New part

At Northways again. Popped out the rear grill to replace it with a fresh new one. 

A few new bits

New rear wiper arm. Old one formed a crack and it was only a matter of time before it snapped off so wanted to avoid that happening, especially on the move - just thinking about my paintwork! A quick and easy job though - that's if you know what you're doing. Sometimes the rear glass panel can crack so I asked Ray Northway to lend a hand.

New rear reflector. Old one had faded and water was getting in, causing some unsightly condensation inside the unit. Another quick and easy job. Simply unscrew the tail lights, unscrew rear reflector, and unplug the single connector. Then, plug in new reflector and reinstate screws. Not a cheap part, at 323.22 + VAT from Porsche, but it makes a huge difference to the rear end of the car - it really freshens it up.

Next on the list, C2S split grill kit, colour coded in schwartz black. There's something about the standard black plastic grill that doesn't look quite right to me.

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.