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I had a cunning idea the other day, however - I'll re-purpose it for a use in a rotating platform, use it for spraying and (when I get around to it) will be useful for welding. Another job for the list. S |
Okay, so lots of activity since the last update....some serious hours going into this, however, a lot of it is just cleaning, preparing and detail jobs.
The most significant achievement for the last week or so has been the reworking of the inner wheel arches, ridding the chassis of the rubberised coating that has never set solid. The disgusting sticky surface has just been a magnet for any road grime and ended up looking worse than it ever did when I first got the car. Im pretty sure I know why - whenever I went to work to remove the tired factory coating (Cosmoline?) I *think* I used Gunk....it's a cracking product for degreasing and general cleaning, but what I think I did (5-6yrs ago?) was assume that it left it clean enough to paint without then going over everything with brake cleaner. I have to say, it's most unlike me NOT to clean everything with brake cleaner before painting, but it's the only explanation I can think of. In reality, I think the residue from the Gunk was still present and has then had an adverse reaction with the fresh rubberised paint being sprayed on top. An example of “before”... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9683.jpg Behind the arch, should be factory light grey coloured… https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9684.jpg Dirty inner arch liners... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9720.jpg |
Then the cleaning….
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9685.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9694.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9648.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9649.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9668.jpg Of course, done properly with inner arch liners being removed, and all the bracketry/clips/pipes also being removed for access. This actually takes far longer than the cleaning of the arches, once you find the knack...which is basically to low pressure spray the entire area with white spirit, with a very big plastic tray underneath, and lot of newspaper everywhere else. Getting it wet enough so that it can soak in and start dripping "black", then use miles of paper towel to scrape it off. Once done, this time lots of brake cleaner (and ventilation...) to get it spotlessly clean. Any residue on a clean cloth and we go again until the cloth is clean. Having tested a piece of ally outside cleaned in the same way, then sprayed with the Teroson SB3140 paint, I knew that this method allowed it to set exactly as described on the can; 2-3mins flash dry, then dry to touch in an hour. One final cleaning mission was scrub under where the front undertray sits; although I did the majority of the underside years ago, I never did get around to doing this and the recess where the front differential on a C4 would sit. A lot harder to do than the black paint - this was original factory brown Dinitrol wax plus 27 years of grime. After another couple of evenings on this, it now looks pretty damn good - not like a freshly resprayed chassis, but representative of somebody spending many hours looking after the car. Spencer=happy. The painting itself was only a handful of minutes per arch - very quick indeed once everything is masked correctly....and I have to say, I'm chuffed to bits with how it's come out. The perfect platform onto which I can now rebuild the sparkly clean suspension components. I know it'll only look like this for the short time until it gets wet, but hey, it'll photograph well for the family album. After…. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9695.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9696.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...1264696CCB.jpg See the filthy and rusty state of the power steering lines... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9682.jpg The wonky battery lead grommet into the drivers footwell….easily fixed, just sloppily left by somebody in the past… https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9681.jpg So....many evenings later, getting absolutely filthy and using litres of white spirit, the arches were back to how they were previously. Even getting the white spirit wasn't that straightforward due to most businesses being furloughed. |
