Found a good donor for a 6, I need some advice though... Options

[tscrihfield]

So, I have lived about a quarter mile away from a 74 911T for 5 years and never knew it. It has a 2.7 in it and CIS. The car is a lost cause, but complete with engine trans. It has sat for a few years outside but the engine still turns over. Really all I'm after is the engine in it if it is a good buy. It does have a nice set of Fuchs on it...

What are all of your thoughts of its worth? I will most likely buy the whole car and sell everything minus the engine.

[pcar916]

What kind of mileage is on that powertrain? I had a carburated 2.7L, also from a '75 car, in my 914 when I bought it. It was excellent, but the PO had had the engine totally bulletproofed (via the Bruce Andersen "E" specs in his book. That included better head studs/timecerts, head work, cams, a larger oil pump and even the shuffle-pins one really doesn't need as much as once was thought.

I loved that engine and traded it (along with some cash in his general direction) for the current 3.6 to friend of mine, at his request, when he wanted it for his track 911 built to class rules.

I've built several since then and here's my take. It's a fine engine when rebuilt around it's faults. It's on the outside of what it's magnesium case can handle so time-certs and deleting the dilivar studs are a requirement. Unless you know exactly what engine work has been done I would go for a 3.0, 3.2, or, if your budget can do it, a 3.6 liter engine every time.

A rebuild on the 2.7 including the machine work needed to insure that the case-halves go together and the bearing journals are right and with all of the shop work you'll need, it's as much or more $ to build as a 3.0 or a 3.2 liter engine... and it won't last as many miles until the next rebuild as the later engines will. I'd get a newer one but it'll be a fun machine any way you cut it.

You'll get a lot of miles from the other parts on the car no matter what you do just for conversion goodies if they're in good shape.

If the engine is a core, I'd offer him $1000-$1500 based on the restoration costs. Redoing one of those drivetrains is very expensive. You can use the front struts, the transaxle flanges, stub axles, and rear rotors to do your 100mm CV and 5-lug conversion regardless of the engine transplant.

Good luck