carrera-(Mecum Video)
Great looking car and a even better story.
06-23-2014, 09:59 PM
#20
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Update:
So its been about 10 days since I purchased the car and even being out of town for 5 of those days, I just hit the 500 mile mark since purchase and am really starting to get to know it a lot better. Absolutely LOVING every single mile.
Anyways, after getting some more tips from a RL'er I drove about 40 miles to the indy shop and decided to go with him to do my work moving forward instead of the shop that is 3 miles from my house. The one close is really nice, and the Porsche specialist there is a great guy who used to race 911's, but they are a much bigger operation with every type of Euro car you can imagine spread over 8+ lifts, etc. The shop I chose is a one man team, with one lift and when I walked in the back, there was an SC in the air, a 3.2 Targa, a 356, and 2 other 911's outside. This guy just seems to live and breathe Porsche and immediately started telling me things that I could save some money on and fix at home.
I am starting by having him do the initial oil/filter change, fuel filter, etc so I can have him inspect the rest of the car and start making a checklist of things I need to address. I also am just going to have him go ahead and do a Valve adjustment to make sure I am all set there, and he said that will allow him to easily do a compression test, check the plugs, check the valve guides, as well as I believe he said 2 of the head studs if that makes any sense. All in all he said that will run me about $600-$700 and we will know exactly where we are at.
Can't thank everyone here enough for the kind words and I am excited to be a part of this group. Everything is better with pictures so I will leave you one of the Carrera next to her new friend, the Jaguar that I am semi-working on/semi deciding if I want to just sell and focus on the 911.
Kevin
Anyways, after getting some more tips from a RL'er I drove about 40 miles to the indy shop and decided to go with him to do my work moving forward instead of the shop that is 3 miles from my house. The one close is really nice, and the Porsche specialist there is a great guy who used to race 911's, but they are a much bigger operation with every type of Euro car you can imagine spread over 8+ lifts, etc. The shop I chose is a one man team, with one lift and when I walked in the back, there was an SC in the air, a 3.2 Targa, a 356, and 2 other 911's outside. This guy just seems to live and breathe Porsche and immediately started telling me things that I could save some money on and fix at home.
I am starting by having him do the initial oil/filter change, fuel filter, etc so I can have him inspect the rest of the car and start making a checklist of things I need to address. I also am just going to have him go ahead and do a Valve adjustment to make sure I am all set there, and he said that will allow him to easily do a compression test, check the plugs, check the valve guides, as well as I believe he said 2 of the head studs if that makes any sense. All in all he said that will run me about $600-$700 and we will know exactly where we are at.
Can't thank everyone here enough for the kind words and I am excited to be a part of this group. Everything is better with pictures so I will leave you one of the Carrera next to her new friend, the Jaguar that I am semi-working on/semi deciding if I want to just sell and focus on the 911.
Kevin
06-23-2014, 10:57 PM
#21
Thinking outside da' bun...
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Welcome to the owners club. We all remember when we first popped our cherry. No looking back now.
06-26-2014, 01:40 PM
#25
Drifting
Congrats, she's a beauty and what a blast to have it all documented on TV!
FYI, I have a very slow pea sized engine oil leak, passenger side. PPI few years ago, determined that it is nothing of concern and not worth fixing, unless it was time to rebuild engine, etc.
I do not have the "grape", so can't help you there.
Didn't the PPI address these issues?
FYI, I have a very slow pea sized engine oil leak, passenger side. PPI few years ago, determined that it is nothing of concern and not worth fixing, unless it was time to rebuild engine, etc.
I do not have the "grape", so can't help you there.
Didn't the PPI address these issues?
06-26-2014, 06:34 PM
#26
Instructor
What a great story, and it appears you bought right. Also seems you know what you are doing going forward, so hope to hear more from you when you get a few things ironed out.
06-26-2014, 07:55 PM
#27
Rennlist Member
07-03-2014, 07:18 PM
#28
Congrats man! I have a 86' coupe as well. I bought my first 911 when I was about your age, so I can relate.