Time to start rebuilding – all the inner arch liners were scrubbed a few days previous, and although socially clean of mud/grime, they weren’t up to my standards for refitting. They’re the originals, all date stamped as 1991 and in need of some “detailing”. A thorough going-over with Auto Glym Intensive Tar Removal fluid and a gentle scrape got all the tar spots off, as well as some of the ground-in grime. Then a couple of coats using silicone spray to try and assist with cleaning and stuff not sticking to them in future. I know this will have to be reapplied often in the future, but for the time being they do feel nice and slippery. And very black again.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9721.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9722.jpg Another job which I needed to do, as I couldn’t bring myself to spend £60 each on them, is to strip and re-paint the small brackets that attach to the trailing arm, holding the ABS and pad sensor connectors, and the brake lines themselves. Fiddly bloody things to strip off, especially with the weak paint stripper we have to buy….disproportionate amount of time to clean them, but now they’ve been POR-15’d, they look pretty good I reckon…. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9724.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9746.jpg The hydraulic lines tidied up; rubber hoses degreased, rigid lines Scothbrited and the steel fittings wire brushed, then also treated with POR-15... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9725.jpg |
Next job, in a bid to try and start clearing my house of car parts (!!!), was to install the new KW dampers and Elephant top mounts. This was a decision based on pure excitement rather than logical thinking, but I couldn’t see any downside, so starting at the back it was time to torque the damper strut into the mounts and install (having also spent an hour or so thoroughly cleaning the inside of the damper “turrets” – impossible to get to properly once the dampers are in). Naturally, the KW springs are installed with the printed text the right way up. A quick realignment of the top mount studs was required – and it really is a tiny amount. I think I read that Rob G also had to do this on his builds, over on Rennlist. The way I did it was to fit some old M8 nuts to each of the three studs and use my large bench vice to ever-so-gently nip them in to each other. An almost indiscernible amount, and it proved to be sufficient – no problem at all.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9697.jpg With all the intercooler and intake parts removed, getting to the back of the engine bay was relatively simple, although working single handed to hold the damper in position until the first nut was on was a little sketchy! https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9750.jpg I think I may invest in 3 more adjuster keys; KW supply one with each kit, but I have seen somebody permanently install them into the top of each damper rod, to allow quick adjustment (and reduce the risk of dropping one in the engine bay) The front struts are obviously far easier to install, remembering to fit new foam insulators between the top mount and the chassis. They’ve been sat in my office for I guess 6-7 years, so it was nice to finally get them gone. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9749.jpg Once the struts were installed, it was obvious that the super-cunning upcycling of my old GT3 spring top hats wasn’t going to work, at least, not without some modification. The angle of the hat is too shallow to allow much angular movement, and rather than risking a metal-to-metal realisation that all wasn’t well, I addressed it straight away. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9748.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9747.jpg A shame really, but that’s the game with projects like this. So, two choices, I can either make some steel spacers (I sold my genuine factory ones as part of my aborted plan to run Bilsteins)….or I can rework the KW original top hats. I went with the latter, to save any guesswork on the depth of the spacer. It was only a 2 minute job to open the ID of the KW items to the OD of the strut rod; same theory as before, but the KW top hat is already plastic, so I didn’t need to make an insert this time. My only concern now is whether I’ll have sufficient range for ride height adjustment. We’ll see, once the car is back on it’s wheels. |
In an example of perfect timing, I received a notification from Western Power Steering saying that my rack was on its way. Excellent! I had spoken to Gary @ WPS a few days previously, chatting through how it was all going. Like everyone, he’s been challenged by the lockdown situation and operating the business with minimal staff, and implementing the distancing rules. Immensely difficult to try and plan this stuff, and I know he was swamped with things like Ferrari racks to also get done. Skip forward to the next day and the shipment arrives, rack beautifully packaged with tonnes of protective material – no way that this was going to succumb to even the most brutal of courier handling!
