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I ran into the problem that many of us have with older cars where rubber parts disintegrate from age.
I recently discovered that the rubber dust boots on both of my 964 drop links had dried up and cracked. The boots literally crumbled in my hands. The ball joints themselves were fine, but the problem is that Porsche does not sell the boot; they want you to buy the whole drop link at $200 USD each!
I figured the Porsche Empire is rich enough already and there is no way I was going to make them richer in this instance.
So, I set about finding dust boots that fit. But as a retired machinist, I am cursed with the need for perfection. I obsessed over finding the perfect boots of the right material and the right fit, along with the best boot retaining rings and this was not an easy task. In fact, it has taken me two months to arrive at what I think is the perfect solution. See what I mean about being cursed?
There is a lot of crap out there. Poor boot materials, material too thin, too thick and too rigid. Some boots are a loose fit and the seller says just use a zip tie or retaining ring to make it seal. To me, a proper water-tight seal comes from a tight fit between the boot and its grooves, and not from a zip-tie. The main function of a retaining ring is to keep the boot in its groove, not to make it water-tight.
I ordered boot and retaining ring samples from different suppliers in Europe and North America and eventually I found a company in Europe for boots that fit perfectly. Nice and tight on both groove diameters, and flexible enough to accommodate full movement of the joint. The best part is that they are made of polyurethane which will outlast the originals by far. They will stretch by 900% before they break, which is good because to get them installed, they have to be stretched a lot.
I also tested a lot of retaining rings and found a North American supplier for them. The rings are very similar to the OEM rings.
Since it is cheaper to buy and ship in bulk, I bought a few extras of everything. If anyone needs a complete DIY kit for your 964 drop links, send me a PM. I am not looking to make a profit, just to cover my costs. I think the 993 uses the exact same dust boots but please try to verify this yourself. I can send a front-end kit for doing both drop links containing two dust boots, 4 retaining rings and 2 new locking nuts for $26 CDN (~$22 USD) plus cost of shipping and Paypal fee.
Last edited by No_snivelling; 06-13-2021 at 08:32 AM.
Reason: clarification of model 964, currency and Paypal fees.
I’m a bit confused Front drop link Same different view
Are there 2 boots on each drop link? These pictures sure make it seem so. Cars with the M030 club sport option front drop links look to only have 1 boot per drop link could the OP clarify which drop link his kit will work for
Very much appreciate this Thank You!
Yeah, sorry for the confusion. I should have stated upfront that these are for the 964 that has one ball joint per drop link. I have edited my post but it won't let me edit the title of the post.
Here is what a 964 drop link looks like and the 993 drop link looks the same. The boots on the 911 link that you show looks like they might be the same. If you have one with the boot removed and send the dimensions, we could figure out if it would fit.
I can't wait for you to take your spring plates off...
Any chance you want to share the size specs and supplier info?
I have a bunch of old end links that i won't use, but they are all perfectly good. Same issue as yours. They are essentially waiting for someone to need them- and some new boots...in this same way...to save someone a few bucks where those few bucks could be better spent elsewhere.
That certainly is an attractive price. Glad it worked out for you.
I considered getting the same boots, but they don't say what the material is and they don't advise stretching beyond 16mm, and to fit the 964 the 11 mm hole has to be stretched to 18mm.
The polyurethane boots I selected have an elastic limit of 900% stretch and will outlast the OEM boots due to polyurethane being a superior material. Also worth noting is the OEM style retaining rings in my kit are not cheap either.
But like I said, I am a perfectionist and did not mind paying extra to get a water-tight solution that will probably outlast me.
I got the same ones as Quadcammer, they fitted very well I was even able to use the original retaining rings. Weather they will last remains to be seen.
It was always my plan to share all information gathered from my two months of research and testing, but here’s the thing:
The parts in this kit were bought directly from manufacturers or distributors who are not interested in selling just one or two parts. Because of that, I had to buy in quantity and hope that I could get my investment back by selling off the surplus. I am selling the kits at my cost. There is no mark-up.
I want to thank all of those who have already purchased the kits, but I would really like to sell more of them before I share all supplier info, otherwise this turns into a bad investment for me. I hope you understand.
Yeah, sorry for the confusion. I should have stated upfront that these are for the 964 that has one ball joint per drop link. I have edited my post but it won't let me edit the title of the post.
Here is what a 964 drop link looks like and the 993 drop link looks the same. The boots on the 911 link that you show looks like they might be the same. If you have one with the boot removed and send the dimensions, we could figure out if it would fit.
964 drop link
this got me thinking my bet they would be the same reference the picture below the end that attaches to the sway bar has the bolt. Wouldn’t the other end mount in the same place as the style on my MY91 C2
It was always my plan to share all information gathered from my two months of research and testing, but here’s the thing:
The parts in this kit were bought directly from manufacturers or distributors who are not interested in selling just one or two parts. Because of that, I had to buy in quantity and hope that I could get my investment back by selling off the surplus. I am selling the kits at my cost. There is no mark-up.
I want to thank all of those who have already purchased the kits, but I would really like to sell more of them before I share all supplier info, otherwise this turns into a bad investment for me. I hope you understand.
Totally understand
I started a separate thread re CV boots as I seem to go through them every couple of years and you got me thinking about polyurethane alternatives CV boots - rabbit hole!
06-11-2021, 09:59 AM
Drop Link dust boots
