Ten Fifty-nine

[LongRanger]

Some of the most interesting posts on this site are the ones where members tell about, give updates, and show pictures of the cars that theyÂ’re working on. IÂ’ve had a car for a while now --- showed some pictures of it, done some driving with it, told some stories about it. It's been a year-and-a-half now, and IÂ’m getting into the paint and bodywork, and some of the other major stuff, so . . . . itÂ’s time for me to post.

Besides the car, there are some other things I want to write about. First is about how I got here, about the car I was looking for, and why this car. We all have different reasons for getting into Porsches --- mine arenÂ’t unique --- but they do color a lot of what I get out these cars and our site. The next thing is to tell about my search: where I looked, what I found, some close-calls, and how I did The Deal. Next, I want to give some nuts-and-bolts-type details about putting the car right --- things that came up, work that got done, parts that I bought, people that I worked with, including as many facts, figures, names, and pictures as I can fit in. The last thing IÂ’ll include ---- my favorite part --- are The Drives.

This account takes its title from the VIN of the car that it’s all about . . . 9110301059.

So, here goes . . . .





Highlights . . .

..Why + Which . . . . . . . . . page 1, post #2 + #3
..Intro + The Deal . . . . . pg 1, pst #10
..PPI w/ pics . . . . . . . . . . 2.13
..Service #1 . . . . . . . . . . 2.20
..1st Drive . . . . . . . . . . . .3.28
..Alu Panels . . . . . . . . . . .4.32
..John Esposito . . . . . . . . .5.44
..Lid Porn . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.62
..Strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.66
..Gaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.73
..Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.87
..Done + Service #2 . . . . 11.107
..Euro Lights . . . . . . . . . .14.134
..Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.141
..Luggage Comp . . . . . . . 15.148
..Alu Weights . . . . . . . . . 17.161
..Fixing a Fuel Leak . . . . . 17.163
..Pan Porn . . . . . . . . . . . 18.178
..Trans w/ LSD . . . . . . . . 19.182
..Groove Box . . . . . . . . . .19.189
..CA Reg + Fees . . . . . . . 22.208
..Fremont Drive . . . . . . . .23.229
..Badges . . . . . . . . . . . . .25.241
..PO = Lou Scalzo . . . . . . 25.246
..Switzerland . . . . . . . . . .26.255
..Original Rocker . . . . . . . 26.260
..N-badge . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.262
..MpG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28.278
..ASTRA + AMAG pt 1 . . . .28.279
..Vintage Scheel . . . . . . . .29.286
..Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.296
..Rennsport Reunion IV . . . 31.304
..Service #3 . . . . . . . . . . 33.321
..Scheel Ltwt Sliders . . . . .33.328
..CA Reg History . . . . . . . .35.341
..Early Scheel Install . . . . 36.353
..Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.362
..PO = Hans Mazza . . . . . .37.369
..Service #4 . . . . . . . . . . 38.376
..ASTRA + AMAG pt 2 . . . . 39.381
..Little Marvel . . . . . . . . . 40.395
..Thanksgiving . . . . . . . . . 42.411
..Secret Number . . . . . . . 43.426
..Trans ID + Ratios . . . . . .43.427
..Kardex . . . . . . . . . . . . .44.431
..Dealer 100 . . . . . . . . . . 45.443
..Blaupunkt . . . . . . . . . . . 45.448
..3-dig option codes . . . . . 46.451
..MOMO Le Mans . . . . . . . 46.452
..'Family' Car Colors . . . . . 46.456
..Mark A . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.459
..Mr Anderson . . . . . . . . . 47.461
..'50 Years' @Fontana . . . .47.463
..Power Antenna #1 . . . . . 47.466
..Lou's Pics . . . . . . . . . . . .47.467
..ASTRA p2 . . . . . . . . . . . .47.470
..Strange Dates fr CH . . . . 48.471
..Lou + Magnus . . . . . . . . 48.474
..Karim w/Mr Mazza . . . . . 48.475
..Jo Siffert . . . . . . . . . . . 48.479
..Leftovers . . . . . . . . . . . .50.492
..Kardex . . . . . . . . . . . . .50.493
..J Forbes + Magnus . . . . . 51.504
..Friends of Steevo '13 . . . .51.509
..Tony Gerace . . . . . . . . . .51.510
..Letters to the Sifferts . . . .52.515
..Ghost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52.516
..Appraisal . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.517
..Gauge dates . . . . . . . . . .52.520
..The One . . . . . . . . . . . . .53.522
..Tigersound . . . . . . . . . . .57.566
..Ferry's Porsche . . . . . . . .58.572
..Dana Point '13 . . . . . . . . 59.581
..Power Antenna . . . . . . . .59.583
..PO Photos . . . . . . . . . . . 59.587
..Legends '13 . . . . . . . . . . 59.588
..Jolon Road . . . . . . . . . . .60.591
..Monterey Nights . . . . . . .60.599
..Carmel-by-the-Sea . . . . . 61.604
..Form CBP 28 . . . . . . . . 62.615
