1967 Porsche 912 — SOLD

thomas@hamlinmedia.com

This classic sports car is ready to take you wherever you want to go: race track, rallies, or touring across the continent. Nearly all of the major mechanical systems have been replaced, upgraded or restored with care in the last two years. New performance engine has 5000 miles on it. Cosmetics such as interior carpets and upholstery are in decent condition, not perfect; my initial focus was to build a reliable and safe sports car for commuting. I would love to keep it, but am forced to sell as I’m moving.

Fresh Engine

I think most Porsche 912 owners would love to upgrade their old engines, but secretly pray they don’t ever have to face the costs. When it was time to rebuild this one, I decided to spare no expense in building the most reliable high-performance street engine possible. My goal was to upgrade where the originals have proven unreliable or where performance could be improved without any risks to longevity. This restoration/upgrade alone cost well more than $10k. Needless to say, I was planning on keeping the car for years, and am only selling now because I must.

• Everything machined and prepped by respected Competition Engineering, California.
• Heads completely rebuilt to stock specs and complete valve job done.
• Case halves shaved and rebored to standard. This is a 1968 case (no smog fittings), it came with the car when I bought it.
• Crank ground to 1st under on mains and rods, magnafluxed.
• Flywheel resurfaced, new Sachs clutch.
• Engine was balanced to perfection, from the flywheel and crank to the rods, pins, and pistons.
• Full-flow oil filtration modification by Competition Engineering who pioneered the technique in the 60s. Kit and oil pump cover from Classic and Speed Parts. The 356 Registry has a good article about full flow oil systems.
• Shasta 86mm pistons (lightweight JE forged aluminum) and new cast iron cylinders, for 1720cc. Some of the best performance pistons you can get for these cars. Duane Spencer of Shasta Engineering told me he has customers who burn only ½ quart of oil in 3000 miles, and now I believe him!
• New wide-lobe Neutek SX-1 camshaft. NLA sells these, “for improved street and entry level racing. Takes advantage of larger Solex 40 PII-4 carbs. Good low end power.” The SX-1 provides 80% of total torque by the time 2500 RPM is reached. Combination of larger displacement and new camshaft provides amazing low-end torque for city driving, but the car really loves to run between 3500-6000 RPM.
• Original split shaft Solex 40 PII-4 carbs completely remanufactured by Don Marks, of 356 fame.
• Don Marks also correctly rebuilt the original Bosch 022 distributor and recurved it for the larger displacement engine.
• Carbs now have proper air filtration in the form of K&N filters. Original metal mesh filters come with the car too.
• New fuel pump.
• New, high-flow aluminum oil cooler by Competition Engineering ensures that the engine runs cool no matter what.
• Peace of mind knowing the engine will last twice as long as stock because of the excellent oil and air filtration.
• Mainley Custom by Design oil sump plate with black wrinkle finish and plug. This solid aluminum cover provides a better “compression fit” drain plug so you avoid the risks involved in using the original tapered plug. Car comes with original sump plate as well.
• Sheet metal powder painted to match original paint as closely as possible. I used a local shop that my Porsche repair shop uses for its classic Porsche restorations.
• Ceramic coated J-tubes (headers) – the best protection available for these hot parts.
• Ceramic-coated Bursch Quiet exhaust with removable muffler and stinger.
• Generator was replaced with a new alternator kit from Emory Motorsports. This provides much more reliable 12V current than the original generator. New fan came with the kit.
• All metal fasteners were stripped and replated to original condition, or replaced with new yellow cad fasteners. I worked closely with the local plating company to ensure correct treatment. They handle wastes responsibly, so I felt confident that going with the original and much longer lasting yellow cadmium finish was the best choice. This was achieved at much expense and after an extensive search.

Rebuilt engine was broken-in using high-ZDDP motor oil (Brad Penn 30W as recommended by LN Engineering), and thereafter I have used only high-ZDDP Swepco 10W-30 (the purple stuff). If you don’t know why this is significant, read this article by LN Engineering.

Brake system restored

• Calipers rebuilt by Goldline Brakes, Seattle. Pads at 90% all around.
• Dual circuit master cylinder kit from CSP, including reservoir and lines
• New lines throughout
• Pedal cluster replaced with a reconditioned cluster and new bushings

Suspension and Wheels

• Original 15” steel wheels
• Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S tires, 195/65R15 with less than 6000 miles of wear, excellent rating.
• New front pan installed by experienced body shop
• New ball joints
• New steering tie rods and ends
• New boots
• Control arms inspected and painted
• Steering rack inspected and cleaned
• Torsion bars inspected (stock)
• Elephant Racing polybronze bearings. These are the best available for precise steering and reliable performance with no squeaks.
• Anti-sway bar cleaned and inspected (this was a factory option)
• Rod Emory at Emory Motorsports restored the rear spring plate/torsion bar mounts and surrounding metal to like-new condition
• New Neatrix rubber bushings at rear spring plate
• New Boge front shocks and Koni rear shocks

Other:

• New Euro-spec Hella/Bosch H4 headlamp assemblies and the brighter 80/100 watt bulbs. Original headlamp assemblies come with car.
• New battery
• New stock starter
• Fuel tank cleaned and coated
• All lights work, even the interior ceiling lights. For added safety, a third brake light is installed (easily removed).
• Rain tray for engine compartment. This was a tough one to hunt down.
• Including PEP 3-point retracting seat belts ($350 value), they just need to be installed.
• I had two correct replacement keys made by Tony Euganeo. You also get the original key and a Porsche fob.
• Irish Green, one of the original colors offered by Porsche, though not the original color of this car
• 5-speed runs great. New gear shift bushings.
• Short wheelbase, VIN 354009 indicates early ’67.

Known issues:

• All glass is okay, except there is a half inch crack in the windshield upper left. Should be repairable.
• The green paint is not perfect—some small cracks or chips have developed where the paint was stressed: fuel fill area, hood latch area (mechanic pushed the trunk shut to hard), and front bumper. Photos on Picasa.
• The clock and radio don't work. I never tried to figure out why, since using either would deter from the classic motoring experience. :) It may be something simple. All other gauges and controls on dash work.
• The seat ratchets are a bit worn, so occasionally a seat pops back a notch. Simple fix, but the next owner may opt for modern seats or new vintage replicas.
• The new Hella horn came with the car when I bought it, but I never installed it. Wiring is there, along with a new Bosch relay.

Again, I believe this is the best 912 deal to be found on the market today, considering the price and the sheer amount of restoration you will not have to do. Please contact me if you have any questions.