V

Mark, you are perfectly right we do have the same taste .

I wasn't sure first about the houndstooth/riviera blue car but the more I looked at it, the more I started to like it.. The thing is though, and this is all IMHO: The plain/houndstooth whatever fabric only works for a DD or a "comfort" level car. As soon as you start modding with recaro PPs, half rollcage etc then the fabric automatically doesn't fit in the context, if you know what I mean. If you only do the seats, than fine but really no more track mods with the plaid I think.. So, really ideal for a DD or a comfort spec. car like yours. Also good not to "over do it" with the plaid. This is just right, probably also better to leave the seats without plaid. Flamenco red is also really cool but won't work as well with your plaid..

Is your shifter cracked on the handle or on the leather boot? Reason for asking is I bought a CF shift **** (just the ****) off fleabay and I'm looking for a shift boot to complete it (color doesn't matter because I will dye it anyways). Anyway are you not concerned with how the plaid will look on the shift **** once it's worn?

Keep up the good work . Can't wait to see the final product...

Flav9xx

Hi Red,
nice project.
A few other questions:

1) Did you apply Surflex with a simple brush, or with air brush ? How many coats on side vinyl parts ?

2) What tool did you use to dye the carpets ? A brush ?

3) When dying the carpets, do you have to let them dry ? Or do you have to brush them several times during the drying, so that they do not get too hard ?
How many coats need on carpets ?

cheers,

alpinadvl

<BUMPED FOR UPDATE>

so... what happened to this interior ?

curve lover

Benton

Hey guys, sorry I've been away for a while! The interior has been in a 95% complete stage for a long while, and I'm at a bit of a crossroads as to what I should do. I love the plaid, but I just can't fall in love with all of the black in the interior. I'd like to get a full leather upper and lower dash made by one of the Rennlist sponsors, but I'm waiting until I can decide what I really want to do before I drop the coin. I've always been in love with Flamenco Red, and I'm really leaning towards something like that. It's currently covered in black alcantara. I may do a black carpet/flamenco dash and door uppers, get rid of the plaid on the doors/rear deck, and just keep the plaid shifter and handbrake for a small highlight. As much as I love the plaid on the door panels, I just don't think they will go well with a red dash/seats.

Fortunately, I only have about $150 into the whole makeover, not including the 3-spoke steering wheel (which I LOVE by the way, and will be keeping it regardless). New black carpet will be put in once I make the final decision.

Hopefully I can make my mind up and finish it up in the upcoming months (along with making some extra cash). Right now, the interior is complete and it gets a lot of compliments, but it isn't 100% what I'm looking for. I'll try to get some decent photos after the new year--I'm super duper busy in the coming weeks. I appreciate the compliments and interest!

odurandina

i love the effort and REALLY love your car but, i remember that plaid stuff from volvo and vw bugs from 40 years ago when i was a baby... i feel like i am having an out of body experience... i just think with the 996 and 997 they finally got it right inside the cabins... i have put almost ten grand into the interior of my 968 and i still dont like it very much, but luckily LIKE your 993, the road manners of my car more than make up for my ugly dash and trim...

if you watch the Porsche family album video, i am uniquely reminded of the amazing restorations done by so many people with one idea in mind -- your 993 is VERY special and not every person in the world is fortunate enough to have a proper Porsche, and know the feeling as you do.

over at my garage, i can't really see shelling out 25k for proper 968 Turbo S engine, so i may install a 495 hp Chevy LS2 when my current motor finally runs down [soon installing a very nice supercharger]... nevertheless, my beloved 968 with it's billion dollar chevy under the bonnet will leave most road going cars in the dust, and not win much approval. but i'll still have a car that i can slam down into an extremely tight cloverleaf exit running 125 mph, with only 170 feet of tarmac left to get the car under control when 99% of all the cars in the world would crash...

after all my personal touches are added, it will still be my Porsche. we are all very lucky.

ooops... i forgot the link !!

http://www.panamera.com/#/panamera/e...c-b47e40d2d447

./

Quadcammer

can we get some pics of the interior as is?

Thanks

timothymoffat

Nice. How did I miss this first time around?

+1. I really like projects that push the envelope.

sanyata

BUMP

Would love to see the progress.

Benton

Whoa! Sorry guys, I've been caught up with so many things lately. The interior has definitely grown on me; I removed my tinted windows (not sure what I was thinking when I did that--it seemed great at the time), and with more light on the panels it looks much better. It has gotten a lot of compliments recently, as I didn't get to drive it much during '09. I try to get people to be honest with me if they don't like it--as it doesn't hurt my feelings--but all of the responses have been very positive. I think folks like seeing something different.

I'll try to snap some good photos in the coming weeks once we get some decent weather. The car is in a bit of a makeover phase right now; I'm fixing a small fender-bender on the driver's side rear fender, replacing all of my exterior seals, and taking care of a bunch of maintenance. I'll get some pics, I promise!

SuperUser

Mark,

Please, Please, Please, post some finished photos:-)

Benton

So... I finally had a chance to take some decent photos! Sorry it took me so long.

The fabric is very difficult to photograph favorably, hence the time it took me to get these up. The gray can easily take on a cool tone that really takes the life out of it. I got some nice warm afternoon light on these, so it really looks nice here. I have some more, but these are the best as there is a bunch of Australian Shepherd fur all over the black carpet.

As part of the car's winter makeover, the interior is being pulled back apart for a full leather upper and lower dash, center console, new black carpet, a redo of the seats (dye applied too cold and too thick so it has cracked some), and some other tasty stuff. Big changes. I wanted to get some good "before" shots, so here it is, finally:

ABCar

Wow, pretty cool...I love plaid...at first I thought...what the ? But it is coming out quite interestingly...in a good way. Wow, daring and cool!

geordie

Mark,

I applaud your creativity!

- Did you use a paint brush or airbrush to apply the surflex?

- How (and with what) did you dye the carpets?

Benton

Thanks guys. For the Surflex, I applied it with a paint brush. I would not recommend this method. Since dying these seats, I have refurbished many-a-928 pair of seats, and have definitely improved my technique. The biggest key is to apply it very thinly so that it soaks into the leather, as opposed to having it "paint" the surface.

When I get around to redoing these, I will apply it with an airbrush, most likely. The other method that I have found works well is to get a paper towel (one that won't pill and break apart, like the Scott shop towels), soak it with water, wring it out so it is damp, then dip that into the dye. Swirl it onto the leather very lightly. This helps it soak in. Surflex, in my experience, is too thick for a high quality application. It helps to thin it down with water slightly. YMMV