..Visit w/ Lou . . . . . . . . . . 62.617
..2-stage Paint Repair . . . . 62.620
..'Le Mans' Movie . . . . . . . .63.626
..More Lou . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.633
..French Kiss with Death . . 64.639
..An Interesting Story . . . . 64.640
..Michael Keyser . . . . . . . . 65.641
..Jack Heuer . . . . . . . . . . . 65.643
..'Le Mystere' . . . . . . . . . . 65.645
..Factory Use . . . . . . . . . . 65.649
..Radio Köln . . . . . . . . . . . 65.656
..Original Owner . . . . . . . . 65.658
..Decalage . . . . . . . . . . . . 66.661
..Maintenance Manual . . . . 67.662
..Power Window Motor . . . 67.663
..Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . 67.665
..OG Rockers . . . . . . . . . . 67.669
..Touring Tank . . . . . . . . . 68.672
..100l Sender . . . . . . . . . . 68.673
..Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.674
..Fribourg . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.675
..Villars-sur-Glane . . . . . . . 68.678
..Phoenix Show 2014 . . . . . 69.684
..Karim's Post . . . . . . . . . . 69.685
..Siffert Decals . . . . . . . . . 69.687
..CH = Siffert . . . . . . . . . . 69.688
..3 911s? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69.690
..PCGB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.691
..Schlegelmilch . . . . . . . . 70.696
..Service #5 . . . . . . . . . . 70.698
..Big Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.701
..Jean-Pierre Oberson . . . . 71.703
..'Duct Tape Jo' . . . . . . . . .71.706
..2014 Porsche Parade . . . .71.707
..Derek Bell . . . . . . . . . . . 72.714
..2014 Werks Reunion . . . .72.718
..Mystery Bentley Man . . . .73.723
..Odds & Ends . . . . . . . . . 76.757
..Key Pouch . . . . . . . . . . .76.758
..Practical Guy . . . . . . . . .77.762
..Momo Hub . . . . . . . . . . 77.763
..'Handshake Deal' . . . . . .77.764
..Blaupunkt Köln . . . . . . . 77.767
..Olde Trunke . . . . . . . . . 77.768
..6th Anniversary . . . . . . .78.771
..OG Door Seals . . . . . . . 78.773
..Phoenix Show . . . . . . . .78.775
..Jo Siffert Luggage . . . . .78.777
..Graduation Day . . . . . . .78.778
..Vic Elford . . . . . . . . . . . 78.779
..Gathering of Friends . . . .78.780
..Moving Day . . . . . . . . . .79.782
..Pomona . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.785
..Pink Slip . . . . . . . . . . . .79.787
..Carpet Mat Details . . . . .80.793
..'Other' Projects . . . . . . .80.797
..Service #6 . . . . . . . . . . 80.798
..Garage Floor . . . . . . . . .81.804
..Kidston . . . . . . . . . . . . 81.805
..NOS Key Blanks . . . . . . 81.809
..Hugo Schibler . . . . . . . .81.810
..Porsche Club Suisse . . . 82.813
..Keylessness . . . . . . . . . .82.814
..NOS Coil + cough . . . . . .83.823
..Brian Redman . . . . . . . . .83.830
..Seat Repair . . . . . . . . . . 85.841
..Blaupunkt'd . . . . . . . . . . 85.849
..CN36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87.861
..Rear Wiper (NOS) . . . . . .86.854
..Service #7 (p1) . . . . . . . 87.859
..Tool Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.868
..More Service #7 (p2) . . .88.872
..Drückmesser . . . . . . . . . 88.873
..Canford (alu) . . . . . . . . . 88.875
..Cool vs Trick . . . . . . . . . 88.878
..More Service #7 (p3) . . . 88.880
..Odds and Ends . . . . . . . . 89.882
..Mud Flaps . . . . . . . . . . . .89.886
..BMWs and Porsches . . . . .90.893
..Engine Time . . . . . . . . . .90.895
..Green-tagging . . . . . . . .90.898
..Just an engine . . . . . . . . 91.901
..Nikasil vs Biral . . . . . . . . 91.908
..Jack, Derek, Brian, Vic . . 92.913
..Well Enough . . . . . . . . . 92.917
..Souvenirs . . . . . . . . . . . 93.921
..Engine apart . . . . . . . . . 93.922
..Screens! . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.923
..Head work . . . . . . . . . . 93.925
..Derek Bell . . . . . . . . . . .93.927
..Letter to the Archives . . .93.928
..Zoll Plate . . . . . . . . . . . 93.930
..McQueen's Zoll plate . . . 94.933
..'CH' sticker . . . . . . . . . .94.937
..McQueen at Fribourg . . . 95.942
..Siffert and McQueen . . . .95.943
..Bumper guards (or not) . . 95.945
..Fribourg cars . . . . . . . . .95.950
..McQueen invoice . . . . . . 96.953
..Zuffenhausen replies . . . 96.954
..and response . . . . . . . . .96.955
..Another letter . . . . . . . . 96.956
..and another reply . . . . . .96.957
..Kardex kabinet . . . . . . . .96.959
..J Deschenaux . . . . . . . . .96.961
..Document types . . . . . . .96.962
..More Deschenaux . . . . . .96.963
..Fahrzeugkarte . . . . . . . . 98.972
..Another souvenir . . . . . . 98.973
..More Deschenaux . . . . . .99.984
..Lead + tin . . . . . . . . . . .99.987
..More Deschenaux . . . . . 99.988
..CFM charts. . . . . . . . . . .99.989
..6301439 . . . . . . . . . . . .99.990
..Custom Plate . . . . . . .103.1024

