1969 Porsche 911T Karmann Coupe 119122939

[J_Graham]

This is the long overdue post regarding my second (And hopefully more permanent) foray into Porsche ownership.

In '07 I'd found a 1967 912 that had fallen on hard times, but remained a decent driver. Given my chaotic work schedule and the relatively spotty reliability of the 912, I sold it for what I had paid, $3500 (If I'd only predicted what the 911's golden jubilee would do to 911 / 912 values back in '07...).



Fast forward to 2011.

With the purchase of my employer by a French multinational, I found myself fortunate enough to have the loose change available to revisit my dreams of Porsche ownership.

After nearly missing out on Matt Cooley's amazing 1968 matte 911R inspired hot rod (See Pelican post http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...r-project.html for more on this unique vehicle),



I continued the search for a Slate Grey 911 that would facilitate my fantasies of charging through the French countryside à la Steve McQueen in Le Mans.

Enter Cars Dawydiak in San Francisco.

After relentlessly viewing a Slate Grey 1969 911T on their site, I initially dismissed the idea of acquiring the vehicle of my fantasies from a used car dealer. In my mind, this somehow tarnished the mystique this vehicle was to meant to have. Fortunately, fate (Or Yelp) would find a way to intervene.

I had long dismissed the purchase of this specific vehicle, but found myself traveling through wine country with my girlfriend during our Christmas holiday in 2011. She had used the Yelp app on her iPhone to locate a highly recommended breakfast location in San Francisco called the Red Door Cafe. Serendipitously, the Red Door Cafe is directly across the intersection from Cars Dawydiak. Thinking it would be impossible that a vehicle I had seen on the internet six month prior would still be in their inventory, it seemed safe to view the diverse collection of vehicles in their consignment showroom without being tempted to make a purchase.

Turns out my assumption was incorrect and Beckie found herself following me for the duration of our road trip as I guided home the newest addition to our family.

A 1969 Porsche 911T.

[J_Graham]

Here are some images that were included as part of the Cars Dawydiak listing.

[J_Graham]

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[J_Graham]

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[J_Graham]

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[J_Graham]

More to follow as I have about twenty months of ownership left to cover.

If anyone has any information on prior owners, please advise as I am really curious on the history of the vehicle.

Records included with my purchase show the name 'Dale Vagley' and I also have a classified ad from an unknown date that reads:

PORSCHE '69 911T
Mint condition, Gray.
$6000 443-2806

[beh911]

Thanks for posting the beginnings of what appears to be a nice ownership thread!

I look forward to more posts.

[gsjohnson]

Love Slate Gray. Looks to be a solid foundation...

[J_Graham]

On the drive from San Francisco, a heavy gear oil leak was very apparent (Sulfur smell, greasy rear windows and puddling oil at stops). But this didn't stop me from enjoying the vehicle initially, as I would just refill the gear box and wash the windows every time the car was driven.

I even made it up to Buttonwillow Raceway for an SCCA time trial, so I could claim to have officially campaigned a Porsche.

This is where I discovered a fuel leak coming from the lower portion of the driver's side Weber carb. Having been through a Volkswagen Transporter fuel fire in my youth, I decided it was time to intervene and take care of some of the problems affecting the drivability of the car.

I'd explored local options for carburetor rebuilding, but after extensive online research decided to send my Webers to Paul Abbott of Performance Oriented for a Level 2 restoration.

Before:

After:


While the engine was torn down (And later removed), I began sourcing components that personalize car.

A couple cosmetic updates kicked off this process.

Black plates (Pic above) were acquired from eBay. From there it was off to the DMW to work through the YOM process and get these associated with my car. In stark contrast to the horror stories I've read, with the help of the friendliest DMV employee in history, new registration arrived via USPS in less than two weeks.

Next was swapping out the NA spec headlamps for the Bosch H4 European units.



Since the heater boxes and rally exhaust were pretty wrinkly, rusted and baked in years of leaking gear oil; I opted to go with Bursch 1.5" headers and an M&K 911R exhaust (Which is actually a bit loud for my taste, so we'll see how long it remains).

Before:

After:


After pulling the engine and transmission to cleanup the underside of the car and locate the source of the transmission leaks, I found the culprit. The transmission housing threads were stripped where the clutch fork pivot screws into the case.

[bxd]

Great color. My car came off the line just after yours so I am enjoying this emmensely. More pics and tales, please.