Mike's New Car
10-11-2012, 10:17 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Mike's New Car
Please be upstanding for my new ride. It's a 964 C4. 92,000 miles.
I picked it up on Monday from Flat Six in Doncaster. Martin Doubty, the dealer, is a fantastic, affable and knowledgeable chap and he’s been brilliant throughout the transaction. Turns out my father in law knows him through as he’s very well know in the clay pigeon shooting world.
The car: It’s a 1990 Carrera 4, and a bit rare as it doesn’t have a sunroof, which is what I really wanted. It’s had an engine replacement approx 20,000 miles ago. Don't know much about what happened to the original engine as the documentation is patchy but I’ve got the engine number off the new one so I'll do some checking on that to determine the year, but it cost £4500 without any ancillaries which sound reasonable for about 5 years ago.
Overall
It's definitely going to be an ongoing project and not what you would call in pristine condition. Given the price I paid for her I knew that she’d need a bit of open heart surgery.
Bad Stuff: Engine is pretty much leaking from everywhere. The underside is very wet indeed. Blue smoke on start up so she’s definitely burning oil. Had a leakdown test and one of the cylinders is not too bright. Suspension looks very rusty but is working well. Drive shaft boots have split and need replacing.
Brakes pulling slightly to right, and some squeaking but overall they seem fairly strong. O/S/R hub is very rusty.
Body is generally sound just the usual bubbling around rear and front screens, front bumper is looking a bit tired and the smile isn't really smiling at the moment. The bonnet is quite pitted. The shark fin on the driver’s side isn’t really flush to the body and looks like it might be stuck down.
The interior is very tired looking with the front linen leather sports seats having more cracks than nudist colony on a hot day, with electrical adjustment non-existent. Driver’s side front carpet needs replacing and is loose. Drivers side mirror electrics partially working.
Loose wire somewhere up in the driver footwell is causing the dash to light up like a christmas tree sometimes then it goes off again. Apparently over zealous car valet pulled a wire loose. Doesn't stop the car from going though, it’s just a little disconcerting.
Good things... It's mine and I love it.
Wheels: Original 17" Cup alloys have just been refurbished in anthracite and I have a pristine set of 17" 996 Carrera II Ten spokes. Cups will be getting winter tyres shortly.
Heating and aircon appears to working well and is controllable. Despite very obvious engine problems she’s pulling well and starts first time. Interestingly she’s a non sunroof model which is a little different. I quite like that super smooth roof line.
Rear seats seem in good condition.
The plans…
Engine rebuild. I’m not really planning to change any internals unless the parts cannot be used or reconditioned. If the Pistons/barrels are messed up then I will probably consider an upgrade to 3.8 litre. I’m on a budget but if a part needs replacing I’ll go for the upgrade or performance enhancement. While it’s out I’ll get the tinwear and fan powder coated and also get the engine bay properly cleaned. I’ll probably put a g-pipe on as I just love the sound.
Proper Respray. I’m thinking about a colour change from black to peppermint green but Frank’s Black Betty sure is pretty. I’d got a black VW Amarok Pickup and that’s forever looking dirty. Mind you I can see myself licking the Porsche a lot more than the truck on a regular basis.
I’m torn at the moment with regard to going down the RS look for front and rear bumpers. I’m probably thinking that keeping the external look stock would be a bit more me. Interior: Dash top, knee pads, door tops and headliner in anthracite Alcantara. Replace the front seats with Corbeau RRS recliners in black leather with Alcantara centres. This is a must as my large posterior is not feeling the love from the stock sport seats. Carpet replacement but not sure on colour yet or whether I’ll go for the full retrim but that is dependent on how much money the engine rebuild eats up.
Suspension: Bilstein shocks and HR springs I think. The car is going to be my daily driver so anything I do to the car is based on that bias. I’m hoping to do some track days but I figure there’s more to gain with me learning to drive better than going for the ultimate setup which I probably won’t appreciate and will cost a lot more. Replace bushes with poly ones where needed.
Brakes: cosmetically I love the big reds, but once again this might have to wait unless my existing brakes need rebuilding etc in which case it might be worth going for the upgrade.
