Converting a 1976 911S Targa into a PCA Club Racing legal race car

Step 1:  Prep car for racing

First, start with a bunch of new parts.  Safety items, mostly.  The remove a bunch of parts, cosmetic mostly.
Then find someone who's really good at welding.
Still more work to do, but it's close

Early mods (before I decided to race):
 

  • rebuild transmission
  • replace most rubber suspention mounts
  • new street tires (Michelin Pilot XGT V4's 205/60x15)
  • external fender mount old cooler
  • new half-shafts & CV joints
  • lots of engine work to fix problems (injectors, fuel distributor, etc...)


    • New Safety Gear:
     

  • Safety Devices full roll cage
  • Konig Seats - with slots for 5 point harness
  • 5 point harness
  • Electrical cut-off switch
  • Fire extinguisher


    • Race Prep:
     

  • removed old carpet and replaced with smaller weave (less shag)
  • replace foot plates
  • replaced missing dash pieces (I removed an aftermarket air-conditioner)


    • I ordered vinyl race numbers after I registered for my first race.

    As a last minute insurance policy I took my car to a Porsche mechanic who specializes (I found out later) in preping cars for the track.  This turned out to be a really smart move (despite the fact that it was blind luck on my part).

    Step 2:  The First Race

    The first race was at Sebring (FLA) full course.  I had the car brought down on a transporter with about 12 other Porsche race cars.  Sebring is a great track.

    The Practices went well.  I started with street tires to learn the track and then switched to 205/50x15 Kumho V700's.  These
    are great autocross tires but I found them a bit greasy on a large track in the heat.

    I adjusted my Koni adjustable shocks to their firmest setting.  The fronts were easy but the rears had to be removed
    to adjust them.  This turned out to be a hassle to do at the track.

    I quickly found that my stock '76 911S 2.7L engine  was overheating.  I did the best I could but I had to back way down
    in the practice and qualifying when the temps went up to 250 degrees after a few laps.  This was frustrating.

    Step 3:  Rebuild the Engine

    When we got back from Sebring it was clear something had to be done to cool the engine.  This turned out to be a new
    old pump.  To install one we needed to rebuild the engine (no suprise to anyone with a Porsche).

    During tear down we discovered that one of the cylinders was skuffed.  Time to rebuild the engine.

    Engine work:
     

  • engine rebuild
  • turbo old pump
  • case work (timeserts, etc...)


    • Suspension work:
     

  • strut tower tops
  • roller bearings
  • stiffer torsion bars, front (2) and rear (1)


    • After the rebuild the engine ran great.  Really great.  Lots of pull.  And with the suspension mods the car turns in really quickly and accurately.

    Step 4: Race in the Rain

    We get to Lime Rock and it proceeds to rain for 3 days.  Very wet.  Only once did I get the car up to speed and temp in the dry.
    It's clear I need better rubber and the Kumho's are no longer enough.

    Step 5:  The Glen

    Towed the car to Watkins Glen (8 hours).  Car ran fine and not too hot but close (250 degrees).  I really enjoyed the race but because I was gridded very far back I didn't do that well.  It rained one lap into qualifying and I was still warming my tires (and learning an imporant lesson about qualifying)

    Step 6: Carolina Motor Sports Park

    Added two small scoops to put more air over the oil cooler in front.  This helped and kept the temps around 240.  Changed to BFG R1 tires and 16x7 rims.  This helped a lot - the car had more grip but still too much body roll..  The car is faster but still not competative and is running too hot.  Despite this the race and the 90 minute enduro were really fun.  I had a blast.  The car performed reasonably well and didn't break.

    All in all I had a great mini-season and learned a lot.  But the car was still not competative...