The guys very kindly took some photo’s of the refurbishment work; I didn’t immediately find any pics of the ZF racks when I was searching a few weeks ago, I think because it’s accepted that to get the job done right, it’s a task best left to the experts with the correct tooling….so, here are those pics for those who are curious…. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._0175%202.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._0176%202.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._0177%202.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._0178%202.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v..._0179%202.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../IMG_0180.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../IMG_0181.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../IMG_0182.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../IMG_0183.jpeg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.../IMG_0186.jpeg |
Gary went one step further than I was planning, and did reinstall the hydraulic hard lines, then lacquered the whole thing 3 times. I was originally planning on re-plating the banjo bolts but it’s not a problem given how protected they now are, and frankly how good they look. The rack will be sprayed with Dinitrol once everything is installed anyway, adding even more protection.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9730.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9731.jpg They even took care to mask off the info plate riveted on to the body....attention to detail, love it... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9732.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9733.jpg A tip worth noting for anyone removing their steering assembly is that the small bung underneath the centre section of the rack is used to gauge the central position. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9734.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9739.jpg The bung itself becomes very brittle with age and is no longer available. Thankfully WPS did have a spare one in stock, so thoughtfully bagged it and cable tied it to the hard lines. New ones feel very pliant and rubbery but be warned, if you need to re-centre the rack, be mindful of this part. The hole is actually threaded, so worst case I guess you just Loctite a grub screw in there. New rubber doughnut pushed onto the pinion shaft housing, and the new Rothsport Racing rack mounts popped into place, and it’s ready for fitting back onto the car. Another tip – the plastic rack bushes come with a small tube of silicone grease – use it on both sides of the sleeves, as getting the rack brackets back on isn’t the easiest. A bit like reinstalling ARB brackets with longer bolts to pull everything into place, this was the same. To start with you can’t get the mating faces closer than about 25mm and even then, massively misaligned. A GENTLE tap with a rubber faced mallet onto the saddle brackets helps a lot, just to get them snugged onto the rack, then some heaving to align the holes. At the same time, I was initially trying to get the pinion splines engaged into the UJ of the column inside the footwell. Mistake. Far easier to undo the top bolt of that UJ and slide it up the column, out of the way for the time being. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9740.jpg Once the rack is in place, then you can a) ensure it’s still centred, and then b) make sure the steering wheel is also centred before sliding that UJ back down and onto the steering rack. If working in a garage the width of mine, then it helps if you’re also a contortionist. I’ve not yet hooked-up the hydraulic lines from chassis to rack, as the banjo bolts need replating, then it’ll be job done…almost… |
I also ordered Rothsports rack brace kit, intended to fit between the outboard-most pair of mounting bolts. It does warn that the hydraulic lines may need some subtle adjustment to allow the brace to install….however….I guess there’s either been a significant design change of the rack or the LHD US-spec racks are different from RoW RHD racks. The central hydraulic line mounting boss is absolutely in the way [face/palm moment].. I'm going to have another look this evening and see whether I can reverse the brace and get it to work - in the photo it does look as though it'll go, but whatever I tried yesterday, it fouled that boss.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9742.jpg So with a cup of tea in hand, I think there are two options, assuming it really won't install... 1) Make some 25mm spacers that would fit inbetween the rack mount saddle and the brace, moving it further out and missing that hydraulic boss… https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9743.jpg 2) Mount the brace up-top and behind the rack… https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9744.jpg I’ll mull that one over later on. Part of me also says that if mounting this behind the rack, why not then fabricated something stronger akin to a 935 style “X” brace used in the frunk. A fully triangulated 4-point X brace mounting to all 4 saddle mounting positions would be even stronger and easily accessible. Hmmm. |
Next job is to continue to clear my house, and mount the front-to-rear (longitudinal) braces which hold the lower control arms….all this is a dummy-build using the old (but cleaned) fixing hardware. I decided to order all new fixings from Porsche. OCD got the better of me, meaning I’m not going to purchase fastenings from places other than Porsche. Most significantly, however, was a conversation I was having with my pal Costa (CostaP) about the chemical cleaning I’d been using and my plan to re-plate everything at home.
