New and Ecstatic

New here, been searching and lurking. I�ve learned a ton here already and appreciate those who take the time to inform. A little background (that may explain impending and future questions or comments): Grew up with a Trucker for a father who loved German engineering. My summer job was helping him rebuild VW�s (pre super V). Later we graduated to a 67 Mercedes 200D with 4 on the tree. He had a love/hate relationship with that car. Will never forget coming home to find him with a vacuum cleaner (reversed) to power a forge (in Mom�s Hibachi) so he could bend an old wrench to make a tool for adjusting the injectors. He was far too cheap to buy the tool. It made him mad enough to rename the car �Hitler�s Revenge�. We put 367,000 miles on that car before it gave up the ghost. Fast forward 45 years or so: After retiring, my folks built a small retirement house with a 30 x 40 enclosed and air conditioned shop behind. Dad (now 89) has a 240D and a 300 Turbo D and still tinkers. He always coveted Porsches and almost bought one long ago (would have if it had enough headroom, he was 6�4� as a younger man). One of my bucket list items was to buy an older (air cooled) 911, surprise him with it and use it as a means to spend more time with him before he�s gone. I got serious about it early this year and learned quickly that the air cooled cars are hard to come by and have gotten expensive. A little research led me to the 996�s and I bought a �02 Cab with 70,000 miles. It was a bit of a risk as it was via an auction but the price was right and it looked and sounded good. I drove it gingerly from the auction home and more aggressively over the next week. OH MY. WHY DIDN�T I DO THIS YEARS AGO??!! HOLY CRAP IS IT FUN TO DRIVE! After a couple of weeks of �testing� I drove it my Dad�s (a couple of hours away) and surprised him. That part alone was worth the price of the car. My business keeps me busier than I would like, but I�ve been able to spend an occasional weekend with him �working on the car�.On a usual weekend I� clean the gutters, pressure wash his driveway, install whatever needs installing and do my best to help him understand that he shouldn�t run his house a/c at 90 to save money�Then� we get to the car. Engine Bonnet release switch, brake light bulb receptacle fix/hack, fuel cap replacement etc. After that we go for a drive and to dinner. He mostly likes me to drive on these trips (I think in part because he knows how much I enjoy it).A few weeks ago, just prior to his birthday we had such a weekend. While out driving, upon every turn, he would caution �You know, I see a lot of cops on this road�, to which I paid no attention� that car comes alive over 4,000 rpm and I can�t help myself. At one point, I mentioned his impending birthday and that he would be 90. He didn�t correct me. About this time, I turned on to a country road with miles of emptiness ahead. I wound it up north of triple digits and then backed it down slowly. I realized my math error and said �Dad, I said you were turning 90, actually its 89� to which he replied �Nope, 90�. I explained that he was born in 1929 and that would make him 89. No hesitation and he says �Yeah, but you just took a year off my life�. In spite of this, he keeps getting in the car with me Now to the car:- I have the free foam in my AC vents. Thrilled to find 78F350�s hack repair. - IMS: Could not determine if it had ever been addressed so I must assume not. Just took the car to a certified shop (Ironically, same shop the 200D went to for major work in the late 70�s) to have the LN Solution installed (along with clutch, RMS, flywheel if needed, etc). - I asked that they go through it with a fine toothed comb.- I found an old ad when a dealer was trying to sell it. In it he states � Custom Body Kit including but not limited to the Full Front and Rear Body Components....Custom Exhaust�. Not sure what the exhaust might be, but it makes sense as it is a little louder than expected, especially over 4,000 RPM. Questions I expect to have include track time questions (Florida), radar detector questionsJ, pieces and parts questions. So many have already been answered by using the search function, I really appreciate the breadth of knowledge here and the willingness to share.UPDATE: With a number of phone calls back and forth, I had a great deal done to the car. First surprise was that the IMS had already been addressed. Block is an �M97�? vs. the original �M96�? Woo Hoo!Also identified the exhaust. FabSpeed and car was tuned accordingly. Cat is removed� Clutch job, Flywheel, RMS, 60,000 mi service, Brake Flush, Manual Trans Service, New Coils, Plugs, replaced shocks/struts (two were leaking), replaced front and rear sway bar links, boots, replaced front ABS speed sensors (connectors were crumbled), replaced oil separator assembly (leaking), new keys, replace engine mounts and rear transmission mount, repaired a dent on fuel fill cover�. Whew�I had discussed the �hack� (Thanks 78F350 and particlewave) I saw here to repair the free foam removal and they were willing to give it a go. Seems to have worked well.Picked up the car last week and have driven it 300 miles or so �spiritedly� and am thrilled� still�Will return it to my Dad after I�ve �tested it� thoroughly and we�ll proceed to tinker (perhaps some trim refinishing type work to go along with the gutter cleaning that he has come to expect when we�re �working on the car��I have business near Knoxville with some regularity, looks like I�ll be avoiding the airports and familiarizing myself with the Tail! Does anyone have recommendations for a Florida �beginner� to get some extreme (to me) driving experience that might accelerate my learning curve? Thanks for �listening� and thanks for a great and informative site.

