gt3racerich

Hi. Can anyone give me a quick rundown of the correct engine that the various 1973 911's should have? Also, how can I tell that the engine that is in a car is the engine the car was built with? Thanks in advance, Rich

ked

Rich, the easiest, thing for you to do is to go to a Major Bookstore & buy ($12) the "Porsche 911 Red Book" by Patrick Paternie. It contains yr by yr chassis & engine #s, factory engine type #s, options & etc. Not 100% accurate, but very good & anyway, what historical info on Porsche is?

Pete Zimmerman's (supports the Rennlist) & Randy Leffingwell's guides are great, too.

All that said, '73 is a year of many changes. Last year of the "long nose" 911s, impact from emission regs on fuel intake system (yielding the 73 1/2 CIS version). The '73 911S (MFI) is considered as one the greatest of all standard "retail" Porsches. Also, the year of the RS...

So, a short & overview; all (non RS) '73s have a 2.4 engine, the T is lowest compression, the E next & the S highest. There are other distinctions, but all are MFI. The only way I know to establish that a specific engine is original to a specific chassis is via factory documentation (contact PCNA) &/or original dealer delivery & service documents w/ chain-of-custody confirmed. With the Red Book you can determine if an engine serial # is in sequence w/ those utilized on a particular model - chassis. If you post VIN & Engine #, I'll check it for you in my book, if you are in a hurry.
happy hunting (& research)!

gt3racerich

Thanks ked. I tried to do some research but the books I have are not very good. There are so many available, I'll take your recomendation. I don't have a specific car in mind right now but I see a lot of cars advertized as having 2.7 litre engines(many more than I thought came with them) so I was wondering what was up. I'm used to engines stamped with part of the VIN to confirm that it came in a car. I'm not sure I understand what you say about engine sequence # in the Red Book. Does it list say a 1973 911 T, saying that engine # XXXXXX to engine # XXXXXX came in that car, so if the engine # was between those two, it probably came in that car? Thanks again.

ked

Racerich, the Red Book matches a sequence of chassis VINs w/ a sequence of engine #s. So, at best you can confirm if the the engine is of the same type & the same year as supplied to that specific car, but not if it is the exact engine installed in that specific chassis. If it came out of exactly the same type (say, a 911E w/ 911/52 type motor) but 135 chassis later in that year's production sequence, the book's charts won't expose that as a non-matching set. Only the PCNA records (or unbroken "chain-of-custody" records that reside w/ the car, or service shop) will do that.

Anyway, the RS from '73 DID have a 2.7 motor - but that is an exceptionally rare & valuable car (at least real, original ones, good clones ain't cheap either). Since the 2.7 was used on cars from 74-77, and most of those engines required rebuilding, plus the wrecking & rusting of those years' (like all old 911s), many 2.7 engines ended up in earlier 911s. A 2.7 might be incredible (RS spec), or perfectly fine (expertly rebuilt, correcting well-known flaws), or a complete pos (not rebuilt, just slammed into an early car to replace a blown motor & get it out-the-door). An expert 911 engine mechanic, who has been around long enough to have experienced all the Porsche engine action from cars in late '60s to late 80's is called for. You might also consider Bruce Anderson's 911 Performance Handbook - engine evolution is reviewed in detail.

On an old 911 (say, the classic 69-73 models) one must carefully evaluate one's intentions. Are you collecting, racing, weekend-driving, hobby-restoring? etc. To me, first priority is physical condition of the chassis (accidents & rust also inc. trim, interior & acc.). Closely followed is condition of major mechanical systems. All that is modular & upgradable (& the more $ you have, the easier it is!), if called for. Then you can get a fix on initial investment, initial repairs & long term development costs. The key is knowing everything you need to about a specific example before you stroke the check, so that you feel the same about it afterwards.

gt3racerich

"With the Red Book you can determine if an engine serial # is in sequence w/ those utilized on a particular model - chassis. If you post VIN & Engine #, I'll check it for you in my book."

Hi ked, would you be able to help me out with the following: VIN 9113300870 Engine # 6331154
Thanks, Rich