Hi - Intro - now with photos!!

Hi all, have been on the site now for a few weeks, bought my silver 2002 77k 996 C4S just before Christmas and have been working through the many many issues that need resolving.... Its already had all 4 callipers off & completely refurbished, new discs, pads & hoses etc. New water pump, belt, lower-temp thermostat & fluid. Complete set of coffin arms, control arms, wishbones, ball-joints, track-rod ends etc etc etc. New 4S tyres. Wheels refurbished. New mats, gear-knob/gaiter and cigarette lighter etc. New wheel arch liners and various trim bits and screws etc etc - the list goes on and on. Anyway, am really pleased with him (Ferdinand), have just chosen to do 12 month's work in a couple of weeks. Hopefully that's it now, or at least for the time being...... Next big jobs on the list will be new shocks, springs & top-mounts etc. And then a new complete exhaust system as mine is just a rusty mess! Currently today organising replacement red seatbelts and also a steering-wheel re-trim. Am also sanding and then polishing the headlights. Once headlights and wheels back on will give him a wash and take some photos. He's booked in for a week's detailing later this month so may be best to wait until after then. Already have a few questions I need to ask but will post those separately and look forward to the help received and hopefully being able to help others in the future. In at the deep end! Kind regards Mark

Congrats & welcome Mark! - sounds like you are getting stuck into a backlog of deferred maintenance there Someone will be along soon to say 'pics are needed' of your new pride & joy

Pics are needed of your new pride and joy! Besides that sounds like someone's been busy! Well done welcome to Porsche ownership sounds like you have a cracking 996 in the making.

Welcome to the forum Mark, like you I have been in at the deep end more than once, and in my case with a variety of old sports cars. I suspect that is one fortunate Porsche to have found a keen owner intent on restoring it to it`s former glory, well done :thumb:

Thanks all. Perhaps naively I bought it on the understanding that nothing major would need doing for a while and I could just DIY the odd small job say once a month. But when I then discovered a broken bleed-nipple (and therefore the fluid couldn't be changed) this then escalated into it having to be sent away to be fixed - then I thought oh well may as well do all 4 - this then escalated into a full strip, re-paint, stencilled logo and all the rubber seals - this then escalated into while they're off may as well put some new discs, pads, hard & flexi pipes and fluid. - This then escalated into while it was up on the ramps for a week we may as well replace the coffin-arms where the rubber bushes had perished - this then escalated into doing the WHOLE lot. The water-pump had play in it so this was also done at the same time with new belt and thermostat. So, I had just booked him in for an interim 12-month oil service for a day which then escalated into about 8 days and much ££££!! I'm not grumbling too much as have been able to tick off many to-do things and other than the springs/shocks/top-mounts it literally now has completely new suspension plus was then able to have the alignment sorted as before everything was completely seized and we weren't able to adjust anything. All the other work I have been able to do myself. Have this Friday off work to finish off a few DIY jobs – new engine mounts, clutch pedal helper spring-thing, rear wheel-arch liners, coil-pack covers, chassis strengthening bar things that I've taken off, de-rusted and repainted etc etc. My wife just shakes her head whenever I talk about him now.............. Thanks, Mark

Haha, Welcome to 996 ownership, you'll fit in just fine. The good news is that there are going to be lots of good cars going forwards the number of people who've been through similar experiences

Thanks, it's very addictive! Have spent the day looking at full exhaust systems... Oh and signed-off and paid for a steering-wheel re-trim. Oh and collected a pair of new rear arch liners. I need to work to pay for all this lot but just don't have anytime anymore in-between 996 'work"........

Him :? I've always found that anything that costs a lot of money but provides stress and pleasure in equal measure is female. :wink: ps. :welcome: 911uk

Wow, that's an impressive to-do list you've already ticked off. On the plus side, it will drive beautifully with the new suspension bits and engine mounts, and you should be owed a 'cheap' few years as you've done the major stuff (famous last words...) Given your evident hands-on skills I'm surprised you're getting the detail done... if you can sand and restore the headlights I'm sure you could DA-polish and seal the paint, if you like that sort of thing.

Thanks both Him = Ferdinand The car is 20 years old, we checked using a paint depth meter thingy and it has had a few panels previously repainted, some are original though and the paint is therefore thin. I have all the DAS and detailing gear, but it really needs a pro working on him and there is an excellent concours winning guy near me that I've taken many cars to and become friends with so I would rather trust him with it. He will know just how much or little can be taken off each different panel. Then Crystal Serum Ultra protection to give it hopefully a bit more strength and life before a respray at some point in the far future. Half the work though will be 'framing" (detailing term) the car, ie doing all the OCD little corners in all the trims etc, that's what actually when all added together makes the most difference. Will be with him for a week (have had previous cars with him for 2 weeks...!) end of the month.

Hi & welcome. Where's the pics? :grin:

Welcome...it's not really until we see it!!

Sounds very similar to my own story! Like you also picked up my Arctic Silver 996 C4S just before Christmas and similarly it's already required a bit of work...throttle body and vacuum lines cleaned and new pre and post lambda sensors to sort a rough idle and is booked it at Centre Gravity to have new control arms, top mounts and CV boots plus full geometry in next few weeks. First thing I did was the PCCM Plus which aside from a slight issue with radio reception is fantastic and am now also looking at deviated seat belts and recovering the steering wheel.

Welcome Mark! Nice to have you on board dude! 8) Daz

Thanks all. Photos will follow, at some point, once I've got the chance to wash him, have been tooooo busy tinkering....!! I took Friday off work to spend the day on him, literally only got ½ the work done that I'd planned, but am happy with what I did get done... I had previously taken some of the chassis strengthening bars & plates off which were all really rusty, had already given them a good clean up with a wire-wheel attachment on the angle-grinder, then Kurust'ed them and a few coats of Hammerite direct-to rust. Stunk the house out for a few days as they dried and then was able to reinstall them on Friday with new bolts! Replaced the 2 rear main wheel-arch liners (one broken, one covered in over-spray that just wouldn't come off without damaging/whitening the plastic) with new nuts & screws. Then Gtechniq C4'd them! I had noticed that 1 of the coil-pack heat-shields was missing so bought a couple of nice shiny new ones with bolts. The existing shield came off easily and was able to replace it easily. In hindsight I now know why the other was missing – because one of the bolts had previously broken off in the engine casing. Undeterred I drilled this out, re-tapped the hole and then was able to install the new missing one! After about 2 weeks without any wheels on it was finally able to put the re-furbed wheels & caps back on, with new wheel-bolts (as the collars on the old bolts had pretty much all broken-up). So that was my Friday in the cold and rain! Over the weekend have removed both front seatbelts and today sent them off to be re-webbed in Guards Red. And re-fitted the sanded & polished headlights, both of which look great (had to replace one of the 'bars' that you turn from inside the frunk to release them, as the allen-head had just rounded). They have a super glass-like finish from a foot away but if I get really close-up I can still see marring. I really took my time working up through the grades of paper though but I think it's probably the soft plastic clogging the paper which then marred the plastic. Spoke with 'my' detailer and he's going to finish them off when it goes in for a detail at the end of the month and then put some PPF over the top. Next job hopefully one evening this week is to replace the engine-mounts. My left exhaust tip is about 2cm lower than the other, I just assumed it needed re-positioning but then someone told me this may be a side-effect of a tired engine-mount, so fingers crossed and I will be able to kill 2 birds with 1 impact-wrench! Next job after that, probably at the weekend will be to replace the clutch helper spring thingamabob. And hopefully re-fit the new red seatbelts...!! So, all hence why I haven't had time to wash him, or drive him, but will hopefully do both at the weekend!