1971 911s Restoration - PA/MD

[boxtwo]

First post, so hello all! I am a moderator on another forum (IWSTI) so I am familiar with rules, searching, Stickies, etc. I am looking forward to learning and contributing in the future.

About me: Firefighter/Paramedic/HAZMAT Tech, Married, first child on the way. We live in PA, outside of Gettysburg. I am an avid Subaru guy and DE my STi with NASA-MA with plans of TT or racing in the future. I do NOT plan on turning the 911 into a race car, although I am sure it will see the track at least once.

The 911: Father bought it new in 1971 and we want to get it running again, after it sat sadly neglected for the past 10 years. The exterior is in fairly rough shape and it does not run (have not and will not try.) I plan to do some of the work myself and have been conversing with Wes Monteith (PA) about assisting with some of the stuff I am not comfortable with.

If there is anyone that is in the south central PA or north central MD areas that would be willing to assist with any of the project, I am happy to accept the assistance and expertise!

Glad to be here and I cannot WAIT to get this project moving forward!

Here are a few pics. If anyone wants to see something specific, please let me know and I will post.

[Chuck Miller]

Welcome to the board boxtwo..........

I trust a few of our local members will respond soon........

Cheers and good luck with your 'second generation' project...

[boxtwo]

Welcome to the board boxtwo..........

I trust a few of our local members will respond soon........

Cheers and good luck with your 'second generation' project...

Thanks Chuck! I hope so too, local expertice cannot be easily replicated (or substituted) by forums (as invaluable as forums are!)

We are pretty excited about this. Lots of memories in that car!

[jashford]

PM sent.

John

[boxtwo]

PM sent.

John

Replied. Thanks John!

[Macroni]

John Kolesa has a very sweet 1971 S Targa that he restored himself for all practical purposes. He lives relatively close and would be a great resource in your mission of breathing life back into your heirloom.

We have started to develop a strong early car network here in the philly area and hope to see you soon at some of our events.

[karlusmagnus]

Boxtwo, welcome aboard. May your addiction to porsches be long and fruitful.
A good way to get aboard would be to meet up Sunday am in Douglasville PA.
See gathering here
Lots of locals from your part of PA and Philly and PA in general as well as some of us heading down from NY NJ.
Good way to meet up and get started and put names/handles to faces. Subes are welcome --- until you get the 911 running. Then no excuse
I know with baby on way, and work etc, it might not be possible, and late notice, but the PA guys have these runs quite a bit, and best way is to turn up.
Karl.

[Tom F.]

Wow! You have a great project, there. Factory air, sport seats (I think) and an S. It's worth nearly any amount of effort to restore it. Have fun, and welcome to the board!

[boxtwo]

John Kolesa has a very sweet 1971 S Targa that he restored himself for all practical purposes. He lives relatively close and would be a great resource in your mission of breathing life back into your heirloom.

We have started to develop a strong early car network here in the philly area and hope to see you soon at some of our events.

I am all about networking and learning! So far, this looks to be one of the best resources I have found with a maturity level matching the subject. That '71 pic is gorgeous!

Boxtwo, welcome aboard. May your addiction to porsches be long and fruitful.
A good way to get aboard would be to meet up Sunday am in Douglasville PA.
See gathering here
Lots of locals from your part of PA and Philly and PA in general as well as some of us heading down from NY NJ.
Good way to meet up and get started and put names/handles to faces. Subes are welcome --- until you get the 911 running. Then no excuse
I know with baby on way, and work etc, it might not be possible, and late notice, but the PA guys have these runs quite a bit, and best way is to turn up.
Karl.

I'd feel out of place in the STi amidst a sea of Porsche! The rest of this month is shot and I have a track weekend at Summit the first weekend in November, but I will keep tabs and see when I can come play!

Wow! You have a great project, there. Factory air, sport seats (I think) and an S. It's worth nearly any amount of effort to restore it. Have fun, and welcome to the board!

I was able to get the car running in 1997 by replacing the starter (what a PITA) and diagnosing some ignition issues. It was not streetable, but close. There is a much tougher challenge facing me now, but for the sentimental value alone, it's worth it. Yes, sport seats (minus 1) and AC (which will not go back in.)

A couple of other points worthy of mention: 1. This is the car I came home from the hospital in after I was born and 2. This is the car in which I learned to drive. So I guess you could say that it is in my blood.

Anyway, thanks for all the welcomes! I certainly look forward to meeting some of you!

/d

[orange911]

Welcome to the list. I won't be able to help you in person, but I will offer any help I can online. That 2.2S is a great car and there are a lot of folks here that believe it is the best early car to have. If you hurry, you might can bring your son home from the hospital in it (assuming your wife won't require an escort with a motorcade surrounding your every move).

Luckily it still has the MFI. Most of these cars had Webers put on to avoid the tuning issues from mechanics that didn't have Porsche training. Another thing you can be thankful for is that the cylinders are alloy and not steel, so a good chance that it is not locked up.

I assume you have some mechanical skills since you replaced the starter. That is probably the harder than anything you need to do to get it running. Most of what you have to do is tedious, and requires patience and good planning - lots of upfront reading. The first thing I would do is to suck all the oil out of the MFI pump and replace it with something like Marvels mystery oil. Leave it in a week or more before trying to rotate the pump.

Next change all the fluids: brakes, gearbox, motor - and filters: oil and gas. Since your car has an oil cooler, you will have a lot of oil that will not get changed out with the initial oil change. So, consider it will take about 3 oil changes or more to get most of the old stuff out. Now that it is getting cold, when you get the motor running, you can test if your thermostat is functioning - by feeling the lines under the rockers and seeing if they stay cold like they should. But you need to make sure it opens when the oil does get hot.

Drain the gas tank and replace ALL fuel hoses. Do not skimp here as fires have reeked havoc on more than one 911. I would take the injectors out and soak them or have them ultrasonically cleaned. If you take them for cleaning, have them check the spray pattern also.

Use this link for many informative threads:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...ow-thread.html
Find the manual CMA (check measure and adjust) online and check all the settings with the timing and MFI. There is a belt driven by the cam that rotates the MFI pump via pulley on the back. You need to check the timing of this pulley in relation to the crankshaft pulley. Another important feature is the thermostat on the pump. Checking the pre-heat hose from the heat exchangers is critical for fuel mixture.

These engines are rather robust and I bet you can get it running with lots of reading and simple tools. You might have an issue with seals and depending on the mileage, may only need a top end rebuild, or fresh seals.

Thats about it for now. Keep us updated on the progress and happy reading.