79 SC Targa restoration

[TheEasyLife]

On the day the car was due for delivery I was in Hampshire with work and was desperately trying to get back to my local independent porsche garage in Leicester before my car was delivered there on its journey from Wales. I made it a minute after it arrived.

First impressions?
It looked better in the pics.
Little visible rust (I know I've jinxed it there)
The front has clearly had a knock as the front panel is not pretty.
The drivers door is wavy so someone appears to have got too close with a sandblaster?
Both door skins need welding at the top where they always break away in the middle of the door (no pics - sorry)
Tartan centred seats! Woo Hoo!! ( you aren't surprised I'm excited by seats though)
Most major bits appeared to be there.
The historical accident damage was bodged, not repaired.
The rear nearside wing has a crease in it around the top of the engine lid where the back of the car has been hit on the offside… it will need jigging.
The spare chassis to be used for repairs is from a 70 so no use whatsoever..

I knew it wouldn't be plain sailing and and am not daft enough to think for a second that a garage owner would sell a project car if they could turn it around quickly and profitably themselves.. Still, I said I wanted a long term project..

I had to go soon after the delivery and agreed to meet up the next morning to go through the boxes of stuff and to see what was actually there/missing.

The list of items needed but not there is as follows:

Front windscreen tinted - already knew this was missing
2x headlights - one from a 70 supplied (Huh?)
Front indicators
Front valence
Cardboard heater cover
Headlamp water pump
Periscope headlight washers
Screenwash pump
Screenwash bottle and strap
4x bumper bellows
CDI box
2x rear lights
Wiper arms
Rear bumper mounts
Rear Fog lights
Rear grille
Most rubber seals
Heat guard above silencer
Os door 1/4 window in chrome
Toolkit and jack
Seat belts - you aren't surprised to know I have a set in my stash
Floorboards- both!
Centre console
Heater console

That is about it at a high level… I'm sure we will be missing lots of bolts and other odds and sods but they hopefully won't cost as much as the above list will. Hmmm. Caveat emptor. Always inspect your vehicle before purchase!!! Didn't I mention that previously??

I've bought one or two things on the list already but have a few years to collect them all before the body will be ready for them so its not one eyewatering bill now, just a series of large bills . Most of those items would have been replaced anyway such as CDI and fuseboxes with modern re-workings. I need to set up a direct debit to Johhny as I also like his cooling system too.... I'd be interested in those RPM headlights too and am sure I'll want other things for it too as time progresses.

I've some pics of it arriving and will post one or two of them, then you are up to date as I've not seen it in 6 or so months since it was delivered.

Cheers

James

[MikeS911]

Hi James. Hope you and the family are keeping well. Any up date on the Targa?? What is the action plan. When are we going to see some pic's
MikeS

[TheEasyLife]

Hi Mike,

Hope you are well. Am up to my ears in work and house extension type stuff

I’ve not seen the Targa since it arrived in November 16. So no more pics. I do need to take some at some point soon for the bodywork guy to laugh at, I mean do his initial remote assessment before coming to view it to give a proper quote in the coming months. I’ll share those pics then. The plan is to sort the bodywork out in the latter part of this year or early next then throw it back in storage again. Then sort out the engine at some point next year then the interior at some point the year after that maybe.. I’m not in a rush and the longer I leave it, the more I can save up and the less attention my kids need so I’ll have time to use it at that point unlike in recent years.. Or I’ll get bored and jfdi so I finish it sooner. Either way, I’ve no real deadline so if it hits the road a year or so later then my rough schedule above, then I’m ok with that.

The car will be restored mostly stock with a few variations to suit my requirements. Sports seats for example, colour will probably be original. I’d still love a white Targa but that’s isn’t the original colour so a White 924 may have to scratch that itch at some point?. I still have a BitzRacing EFI kit that I bought all those years ago and ran for a few years on my 2.4E engine, that is just a modified 3.0 cis throttle body and manifolds. They reckon 10-15% bhp increase over stock and is a straight swap for CIS, or not. Who knows. Hmm, 11.5 compression wossner pistons are only £1k, they would be nice. anyway, I’ve loads of time to work out what I want different from stock and where. Hopefully my changes should be hard to spot.

