Woody describes the same method I use to check my valves.
One other tip I will add is to have multiple feeler gauges of the correct size. If you are like me and end up doing stuff at night, you don't want to be in the middle of a valve adjustment and booger up the only feeler gauge you have in the correct size.
About an hour after refilling the oil, I noticed a few drops on the floor behind the rear wheel. I had failed to recognize that the wet oil tank was due to a leak at the oil level sending unit (911s have an oil level gauge).
It was 4:30 in the afternoon. I called the local Porsche shop and they had a new gasket for me by 9 am ($5.50).
This was a fairly simple swap since, at the normal volume, the level of oil in the tank is below the opening. I removed the sender, cleaned the surface, installed the new gasket and reinstalled the old sender.
No more leak.
I also installed my aluminum floor board. Not perfect, but better than what was there before.
With the valves properly adjusted. I decided to do a compression test. If the valves are not closing all the way, your compression will be low. I was very happy to find that all six cylinders were between 150 and 160 PSI. Perfect.
I have five more photos that look a lot like this one.
This is starting to look like a pretty healthy engine. 
I hearby nominate this thread to become a magazine article. If only there was a magazine dedicated to grassroots motorsports and car activities....hmm...
In all seriousness, you've convinced many of us to go drag home an old 911. Thank you for such a great thread!
...and you've convinced the rest of us to wait for the eBay auction. :D
petegossett wrote: ...and you've convinced the rest of us to wait for the eBay auction. :D
It may not get that far...
What happened to the raffle idea? 
That was somebody else's idea, not mine.
If they can find a few million suckers to put down a dollar on the mega millions, there are surely 20,000 people that will put down a dollar on the possibility of winning a 911.
PROFIT! (my idea, I get 40%!)
In reply to Woody:
So are you saying it's already sold, or that you're having pre-sellers remorse?
Maroon92 wrote: If they can find a few million suckers to put down a dollar on the mega millions, there are surely 20,000 people that will put down a dollar on the possibility of winning a 911. PROFIT! (my idea, I get 40%!)
You won't be invited to my island for calling me a sucker before I won!
petegossett wrote: In reply to Woody: So are you saying it's already sold, or that you're having pre-sellers remorse?
, 
This thread makes me want to go work on my project cars. If a guy can get an old, complicated 911 and make it work at home, I should have no problem slapping together either one of my cars.
dyintorace wrote: I hearby nominate this thread to become a magazine article. If only there was a magazine dedicated to grassroots motorsports and car activities....hmm...
They know how to find me...
This thread makes me have bad thoughts about spending too much on an old 911 in a couple of months.
SilverFleet wrote: This thread makes me want to go work on my project cars. If a guy can get an old, complicated 911 and make it work at home, I should have no problem slapping together either one of my cars.
The whole purpose of this thread was to show people that these cars are not all that complicated, just different. Don't be afraid of them.
Woody wrote:SilverFleet wrote: This thread makes me want to go work on my project cars. If a guy can get an old, complicated 911 and make it work at home, I should have no problem slapping together either one of my cars.The whole purpose of this thread was to show people that these cars are not all that complicated, just different. Don't be afraid of them.
I've been saying that all along. Anything before 964, I wouldn't have any problem working on in my garage with hand tools. As a matter of fact, I did some maintenance to the 944 this morning.
Are 964s really that much more complicated? My impression was that 964s are still DIY-able.
I think that they're only a little more complicated. It's just that there's less information out there about them. 911s from 1964 -1989 were just a series of evolutions of the same idea. 964 C2s are just a little bigger jump.
I wouldn't touch a 964 C4, though...
Well, I'm still toying with the idea of getting a 964 C4 as my year-round DD. Although with my luck buying vehicles out here, it's likely to be another piece of lawn art anyway.
964 C4s are complicated. The later AWD cars are a little simpler.
Time for a commercial.
Anybody who's planning to lay their hands on a 911 should own at least these two books.
I bought my copy of 101 Projects... before I owned my first 911, and read it to get a sense of whether or not these cars are DIY friendly. For the most part, they are.
Wayne Dempsey is a guy who wanted to work on his own Porsche. He started Pelican Parts and the related forum. He has done pretty well for himself. Many of the articles in the book can be found here, but it's nice to have everything in book form, too:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/911/911tech_articles.htm
The Bentley manual is generally recognized as the best out there. They're expensive, but worth every penny. Once you decide which 911 you're going to buy (there are different editions for SCs and Carreras), order your copy. New ones are about $75 on eBay.
Celebrity endorsement concluded.
Due to a couple of days of rain and sleet, as well as a poor forecast for today (in addition to a few other turns of events), I decided to skip the Test and Tune day.
Looking out my window this morning, I note that it is warm and sunny.
OK I had just posted a note on the Grm project 911. But your thread has inspired me even more. Of course you got really lucky engine wise, but still showed the rest of us that it can be done.
Thanks for all your efforts on sharing this.
My wife has always wanted a 911 and I have always been nervous about the maintenance. This thread has pushed me into going ahead and making the leap. We are in the process of thinning the current herd, saving $ and making room for a 911. From the research i've done, i'm thinking the 78-83 911sc will be the best bet in terms of an affordable, drivable project.
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