[LongRanger]

This is my second Porsche. My first was a 1960 356B Drauz Roadster that I bought in 1990, then kept for about a dozen years. I chose a 356 because mechanically, it was a lot like the VWs that I was used to. I liked rugged, straight-forward machinery and that little Roadster, like the VWs before it, was super durable and easy to maintain --- oil changes, valve adjustments, tire rotations --- simple. My first open car, too --- lots of fun. Sold it to buy our house, but also because, well . . . it mostly sat for the last two years it was with me. As much as I loved that car, frankly . . . 356s are slow. Especially for the money.

Anyway, I’d started thinking about a 911 a few years ago. I always liked their looks and performance, but also their durability. I was pretty sure that a 911 would be more expensive to maintain than my 356, but I also thought I could afford it. So, I started looking for one of the later G50-equipped cars, an ’88 or ’89 coupe, maybe a Speedster, or even a Club Sport (if I could find one). The later 3.2s have a reputation for being exceptional cars, and also, for me, mark the end of the ‘real’ 911. I don’t care much for new cars (or their depreciation). All I wanted was a good solid German car that I could drive and enjoy, like a later-model air-cooled 911. That’s what I had in mind, anyway. . . . until I saw this old Porsche at a car show.

I’ve been going to the Ventura Show, ever since Bob Campbell first started it, back in my 356 days. I’d missed a few over the years, but those shows were always on my mind, if not my calendar, at that time every year. The Ventura shows had all the things I like: there’s the Car Show part, the Vendors’ part, and the Swap-Meet part. But my favorite was The Cars For Sale part, out in the back. Always something interesting there, from garage-queens to parts cars, and a lot in-between. This one particular time, maybe ’04 or ‘05, I came across an old 911 for sale.