I have a reasonably varied list of parts missing. I enjoying sourcing parts. I find it mildly therapeutic. Have acquired some ssi’s, some lights and a centre console to name a few so far last year. Not been looking that hard in recent months due to work commitments and recent building works at home. I’ve almost got a finished garden office so in mid-late Feb will have somewhere to store my old car magazines and display some old car bits.. should get some space back in the garage which is currently full of building materials.. Can’t wait!

Cheers

James

[MikeS911]

Hi James
Any closer to starting the LONG !!!!!!!!! awaited action plan.
MikeS

[TheEasyLife]

Mike, No! Check your messages. I sent you one ages ago which hasn't been read yet..

Am currently having a funding crisis so no news this year. Landscape gardeners due any week now to transform my large garden then a family wedding abroad (far east) in January will decimate my 911 fund.. good job I'm not in a rush...

I did say this car is a long term project...

Cheers

James

[TheEasyLife]

2 years later.. Wow, that went very quickly..

My 911 restoration fund was doing well untill I halved it to finance taking my family to a family wedding in the far east in Jan 2019 then the remainder wiped out due to unplanned permanent changes at home last summer and needing to buy a new house, new furniture, etc, etc, to start a new life. Am much happier and have much less stress now so the change was absolutely for the best despite being horiffic at the time. Anyway, onwards and upwards

I have seriously considered selling this car on multiple occasions to buy a 996/7 but I know that as nice as they may be, my heart lies with aircooled 911's not watercooled ones.

At present, starting the restoration this 911 in the next year or so is not looking likely. I think that my plan will be to sell off the early 911 parts that I have acquired/purchased/hoarded along the way in the last 10 years or so that will not be used on the SC in order to build up the SC restoration fund to a point where I can commit to a specialist starting work on the shell. I am 100% sure that the value of the bits I have will increase in time but I don't want all of the stuff just sat around taking up space for years so selling it now makes the most sense in my mind. And decluttering will help with my new life in my new house too.

This is unless anyone can reccomend a reputable business who would take things like 911 seats, dash dials and engine parts/induction systems as part payment against trimming, engine rebuild services and general mechanical prep work when I'm ready in a year or two..

I have acquired a number of panels for the bodywork restoration, lots more still needed, but I am slowly ticking things off the list. I am slowly acquiring the other bits missing when I bought the car. Slowly getting there.

I didn't think I'd still be collecting panels and parts after 4 years but given all the challenges in my life in the last year or so, this is just a project that hasn't started yet. And I did say this was to be a long term project...

Cheers

James

[hot66]

Sounds like some major upheavals going on James !

[TheEasyLife]

3 months later..

This will be advertised for sale soon as I just can’t see me starting this restoration in the next few years. The house I bought was definitely the worst house on a decent street scenario and the reality is that some parts of the house need much more money spending on them than initially thought/planned/budgeted. A finished house is a greater priority to me at this point in time to me so this project is the obvious thing to sell first.

Cheers

James

[impmad2000]

Oh dear. But when needs must, I agree that the car comes after the house on priority.
Good luck finding the next project.

[MikeS911]

Hi James. How are things going, did you get the house sorted? Did you let the car go in the end? Not sure if you are still looking at DDK but if you are you up for going to the swap meet on the 31st. Hope thigs are getting more sorted for you.
Regards Mike

[impmad2000]

Hi Mike, James still has the car and plans are afoot to move things along. Not sure how much he watches DDK, but he does keep in touch with me.
Not sure about the swap meet though. I’m going though.

Tim

[TheEasyLife]

I’m not on here as often as I used, to but as Tim has advised, plans are afoot and almost about to be set in motion…

I’ll be attending the swap meet so give me a call and we’ll catch up.

So if anyone sees a chap asking quietly about SC parts, that’s probably me.

James