cobalt

After a couple of minor set backs we are finally done with the body work.

It was a short time for a large amount of work but felt like an eternity.

We hung the fenders doors and hood today. Seals need to be glued in place but that will be done later. All the extra parts are being brought home separately and mounted once all the lines and parts are installed.

I have to give Pino and his crew a huge thumbs up!!!! Nelson his body man did the sculpting and helped with hanging the panels. He was very proud of his work as he should be. A big thumbs up to Armondo as well for his time spent and of course Pino for getting the job done in record time with a near perfect Concours finish for a track car. I never said I was sane.

Car looks better in person and I had to take a shot of it with Nelson who worked so hard to make sure everything was perfect. Tomorrow it comes home and I start the build.

Still a long way to go Engine, tranny, suspension interior and so much more. Looks like this thread will be around for a while.

jpar

Looks really good. I'll have to keep them in mind when I finally break down and get mine painted.

cobalt

Pino is hosting a concours workshop for NNJR-PCA om January 17th. You may consider attending. It should be quite informative and you will have a chance to talk to him directly.

Rocket Rob

Great project! Keep the updates coming.

FlyinTomato

already going home? i haven't got a chance to see it at the shop. I still have to call pino to set up an appointmet

looking very very good

cobalt

If your in the area let me know I am not far from his shop you can swing by and take a look.

Henrik964

Looks great!

HiWind

Great start Cobalt! Enjoy the process ... And keep us entertained/impressed!

cobalt

So I have learned so much and I am fearful I have even more to learn.

This project has so many nuances I was not aware of. The simplest things aren't simple. First of all I have my C2 in pieces along with the 90 track build. I also have the turbo as a reference. What I am learning is that unlike the earlier SC/930 subtle differences the 964 has many differences. The early 89-90 vs 91-94 cars are very different. I will compile a list of what I have uncovered but it is hard to believe they are the same model sometimes. But what I never expected was the differences between the wide body and narrow body tubs. Simple items like the clips that hold the rocker panels on aren't just a different clip. The entire tub is different. The indents on the side of the tub where the clips attach are a different size and the turbo has an additional clip nearest the rear fin. So although I am using factory rockers they will not attach to the narrow body unless I do extensive modifications. It wasn't on my radar and I am now finding I wish I fitted these prior to having the car painted. So I will cover them with a miles worth of blue tape to protect them and then I will have to grind and epoxy the smaller clips onto the turbo rockers to have them secured. Now I see why so many wide body builds use the racing speed clips to attach these parts it is just far easier. I also have to fabricate and mount multiple retaining clips to hold the bumpers in palace. Since i used 930 fenders and rear flairs these clips are not present and are needed to keep the plastic bumper fitting properly. Not a big problem just a royal PITA. I also have to fabricate and weld several tabs to the tub to attach the fender support brackets which are also used to hang the fender liners in place. Thankfully these are newer 930 fenders so they have the tabs for the H5's I will be using. I know it is added weight but it is nice to have light when loading or offloading the car on the trailer in the dark. What I did not anticipate was the wiring loom uses a 1.5" diam rubber grommet vs the .75" grommet. So now I have to figure a way to enlarge the opening. time to get out the die grinder and make a mess.

I am hoping one day someone who is crazy enough to read this will learn from my mistakes. It looks like I will be busy adjusting for my oversight for a while so no major progress until these little things get completed.

BLACK-BETTY

Sorry to hear of the complications and thank you for the valuable info. Chin up, she'll be great before you know it.

911Jetta

+1 on your current frustration.

I like to think of Porsche as being rational and very methodical in its engineering, so I wonder what the reasons are for all the subtle design changes?

cobalt

I agree no wonder why these cars nearly bankrupted the company. I can only assume they learned from the NB cars first and later went back and made changes to fix their mistakes; releasing the turbo and making the changes to the NB at the same time for the 91 MY.

It is not the end of the world just a lot of wasted time. I hate doing work twice. I initially checked visually; never would have guessed they would line up but not fit.

Another lesson learned.

I am curious if they are still doing it with similar looking parts on today's models. Test drove the Macan S & turbo, new Cayenne S, diesel, turbo and Panamara 4S the other day and the interiors navigation etc are all very similar and in some cases identical to my Boxster. Many similarities to other external parts as well. It would be interesting to see if they have different part numbers for the same parts for different models.

If you want a new Porsche that doesn't look like every other model on the inside you have to spend up for one of these. For now I will stick with the 964's.

cobalt

So I guess I got myself worked up over nothing. A simple step drill bit and problem solved. Headlights are being installed.

I did spend several hours attempting to dismantle the rear control arm. I have a replacement set of control arms with ERP bushings already installed I picked up cheap. Like new condition.

It took several hours of hammering on the bolt head using an impact remover and a 5 pound hand sledgehammer.

For the record if anyone says Harbor freight tools are cheap they are and so are Husky brand HD products I snapped two impact 3 inch extensions in half trying to loosen the outside bolt. One was a husky the other HF they both broke with the same effort using a 25" breaker bar.

I decided to use the front impact bar as well. I am not racing so reducing weight is important but I don't like the idea of shedding too much weight up front.

If all goes according to plan I have a set of Moton Club sports on the way soon and I will be selling the H&R super cup suspension.

robt964

Great thread Cobalt

>Now I see why so many wide body builds use the racing speed clips to attach these parts [rockers] it is just far easier.

Is this not still an option? I quite like the look with them bolted on. The thought has even crossed my mind once or twice to do so on my car (Std NB)

>simple step drill bit and problem solved. Headlights are being installed.

What did you paint/coat the cut edges of the metal with?

>This project has so many nuances I was not aware of.

I know that feeling! This was my first Porsche build. When I do it again they'll be many things I'll tackle differently. In the most part its *how* I tackled things rather than the end result. Could save myself a lot of effort next time round. Lots of little brain teasers crop up that you just never expect. I guess thats half the fun of the build

cobalt

I have been trying to keep the car as close to stock look as possible. I always wanted a 3.8RS but could never afford one now that they are $730k There is no doubt I will never see one in my garage. Nothing is out of the question and it all depends on how I resolve the issues. The $730k RSR had speed clips on the rockers in two places. I prefer using them than 3m tape which has been suggested. I have all winter to get this done and they can be done last. I was thinking of grinding and using epoxy per the factory manuals to adhere the pieces to make it work. There are no dead ends just time consuming solutions.

I used a die grinder to smooth and polish the sharp edges and then painted them with Par15 the stuff is like iron when it dries. Then touched it up with the maritime paint. The grommet covers the edges completely so I should be good to go.

I was hoping after a few 914's, early 911's and some SC's I had learned enough but the 964 is a very different animal. Even after years of owning and working on them I never put 2 and 2 together. It isn't obvious until you start trying to swap parts. I have been compiling pictures of parts I see that are different and one day hope to post a thread showing what parts were changed and when. maybe it will help the next crazy person who attempts this. I hope you will share what you have learned as well. I guess it is like simple DIY's the first time takes three hours and once you figure it out it is a 30 min job.