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A few things I'd suggest for a new owner, in addition to all the great advice already offered:
1. You may have noticed how bad the headlights are if you're not used to older cars. You can easily install a relay kit (sold by Pelican) that will allow you to safely run higher-wattage H4 bulbs in your housing. This also bypasses the power running through your turn signal stalk switch, which is a known and expensive failure point (not if, but when it fails).
2. The factory battery is huge and heavy, and there are a lot of good choices for smaller replacements. Rennline makes a great mounting kit that lets you use a much smaller battery and really cleans up that area of the trunk.
3. I'd suggest going through the fusebox in the trunk, pulling the fuses one-by-one, and checking them and the connected wiring. replace any fuses that don't look great, and tighten any of the screws holding the wires that aren't nice and tight. If you install the headlight relay that's a great time to do this. You can use some electrical contact cleaner on the fuse holders. If you see anything that looks like it got too hot (dark wires, melted insulation) I'd have it checked out.
4. There's a relay under the driver seat that is prone to failure (DME relay) and will keep the car from starting, and they are known to fail. I'd get a spare and keep it in your glovebox.
5. Don't expect much, if anything, from the stock a/c system, and I think spending money charging, recharging, and chasing leaks on the stock system is a waste that could be spent upgrading it. At the very minimum you need to upgrade the hoses to barrier-type and make sure it's not leaking, and if it's working as it should it might work reasonably well for ambient temps up to maybe low 80's. If you want to keep the car cool in anything warmer it's going to take upgrading the system. and at least a few thousand dollars. Since it's a Targa this might be a non-issue. Lots of threads on a/c upgrades here, and options on how mild or wild you want to get.
The critical safety issues are the ages of the tires, fuel hoses, and brake hoses. Replace if more than 6 yrs for tires, 15 years for the others - if age is unknown then replace.
An old fan belt won't kill you but replace it if worn or old (keep a good condition old one as a spare). This is the oddest maint. job on a 911 so do not lose the washers (shims).
Replace all old fluids and go thru the factory tool kit to make sure it's all there. Most maint can be done with only the factory tool kit.
Replace all brake fluid every 2 or 3 years - no longer. Buy an old garden pump sprayer and a spare brake fluid cap to make your own pressure bleeder.
Check your shift linkage bushings - while you are in there do all 4. If they haven’t been done they likely have some slop, refreshing will make an immediate driving improvement if so. great tutorials on pelican and a very easy diy.
Welcome @AirxCru.
I am also a proud owner of a 1987 Diamond Blue Metallic over dark blue. Mine is a coupe. Where in NC are you? I am in Charlotte. If you are nearby we can meet up at some point and compare notes.
My tip: your seat skins look good. Do treat the leather with a good conditioner when they are warm. It keeps the leather from becoming hard and from cracking.
Cheers
Welcome @AirxCru.
I am also a proud owner of a 1987 Diamond Blue Metallic over dark blue. Mine is a coupe. Where in NC are you? I am in Charlotte.
Cheers
No way! Small world! Im about 2 hours away, I live in Pinehurst. I do go to clt often as my lady lived there for 7 years and works for a company based downtown. I looked for a dbm for a while, it was one of two colors I was on the hunt for. How long have you had yours? Post a pic!
my honest advice... give yourself a year first to see what you have ... so many people rush to personalize and " upgrade" only to discover they need money to fix a broken head stud they notice 3 weeks later.
my honest advice... give yourself a year first to see what you have ... so many people rush to personalize and " upgrade" only to discover they need money to fix a broken head stud they notice 3 weeks later.
Halloween was a couple days ago, no need for scary stories. But in all seriousness, thats sage advice. Thank you! Its currently being given a complete once over to hopefully give me peace of mind (its in very good condition) but more realistically a prognosis and priority list of whats needed. From there I hope to tackle what I can in my garage.
10-30-2020, 04:38 PM