SO…I want to share this little project with the community at large to give any future newbies the opportunity to see what the real world costs are in restoring a classic. I’m really hoping to bring this project in with a budget of £15,000, which of course I don’t have at moment but over the coming months hopefully I will. I’ll be documenting the money spent at each stage and detailing the decisions I made.
You guys on the forum are a massive source of knowledge and a true inspiration in taking on the rebuild of ‘Peppa’. I’m sure I’ll be calling on your expertise over the coming months so please forgive the ignorance if I ask obvious questions.
I’m 50 on 15th October. Peppa is my present to me.
Cheers guys
Mikey
Expenditure so far
Cost of Car : £9995
I picked it up on Monday from Flat Six in Doncaster. Martin Doubty, the dealer, is a fantastic, affable and knowledgeable chap and he’s been brilliant throughout the transaction. Turns out my father in law knows him through as he’s very well know in the clay pigeon shooting world.
The car: It’s a 1990 Carrera 4, and a bit rare as it doesn’t have a sunroof, which is what I really wanted. It’s had an engine replacement approx 20,000 miles ago. Don't know much about what happened to the original engine as the documentation is patchy but I’ve got the engine number off the new one so I'll do some checking on that to determine the year, but it cost £4500 without any ancillaries which sound reasonable for about 5 years ago.
Overall
It's definitely going to be an ongoing project and not what you would call in pristine condition. Given the price I paid for her I knew that she’d need a bit of open heart surgery.
Bad Stuff: Engine is pretty much leaking from everywhere. The underside is very wet indeed. Blue smoke on start up so she’s definitely burning oil. Had a leakdown test and one of the cylinders is not too bright. Suspension looks very rusty but is working well. Drive shaft boots have split and need replacing.
Brakes pulling slightly to right, and some squeaking but overall they seem fairly strong. O/S/R hub is very rusty.
Body is generally sound just the usual bubbling around rear and front screens, front bumper is looking a bit tired and the smile isn't really smiling at the moment. The bonnet is quite pitted. The shark fin on the driver’s side isn’t really flush to the body and looks like it might be stuck down.
The interior is very tired looking with the front linen leather sports seats having more cracks than nudist colony on a hot day, with electrical adjustment non-existent. Driver’s side front carpet needs replacing and is loose. Drivers side mirror electrics partially working.
Loose wire somewhere up in the driver footwell is causing the dash to light up like a christmas tree sometimes then it goes off again. Apparently over zealous car valet pulled a wire loose. Doesn't stop the car from going though, it’s just a little disconcerting.
Good things... It's mine and I love it.
Wheels: Original 17" Cup alloys have just been refurbished in anthracite and I have a pristine set of 17" 996 Carrera II Ten spokes. Cups will be getting winter tyres shortly.
Heating and aircon appears to working well and is controllable. Despite very obvious engine problems she’s pulling well and starts first time. Interestingly she’s a non sunroof model which is a little different. I quite like that super smooth roof line.
Rear seats seem in good condition.
The plans…
Engine rebuild. I’m not really planning to change any internals unless the parts cannot be used or reconditioned. If the Pistons/barrels are messed up then I will probably consider an upgrade to 3.8 litre. I’m on a budget but if a part needs replacing I’ll go for the upgrade or performance enhancement. While it’s out I’ll get the tinwear and fan powder coated and also get the engine bay properly cleaned. I’ll probably put a g-pipe on as I just love the sound.
Proper Respray. I’m thinking about a colour change from black to peppermint green but Frank’s Black Betty sure is pretty. I’d got a black VW Amarok Pickup and that’s forever looking dirty. Mind you I can see myself licking the Porsche a lot more than the truck on a regular basis.
I’m torn at the moment with regard to going down the RS look for front and rear bumpers. I’m probably thinking that keeping the external look stock would be a bit more me. Interior: Dash top, knee pads, door tops and headliner in anthracite Alcantara. Replace the front seats with Corbeau RRS recliners in black leather with Alcantara centres. This is a must as my large posterior is not feeling the love from the stock sport seats. Carpet replacement but not sure on colour yet or whether I’ll go for the full retrim but that is dependent on how much money the engine rebuild eats up.