The sign on it said it was an original, un-restored 1969 ‘S’ . . . and it looked it. The car was low-key shade of red, almost brick, wore an original set of California black ‘Z-prefix’ license plates, hounds-tooth upholstery, the usual dash crack, a sunroof (?), and a rear wiper --- I never knew rear wipers even existed back in ‘69, on any car. I think the sign said that the car had 136k mi, and that the engine had been rebuilt. The car definitely looked original . . . and apparently un-restored, its nose and hood covered in scratches and scrapes, sand-blasted paint. I looked at it once, then came back two more times, probably spent a good half-an-hour just walking around it, taking it all in. Not many people seemed to pay attention to it. I love un-restored original cars and thought it was wonderful.

$36,000.

For a beat old 911? You’re kidding! Really?

I hadn’t been following values on these cars, like, at all --- and almost never saw them for sale in the places where I’d been looking --- PML, Hemmings, PCA‘s web-site, etc. Didn’t know much about ‘em, either. So as soon as I got home though, I grabbed my copy of Ludwigsen’s ‘Excellence was Expected,’ and started reading through all those chapters that I’d skipped before --- basically everything between the 356s and the 917s. I did remember reading somewhere that the post-’78 3-liter 911s, the ‘SCs,’ were a huge improvement, in looks, durability and reliability ---- over the earlier cars. Because of that, or maybe just out of, I don’t know ---- prejudice? ---- those ‘60s and ‘70s 911s just never came up on my radar.

But now as I read Ludwigsen’s description, especially of those old ‘S’ cars --- with their mechanical fuel injection, magnesium engine and transmission cases, aluminum engine-lids and valances, ‘racing H’ 901 gear-boxes, forged aluminum wheels, and on and on --- well, I had no idea that those ‘old’ Porsches were so exotic.

Then there were the ‘numbers.' For me, a lot of cars, especially the ones that I’ve never owned or driven (or really know anything about) --- get summarized, abstracted, then reduced to a set numbers that I can refer to and compare: horse-power, displacement, weight, how many were built, and so on. And I had no real numbers to attach to the early 911s. Maybe horsepower. And I had never driven anything older than an ’83 SC Cab. Anyway, I’ve been driving mostly BMWs for a long time ---- all 3-series, including two ‘real’ M3s. Those 4-cylinder M-cars are still my yard-stick for measuring any high-performance small car. The e30 M3’s 2.3 liter S14 motor makes 192 hp, weighs 2866 lbs, with 19,017 units built --- with about 5,000 coming to the US. By comparison, a longhood ‘S’ has similar power and displacement --- but weighs 400-500 lbs less, with far fewer cars built to begin with, never mind imported. (Or surviving?)

So, when I’d read about all of their mechanical features, and remembered how beautifully built and enjoyable my 356 had been, then mulling over the 911’s ‘numbers’ . . . . well, an early 911 started to look like a really interesting car: basically, I had M3-power in a car ~200 lbs or so heavier than my old 356.

I’m in.

The question now was. . . .

[LongRanger]

If I could afford it, then I wanted the top model --- a genuine 911S --- the car with all of Porsche’s best stuff. I wasn’t interested in modifying or hot-rodding something else to be ‘as good as,’ ‘cheaper than,’ or ‘better than,’ etc. An ‘S’ is an ‘S.’

I definitely preferred the proportions of the long-wheel-base cars. So, right away, that narrowed my search to a ’69–or-later car. And I definitely wanted a Coupe more than a Targa; I’d already owned a few open cars and just wanted something simple and weather-tight ---- not even a sunroof. As for color and options --- didn’t matter; color doesn’t affect performance and if there was some special bit or feature that I wanted, then I’d add it later. (Besides, adding ‘bits’ are what clubs and web-sites and swap-meets are for, right?)

