I've owned several 80s cars, but never a longhood. I have the opportunity to purchase one of two cars I like, and I'm hoping that the next air-cooled 911 I buy will be my last. Originality means little to me, but I don't want to hotrod myself into a car that's in constant need of attention and terrible to put around town in. I don't want to get into too much detail on the cars, as there are other important factors in play with regard to which one to buy, but I'll need to make a Decision soon, and I'd like to have as much info as I can beforehand.
My questions are about the engine and transmission, as it relates to "builds". Both motors will need to be opened up, and I'm trying to understand what is possible with a 2.2 vs a 2.4 in terms of power, hassle, and cost. More displacement = more power, but is there anything more than that between the 2.2 and 2.4? Should I fear a 50-year-old magnesium case?
I'm also wondering if it would make more sense to swap in a 3.0/3.2 rather than try and squeeze power out of the older engines. Are they much heavier? More sluggish...? Everyone likes torque and power, but quick revs can make for fun shifting. I'm not drag-racing anyone, but a it's more fun to do 0-60 in 6s than 8s.
I'm likely to mothball the carbs in favor of distributorless EFI (X-Factory, Rasant et al) in the interest of reliability, smoothness, maintenance, and due to the fact that I'm blessed with the possibility of driving from a hot ocean to a snowy mountain on the same day. The car would be street-driven, but would spend a lot of time bouncing off redline in mountains/canyons. Anything can be done with enough money, but I'm trying to understand the bang-for-buck route, and what I gain or lose by going cheap or stretching a bit. Is condition still king, or does one motor have significantly more potential than the other (in terms of power, lightness, flaws, etc)?
How about the 901 vs the 915? How does the shifting feel between the two if they're both sorted? "Feel" longevity? Does the 901 have as many, ah, corrective upgrades as the 915 does (and does it need them)? I had a 915 and it was good once you got out of 1st gear, but it had various Wevo upgrades, and had been freshly rebuilt. 1st gear wasn't much fun around town (but I guess "around town" isn't all that much fun to begin with).
Is the 901 really at its torque limits, or is it more about how the car is driven? If a 3.2 wound up in this car, could the 901 be retained? I'm not out here dumping clutches, just running through gears at WOT from time to time. Should I fear 50-year-old magnesium cases...?
I appreciate any entertaining of my nebulous musings...