Suspension: Bilstein shocks and HR springs I think. The car is going to be my daily driver so anything I do to the car is based on that bias. I’m hoping to do some track days but I figure there’s more to gain with me learning to drive better than going for the ultimate setup which I probably won’t appreciate and will cost a lot more. Replace bushes with poly ones where needed.
Brakes: cosmetically I love the big reds, but once again this might have to wait unless my existing brakes need rebuilding etc in which case it might be worth going for the upgrade.
SO…I want to share this little project with the community at large to give any future newbies the opportunity to see what the real world costs are in restoring a classic. I’m really hoping to bring this project in with a budget of £15,000, which of course I don’t have at moment but over the coming months hopefully I will. I’ll be documenting the money spent at each stage and detailing the decisions I made.
You guys on the forum are a massive source of knowledge and a true inspiration in taking on the rebuild of ‘Peppa’. I’m sure I’ll be calling on your expertise over the coming months so please forgive the ignorance if I ask obvious questions.
I’m 50 on 15th October. Peppa is my present to me.
Cheers guys
Mikey
Expenditure so far
Cost of Car : £9995
10-11-2012, 10:27 AM
#2
IHI KING!
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
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Congratulations and welcome. Sounds like you have quite a bit of work planned. Please keep us updated as you make progress.
And happy birthday. I turned 50 in April.
And happy birthday. I turned 50 in April.
10-11-2012, 10:55 AM
#3
^^^ The most important factor!!
Welcome and Happy Birthday for next week. Nice present.
You've got a good list there, so plenty of upcoming reward as you tick the improvements off and love it more and more. You've certainly landed on the right forum to help you. Looking forward to the updates.
Welcome and Happy Birthday for next week. Nice present.
You've got a good list there, so plenty of upcoming reward as you tick the improvements off and love it more and more. You've certainly landed on the right forum to help you. Looking forward to the updates.
10-11-2012, 11:03 AM
#5
Drifting
Congrats Mike. I'm new around here too and don't have a car yet. Reading threads like yours is helping greatly with my education. Also a year older than you...
Jeff
Jeff
10-11-2012, 11:27 AM
#7
Three Wheelin'
Look out for meetings of the London 964 Club, recently every month and in your neck of the woods.. Next one 4th of November:
https://rennlist.com/forums/964-foru...-meets-11.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/964-foru...-meets-11.html
Trending Topics
10-11-2012, 11:48 AM
#9
Burning Brakes
Nice car Mike, and happy birthday for the 15th.
Took day off work this week for my birthday, which included a spin in the 964 as a treat!
Took day off work this week for my birthday, which included a spin in the 964 as a treat!
10-11-2012, 11:55 AM
#10
Rennlist Member
Welcome Mikey and happy 50th.
I like the honesty about the budget. This is going to be a fun "real world" project to watch.
Thanks to taking care of a classic car...looks like this 964 will be brought back to top shape.
Long live the 964!
LOVE the sunroof delete option. Lucky guy!
I like the honesty about the budget. This is going to be a fun "real world" project to watch.
Thanks to taking care of a classic car...looks like this 964 will be brought back to top shape.
Long live the 964!
LOVE the sunroof delete option. Lucky guy!
10-11-2012, 01:14 PM
#11
Instructor
Join Date: May 2012
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Hey Mikey, welcome and happy 50th for next week
I'll be keeping an eye on this one as I'm in a similar place , ie cheap car and long term objectives, just nowhere near as focused.
All the best with 'Peppa'
I'll be keeping an eye on this one as I'm in a similar place , ie cheap car and long term objectives, just nowhere near as focused.
All the best with 'Peppa'
10-11-2012, 02:03 PM
#15
Racer
Sounds like an exciting project.
The wheels are Cup2's, right? The great thing about that colour is that I imagine, unlike the bodywork, it is easier to keep looking clean
The wheels are Cup2's, right? The great thing about that colour is that I imagine, unlike the bodywork, it is easier to keep looking clean