Squidge's build/restoration thread
10-30-2016, 01:14 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Squidge's build/restoration thread
Rather than sporadically posting updates about upgrades and replacements, I'd like to create a central index of my 993 journey for easy reference.
Topics worthy of their own thread will be posted separately and linked here, and minor projects will be posted in this thread with links to their comment number. Feel free to comment along in the thread -- input is appreciated!
I'm primarily following the Bentley manual and directions from pcarworkshop.com, along with jackals-forge.com, and will post supplemental info and lessons learned as I go along.
My car: 1997 C2 coupe, Glacier White with Classic Grey, 6MT. I purchased it in Sept 2016 with 65,500 miles. Owners one and two had it for around five years each, and the third owner for nine years. The second owner put about 2/3 of the mileage on the car. Lifetime inland California car (Palm Springs and San Jose.)
The car is completely original -- no modifications at all. It came with records back to the beginning, and it's been pretty religiously maintained as far as the major items you'd take care of at standard services. In other ways, the car needs some help, as identified during the PPI. Leaking power steering, old tires and brakes, very tired Monroes, squeaking alternator and wobbly pulleys, and an all-original (but problem-free so far) SAI system. There's also cosmetic things, like broken trunk carpet clips, original stone guards, and light swirl marks in the paint.
My plan is to refresh and update as needed, with minor upgrades along the way. I'm not doing any "because racecar" modifications, although HPDEs are in my future.
Me: I wrench only on my own cars as a hobby. I've been doing this for about fifteen years, with a background in turbo Mitsubishis (Galant VR-4s and DSMs), Hondas, and BMWs. The 993 is my first Porsche, a car I've wanted since I was a kid (I remember making my dad pull off the interstate during a trip to let me take photos of a trailer full of new 993s when I was ten or twelve.) I have a relatively limited budget for upgrades and repairs, so my focus is on DIYing everything I can, while not cutting corners on part quality or safety.
Completed Projects:
Alternator, pulley, belt, and fan replacement
Stone guard replacement
RS engine mounts
Steering rack removal and rebuild 1 2
Control arm bushing replacement and Elephant tie rods 1 2 3
Coilovers, sway bars, rear arms - 1 2
DIY caliper rebuild, refinish, rotors, pads, bleed - 1 2
DIY rear ARB end links
Projects in progress or happening soon:
Nothing on my radar right now.
Topics worthy of their own thread will be posted separately and linked here, and minor projects will be posted in this thread with links to their comment number. Feel free to comment along in the thread -- input is appreciated!
I'm primarily following the Bentley manual and directions from pcarworkshop.com, along with jackals-forge.com, and will post supplemental info and lessons learned as I go along.
My car: 1997 C2 coupe, Glacier White with Classic Grey, 6MT. I purchased it in Sept 2016 with 65,500 miles. Owners one and two had it for around five years each, and the third owner for nine years. The second owner put about 2/3 of the mileage on the car. Lifetime inland California car (Palm Springs and San Jose.)
The car is completely original -- no modifications at all. It came with records back to the beginning, and it's been pretty religiously maintained as far as the major items you'd take care of at standard services. In other ways, the car needs some help, as identified during the PPI. Leaking power steering, old tires and brakes, very tired Monroes, squeaking alternator and wobbly pulleys, and an all-original (but problem-free so far) SAI system. There's also cosmetic things, like broken trunk carpet clips, original stone guards, and light swirl marks in the paint.
My plan is to refresh and update as needed, with minor upgrades along the way. I'm not doing any "because racecar" modifications, although HPDEs are in my future.
Me: I wrench only on my own cars as a hobby. I've been doing this for about fifteen years, with a background in turbo Mitsubishis (Galant VR-4s and DSMs), Hondas, and BMWs. The 993 is my first Porsche, a car I've wanted since I was a kid (I remember making my dad pull off the interstate during a trip to let me take photos of a trailer full of new 993s when I was ten or twelve.) I have a relatively limited budget for upgrades and repairs, so my focus is on DIYing everything I can, while not cutting corners on part quality or safety.
Completed Projects:
Alternator, pulley, belt, and fan replacement
Stone guard replacement
RS engine mounts
Steering rack removal and rebuild 1 2
Control arm bushing replacement and Elephant tie rods 1 2 3
Coilovers, sway bars, rear arms - 1 2
DIY caliper rebuild, refinish, rotors, pads, bleed - 1 2
DIY rear ARB end links
Projects in progress or happening soon:
Nothing on my radar right now.
Last edited by squidge; 05-19-2017 at 02:39 PM.
10-30-2016, 01:28 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
RS engine mounts installed. Put the car on jackstands, support the engine with the jack, follow solid write-up at http://www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/9..._rsmounts.html.
Notes from my install: A right-angle pick was much more effective at popping out the covers on the bottom than a straight screwdriver. Especially given the o2 sensors in the way on the passenger side.
I was surprised at just how far up I had to jack the engine to get the shorter threads of the RS mounts' bolts to go through the engine carrier. The engine has something like 2-3" of movement available during this procedure, and you'll need to take it all the way to the top of that range. The exhaust tips make a good visual indicator as to whether it's sitting in its proper position or not.
My original mounts look good visually, but I was able to deflect the bolts by around 3/4" by hand. The RS mounts are clearly far stiffer and I'm excited to take the car for a spin once the steering rack and control arms are done.
