Restore or Part out
 

Hello.
I am being offered 1998 Boxster 136,000km Tiptronic, red on black. But the alarm unit is flooded and shorted out, the rear window is split, clear coat peeling...
Just to get the alarm unit will cost $1000, rear window another $1000. I am being offered the car for $2k.
I planned to restore and sell ASAP, or is it better to just part it out? https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...213f327b61.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5080023ded.jpg


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Unless you have a place to store it for several yrs, parting it out will be a slow, drawn out process. Plus you'll need some heavy equipment like a lift to get the engine & trans out and access to a fork lift to get those heavy items to a shipper. There's a lot to parting out a car. Maybe you have all of these things at your disposal, but if not, you'll need them. And you'll be constantly making trips to your local shipper to send small to large items.

You can probably expect another $1K in surprises if you want to get it running and flip it, but even with a $5K investment, you should be able to make some $$$ on it. Plus it will be gone in a much quicker time frame than parting it out.

Keep in mind this advice is coming from a hobbyist Wheeler Dealer, so obviously I'd lean towards fixing & flipping. I just bought an 87 928 S4 that doesn't run and the owner sold as a fixer or parts car. When I told him I'd try to get it running and then sell it on, he was pulling for me to buy it as it was too nice to part out.

Good point. Here they start at $5k. Not much of a margin. I too just finished a 928 restore and sell. Made good money. Here space is a limiting factor. Guess I should check the engine oil.


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It’s a 2000!
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Got into it today. Cleaned the interior, removed the seats, drilled a hole in the floor to drain the water.
Noticed the coolant tank leaks, the engine is the dual ims bearing,https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7665f66681.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...82e3868994.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6a8776d40c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...be5867e708.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...532668d508.jpg


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Good news. Dirty oil but no metal or plastic or hard bits. Just some hair and soft bits of tree. I guess the air filter has not been changes in a while. So here we go down the restore route https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cb3d721783.jpg


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I’m knee deep now. I ordered a glass window used roof and new alarm computer. I finished the oil change and took a look at the engine last night https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5575d9c6b6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d7334bef37.jpg
The belt looks good but the water looks original. There appears to be some oil leak from some hose on top of the engine. I clean it up and go from there. I wish Japan has daylight saving.


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4aba94a8c8.jpg
Totally worth it.


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Looks good. Congrats on resurrecting a deserving Boxster.

Turns out the stealership won’t code the car because it’s unplated. The one independent that was big enough and had the equipment went bankrupt earlier this year. I may have to use Specialized ECU.


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Removed the carpet this morning. That was not! I repeat NOT! A fun job. It’s cold and wet and slippery and smelly. It’s amazing how much water the sponge/foam holds. I wonder how long it will take to dry.


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She’s alive!!
Had to slap the fuel pump relay around a little but she eventually stalled. The gas gauge indicates it has half tank and I could inflame hear the pump, so I pulled the tank unit to find it was out of gas. Put some gas in and she fired up and idled fine.
Now to get that %#! Tank gasket back in.
Next the coolant tank.
Should I do the water pump?


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Dear me that coolant tank was difficult to remove. Took me about 2 hours just to get the middle small hose off. And to think the PO went through all that trouble to try to epoxy the tank. Engine access is somewhat hampered by the glass but still it reasonable. The new part should arrive Saturday morning then I can put it in. I think I should do the water pump too.


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Water pump - if there aren't any drips around it now, you have options. If it's convenient to change it now while you're doing your other work, then go ahead and change it. If it's a bad time of year (winter here) or you need to recharge your wallet, then wait for a better time. If you wait, keep an eye out for drips in front of the right rear tire and for whiffs of antifreeze. When they go, the can go quickly but they'll give you a few hints before they give up the ghost.

Got the engine cleaned. Wow. Spunky little car. Spins tires easily. Now I’m working on peeling clearcoat and other paint issues.
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Trying to sort the horn out.
I put flat rubber washers on the airbag mounting plate. Push hard and the horn sounds. When I snug down the airbag the horn stay on. Loosen the 2 airbag screws the horn stops but if I jolt the steering wheel the horn sounds. Something must be grounding but where?


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I replaced mine--original was worn out at 75,000 miles! Not easy to get out, and the newer one was equally awful to get in. Probably finish it one of these years. Lots of things needed replacing, I think the p.o. parked it out in the Tucson sun with the top down a lot. Seats were totaled, looked like old farm truck seats, shreded, foam crumbling, and rusty frames.

I'm the best illustration for the saying "There IS no such thing as a cheap Porsche!" I'm currently way burned out on it. :rolleyes:

Happy New Year. It’s easy to get burnt out and money out working on these damn cars. But year after year I do the same damn thing. I rationalize it by saying I don’t drink, smoke, womanize or gamble. So this is my vice.


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Now when it starts cold it idles fine as it warms up it rough idles. If I put water anywhere near the idle smooths out.


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Now when it starts cold it idles fine as it warms up it rough idles. If I put water anywhere near the idle smooths out.


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I just read your thread ... well done!