The squeaking when you push on the front of the car is probably because you need new strut inserts. it's normal for a car of this age. You can go with stock ones or Bilstein sports are great for about $400/pair. It is a quick and easy job.
Find an independent shop if you don't want to do the job yourself.
148K miles is absolutely nothing for a 3.2L engine. If you maintain the car properly, you should be able to add 100K miles before you need to rebuild the engine. Mine has 145K miles and drives like new.
SW chip? Go for it!!!
Even if you don't have any service record, you can still get a car fax. This will give you an idea of the history of the car and if it sat around, not being driven for long period of times. This is the thing about them, they want to be driven hard and often, or things go to hell.
Most leaks are usually easy fixes, I will have all the fuel lines checked/replaced as well.
The engine will need to be dropped if you need to replace the clutch, this would be a good time to check the spark plugs as well.
The squeaking when you push on the front of the car is probably because you need new strut inserts. it's normal for a car of this age. You can go with stock ones or Bilstein sports are great for about $400/pair. It is a quick and easy job.
Find an independent shop if you don't want to do the job yourself.
148K miles is absolutely nothing for a 3.2L engine. If you maintain the car properly, you should be able to add 100K miles before you need to rebuild the engine. Mine has 145K miles and drives like new.
SW chip? Go for it!!!
Even if you don't have any service record, you can still get a car fax. This will give you an idea of the history of the car and if it sat around, not being driven for long period of times. This is the thing about them, they want to be driven hard and often, or things go to hell.
Most leaks are usually easy fixes, I will have all the fuel lines checked/replaced as well.
The engine will need to be dropped if you need to replace the clutch, this would be a good time to check the spark plugs as well.
07-03-2014, 11:56 PM
#29
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Update:
Fixed a few small things on my own in the past few days while waiting to take the car into the shop.
1) Figured out that the sunroof fuse blowing issue was something in the switch causing it, so I ordered a new one and popped it in and everything works great now.
2) Decklid shock was absolutely dead, so I got a new one and in about 30 minutes, no longer did the decklid have to rest on the back of my neck as I checked the oil, my face getting ever closer to the fan.
3) The T bolts on the rear grill were gone, so I dropped the AC down and was able to get in there and attach two new ones. Now the grill no longer has a bow and sits flush. Great.
I am pretty positive the suspension is stock, and it certainly feels it. I pretty much plan to go with Bilstein HD's all around, but #1 I don't know how to tell if the front struts are Bilstein's or not, they just are black/dirty and no real way to tell. Also, I think I could do the job myself with the help of a friend, but I am going to ask the Indy guy how much he would charge if I supplied the parts..3 hours labor? 5?
Still loving it more every day..can't wait until I get the green light on everything being safe and can start really driving.
Kevin
Fixed a few small things on my own in the past few days while waiting to take the car into the shop.
1) Figured out that the sunroof fuse blowing issue was something in the switch causing it, so I ordered a new one and popped it in and everything works great now.
2) Decklid shock was absolutely dead, so I got a new one and in about 30 minutes, no longer did the decklid have to rest on the back of my neck as I checked the oil, my face getting ever closer to the fan.
3) The T bolts on the rear grill were gone, so I dropped the AC down and was able to get in there and attach two new ones. Now the grill no longer has a bow and sits flush. Great.
I am pretty positive the suspension is stock, and it certainly feels it. I pretty much plan to go with Bilstein HD's all around, but #1 I don't know how to tell if the front struts are Bilstein's or not, they just are black/dirty and no real way to tell. Also, I think I could do the job myself with the help of a friend, but I am going to ask the Indy guy how much he would charge if I supplied the parts..3 hours labor? 5?
Still loving it more every day..can't wait until I get the green light on everything being safe and can start really driving.
Kevin
07-04-2014, 12:37 AM
#30
Three Wheelin'
Sounds like you are having fun being a new 911 owner. Bilsteins are shiny silver color. You would know. Sounds stock. Grab some HD's snd H&r lowering springs or eibachs. Good luck!