Cbwell

Very interesting- thanks for the info. It's worth a shot for sure.

theiceman

I would sure try it. I thought that bearing was pinned though. Maybe not.
I think supertec is owned by henry Schmidt
Is so that guy is top notch

rusnak

Draco did a great writeup about this on Pelican

u7t2p7

Looking at your avatar I can see where you made lots of newbie mistakes. In the end you have NO ONE to blame but yourself. When the dealer claimed original paint, your reply should have been let me see it for myself with your paint meter. When the dealer claimed one owner you should have asked for a copy of the carfax or purchased one yourself. When the independent shop recommended not doing a leak down/compression test that was your decision. How did you locate this independent; recommended by the dealer, google search, referral here on RL? I've never done business with this dealer however their website is such a hodge podge of product I would run the other way before ever considering buying a Porsche from them. Be curious to know how much you paid for the car; if for no other reason it might explain your actions. Live and learn; and enjoy the car. Oh and for what it's worth I've owned well over 30 air cooled Porsches and have never had a leak down or compression test performed...and have never had an issue post purchase. That being said I have a very good sense for good vs bad and have rejected several based on PPI's and the shop recommendations.

Cbwell

Hmm, interested in learning how 'lots of newbie mistakes' are identifiable by my avatar??

Agreed- as I've stated, much of this was self inflicted. It's frustrating that I got a PPI from a well known indie shop in Miami and they missed this oil leak that my mechanic identified rather quickly. Not sure how I could change that outcome other than demanding a leak down which wouldn't have changed the misdiagnose of the oil leak but probably would have made me walk away.

Glad to hear you've had such good luck. I've typically had very good luck as well and I should have gone with my gut when I started seeing red flags. I caught the 930 fever though and that clouded my judgement.

u7t2p7

Buying a 30 YO air cooled Porsche is much different than the newer modern water cooled versions. In reading this thread and your WTB post, you stated "I am willing to be patient" for the right car, or something to that effect. Yet in a couple of weeks a car was located and purchased. It's common for many to take 6, 12 even 18 months to find the "right" car. I know it's easy to be impulsive when you think it's the right one. If said car "gets away" then it's probably not the right one to begin with.

Regarding PPIs on these air cooled cars, there is such a huge range of opinions, procedures and costs associated with this service. Some shops (including Scott Finlay in Miami) have stopped doing them all together. There is too much downside and for many, no upside. Especially when the buyer is from out of town and isn't a prospective customer for work needed. I lived in Miami for several years and know most if not all the shops there. Chances are the shop you used started with the letter "V, P or E." Hopefully it will all work out for you in the long run. Good luck.

Cbwell

Got it. Yes, I tend to not be the most patient person once I decide to move on something. Oh well, it'll end up costing me more out of the gate than expected but it's a nice car and drives great. I'll be much smarter the next go round. You are correct on the indie shop, it does start with one of those letters. I don't blame some shops for not wanting to do PPI's for the reasons you mention. Onward and upward.

sugarwood

There's no need to further berate Cbwell further. This is not his first rodeo, and he admits he slipped up. He had a valid point to be miffed at the bad PPI, and he owns the fact that he was a bit too trusting.

Hopefully he can get past this and enjoy the car by summer.

Cbwell

Thanks. It's all good. It'll make me extra cautious next time because I know I'll need to account to the RL jury. As someone mentioned previously- I rescued this orphan to get it all shaped up. My next thread will be documenting the rescue........

JDHertz11

Ahhh Miami, a tropical paradise. A great place to visit but not so sure I'd want to live there (20+ year resident). Most of the repair shops are pretty good but the dealers leave a lot to be desired. Switching from periko to cars has its downsides.

theiceman

great looking machine .im sure it will all be fine

sithot

Henry Schmidt at Supertec has great #8 kit. It requires measuring as it's not a one-size-fits-all.

Head studs are another potential problem. Henry also sells some very fine head studs too. I'd never rebuild any Porsche engine without replacing them. Insurance if for no other reason.

Good luck.

Cbwell

I've decided to just do the full rebuild. It's worth doing right and I had the less than stellar leak down on cylinder 6 already. I'll do studs and the whole 9 yards.

ForceReconTrojan

Hi

I would be pissed and I totally feel your pain. I went through this last year on a 86 911. I have considered writing about the whole ordeal as a warning but there are so many posted. Mine involved a PCA chapter President and a PCA recommended shop that I authorized a 6 hour PPI. It was bad. As I said I share your pain.

One question, you took the paint meter to the paint but is it dual or single stage paint on the panels. That will give you an idea of when things were resprayed. Mine is like yours GR, all original except for a front bumper but that is single stage too so it was done early in its life.

Unfortunately for this guy and shop I am a lawyer and the state they resided in as very generous small claims and I not only prevailed the judge found in my favor with prejudice which gave them no appeal. path. It was a PITA but I was really pissed, I even spoke at length with the board at PCA about the entire process of possibly a more universal way of vetting cars sold through the PCA venue to offer protection to both buyer and seller. Hopefully, it will be implemented.

Trader220

Porsche paint depth from the 80's is a mixed bag. Having metered dozens of 80's 911's I can tell you the readings are all over the map. Readings in the 6 mil area are typically factory from that period. The door only reading 3mils would be odd.

This past fall I looked at a friend of the families 87 cab. I have known the car since new and I know it has not had any paint work. I metered the whole car and got readings from the high 3's to the mid 6's around the car. Thats what you get in an 80's Porsche. It just depends on how Hanz or Fritz was spraying that day.

As far as the leaks go, they bother me on my cars too and I make sure to address any of them. None of my cars leak. I hate when people say they all leak, they dont have to.

I would go ahead and address the leak with one of the suggestions from the other posters long before I did a full rebuild. I would also agree with the posters who said to change the oil with Dino and drive the snot out of it. You'd be surprised how well these motors will respond to actual use.

10 grand for a total rebuild on a turbo sounds really cheap. It would be tempting but its also a slippery slope. If you're going down the slope there are a lot of things you might want to improve, you know, just while you're in there. A better IC and a quicker spooling turbo and on and on.

Car looks sweet in your avatar, forget what you cant change in life and just go ahead and do what you bought the car for, drive it. Many people including myself have made mistakes in buying an old car. I have to say there are plenty of other things that money can't fix that I'd like to be able to go back and undo.

Enjoy it!