My understanding of the history of the company, and what ‘Porsche’ means to me, had a lot to with the kind of car that I was looking for, too. From reading Ludwigsen’s account, Porsche was effectively a family-run business up until 1973, and I think it shows in the cars. Porsches were built by personalities --- not consumer clinics or focus groups trying to gauge some customer 'experience.' Porsche built what they wanted. Kinda wacky. I mean, its one thing to come up with a business plan that revolves around a 1930’s concept of an air-cooled, rear-engined car. But to then go sooo much further, and engineer magnesium engine and transmission components, alloy body work, mechanical fuel injection, fully independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, forged wheels --- then build the thing up by hand --- in any volume --- for a profit . . . is just breath-takingly nuts.

I mean, --- there really is nothing like an old Porsche 911.

And that's what I wanted ---- all the over-engineering quirkiness of Porsche . . . before Ferry shoved all the family out --- all the kids and cousins, all the other Porsches and Piechs --- and brought in 'professionals' to run things. Before Porsche got big. I wanted the magnesium bits, the alloy bodywork, the high-compression motors --- with no smog or safety stuff . . .

And, along those lines, there was one other feature that I just had to have: Porsche’s own ‘dog-leg’ 901 gear-box. Horse-power and weight figures are just numbers unless I can really use them. (Or even feel them.) Don't mean much to me. But a gear-box? That’s something that I would touch and use every time I drove the car, anywhere I drove it --- and not just at red-line or on a favorite road. If the ‘box was harder or weirder or more difficult to use, well . . . . that’s fine by me. Plus, I just liked the idea that the 901 was part of the 911’s original design, how Porsche first thought the 911 should be. It’s just so German, so Porsche . . . ‘this is our car. We’re not asking you what you want; we’re building what we want.’

My gear-box requirement in a LWB car narrowed the choices to just three model years: 1969, ‘70, and ’71. At first, the ’69 was the favorite: first year for MFI and long wheel-base, but also the last year for the original two-liter displacement. The ’69 is also very light: allegedly under 1000 kilos. But as time went by, and my search got under way, my ideas would change a bit. The ’70s and ‘71s are 2.2 liter: bigger displacement, more power. The 2.2 liter cars were also the last 911s to be built with high-compression, and without any concession to emissions. Or anything else, really. After the 2.2, the displacement and compression of Porsche’s street engines were affected by outside politics and legislation --- and not just because Porsche wanted them that way.

So. My selection was down to an ‘S’ coupe, ’70 or ’71, with all the best stuff: high compression with MFI, mag-cased engine and trans, 901, alloy engine lid and license panel, no emissions or safety junk.

The 911-est 911.

[Reza]

enjoy your most 911-est. i never thought about it that way, but you make a few good points there.

every so often, "the world changed". and the mid-late 60s and early 70s motorsports, entered a different era thereafter.

glad you drive that greeny thing thousands of miles, they are suprisingly comfortable cars.

reza

[LongRanger]

So I started looking. Was going through Pano, PML, Excellence, plus a bunch of those English classic car magazines, all the time, getting a feel for the market-place and prices. Bought a couple of buyer’s guide-type books, even dug up some old ‘things-to-look-for-in-a-911’ type articles I’d saved up over the years, getting familiar with specifications, different features and equipment. Started book-marking all the Porsches-for-sale sites, even running across (and eventually joining) the Early ‘S’ Registry. Sold my trusty M3. That was spring 2008.

The first car I went after was John Rice’s (john rice) '69 (VIN = 119300373), when it came up on eBay, in May of ‘08. (See post #290 on the eBay 911S sales thread.) I first found out about it on Pelican, describing some R-Gruppe icon that, for one reason or another, was being let out in public, located up the San Francisco Bay Area. The vehicle was already on eBay by the time I found out about it --- so I had to scramble. Looked like just my kind of car, too: tidy, but a little rough cosmetically, with a donked nose, and a rust bubble just starting on one of the front quarters, but with clean pans, fresh motor, vintage seats, vintage MOMO, ‘glass bumpers and black CA plates, without rocker or bumper trim, torsion bar covers, or even wheel caps ---- Jeez, I mean this car was just stripped down to its bike shorts. Basically, everything I wanted, all in one package. And in that condition, I wouldn’t even have to worry about washing it. Got my finances lined-up, then got in front of my PC. Auction ended on a Sunday evening, and I was just pumped . . . . I bid up to $55k . . . . and lost. (By a $100.) Not surprised, I guess. Wrote the winning Bidder but never heard back --- 'if you ever wanna sell,' etc. I’ll remember that car for a long time.