Great story and best of luck with the car. As someone who just lost my mom, I envy the time you get to spend with your dad. You are a great son and I know that you appreciate that the time spend with your dad is precious. Best wishes to the both of you.

Welcome to Porsche ownership. I enjoyed reading your post. As to your question about getting some driving experience, our central Florida region (Citrus) of PCA is hosting a DE at Roebling Road near Savannah in October. That’s the first track I ever drove at a few years back, and I can’t recommend it highly enough for a beginner. You can search for events on Clubregistration.org to find and register or PM me for details if any difficulties finding it. It sounds like you have a really nice car and the proper work has been done to it to serve you for many smile filled miles.

This is great story of one fine relationship. So happy to hear about stories when a son will stay in touch and create memories with their fathers. That's awesome! Also great to hear you got a deal on a 996 that seems to have lots of preventive maintenance. I'm curious about this "M97 block" that was apparently installed on your car. Any chance you could look under the driver side rear wheel and capture a photograph of the serial number. I've read about many people getting the factory "AT" replacement engines with the M97 larger single row IMS, but I haven't read of anyone getting the M97 blocked installed on a 996. Curious to learn.

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Thanks for the kind words, I'm really sorry for your loss.

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Thanks Mark, Sounds like PCA membership is a good first step and I'll check out Roebling Road. Really looking forward to (safely) experiencing the car's capabilities.

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Thanks NP, if I'd have done it when he was a bit younger, we'd likely have attempted some of the big jobs. As it is, I've already figured out that it doesn't matter how we spend the time, just that we both benefit from the added time spent together. Here's a pic of the block serial number (M96/0366210234), Now I'm even more curious. The shop gave me the explanation on the phone and it appears I've done a poor job of retaining and repeating the comments (As this is obviously an M96 block). They mentioned the "good news" and stated that, at some point, the block (or engine) had been replaced and that (with the current setup) they would estimate a less than 1% chance of an IMS bearing failure, so, no need for the IMS Solution. The VIN is WP0CA29942S652490 . If this somehow doesn't make sense, I'll speak with them again while not multi-tasking!

Congrats! It is great to see this kind of joy and enthusiasm amid the broken stuff threads that abound here. Good luck with your ownership and welcome to the club. Have had my 2001 C4 Cab now coming up on a year and a half. Best car purchase I have made in a long time. Just added to the collection a nice 924S earlier this summer. Be careful, it's addictive. ...and I second the motion to DE and PCA in the post above. I am attending my second HPDE at COTA next weekend. Best fun you can have for the money. Cheers, Debo sends.

Great story and congrats on the new car. When and what was the IMSB replaced with, they expire! A word of caution though...I question the shops experience regarding the IMSB. Get the Solution installed and forget about it.

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Thanks Debo, Consider me (already) addicted! I plan to follow the advice, joining PCA and taking advantage of the DE options as my time allows. Just sent the last one off to college resulting in an intent to slow down and smell some roses. I still have a hard time believing one can own such a car at such a bargain. While I certainly hope to never experience any substantive issues, I honestly believe I'd be ok with it if it were to happen. For me, it's like a trip to Vegas. Expect to lose (and be ok with it) while hoping to win. Either way, the fun had along the way makes it worth it. Congrats on the 924S.

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Thanks Bill. I've written the shop to ask that they explain their findings, I'll post when they reply. The shop is a "preferred installer" for the IMS solution so I was pleased when they said I didn't need it. I didn't know some solution(s) expire, I'll be sure and ask them for comment. So far, I'm impressed with the shop as responsive, knowledgeable, and willing to spend time helping me to understand more about the car. Your comment re-inspires my interest in the car's history. With the exhaust and no cat, I'd suspect decent odds that the car spent time on the track?

Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed it. Sounds like karma to me, buy a 911 to share with your pop and luck up and buy a car unknowingly that sounds like it has an M97 replacement motor. Good on you to look after the preventative maintenance. There are no guarantees but staying on top of that will give you your best shot at it remaining a great car for years to come. I�d recommend frequent oil changes and refreshing the coolant system if it hasnt been already. Also coils, plugs and air filter are always welcomed. As you know, lots of info here in the forums on all that and more. If/when you plan a trip to east TN, let me know. I�d love an excuse to hit the tail and shake your hand for being a great son. Enjoy!

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Thanks for the kind comments and recommendations jllphan, I'll be happy to let you know when I head that way. My business is closest to Vonore. I spent some time in Nashville and love the area. Lot's of curves up your way, really have to search them out down here. Funny how the SUV years conditioned me to look for the flat and straight. Took about five minutes to correct that...

To answer the mystery on the "m97" IMS bearing in your car, 1. It came from the factory with the " small single row" IMS bearing that is the most prone to failure 2. It is not a factory replacement engine, does not have the "AT"; in the serial number 3. the M97 bearing is to large to be removed without engine disassembly,,ie The "Solution" cannot be installed 4. the M97 IMS bearing has a very low failure rate, (just remove the outer seal for better lubrication) 5. likely explanation is that at some time the engine was disassembled/rebuilt and the updated M97 IMS bearing and shaft was installed

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Thanks! Great info to know. I'm working on finding out more history, will post if/as I learn. Very lucky to happen upon this particular car!