Lorax

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Just kidding! (Thought that Might get some attention )

Right now I own an '86 944 turbo, and I think I have taken it about as far as I want to go.

I am considering parting the car and picking up a non running 911 for my next project (on top of the GTV-6 I am buying - I know, I have a death wish).


Anyway, I wanted to know how cheap a 930 project car can be had. It has to have all it's parts (engine trans, interior etc) but it's ok if it's a non runner.

Also, just to give me a baseline here... what does a used 930 motor usually run?

Oh, Here are some pictures of the car






350rwhp at with 15psi by 3200rpms. Even more on e-85 which I hope to dyno soon

Auto_Werks 3.6

Ryan, This will be an expensive project! I really think the nicer car you start out with, the better you will be. I would figure 2x the cost of building a comparable 944 turbo. I have seen RATTY 930 project cars not running sell for around 10k.... I think you would be doing yourself a favor to buy a driver for low $20's. I like the early cars, ~ '79, but thats just me. Just for a base line, it will cost you around $8,000 to rebuild a stock N/A 911 engine doing the work yourself, so I assume the price only goes to the sky when you are talking turbo engines. If you are going to do an efi conversion & rebuild I would say to have $20k on hand for the project. I don't mean to discourage you, because I think it will be a fun project, but coming from a 944 there can be some sticker shock... there was for me anyway. I recently sold my 951 to fund my aircooled projects:
https://rennlist.com/forums/911-foru...-new-pics.html


PS your 944 looks like fun, why are you selling it after only recently finishing the project?

Auto_Werks 3.6

Also, check out this FS thread:

https://rennlist.com/forums/911-turb...-and-more.html

He's asking $41k, and several guys comment that they have that much in their engine, so I may have been low. The seller claims to have spent $80k to build it. As with anything, it's usually cheaper to buy it already completed.

drmatera

i'm curious, why does it cost $8000 to rebuild a 911 engine if your not paying somebody to do the wrenching? I understand machine shop costs but are gaskets and bolts that much? Or are you referring to hard parts such as crank, rods, pistons and valves?

Auto_Werks 3.6

It all adds up fast... the biggest chunk would be new pistons and cylinders @ right around $4k per set. Cams can be $1k, head work $1k+, Replacing 20 year old head studs $$. etc etc. That's $6,000 and you're not even inside the case yet. There are of course ways to cut corners, but I would say that is usually being short sighted.

Lorax

I'm looking for a long term project. I understand buying a completed car is the easiest and cheapest way to do things, but im more interested in building something myself. I have decent fabrication skills so a nice rust bucket wouldn't bother me.

I too prefer the early cars.

drmatera

ok, i see. I didn't realize the cylinders needed replacing with the pistons.

A930Rocket

I would have loved to have spent $8k on my engine doing the work myself. Ended up more like $15-16k and I could have done more like EFI...

Guns951

Careful what you wish for...I've spent almost 4x the cash on my 930 project than I've already put in my 951 and her bill is already $50k...

Either get a tub and build up over the next few years or get a completed project, one or the other, anything else and you'll be wasting money.

For a roller missing the motor, this is a good route to get the rear arms and flares, depends on if you're going to do glass work etc. but if not you get the turbo body.

From there do the suspension, interior, bodywork, brakes, then when you think you're all good to go, dive into the tranny and motor, build the most up to date and efficient system you can afford if you're looking for power, EFI is a good route to go over CIS as it costs just slightly more if you are starting from scratch.

Lorax

Well I was thinking more along the lines of a restoration... not a mod car like my 951.

Guns you have vast experience with both so it's good to have your input.

Auto_Werks 3.6

Guns, not to argue... but based on the ballpark $ you have on your project, the price difference between starting with a bare tub and a decent $25k car is peanuts... $15k to $20k TOPS for the difference. That adds less than 15% to the total. I'd pay that any day to start with a complete car that was not rusty or completely molested. Plus if you were new to 930's you could experience the car a little, play with some small things and figure out where you want the project to go. If you had already been down that road before, those experiences wouldn't be all that valuable.

Guns951

Ryan - you're correct it all depends on the goals for the project. My stated opinion is if you're going to do a build from the ground up with absolute minimal $ up front. There are a few tubs on Pelican that people are just about giving away for under $1k, so those were the tubs I was speaking of. The roller I used was purchased for $10k and had a bunch of goodies on her, but in the end it all went to the recycle bin.

With my cars I've noticed I ended up paying for something that went to the trash bin (nice interior, refreshed stock suspension with certain upgraded components, kenisis wheels etc). And when I stated about starting with a tub, it would have to be one from a Pelican head or Rennlister who dissassembled and had it in a state that you could start off with acid dipping or media blasting and doing everything right the first go around.

Now if you're just looking for a resto project, that's a different story - get the bets you can afford with priorities on mechanical & body structure (no rust etc) and go from there. That route takes less money after the initial purchase than the ground up build would take, but there's a bit more elbow grease involved to do the tear apart yourself and restore as many of the stock items as possible.

I know for my next one, its going to be a damn tub hahaha I change too many things to be worthwhile to get a roller or stocker.

All in all - there are many ways to go about doing it, just determine the end goal, how much $ you want to spend (then double it), and how much effort or elbow grease you want to commit, and how much garage space you can take up for how many years. My experiences are just one of many - so take them all into account before you proceed, good luck.