Counting that first Red Car I’d first seen up at the Ventura Show, I’d now seen TWO black-plate ‘69s. Hhhh.

Then another 2-liter came up, this time advertised on the Registry site: a fully-restored, ex-California car in Bahama Yellow (VIN = 119300874). I communicated with the Seller Andreas (A.T.) a few times, looked at a lot of photos, got as far as looking at flights out to Canada to see the car. But it was a lot of money and I wasn’t anxious about getting a restored car. I’ve always preferred a ‘beat’ original car --- solid, but with some needs. Money’s always an issue, I guess . . . but I also wanted to see all the warts before they disappeared under a fresh coat of paint.

Next car came up a few months later, also on the Pelican site, --- this time, a ’71 (VIN = 9111300115), Gemini Blue, located in Michigan. (See post #291, as above). The Seller’s ad included a link to an album with numerous detailed photos. The Seller (thevojtiseks) wrote that he’d picked-up the vehicle in mid-project, then completed it himself over a period of time. There was an impressive list of the vendors used and work that had been done. Unfortunately, the PPI turned-up an equally impressive list of things that needed attention. Nothing really fatal, but I was adamant that I had to be able to drive the vehicle home. There were issues, but I was willing to negotiate; Seller, however, was not.

Next up was a car I first saw advertised in Pano: another ’71, Conda Green (VIN = 9111300499), otherwise better known as ‘Patrick.’ (See post #300, as above.) I drove up to Santa Cruz on a week-end, to meet with the Seller --- a very sick Mr Lee McKay --- to look the vehicle over, some months before it was to come up for auction on eBay. Difficult to describe this car . . . or the circumstances. When I first saw it, glowing in a house-side driveway on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, I was pretty sure it would be out of my price-range (~$40-60k). But actually . . . it was probably too nice a car for what I wanted to do; the underside was as spotless as the top. Anyway, some months later, I watched the auction on-line . . . but didn’t offer. The winning bid was $68.5k --- which definitely was out of my price-range --- but that was a lot less than I had expected. This vehicle is pretty incredible, too . . . . and I’ll just say Bryan (fryardds), you are a very brave man to drive something so nice.

This 911, by the way, was also the first Prospect that I’d actually seen in person.

Next, I had some conversations with a local Registry member, Curtisaa, about a '70 Gemini Blue ‘S’ sunroof coupe that he was restoring. Curtis showed me his car --- the body shell had just been painted and the engine and trans were about to go back in, when I saw it --- and we looked over the engine and some of his other cars. For a while, I thought he might be interested in selling his ‘S’ to me. But. I think he got attached to it and . . . no sale.

By the latter part of 2008, I was getting a bit distracted. That’s the busy time-of-year at our company. And, more notably, the economy was turning-down. Big-time. I had some numbers in mind when I started looking for a car, but as the year wound down, I was pretty sure that prices would be coming down in the months ahead; I was in no hurry. At one point, I was even shopping for a 996 GT3, and prices on those cars were plunging. Either way . . . whether it was an early ‘S’ or a GT3 --- I figured something would turn up.

1) John Rice's '69 'S'

2) Andreas' '69 Bahama 'S'

3) The problematic Michigan car

4) Brian's fabulous Conda car (ex-Lee McKay), aka 'Patrick' (More pictures at post# 305)

5) Curtis' sunroof 'S' in process

[Macroni]

Great thread......

[FHernand]

Enjoy your write-up. Great looking car.

[69Sman]

Great thread, looking forward to more.

[LongRanger]

This was my post about an ad for a low-mileage '70 'S' . . . .

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...102#post398102

If it wasn't for NiceT's pictures . . .

[LongRanger]

This is my original introduction to our Board and the story of getting the car, along with pictures from the original PPI . . .

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...found+Hemmings