New eyes!

After nearly two decades the headlights tend to look faded but thanks to Porsche they made it easy and relatively inexpensive to make the headlights look brand new - by simply replacing the lenses. All you have to do is release the catches from inside the bonnet and out slide the headlight assemblies. Then unclip the old lenses and replace with the new ones (240 pounds for the pair - not cheap but considerably cheaper than changing the entire assemblies). And if need be replace the gaskets but mine were fine so I left them as they were. One tip though, courtesy of Paul at Northway, it's worth having some lubricant handy as the new rubber seals form quite a tight fit and could have you messing around for some time. With a bit of vaseline the assemblies just popped straight back in. Then simply flick the catches back in position and test the lights to make sure the electrical plugs aligned and properly connected. I highly recommend doing this as it really freshens up the front end.

New leather

My handbrake and gearshift were looking a little worse for wear (after 17 years!) so I treated the car with some new leather. Opted for black as opposed to the original marble grey. Thanks to Greg at Tognola Engineering for fitting the parts (took him just under an hour).

Today I saw a Singer!

It's fair to say that Singers are like rocking horse sh*t - you don't really see them, like, ever. But today I popped by to see the guys at Tognola Engineering and there it was - Porsche 911 by Singer - apparently the only one in the country. It's essentially automotive perfection. A while ago a British chap called Richard Meaden headed out to California to find out if it really is possible to improve one of the greatest cars of all time and from what I saw today he seems to be doing a pretty damn fine job of it. Nice. 

993 Carrera versus 964 Turbo...

Yes I'm a 993 man but there's something about the 964 Turbo, especially this 3.6, that makes me go weak at the knees - was my monogamous relationship to it's successor momentarily under threat? Maybe. 

A few other bits and bobs...

Rear spoiler blind needed replacing. Easy job that requires a bit of press fitting. 

And my car didn't have scuttle gaskets when I bought it and seeing how fiddly they were to fit I can see why they weren't put back after some previous painting. The area just below the windscreen is notorious for rusting so I would imagine that job had been carried out by the previous owner. A few bolts needed loosening to separate the wing from the scuttle, then a rubber hammer and wedge was used to further prise them apart, before Ray and Paul got their rubber gloves and lubricant out to press fit them in. Even then the gaskets themselves needed trimming down as they were proving to be somewhat stubborn little things. A delicate job as it's easy to damage the wings so not one for the heavy handed. 

RSR Mufflers...

I love the sound of an air-cooled engine but like a lot of Porsche owners you just can't help but wanting a little more - a little louder, a little deeper, a little raspier. So I did a little research, which lead to Gert Carnewal, based in Belgium, mainly because of his competitive pricing for Porsche parts. And instead of looking into an expensive full system replacement I went for a set of RSR Mufflers on an exchange programme, which basically means you can swap your existing mufflers for another set (used of course) that have been opened up, modified and then welded up again, resulting in a new and improved sound. You pay 800 Euros for the mufflers and get 400 Euros back when you return yours. A cost effective mod. And then there's an additional labour charge to have them fitted, unless of course you can do them yourself. Here's Mike as Northway just about to tackle mine today...

Step 1. Remove tips - typically the old clamp bolts need cutting as they tend to rust - it's a good job that Gert supplies some new nuts and bolts. Clamps and sleeves should be okay.

Step 2. Remove tips and straps. 

Step 3. Fit new straps and fixings.

Step 4. Swap over the heat shields if they're good otherwise take the opportunity to replace them.

Step 5. Put back as you took off. 2nd tip back on so ready to fire her up...

Step 6. Send Gert your old mufflers and he'll modify them for the next customer.

Step 7. Enjoy the little louder, little deeper, little raspier sound of your air-cooled 911.

Out with the old and in with the new!

Time to say goodbye to my old Sport Classic II's (sold on ebay) and hello to my 18" hollow spoke 'technology' turbo wheels with a new set of boots in the form of Michelin Pilot Sports 2's. Thanks to Chris Paul at Jasmine PorschaLink UK for sourcing the wheels and the guys at Centre Gravity for the tyre recommendation. Plus I was lucky enough to find some shiny new gold crested Porsche centre caps stashed away in the spare wheel compartment of my car - nice. Here's the numbers:

FRONTS
Wheel: 18" x 7.5", ET 50 (mm)
p/n: 993.362.134.05
Tyre: 225.40.18

REARS:
Wheel: 18" x 10", ET 50 (mm)
p/n: 993.362.134.05
Tyre: 265.35.18

Next stop: Centre Gravity in Warwickshire for full suspension upgrade and geometry set-up. Booked in for 7th Dec.

And thanks Dad for helping me change the wheels over!