Buildingadrm964

I will start by saying that I have read most of the spectacular threads on this site, and I continue to check every night to see if there is anything new posted, to keep up with all the great wisdom shared in this forum. I have been wanting to start my thread for sometime, but the time was never right...until now when I am actually going to start this project.

So here we go...I have been a Porsche guy for sometime and I have always wanted a 964. In October 2015, I had just signed the mortgage on a second house(that I could barely afford) and my wife was pregnant with my second child, and up pops an ad on my local classifieds for a 1991 Porsche C2. In my mind I know that this is not the most practical purchase given my current circumstances, but like most of you on this forum, I shifted a few dollars in the family budget, and made a call to my father to ask to borrow his race trailer for a few hours. Don't mean to boar you with the details but this is important because this is where the journey began...

After a few fruitful years, hard work and a bit of luck, I am starting to build my dream car. The car is a 1991, that came from Florida. It was imported to Toronto, ON, Canada(where I currently reside), a few years earlier. The owner had the misfortune of an oil pump failure, which in turn, became my good fortune. The engine, automatic transmission(yes, automatic transmission!) and interior were removed, a few years earlier and the car ended up in my garage. I now owned (most of)a 964, and I was content. I had a 996 Turbo, at the time of purchase so funds were not available to start this project. I pushed the car into a garage and haven't touched it since. I have amassed a pile of parts over the years, but distractions have kept me from starting the project. Distractions = Birth of second child, birth of third child, purchase of third house, 2004 BMW M3, 2010 Audi R8 V10 + a million other things along the way. I have been trolling the internet for the last few years looking for the right deal on an engine and transmission, but never pulled the trigger. As stated earlier, the car was originally outfitted with an automatic transmission, but if I have to replace the engine and trans, it was never a question in my mind that it would, one day, be upgraded to a manual. All the while I have ben watching the prices of these cars spin out of control, and obviously, so have the prices for engines and parts. I quickly realized that by the time I bought an engine and tranny, plus the pedal assembly and all of the parts I need, I might as well just get a donor car, and make sure I have everything on hand. In January, I was trolling Ebay and decided to put a stink bid on a 964 in Boston. I call it a 'stink bid, because I had done this multiple times and seen the bids go for thousands more than what I was willing to pay. I won the auction and subsequently had to call my wife and tell her that I had "accidentally" purchased another car...

So, not only do I own one 964, I now have two! I called a friend and said, "Road trip?" He quickly agreed, we checked the weather and we were off. Luckily winter was late this year, and the snow hadn't really fallen here yet. I rented an open trailer and we drove down to Boston to pick up the car. The car had a very vague description on Ebay(which is likely why no one else bid) and, quite frankly, it was a bit of a gamble. In my mind, I was buying the car for the engine and transmission, and I was hoping to recover a few dollars back for the chassis. Fortunately for me when I got there, I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman, who had a 4-bay garage and a small lot, off the parkway, with 10-15 Porsches for sale. The first thing he said to me was that I was that I got a great deal on the car! It is in no way perfect, but I bid low and got a heck of a deal!

Spring has come and I haven't had the heart to tear it apart. I convinced myself that I need to drive it, in order to ensure that it didn't have any major mechanical issues...what better way to determine this? So I have been driving it to the office, on nice days, since the beginning of April. I power washed it this weekend to see where it is leaking from...and the good news is that I have driven it twice and I have yet to see a drip in my garage. I know the purists will be upset that I am tearing apart one of the few good cars left on the road, but my intent was always to have a coupe, and since I have owned it since 2015, my intention is to follow the project through to fruition.

I owned a 1974 911(20 years ago, and like many of you, wish I hadn't sold it!), and had the engine out a few times, so I am not afraid to do the work; I have always done the work on my vehicles, but I am going to have someone do the swap, due to time constraints(three kids, busy job, wife, dog, etc.) and the lack of space to do it, at this point in time. I intend to get it on the road ASAP, so I can drive it for the summer. Unlike those of you who live in California climates, we only have a few months to enjoy driving our Porsches, but the upside to that is that we have a whole winter to get the cars into the garage to prepare them for the following season. I will do my best to chronicle the project in this forum and reap the benefits of all of your expertise along the way.

Later, I will attach a few photos, to give you a visual for the story above, then I will give you a brief description of the plan for the build.

pilfer

Sounds awesome, I will be watching this as I desperately want a 964. I hope to make the similar call to my wife that I accidentally bought another car

Buildingadrm964

Here is a pic of the coupe I purchased. ​​​​​​​

Buildingadrm964

This is the car the other day on the way to my garage.

Buildingadrm964

This is the shop where I picked the car up in Boston.

This is the car on the trip back from Boston...



This last one was when they impounded it at the border, and made me leave it there for three days!

Buildingadrm964

Those are the best calls to make!

I always call my wife as soon as I purchase a car(...never before!), because many years ago I bought a Porsche and forgot to tell her about it....needless to say that didn't go well!!!

pilfer

I told my wife 3 days before I flew out to drive the RS4 home lol. It was met with stunned silence, considering our wedding was 3 months away... . Anyway, look forward to your progress, good luck.

Finlander

Great story ...thanks for sharing here.

Buildingadrm964

Glad I could share. I’ve been reading everyone else’s for so long, just glad to contribute!

2swoosh

Keep it up bud and lay out the plan for the project. Will it be modded like a one off build or 100% stock? I prefer a period correct looking body with a killer motor. good luck!

Buildingadrm964

Just picked up up an original set of cup wheels. Thought I found a great deal on wheels for a few hundred....bad news is that they are all 7 in wide wheels. I bought them anyway. Can I use spacers on the rears? Anyone have 2 8” inch wide wheels for sale?

spartansix

If they are in good shape, your best bet is to sell them and buy 8s or 9s for the rear.
Of course, if you were me, you'd buy 9s for the rear and store the extra 7s because... you never know!

Buildingadrm964

Think I may take that advice....anyone have any 9” wheels for sale??

Jarod964

Excited to see how this progresses! Fellow Canadian always looking for motivation to keep searching for derailed 964s in the area...

Buildingadrm964

Car was in the shop last week getting a quick engine shampoo so we could see where it was leaking from. Good news is that ran it all week and no leaks!