I won’t go into detail with his employment, suffice to say that it’s very cool, and he’s in the (engineering) position to witness first-hand the effects of hydrogen embrittlement. I have to confess I was unaware of what this was, but long story short, embrittlement can be brought on by both chemical cleaning (like I’ve been doing) and the plating process itself. It’s not necessarily isolated to one or the other. It’s also really only a problem on high tensile fixings, marked 8.8 and above. Which of course, these are. I believe that post-plating the trapped hydrogen can be relieved by baking the parts, but after reading the whitepapers he sent, and the spec sheets of very well regarded fastening manufacturers and how they don’t supply BZP coatings on their 10.8 / 12.x range, it was enough to convince me to buy new. Side story for context….many years ago when I had a GT3, I suffered a catastrophic suspension failure on (what turned out to be) the ARB drop-link mounting to the rear damper. This was on 2-lane public highway, “moving respectfully swiftly” but not irresponsibly and just exiting a roundabout. The drop-link mounting failed, followed by a 180º spin, missing an untold amount of lamp-posts and road signs, skipping over the central reservation and facing up the road in the opposite direction. How I didn’t hit anything or barrel roll, I have no idea. Naturally, this has made me very conscious about suspension integrity – far more than anything on the engine. Thankfully, it also failed when there was a window in the traffic – a few seconds later and that would’ve been absolutely awful for me and the poor victims I would’ve hit. So….fitting new fasteners is perhaps paranoid and way OTT, but I don’t know the history of those fastenings, they’re 28yrs old, and the processes I was planning on using would’ve potentially resulted in embrittlement. All to save £500-600. Just not worth it, in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, that’s why you’re seeing less-than-stellar fastenings in the photos. I have been told by Dan at OPC Tonbridge (again, another shout out to the guys in the parts store there – Dan has been nothing other than extremely responsive and communicative in keeping me abreast of what’s happening throughout the lockdown). I know that my order has now been submitted, so as soon as the backlog is dealt with and parts start coming into HQ in Reading, they’ll be with me shortly after. “Longitudinal” links now on, time to test fit the newly upgraded control arms…. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9751.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9752.jpg …and they fit like a glove. Next job is to machine some spacers for the lower damper strut fixings. This is a well-known “issue” with KW dampers for the 964, insomuch that they were designed for the 993 which uses M14 bolts and not M12. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9753.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9754.jpg KW actually supply eccentric bolts and eccentric flange nuts for the top mountings, so it’s only the lower bolts that need these spacers making. I have a bar of stainless, so that’s tonights job. |
Okay, time for some detail on the steering arms from Elephant Racing.
As mentioned previously, ER market a bumpsteer correcting steering arm kit for the 964, removing the need to either install OE RS uprights or aftermarket parts from the likes of BBi. I’ve no experience with any of these solutions, so I can’t honestly say how effective one is versus another, but again, this isn’t a race car so I’m not looking for the last degree in mathematical chassis perfection, just something that moves the game on in the right direction. The ER arms are single piece items, removing the rubber coupling between the stock inner and outer rods, further assisting with feedback and feel. However, the slight snag was that although listed as a valid part for a “965”, when they arrived they were clearly far too short, intended for the narrow bodied Carreras. Not a problem though, the guys from Elephant very quickly resolved everything and made a set of tie rods within 24hrs, onward shipping them to Chris for inclusion with another UK bound parcel of goodness. So, in only a few days….in this very difficult climate, Elephant had stepped up brilliantly and resolved the issue, and I had the new parts in my hand. Top stuff, chapeau to the Elephant team and to Chris and Molly at TurboKraft. Thanks guys. These are about to be fitted to the rack, along with the steering stop nuts, resused from the old arms. I think, however, that’ll be as far as I can go on the front assembly without having the new hardware. I don’t want to fit the old press-in stud to each control arm (used to tighten the lower balljoint), and without that of course I can’t mount the uprights/hubs/stub axles/brakes. I really do think that the time has now come to start the re-plating work….not least of which the rear trailing arm camber/toe plates. Maybe this weekend is the time I’ll start clearing the decks and finally doing it. Gulp. I'm planning to do lots of experimentation first, but once the plates are done I can then assemble the ER monoballs into them and get the rear trailing arms in place. |
The Elephant Racing arms now in place, although the steering stops aren't yet positioned accurately.
The absence of the 2-piece stock steering arm coupling.... https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9755.jpg Very nice rod ends, and usefully, Allen key hex's to assist with tightening/loosening, no longer just relying on the friction of the taper. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9756.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9757.jpg |
Change of plans for this evenings work, I decided to have another look at this steering rack brace and see whether it would fit, after some "remodelling" of the hydraulic lines.
