PorKen

I've never thought much about '79. I've thought of that year as a 'tween. Between the funky '78 with all it's weird stuff, and the more 'modern' '80.

Of course, now I'm looking at buying one. A basically unmolested (2?) owner auto with no sunroof. #0845. I still need to test drive it, and check for blowby, but it runs well.

The silver paint is fading, the front seats are worn but still in one piece, and the leather is still soft. Pretty much all the electrics work. If noone else buys it (actually I'm somewhat hoping someone will and solve my dilemma), I could get it for half of what my car cost.

It has the original:
Spare pump in cardboard box.
Rear glovebox, no cassette box.
Bamburg radio, which works, even the fader!
Pressboard spare cover with foam rubber insulation.
Snap in luggage cover (faded).
NRA sticker.

I would consider this a 'nicer than my 81', with a decent interior, for driving miss HB around.

Q's:
Should I hold out for a 32V car?
Can you get luggage covers for 78-79?
Will CIS be interesting for this L-Jet guy?

Bill Ball

A bird in the hand...

SharkSkin

I'm guessing that you're unlikely to find a 32V car for the same money.

Luggage covers work a bit differently than the later cars:



CIS will be a small learning curve, but once they're set, they're set. If it doesn't work after that, you're probably out of gas. Throttle response is better than L-jet, though comparing to your 81 at this point might be a bit unfair. One advantage to the 79 is the Borla cat-back slaps right on, if you're interested in that. There's little other than the battery box to distinguish '78 & '79, except that '79 cars seem to be a bit more common. I'm sure there are plenty of minor differences, but they are not at all obvious to me. Even the wiring diagrams are nearly identical.

PorKen

Bill - '...two birds in the bush' has a nicer ring to it.

Dave,

I'd have to sell the '79 to get a 32V. This car will need all the little rubber bits under the hood replaced, of course, but it seems to have been regularly maintained, fortunately. But as any 'new' 928, it will take some dough to get it back up to spec.

The cover snaps under the back seat lip, weird. You can't put down the back seats with the cover on, right? No door lights!

78 has horizontal gauges, separate battery box, trans shocks, little spoiler on the wiper, no set bolts for the alt/PS belts, funky vents...

ViribusUnits

It was made before I was born?

PorKen

These are probably worth more than the car!



Steel mini jack!

SharkSkin

True, like any 928 there will be both dough and DOH! involved cleaning up after the PO.

I have put the back seats down without detaching the cover from the seats by just unsnapping the cover at the rear -- two snaps on the tool cover and two on the corners of the tailgate. Large lightweight items can just lay on top of the cover. When I had a boxed radiator in there I laid the seats down and the cover still snapped to the seats and the rear part over the top of the box -- I think it covered maybe half of the box. Not as fancy as the newer ones, but it hides my sunshades, car duster, car cover etc. well enough.

Oh, there is a flap with fiberboard that covers the opening between the seats, and I have a net between the seats as well. I'm not sure whether that's original or not. I just perused the owner's manual again looking for any info, and I see no mention of it.

hacker-pschorr

Something else that is cool about 79's:

PorKen

Hacker,

True. I've got '79 bumpsticks to go in my '81, when I get around to changing the cam tower gaskets. And they've got half-moon cam keys, so I can fix/change the cam timing easily. Euro engine's are almost identical, but with +10HP from no EGR, no cat, and probably different distributor timing.

I'm pretty sure '79 has the bolt on rear muffler like the '78, which means an easy RMB.

GlenL

It was made the year I graduated from High School?

You'll like the CIS system for tuning. Twist a screw for mixture and turn the distributor for advance. Then use those offset Woodruf keys for cam timing.

Generally easier to work on and a lighter car. Could be a lot of fun.

AJK

PorKen,

An easy RMB for the '79? What do you mean exactly. I thought no one made an RMB for the early cars or are you saying that all you need to do is remove the rear muffler and you're there?

Jim bailey - 928 International

It IS a 928 that is cool enough !

hacker-pschorr

Yes - at least that is what I did on my 81. The early cars do not have secondary mufflers like the S4's do so adding an RMB will be to loud for most people. In my case, just removing the muffler was not enough, I also removed the resonator. I'm running open pipes after the CAT - sounds perfect.

FlyingDog

The Euros have a different throttlebody. The fuel distributor may also be different. There is a 79 Euro throttle, air plate and fuel distributor assembly in my garage that belongs to Rixter if anybody wants it. I forget how much he wanted for it. PM him if you're interested in the parts or the difference in US and Euro engines.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Remember not all euro engines are euro 4.7 S engines ! And the fuel distributors are all the same what varies on fuel delivery is the warmup/control pressure regulator. The Euro S has the larger intake runners larger throttle body larger valves larger camsfaft bumps larger ports larger engine 4.7 and higher compression...all to efficiently use that extra fuel !i