New 1971 911 owner question

I must apoligize in advance becaue this might be a long winded post, but..... I have a friend that does not
want his mom's 1971 911 because it needs some TLC and he is not mechanically inclined so he told me he would give the the car for free. I on the other hand design suspensions for General Motors and do lots of hand on work on my other vehicles. Here's my question. How hard are classic 911's to work on? Would I definately need a lift to work on them? The only problem with the car that I know about is the unibody front suspension pan is cracked? I think I could weld it. What do you guys think? I have limited cash because I am getting married in two months and this is my 2nd sports car. :D I have a 2002 corvette convertable with some home-grown suspension modifications. :)

Thank you in advance for all of your patience and understanding.

Sincerly,

Neil

Sounds like you ar way in over your head pal!!! Why not just give me the address and phone # of the owner ;)
Seriously, free is always good! Rust is an early 911's worst enemy. Often it is cheaper to buy a good car than it is to try to fix a bad one. However, if you have the skills and the desire......why not? What 911 is it, a "T" "E" or "S". Knowing that will affect how much $$$$ you will want to invest. Why dont you post some pics of the car so we can give and educated opinion.
Dave C

Thanks for the reply. I really appreciate your input even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. The car is in Ohio and I'm in Michigan so I have to check it over thanksgiving weekend. The information I received about the car was from the owner that wants it out of his garage. I have a place to work on it but not a lift and I'm an engineer by trade so I have some skill in welding but I would need to practise before attempting body welding. I will send you more info as it becomes available. I believe the car is an "S". Thanks again.

Neil

Hmmmm......Ohio eh......;-) Seriously, if it is anywhere near the Dayton/cinci area I would be happy to look it over with you. Dave

You do not need a lift for working on a 911. You will need a good floor jack and four good jack stands. A front suspension pan fix/replacement can be done by anyone with average welding skills. However, even a free 911 can get to be expensive if you need substantial body or engine work. Give the car a once over and let us know what you find out.

Thanks everyone for the info. I will check it out over the holidays and get to you guys. Thanks,

Neil

One more note. Even if I get the car for free, there is a certified porsche shop down the street that charges $75 for a comprehesive look over before I sink any money into the vehicle. I hope this will help me start out. Thanks again,

Neil

Neil you are a wise man! After you get the PPI let us know how it comes out.

The underside "should" be in "decent" shape. They began galvanizing "just the pan" in 70. The front suspension pans sometimes go because of a battery leak. Broken battery hold downs/clamps (that never happens) can allow the battery to slide out under agressive cornering manuvers (agressive cornering manuvers? Mom...? That never happens either). My 71 has a great pan.

Being an Ex-Michigander myself, I'd say the areas you'd want to look at would be the rear quarters and rockers where salt spray and water may have landed and likewise the front fender supports.

Good luck! Sounds like you're already off on a good luck streak... I wish someone would offer me their Mom's 911S for free :mad: