Interior revamp (lots of pics)

thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 10:18 AM

In case anyone is interested, here are some pictures I took along the way during my recent interior restoration. My interior was very tired, and the color was Linen. The almost white interior didn't look very good in a black car, and it was also pretty stained from the previous owner's lack of care.

I debated whether or not to add a sound deadening layer while I was at it, knowing it would add a little weight. Since my wife has really taken to the car and the kids like to ride in the back, it made sense to knock off the raw sound edge and to cool the rear seats. I decided on Fatmat based on several reviews I read, and I am very pleased with the results. It also only added 15 or 20 pounds, and the car sounds and feels much tighter.

I bought some of the interior parts from a fellow Pelicanite. Everything except the carpeting is now black, and it's full leather. He had some nice OEM tan carpet, and the black and tan are pretty striking (more than the pictures indicate).

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thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 10:19 AM

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thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 10:20 AM

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thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 10:20 AM

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Shawn

al lkosmal · 12-05-2004, 10:35 AM

That turned out nice. I also used FatMat in my 77S. Works good.

thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 10:59 AM

I still need to replace my steering wheel and shift knob. Has anyone tried a Momo Tuner or Corse?

MovOvr1 · MovOvr1's Garage

I have a tuner in my 930 and I like the feel of it but I am going to have to turn my speedo to be able to see the legal part of the speedometer.

BRian

79 930 OH

thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 11:47 AM

Is it a 350mm? I know some people go with the smaller wheels, but I will probably stick with 350.

JBO · 12-05-2004, 11:50 AM

Good choice to go with tan carpet. I've got an all black interior and IMHO it's too dark. I'm going to switch to tan carpet and maybe door panels as well.

88911coupe · 12-05-2004, 01:56 PM

Hey, Good to see another Tulsan on the board...did you make it to the PCA Christmas party. Not a bad deal when the national president is a local.

BTW, does that stuff conform to curves or do you have to do a lot of cutting? It looks like it conforms pretty well. Did you get it locally?
How bout pics of the whole car?

thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 03:11 PM

I wasn't able to make it to the party, but I hated to miss it. The PCA Technical Committee Chairman (Tom Charlesworth) is also a local, and he's my mechanic (although I haven't owned the car for long enough to need anything more than a wheel bearing and PPI).

The FatMat was pretty easy to work with for the most part, but the sub-surface needs to be clean for best results. The FatMat is extremely sticky though and is easy to apply.

I started out trying to do long strips and conform it as it went down, but it likes to stick to everything it touches (especially itself), so working with smaller areas worked best. The kit I bought included a roller (this is essential), but I broke that one pretty quickly.

Since the backing is Aluminum, it conforms very well but it will split if it's stretched too much. I used smaller pieces in tight areas and worked adjacent pieces over the edges to give a continuous barrier.

I bought the FatMat off eBay for about $100. It included 2 rolls, and I only needed about one and a half. I doubled up the layers in the back, so I could have done a single layer with one roll.

I bought the car locally (close to OKC actually), and it's the first Porsche I've owned. I (like many others) have wanted one for many years, so I finally decided to give it a try. This one is high mileage (175K) and has a few dings, but it has been maintained very well with records all the way back. Everything I read advised buying the "latest model you can afford", so this 89 seemed like a good bet. I preferred the lines of the coupe over the targa, but good ones are not easy to find.

I probably should have driven the car a little more before jumping in to this interior project, but it was pretty nasty. I had the car down for a couple of months, which was a little longer than I had anticipated. But, I worked mainly on weekends and fixed some wiring, replaced weatherstripping, and replaced a couple of shifter bushings while I had it apart.

I still need to replace the steering wheel, shift knob, door sills, and the center heat-control console (it was completely missing), but it is perfectly roadworthy at this point. I will try and get some fresh pictures posted in the next few days.

Shawn

JrodVW · 12-05-2004, 04:43 PM

I always liked the look of the linen color (when new) but your car demonstrated what a nightmare it can turn into.

Big thumbs up on the interior swap. Looks very professional and the finished product fits the car perfectly.

But can I reccomend a product I've used for a couple of years

303 Aerospace protectant. It's a spray for vinyl and plastic (originally developed for boats and spas) that contains an SPF factor. It's super low gloss and non sticky. Dirt simply doesn't stick, and the low gloss sheen will make the car look showroom new. Apply 2 x a year. Wipe with a microfiber cloth (3 for 7 bucks just about anywhere)

I've had luck buying it at marine supply stores, and I know you can order a sample from 303 directly (search for them by google).

You've come this far in the project, now just get some detail cleaning on and you're ready to rock. He're a so so shot of my Jetta, really need to get one of the P-Car.

autoxracer31 · 12-05-2004, 05:16 PM

Did you just FatMat over this???? or did you take it off and do under it?

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Great job! Looks fantastic!!

thomasalva · 12-05-2004, 07:14 PM

That area below the back deck was stable, and the FatMat stuck to it just fine, so I put it right on top of the original sound proofing. I tried to not cover too many wires though, so I cut around most of them. I didn't want to try and dig through the FatMat later if I needed to get to a wire.

If anyone decides to do the FatMat, I would recommend carefully marking all the screw and bolt holes as you put it down. All but the largest bolt holes tend to disappear, and it's surprisingly difficult to find them again when it comes time for the carpeting. I used an awl for the smaller holes and a knife for the larger ones to make the holes in the FatMat.

I will have to look into the 303 protectant. The car at this point hasn't been detailed at all, so this is good timing.

Thanks to all for the compliments. I would be glad to give more detailed info if anyone needs it.

Shawn

911FL · 12-05-2004, 07:56 PM

Looks great. I like the contrast a lot. A quick question, does the back shelf come out with just the two screws down low, and the two screws for the straps? I need to do something about the rear speakers and need to remove the parcel shelf to retrieve one of them. Thanks,

KobaltBlau · 12-05-2004, 08:04 PM

very nice work, amazing improvement!

Yellowbird RS · 12-05-2004, 09:12 PM

WOW! Very good job!

moosthuizen · moosthuizen's Garage

Great job! Congrats

Marius

thomasalva · 12-06-2004, 06:10 AM

911FL,

The rear deck comes out pretty easily. Yes, the two screws at the bottom and the two at the top. Mine doesn't have the straps (it has the center seat locking knobs), but I'm pretty sure the screw holes are the same.

Watch out however for the clip at the bottom/middle. After you get the screws out, you will want to lift it straight up from the front bottom edge. This will get it up over the seat belt anchors and will also lift the clip out of it's anchor point (you can see it in that last picture, 6 inches or so up from the bottom. If you just pull the deck straight out, it will most likely rip the metal clip out of the back of the deck.

The top edge that goes under the rear glass may be a little tight, but you should be able to gently wiggle it out. If you want the deck completely out of the car, you will have to work the seatbelts up through the cutouts, but it's no big deal.

Shawn