928Virgin

Good day to all! Yesterday I registered my new (old) toy. At the beginning of the month I took my son to Windell's at Mt Hood, Oregon for a ski camp and while there I purchased a 1979 928. Had it transported about a week later and the pic you see was our first drive to the top of Ortega Hwy overlooking Lake Elsinore. Since then I drove to work (over the 241 toll road) about three times. It is a drivable project. I will provide more pics in the next days, the interior needs work. The dash has no foam or leather on it (although I received a second dash and center console w the purchase) and the pod is cracked. No rust. Engine runs strong with 86k miles. It suffers from the typical 928 issues. I would love to know which you would tackle first (I am thinking brakes, AC, power steering, oil pan leak, interior, paint) but please let me know your advice.

My thoughts a week into ownership - I love it! I get a big smile on my face each time I drive it. I cannot believe how tight it feels for a 1979 car, goes to show how well engineered and what an amazing car this was when it was new. I look forward to bringing back to its glory:

1979 Porsche 928 Auto 3 speed tranny no sunroof
Issues:
1. rear driver brake rubs and squeeks as wheel spins (swueek, swueek, swueek at each revolution), also the car brakes but it feels like you need alot of force to get it to stop (has new brake booster)
2. no AC (seller provided new belt currently not hooked up)
3. power steering - not sure about this one, at slow parking lot speeds the steering needs much power to turn but at driving speeds it is fine, so not sure what it is supposed to feel like, I think it is not working
4. Oil pan leak and I suspect main front seal since it is messy at front up about 3/4 way (leak is not bad about a drop a night)
Seller provided me w a replacement vacuum line so I was thinking of just replacing all vacuum lines w silicone hoses - thoughts on this?
5. Pod cluster - temp guage sometimes works, oil guage is usually pinned at 5, and the alt guage is way way low; the light sometimes works, when I use turn signal sometimes it shows blinking in cluster, when I adjusted the pod height I heard a pssssst so I think some vacuum line under there breathed a sigh of relief lol.
6. Suspension - it is tight very tight for a 1979, I do however want to change all the bushings. Suggestions? Poly or rubber? Should I do the roll bar upgrades? I notice when I push down on the corners the car does have the slight shock absorber bounce indicating it needs new shocks, I also note the front passenger side seems to droop a little lower than the driver side.
7. Lights - oh man do I love the headlights. They do seem to not fit in the opening properly (the passenger one seems to sit deeper in and is not centered), is there a way to adjust their depth and position in the fender openings?
8. Interior - ok so the front seats are done, the lower bolsters are peeling away with the seat subframe from the base on the door sides of each seat, I want new foam, leather bolsters w black/blue pascha checkerboard centers (any advice as to cost estimate and who is best to do this on west coast ... I called the one in garden Grove and they said it starts at $3000 ... does that seem right?); the dash and pod I can tackle
9. paint - car has no rust, the paint looks ok from 20 feet but it is done, looks like a rattle can job in spots. I want to strip down to metal and go color change to a blue metalic that will pop w the blue black pascha.
10. I am thinking of changing the wiring harnesses. I see posts about the engine harness but nothing on the rest of the car, the harness from the dash back to the tail lights? Any suggestion?

GuardsRedHammerhead

Very nice acquisition. Congrats! My 1979 is by far my favorite 928. There are a lot of people around here that are very knowledgeable and can give insight much better than I can. I am no professional but do most of my work with the help of others here. Here are some of my thoughts on your issues, but again, I am not an Ace mechanic, just a set of hands that can read and owns lots of tools.

1) I had the same issue. Calipers were hanging up. I rebuilt my calipers and they have been fine since. Did you check the pads, fluid, etc.?
2) I have bought two different 928's where the AC didn't work, but they were so kind as to give me a new belt(because the last one blew). In my experience, they blew because the compressor needed replaced.
3) Did the blown AC belt take a power steering belt with it? Is the belt in tact? Fluid. My 1979 is a very hard steer when parked, but smooth as butter on the move. My 1985 is much easier, but still heavier than any other car I own.
4) Reseal the front end when you do the timing belt and water pump. I recently did both of mine and it solved a few leaks, but did not solve the famous pan leak, which is a bitch to replace.
5) Can't wait to hear others reply to this question. My speedo likes to work intermittently on the 1979.
6) Just did shocks on both of my cars. Made a huge difference in the ride. Used OEM Sachs from Roger Tyson.
7) Waiting for replies to this as well. My driver headlight sits lower than the passenger.
8) I bought a Cork Leather car that had seen lots of sunshine. It was more like a cheap truck stop beef jerky than it was leather. Spent $3600 from World Upholstery for all new front, back leather, and carpet set. Some people use another source, but they had been difficult to reach, so I went elsewhere. Hope I didn't make a mistake. I hear LSeats is a nice, cheap option.
9) My 1979 has the quarter glass rust, in a small spot. It is about 4 weeks away from going to a local metal work guy that is EXTREMELY experience with German cars. He is a true craftsman. He is fixing a few spots, then it is off to paint. I am going to prep the car, myself.
10) No harness experience, but knock on wood, I have few electrical problems. Keep spare fuses\relays on trips, but never use them. Keep my ground points cleaned up.

Again, you will get better replies from the experts, here. These are just my experiences\observation.

Congrats on a great car. Enjoy it.

Jason89s4

Response to #5: replace circuit foil on back of instrument panel. I’m speaking from experience….if it’s original it is toast. Still available. About 350. Call Roger at 928srus.com. Also, Deoxit big plug on control unit underneath the left drivers foot test. Does odometer work? If not change it while you have gauge cluster out and also the cracked pod. Good luck!