alexjc4

So here's my black on black 89 C4, I've had it almost exactly two years. Making way for it was my trusty and rusty old Mk2 VW Scirocco which had served valiantly since 1997 - and since about 1997 I've been telling my mates I was imminently about to buy a 911 (an SC to start with, then a 3.2)

The bodywork, paint and interior is showing its age a bit (its one click past a nice patina ) but living in london a parked 911 is a vandal magnet anyway so I'd loose sleep if it was mint. It had a top end rebuild from JZ Mach about 10,000 miles ago which seems to be holding up ok, just the smallest oil leaks from the not so expensive bits. I quite like originality of the design 90's and flags so I'll probably keep those for a bit.

I'm committed DIY-er, and taking on the C4 was partly a dare to myself that I'd be capable of getting properly stuck in on a seriously complex and expensive piece of machinery. With that in mind after I bought the car I treated my self to a drive on platform style low rise scissor lift, which has proved somewhat essential for the C4 and also pretty handy for my other project car, a "sports-purpose" R32 GTST RWD Nissan Skyline.

In the last two years I've slowly been working through a longish list of medium and small sized jobs on the car.

So far here's the list of work completed:

replacement ABS modulator from No5 Garage
major service w GT One
replace windscreen washer hoses and one way valves
unblock subroof drain tubes
replace rear wiper blade (big woop)
replace rusty/noisy ball bearing in the spoiler gearbox
reinforce front boot carpet poppers (a bit of needle craft)
fix rear numberplate lamps - corroded contact
replace corroded rear brake rubber hoses
fabricate and replace damaged (my bad) left rear brake hard lines
fit missing air box clip (long)
fit front diff input seals, and o ring/washer
fit missing torq tube flange bolt washer
fit missing gearbox rear selector shaft belows
fit missing torq tube bungs
fit missing door switch caps and inadvertently diagnose interior light not working on open door - coroded contact
replace torn rear fan rubber shroud
fit new left left headlight reflector + rework left side headlight bucket capturenut w alu rivnut
fit new rear speakers
fit new door speakers
remove factory crossovers
fit momo prototipo wheel
pull, clean and rotate odo and tacho
free up and refit flap boxes
fit new heat exchanger to flap box hoses
replace 4wd hoses and pressure valves + bleed
fix sunroof rail- sunroof hinges 911-564-127-00 x2
refresh front calipers/slider plates - fit new pads
replace rear disc backing plates
fit new gear stick gaiter
fit brake cylinder dust boots (Drivers lower inner)
check front CV bolts torque
fit distro vent kit
bleed clutch
Door window scraper seals, and felt wind seals
fix passenger seat front up/down motor corroded terminal
replace missing red rear seat pull (recovered from under passenger seat)
Bilstein Sports shocks, H&R Blue spings, 21mm rear ARB fitted - 1deg camber front, .5 deg rear.
Clean both PDAS/ABS accelerometers.
Fit new leather gearstick gaiter
Replace cracked fog light trim.
Fit missingly plastic caps, bungs and thingumies that have got lost over the years.
993 Turbo engine mounts

Still to come:
Send out to a bodyshop for scuttle and rear light bucket rust
Drop and recon the starter (sticky bendix) - seems ok at the moment though
New engine tins
Fix tiny camchain case oil leak
Clean up engine fan, maybe powder coat.
Shiny exhaust
Supercharger
"Mr Fusion" time machine drive
etc

And given my current rate of progress by the time I've finished that little lot it will be 2020 and we'll all be driving flying electric cars anyway ...

campoj2

Wow! That's a lot of work, did you do it all yourself?

Your level dedication is noteworthy -

alexjc4

Yeah, all but the first two

I am the world's slowest mechanic, so I think for alot of the guys on here that lot would only be a weekends work!

Porsche964FP

Great stuff, look forward to seeing it

Tom Pritchett

PM me if you need some parts. I have a set of great Speedline RUF rims that will really set that car off.

911Jetta

We like those kind of guys around here!

Given your past DIY listing, not to mention your future list, please take some pictures of your projects. I need all the DIY help I can get.

alexjc4

I've got say all the DIY stuff I've attempted so far has been pretty well documented on this forum or on one of the "old school" 964 related websites, or finally in the factory manual, which is pretty good as factory manuals go.

Pics are always tricky being a solo DIY-er there's never a clean hand to take a photo when you need one, but I'll try

alexjc4

Anyway today's news is that last night I gave the hydraulics one last bleed (memo to self buy shares in brake fluid) and went out for a test run. Its probably all in my mind but brakes and clutch feel much improved, clutch was hanging slightly (pointed out by my PPI and by GT One at the service last year) and is now smooth, and the brake pedal seems higher and harder.

Slightly worried about the waxy goop that I dug out of the clutch bleed nipple, I can't help thinking there'll be more of that hanging around in the system. Somewhere in my memory I remember reading something about a porsche factory recal for bad brake fluid....

Laker

+ 964

Nice car, the journey is the reward.

boxsey911

More likely a sign of the seals inside the slave deteriorating but don't worry about it while it's working well and have the slave changed when it's time for a new clutch

alexjc4

I've been researching one of the various puzzles with the car - the fact that the history shows a de cat has been fitted - but the pipe doesn't look like a regular decat. I asked one of the guys down at GT One to have a look at see if he thought it looked like a decat, he said it didn't but some of the early ones didn't have a cat anyway but a pre muffler, I sort of filed that away in the back of my mind.

More recently I've been looking into a steve wong chip and one of the options is cat vs cat bypass - so I thought I'd see if I could figure out what was going on exactly. looking at the factory manual I also realised I didn't have oxygen sensor in the normal place - which was another puzzle...

Googling around if found there was an option code 150 - which seems to explain everything - checking my "guarantee and maintenance" book with the option codes in - lol and behold:

C16 UK
058 Bumpers with impact absorber
150 No Emissions Systems for countries without unleaded fuel
330 Radio Blaupunkt Toronto SQR 46 (Not for USA)
335 Automatic 3 point rear seat belt
383 Sport seat - left
387 Sport seat - right
395 Light metal wheels forged
425 Rear wiper
494 Amplifier system
650 Sunroof

So the questions now are, will a chip work as well with a DME setup for no emissions control?

And is there any performance gain to be had by replacing a factory option 150 non cat pipe with a cat bypass?

Laker

IMHO Option 150 is a Factory Catbypass.... doubt an aftermarket will help any. Regarding Cat v. NoCat chip, here is an exchange I had with Steve Wong.

************





Hi Laker,

No harm, and it still provides the same performance gains you previously experienced fromthe chip alone. The only reduction you may notice is the 6 to 7 hp loss you may get when you reinstall the cat into the exhaust.

Regards,
Steve

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911Chips - Porsche Performance Chips and Accessories

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----- Original Message -----
From: Laker
To: 911CHIPS - information request
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 09:37
Subject: Re: 964 chip question

Hi Steve,
I purchased your cat bypass 93 octane chip.
If I decide to put the cat back on, will there be any ill-effects still using the cat-less chip? If no harm, is it still an improvement over stock?

Thanks and regards,
Laker

alexjc4

wow, this place is great, 5 mins later and exactly what I needed to know, thanks Laker.

alexjc4

Friday is bath night, and the curves look so good I had to take a photo.

FeralComprehension

Looks good!