I've never understood why Porsche put the brains of a convertible car at the lowest point in the interior where, if a thunderstorm blows in with the top down, it immediately gets submerged. It's bad enough to have to dry soaked carpet and seating, but having to deal with a corroded immobilizer is another matter. You might want to look into waterproofing your electronics with a dielectric silicone sealant. It does make any further diagnostics at the component level virtually impossible, but most people just replace the box anyway. You may already know this, but Deoxit D5 is your friend to eliminate any and all electric corrosion ... the stuff works miracles.

Anyway ... well done ... cheers!

Thanks. For now I think and few drain holes and plastic bag wrapping with have to do to protect the alarm unit. I saw on YouTube someone made a relocation wiring harness. I don’t plan to keep the car, I have too many as is. I may consider the relocation harness for my 996tt.


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Re: Water Pump
 

The water pumps are prone to failure. I replaced the first one at about 80k miles. I decided to replace that pump as a preventive measure at 140k miles while replacing the front motor mount and cooling hoses. The hose change was a waste of time and money. It was unnecessary.

The first pump I put in at 140,00k had a bad bearing and failed almost immediately. I had already thrown the working pump away. Pelican supplied another pump immediately under warranty and it's been fine for almost 20k. I recommend replacing the front motor mount at the same time. The water pump/thermostat replacement is downright easy with the motor mount out of the way.

As far as the motor mount just buy the Lemforder insert and have a machine shop press out the old and new one in. That will save you at least $50. I suspect you need the front mount at least even if you don't know it yet.

The car was too nice to part out. I'm glad you saved it. Someone will get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

We've had our 2001 base 986 for 14 years. Our clear coat is peeling too and it's time for a paint job (much worse than yours) and new convertible top with a glass window/defroster. We have a hard-top option so it hasn't presented a problem.

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How do I fix this?


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There are multiple ways, some better than others:

1. replace the entire rocker molding section (ie cut out the old one and weld in a new one).
2. cut out the damaged section and weld in a new, hand made section.
3. spot weld multiple pins onto the damaged area and use a slide hammer to pull out the damaged area.
4. slather the area full of bondo.
5. leave it alone as most people won't see it (yes as the owner your eye will immediately go there).

It all comes down to how nice you want to do the repair and what you have available for tools and experience.

I'd try 3 first. Save the original metal if possible.

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Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. Problem is I don’t have a welder so that’s out of the question. Bodyshops here want to charge $1000. Looks like someone put a big screw in. How successful is the screw and slide hammer technique?
Also the next issue this baby has is oscillating idle. Cold or hot start is fine. After about 5 mins it starts this oscillating idle. Not rough like a miss but not smooth. I can very faintly hear a vacuum leak from the top of the engine but I’m not sure if it’s normal or not. The air filter is KN, oil filter is new so I’ll throw a fuel filter at it a see if it helps.
After pressure washing the engine and running it for a while I see no evidence of an oil leak. Top and bottom is dry. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4ea264d559.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0ab0768cd8.jpg


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Agree with CGNeil, I would do #3 also.

There are a couple of issues with using a screw with a slide hammer. The big issue is what do you do with all the holes when you're done? If you just cover them with bondo, you run the possibility of moisture getting in there and rotting it out. Based on its location, there will be a lot of water hitting the area and rocks could chip bondo and expose a hole. You might be able to abate this by re-applying the rubber gravel guard after you complete the repair.

Issue #2 is using a screw tends to create an 'outtie' dimple around the screw hole and you have to deal with the dimple - either tapping it down and taking a chance that it caves the area back in or grind it down and increase the size of the hole or build the outside area around the dimple up with bondo. In a perfect world, you'd want the screw hole to be the low spot so the bondo has a better chance of adhering to it. If the hole is the high spot, you won't be able to fill the area as well. It will always be the high spot since it will be impossible to flatten it out.

Some options:
1. If you have a body shop that would do this for you, I would grind the area down to bare metal and have the body shop weld pins onto it. They shouldn't charge a lot to do that and then you could do the rest of the repair. Then you grind the pins off and don't have holes to deal with. They should know how many and where to place them to give you the best chance of pulling the dent. If you need more, grind the old ones off and return for a 2nd batch.

2. If you go the screw route, have the body shop weld the holes shut. Then you'll have a sealed area, which is important considering the location of the repair.

I try to think about taking the best approach for this repair, but then I remember it's almost a 20 yr old car and the repair doesn't have to look excellent for the next 20 yrs. Hope I've sparked some ideas.

Hi. Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll try it this week as I work from home.
Btw I have a radio which powers on I hear a small pop from the speakers and a dim backlight on the display but no data. No Code message. I tried pushing and holding BD but nothing, no data. I checked the fuses at the back of the radio and in the fuse box.
Anything else I can do?


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I drove the 986 yesterday for the first time. Wow. I’m really impressed!! It’s smooth, torquey, tracks nicely, better than my 951 dare I say.
This drop top is second to the 63-Jag E-Type in my humble opinion in terms of stability and scuttle free.


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I/we am/are truly blessed (after crazy hard work) to have the cars I/we love.
Let’s give thanks.


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Gas gauge needs to be recalibrated by dealer

Hi. Thanks for your response

Just filling it up reset it.


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