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John this looks like a nice challenge, will be cool to watch your progress.
Unless your intent is to sell the good one and keep the rebuild I would take any of the worn parts and transfer from your good car to the damaged one and buy new for the good one. Yeah it will be double the labor but then your good car will be pretty much new and the damaged one will still be a nice example.
I finally have the car and can see the challenges I have. The left chassis rail is dented. The tub has shifted to the right and almost everything under the left fender needs to be replaced. I’m now pricing parts and looking for a certifier to tell me the minimum required to have it licensed to go back on the road. The dents in the rail will likely require a splice.
Excellent news. A certifier has agreed to take on the project. In New Zealand, they are the people that warrant a car meets safety requirements and is able to be registered to go back on the road. Without that, it would be a parts car. Which would be difficult with me owning 2 of the 6 987.2 Spyders in the Country.
I have a lot of work now to manage parts orders and costs. Air bags and seat belts are a big part of this cost. They must be sighted in Porsche sealed packaging and then sighted when installed. No chance for slight of hand, which I like as it gives the project credibility.
I hope you are correct. Many of the Spyder specific parts seem ok and there is good value in those if I parted the car out. The cost to get it back on the road will be revealed when I see it in person and start the list of parts. They can add up quickly.
A used 3.4L engine is worth more than $10k so I agree, this is a pretty great deal for the parts alone.
First challenge completed. The Previous Owner sent me the second key. I have already been through a lost key episode with my Spyder and have no intention of repeating it. A PDK car with no key is in real trouble, due to the difficultly of moving it. With the last key, it took 7 months to source. Luckily it coded perfectly.
The task this weekend is to remove parts around the areas that the body shop will need to work on. I have also sourced parts they need for measurement and body gaps.
Those are the fender and bumper bar. Neither were particularly expensive, used. I have also bought a new radiator bracket as there is damage to fix in the mounts.
When the car is off to the body shop, I need to work on the other parts.
What I’m quickly finding out is that it’s the electronics in modern cars that give sticker shock, not the body parts. According to the option code sticker, this car is fitted with option 603, which is PDLS cornering headlights.
It appears that there are LHD and RHD versions and the lights as new don’t come with all parts required eg there is an expensive HID igniter in the back of the lights.
The lesson here it to make absolutely sure what parts are required, that the part number is correct, and not to throw out broken parts without making sure all good parts are taken off them. Expensive HID igniter hiding in the back of the wrecked light.
I sourced a very good quality fender from an ‘09 Cayman S. Based on research it appears any 987 fender would work. The tub being out of shape precludes it fitting with all bolts inserted, however with the back two in place, the gap with the hood seems good. Now it’s at the body shop to have the tub straightened and dents removed from the rail.
I’m enjoying this thread, not only is it great to see the car come back to life but it’s also great to see the it in a disassembled state.
Your discovery regarding the headlights was one of the reasons I ordered my Spyder without the PDLS/Xenon option. I knew I would own it for a long time and figured I could more easily manage a repair and keep overall maintenance costs low if I had standard lights. The added weight was the other reason.
I’m enjoying this thread, not only is it great to see the car come back to life but it’s also great to see the it in a disassembled state.
Your discovery regarding the headlights was one of the reasons I ordered my Spyder without the PDLS/Xenon option. I knew I would own it for a long time and figured I could more easily manage a repair and keep overall maintenance costs low if I had standard lights. The added weight was the other reason.
Looking forward to watching the progress.
A smart move. PDLS was a New Zealand new standard option. My other Spyder is ex UK and hopefully less expensive to fix
The car went on the chassis straightening machine. The front tub was pulled back into factory spec. Unfortunately the machine grip damaged the flange that holds the fender. Under New Zealand rules, the panel must be replaced. No repairs. I am allowed to source a used one so the hunt starts.
05-06-2023, 09:39 PM