Notes from my install: A right-angle pick was much more effective at popping out the covers on the bottom than a straight screwdriver. Especially given the o2 sensors in the way on the passenger side.
I was surprised at just how far up I had to jack the engine to get the shorter threads of the RS mounts' bolts to go through the engine carrier. The engine has something like 2-3" of movement available during this procedure, and you'll need to take it all the way to the top of that range. The exhaust tips make a good visual indicator as to whether it's sitting in its proper position or not.
My original mounts look good visually, but I was able to deflect the bolts by around 3/4" by hand. The RS mounts are clearly far stiffer and I'm excited to take the car for a spin once the steering rack and control arms are done.
10-31-2016, 12:12 AM
#6
Race Director
The following users liked this post:
M. Schneider (06-06-2023)
10-31-2016, 12:24 AM
#7
Rennlist Member
Trending Topics
10-31-2016, 01:25 AM
#8
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
That's a good idea. Removing the AC line clamps from the fan shroud and near the fuse box, and then removing the rubber insulators so the lines can move independently worked for me. I was able to pull the mount out between the two lines, IIRC.
10-31-2016, 01:38 AM
#9
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Over the past week or so, I removed and rebuilt my steering rack using a seal kit from KLA. Some of the supplemental info in this thread was very helpful, and I'll add my tips and photos here.
My rack differed substantially from the one in the rebuild instructions (as noted by lots of people), with a two-hole housing covering the input shaft. The directions are close enough to work, but I elected not to replace the seal situated above the bearing in the input shaft. Didn't seem worth the hassle.
I took photos of the combinations of tools I successfully used to both remove and reinstall the circlip. A small screw driver to pop it out a little, the 45 degree pick to work it out further, and the hook pick to grab it and pull it out. To reinstall, needle-nose vise grips clamped into the notch in the housing, and a large straight screw driver to pop it in, working a bit on each side back and forth. I probably spent half an hour removing and an hour replacing. PITA, but I'm sure I could do it again much more quickly. :/
The plastic wrap trick worked *great* for the input shaft square rings. No problems at all.
The cup seal in the steel retainer was really in there -- a c-clamp with the 13/16" socket pressed it out (and wedged it onto the socket so hard I had to cut off with a hacksaw.)
Cleaned up the brackets and lines, replaced the rubber bushings, and it's hopefully going back in the car this week!
I stupidly forgot to mark the u-joint inside the car against the input shaft, so I'm almost definitely going to be doing some trial and error to get the steering straight. I think I'm going to reinstall the old tie rods to assist in that process, then I'll swap in the new ones (provided I get them from Elephant at some point) and install the boots.
My rack differed substantially from the one in the rebuild instructions (as noted by lots of people), with a two-hole housing covering the input shaft. The directions are close enough to work, but I elected not to replace the seal situated above the bearing in the input shaft. Didn't seem worth the hassle.
I took photos of the combinations of tools I successfully used to both remove and reinstall the circlip. A small screw driver to pop it out a little, the 45 degree pick to work it out further, and the hook pick to grab it and pull it out. To reinstall, needle-nose vise grips clamped into the notch in the housing, and a large straight screw driver to pop it in, working a bit on each side back and forth. I probably spent half an hour removing and an hour replacing. PITA, but I'm sure I could do it again much more quickly. :/
The plastic wrap trick worked *great* for the input shaft square rings. No problems at all.
The cup seal in the steel retainer was really in there -- a c-clamp with the 13/16" socket pressed it out (and wedged it onto the socket so hard I had to cut off with a hacksaw.)
Cleaned up the brackets and lines, replaced the rubber bushings, and it's hopefully going back in the car this week!
I stupidly forgot to mark the u-joint inside the car against the input shaft, so I'm almost definitely going to be doing some trial and error to get the steering straight. I think I'm going to reinstall the old tie rods to assist in that process, then I'll swap in the new ones (provided I get them from Elephant at some point) and install the boots.
10-31-2016, 01:00 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks, everyone! Glad to be able to contribute some tips and hopefully help other people tackle these projects themselves too.
For the next year or so, the projects will be staying fairly minor like this. I'm mostly trying to get it HPDE-worthy so I can hit Thunderhill and Laguna Seca next spring. I don't want to be the guy pissing power steering fluid all over the track and fighting sloppy control arm bushings while driving at 5/10ths.
In 2018 when I have a larger garage, I plan to drop the engine and do a clutch job and minor engine R&R at the least, possibly a DIY top-end rebuild while I'm at it. I'll likely be pushing 75-80k miles at that point, and I know the clutch is going to need it by then. Yes, I'm planning this stuff a year and a half in advance... time and parts aren't cheap!
For the next year or so, the projects will be staying fairly minor like this. I'm mostly trying to get it HPDE-worthy so I can hit Thunderhill and Laguna Seca next spring. I don't want to be the guy pissing power steering fluid all over the track and fighting sloppy control arm bushings while driving at 5/10ths.
In 2018 when I have a larger garage, I plan to drop the engine and do a clutch job and minor engine R&R at the least, possibly a DIY top-end rebuild while I'm at it. I'll likely be pushing 75-80k miles at that point, and I know the clutch is going to need it by then. Yes, I'm planning this stuff a year and a half in advance... time and parts aren't cheap!