I am a new member here but I am in need of some advice.

My father bought a 1986 911 Carrera (20 years ago) after it had been in an accident. He started to repair the car when I was growing up but got in a fight with the mechanic and the project has been on hold ever since. I am looking to pick up where he left off and I am hoping that you guys can help me decide what steps I should take.

Here is a synopsis of the cars condition:
Body: The car has been sitting in a conditioned garage for the last 18 years and is in good shape. The rear quarter panels show some minor damage from the accident and need to be bumped out a little and repainted. Also, the back panel has been replaced and needs to be painted. The wing (which it came with) was stolen a couple years ago so we have purchased a grill for the time being until we can find another wing. The rear bumper also needs to be put on.

Mechanical: The car has been sitting and has not been run in a long time. The fuel tank is full and we believe that it is rusting out and leaking. We also think that the fuel pump will need to be replaced. The rear muffler was damaged in the accident and needs to be replaced. Thats really about it, he drove the car home and it has sat for a long time so I am assuming that I would need to flush all the fluids and change some belts and such.

Other: For some reason when he purchased the car the driver side door window modulator was broken, he had all the parts and started to repair it but I believe we are missing components now and would need to find a replacement motor and reassemble the door. During the wing theft somebody also tried to take the stereo, there is some damage to the dash piece and we would also need to replace that and update the stereo in the car. The car also needs new tires and probably new brakes.

The reason I am asking for peoples advice is because I am not a mechanic and don't have an abundance of money (being a recent graduate and getting married..eek). I am going to try to do as much as I can on my own avoiding the expensive Porsche repair bills. Any advice, help, ideas, even place's to buy replacement parts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

The fuel pump is down on the near the bottom of the tank, so it is very likely one of the rubber lines to or from the pump are leaking and not the tank. Best bet on some of the body parts, door regulator etc, would be to source used parts off either Ebay, or by getting them from the porsche dismanlters such as Parts Heaven, Oklahoma foreign, DC automotive, etc.

With that being said, I can tell you that a Porsche that has sat for that long is going to be very expensive to get up and running reliably again. More than likely once going you are going to be dealing with oil leaks from the various engine gaskets that have shrunk over the years, flat spotted tires, rotten brake lines, rotten fuel hoses, etc. The general engine should be just fine though which is good. Pull the plugs, shoot a little oil in the cylinders, let it sit over night, then turn it over by hand in the morning to make sure it turns fine. Change the oil, fluids, gas, etc. Drain the gas tank for sure, replace the fuel filter, etc.