I have to say, I thought I'd be posting a humble-pie message, as it did look as though it would fit, once the pipes were pushed clear. And by the way, those pipes take some force to move, obviously being careful to not crush them. In the end I gave up and removed the longer one so I could safely manipulate the short/top one backwards using a long screwdriver and plenty of padding wrapped around it. Then, refit the long pipe which needs to come outwards, not backwards. It looked marginal as to which direction it should go, but I'm sure it would foul the other pipe if you also push that backwards. Unfortunately, my original suspicions were confirmed, the brace wasn't going to clear the hydraulic "banjo" in the centre of the rack. At this point, however, it did only look like a fraction would need removing to get it in. So, many many back-and-forth trips to the vice and carefully filing it with a half-round file, and eventually I got it clearing nicely. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9764.jpg https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...n/IMG_9765.jpg Slightly annoyingly, when everything was torqued back up, as opposed to just offering it up, a load more clearance suddenly appeared. But, as it is in the photos below, there's perhaps 1-1.5mm all around, so I reckon that's just about perfect. https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...5147990725.jpg Next job is to tighten the steering arms onto the rack and put the gators on. |
Addendum to the above; slight rethink on finishing the steering rack. The end-stops that were fitted to the OE tie rods were the original 6mm thick items. Later on in the 964 lifecycle they were superceded to 10mm items (actually with a 4mm counterbore) to prevent cars with 18" wheels from rubbing the inner arch liners.
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...2001.11.27.jpg (thanks to Metal Guru and his thread on Rennlist) Look carefully at my previous photos above, and you'll see that this is exactly what's happened in a previous life. The car came with aftermarket 18" anchors, and clearly the PO "didn't get the memo" about also needing to retrofit these spacers. Or maybe he did and couldn't be arsed. Of course the Cup 1's I'm running are only 17", but just in case I or somebody else in the future decides to go large, it'll be taken care of. So, while I'm at it I'm going to fit the later stops instead of my 6mm items. An online chat with Elephant has given me the confirmation that these are installed butting up against the back of the balljoint housing. The factory manual says to install the spacers with a 5mm gap between the spacer and the shoulder of the U joint of the inner tie rod. Of course, these solid tie rods don't have the U joints but do have a nice square face to tighten up against. I could add these spacers to the pending shopping list with Porsche, but at £53 for the pair, even I'm not willing to shell that out for them. So, a quick online order for a 38mm x 500mm length of bright mild steel, and I'll make my own, probably plating them once done. |
Excellent posts Sir Spencer. You set a high bar, good for the rest of us (at least, me) to motivate doing the best work possible. The steering rack shop looks good; more often, such facilities seem to do quicky clean>reseal>unmasked coat of (bad) paint, Bob’s your uncle, with a predictably high defect rate.
Scary story about the GT3. Best, John |
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Yes, they were a great company to deal with, thoroughly recommend. I was also fearful that a refurb shop would do what you said, quick squirt of BS spray and off it goes again. Having done some research on WPS, the feedback was universally great, both generic Joe Public and some of the threads I found on Rennlist (and I think also here on PP), so I was confident that I was dealing with the right folks before even engaging them. Progress is going to slow down a little now, got scaffold being built around the house tomorrow. Time to make use of the lovely weather and do some maintenance and painting, something that was always in the plan and thankfully despite lockdown for most of us, the building trade have been allowed back to work. I'm also still waiting for Porsche GB to be back up and running, to get my shopping list of fasteners. Still not got around to rigging up the plating kit! |
Quick note: Looks like PhotoBucket are having issues with their subscriber service (of which I am one) at the moment...hence missing photos. Terrific. [tut]
Edit - Service is up and running again but if the pics aren't showing there may be some Photobucket cookies that need deleting from your browser history - then it works fine. |
Hi Spencer,
Your work is always perfect and pleasant to look at. :) |
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