MiataR

As some of you may have noted from one of my previous posts, my 996 came with a very unwanted additional accessory... an aftermarket faux wood vinyl trim.

This is one of the primary reasons for not sharing interior shots... I was just far too embarrassed.

I mean, look at it. Ugh.



So, naturally, I needed to remove it ASAP... and spent the better part of this afternoon slowly but surely pealing off the scourge.

Items needed:

1. A Hair drier + extension cord to heat up the adhesive prior to removal
2. A bottle of Goo Gone (or something similar) to remove any remaining residue
3. Clean cloths to apply the goo gone and wipe any residue clean
4. Lots and lots of patience...

The general steps I followed:

1. Apply heat via hair drier



2. Slowly peel back the trim using my hands (and gently with my nails when required).





3. Wipe the exposed surface down with a tiny bit of goo-gone. I was careful not to use too much for fear of damaging the underlying plastic or leather.

4. Use a clean dry cloth to wipe off any of the goo-gone and adhesive residue

It took plenty of patience, but I was finally able to work my way through all the trim pieces.



Bottom dash complete:



All done!





It looks so much better! And the good news is that the leather and plastic underneath is in good shape. I was obviously concerned that the trim had been used to mask some damage, but thankfully that was not the case. I guess the PO actually liked the marble look.

The moral of this story? Do not buy and apply the cheap eBay vinyl crap to your car. The next owner will not thank you for doing it!

MiataR

The offending material.

vitaminC

Nicely done! That stuff looked horrible. Maybe you should send it back to the PO

808Bill

Thanks for sharing this. I am looking at a car that has the carbon fiber trim that may need to be removed.
Though I have not seen it in person yet...

GTsilber

Ill take any CF bits you don't want

MiataR

Trust me, if it's the stick-on trim I had in my car... you really don't want it.

MiataR

Here's a quick summary of where things stand on the slippery slope of maintenance/upgrades.

Installed
Michelin PSS Tires

Received but not yet installed
GT3 Console Delete - needed to order a trim piece before I can relocate the HVAC controls

Ordered
Belts
FVD Motorsport Oil Pan with Baffle
Magnetic oil drain plug
New coils + NGK Spark Plugs
Air filter
Pollen Filter
Water Pump
Tarett Monoball Camber Plates - Front
OEM Fuel tank valve
Wevo semi solid engine mounts *new*
AC/HVAC control trim *new*

Stage 1.5
Coilovers - GT3 vs. Ohlins vs. KW V3?
Tarett Endlinks - Front/Rear
Monoball Camber Plates - Rear

Stage 2
Clutch+Flywheel (Light weight?)
IMSB - dual row LN solution
RMS
Short shifter (997/GT3/other?)
Upgraded AOS
New rotors/Brake pads
Suspension bushing refresh (Powerflex?)

MiataR

I planed on spending this afternoon installing the GT3 console delete, but realized that I needed a new trim piece before I can relocate the climate controls to the top part of the dash (will be removing the cup holders).

So, instead, I decided to do the infamous radiator/AC condenser cleaning. Since I don't really have any reference point with a water cooled 911, I can't really tell if my car is running hot, but I do see the coolant temp occasionally cross 100 deg. Celsius... so I figured it couldn't hurt to make sure the radiators were clear.

Boy, was I surprised by what I found. I don't think this has ever been done before on my car.

I followed the usual DIY instructions for removing the front bumper.



Once the ducting was removed, a bunch of debris fell out and it was clear that there was even more jammed between the radiator and AC condenser.





Yup, I was right.





I got a vacuum into there and removed as much of the debris as possible.

Looking much better.





Getting ready to put everything back together.



And all done... whew.



All in all, it was about 3 hours of work with lots of breaks in between.

I'm glad I did i, and am looking forward to seeing if there is any measurable improvement to the coolent temp when I drive the car tomorrow.

Slakker

Nice work. It's crazy how dirty they get.

For even cooler temps, check out Water Wetter. Believe it or not, the stuff actually works as advertised.

MiataR

Thanks, I'll have to check that out.

Also, I owe you a PayPal payment... will be sending that out shortly.

Barn996

Nice to see you found a suitable C2. What a drastic interior improvement to your interior, well done. I don't use my sunroof often(except to hear the FisterD exhaust) so I'd prefer a sunroof delete option like yours. Am interested in following your conversion path from street to track with your 996, looks like another interesting project, keep the pics coming.

mrjonger

I was wondering about that. How much do you add?

Water wetter or something like it is sometimes required for motorcycle trackdays because it's less slick than coolant.

OP, you may want to check you drain plugs before you drive it in heavy rain. I'd also suggest you try to keep the interior dry as much as possible, a lot of electronics on the floor under the seats.

stan23

Careful with Watter Wetter. Not sure where in the SF Bay Area you live, but i'm next to Los Gatos, and we've had several below freezing overnights this season already.

On my race bikes, we can only use watter wetter or the like, and I remember the hassle one year of draining the coolant because the track we were at had hit freezing overnight temps.

This is of course all moot if your car lives in a heated garage.

Slakker

One bottle will do the trick.

808Bill

They're GOLD...