Overdue intro and SC hotrod project

[kiwiokie]

Great work on the front bumper and thanks for the info on Goodwood events. I did not realize there were separate events at the circuit. I would really like to go to the hill climb event after seeing Derek Bell on the telly hammer the Rothmans 956 up what looks like a country road

[arrowSC]

Not to mention Dickie Attwood's 917

The Revival doesn't have a huge Porsche content, but there's usually the odd 550, 904 etc.
Info about Goodwood motorsport events

[arrowSC]

I forgot to say, if you (or other Pelicans) are over for these events, please drop me a line as I only live about 8 miles away from Goodwood and it would be great to meet.
I may also be able to assist with logistics when planning a trip

[kiwiokie]

Been awhile since I posted some pics. Just removed, cleaned and reinstalled taillights while fixing my oil level sender wiring. I cleaned the housings up and painted the outside with POR-15 gloss grey and could not be happier with the condition after a few thousand miles. Just blew the road crud off with an air line and they looked as good as when I first put them in.

[kiwiokie]

Also have spent a little time cleaning the engine bay. Really need to pull the fuse panel and CDI to make much progress on the left hand side.

[jmitro]

this car is very cool, and it's nice to see another hot rod in OK. I live about 3 hrs SE of you in Duncan, and just bought a 78 911SC.

bring the car to Hallett more. I race there monthly in my BMW (which is now sold)

[kiwiokie]

Good choice on buying your SC! I visited Duncan once with a friend who grew up there. Nice town. Shot some pool at a cool bar with a VW beetle parked inside used as a phone booth. Went to his old high school football game along with it seemed like everyone else in the whole city. Good memories. If you get up this way the local PCA group meet for breakfast at a local restaurant every Saturday morning at 8:00am Wild Fork - The Art of Dining. We have DE's at Hallet in May and October every year. Hope to see you at one.

[88 Club Sport]

Great job, I love what you are doing. Time for a heater backdate to clean the engine up

[mercman]

Looks great. What did you use to clean the engine?

[kiwiokie]

Yes the heater backdate is on my project list f0r 2011. Also need to clean up the mess of wiring by the CDU.

The engine had been rebuilt by the PO so was pretty clean, just had a coating of dust and wet sanding remains from the painting to clean up. I did take the fan housing out and treat it with Gibb's. I liked the finish it gave so I used a little on the engine and fan shroud as well.

[jmitro]

did you install the motor yourself or was it in the car during the work?

i'll be installing my motor soon and need some help identifying some of the wires and tubes

[kiwiokie]

The engine stayed in the car during the repaint as I left the engine bay and front trunk the original black exterior color. If you need help on identifying stuff I suggest you create a new thread with pics of what you are trying to figure out. I am certain someone here has BTDT who can get you the right answer first time.

[jmitro]

will do. i've taken photos. thanks.

look forward to seeing your car in person sometime.

[CJFusco]

Awesome-looking car. I love the clean look, and the truth is in the details: stuff like the bumper mod and the black headlight rings reallllly go a long way to make the car. Don't be surprised (or offended) if I someday copy the Arrow Blue-with-black headlight rings motif!

[giovanni86]

Fantastica!

[kiwiokie]

Originally Posted by CJFusco

Don't be surprised (or offended) if I someday copy the Arrow Blue-with-black headlight rings motif!

There will be no complaints from me. I love to see Porsches in the more striking colors. If you start going back through color charts there are some cool colors to choose from. Acid blue is also a great color that is hardly ever seen.

1973 Porsche 3.0 IROC RSR 911.460.0059 photo - slidevalve911rsr photos at pbase.com

[tevake]

Congrats on a really nice looking car Kiwi. I particularly like the color and the bumper tuck! curious about the Gibbs that you mentioned doing the fan and shroud with?
Are you a Kiwi from New Zealand? Sure sounds like a mess down there now after the quake.

[kiwiokie]

Thanks for the compliment. The Gibbs oil is a product somewhat like WD40. You can get it here GIBBS Brand Penetrating Oil.

I am really a mongrel at this point, born in Liverpool, family moved to NZ before I could walk, now live in Oklahoma. Must have been destiny. Yes the destruction in Christchurch, NZ is a tragedy. Poor folks were just getting things together following the quake of 5 months ago and now this. Simply awful.

[kiwiokie]

Slowing getting through my list of remaining stuff to do on the car. I bought the aftermarket Recaro sports seats off fellow Pelican javadog and they were in nice condition, no tears in the leather and the stitching was all intact however the leather had dried, the black had greyed a little in places and cracked on the bolsters and there were some scratches on the seat backs.

I saw a seat restoration kit in the English magazine Classic and Sports Car that looked pretty interesting. Reading the website I was sold on not having to strip any existing color off with harsh chemicals and I could apply the water-based dye by hand so bought the kit and gave it a whirl. I figured if it was good enough for the walnut and Connolly hide crowd it would be great for me!

Here is the kit from Glipton. It contains everything you need to do the job:


Here are some pictures of the wear on the seats:

[kiwiokie]

I pulled the seats from the car and separated the backs from the bases which made them a little easier to work with. The kit requires the following process:
1. Apply cleaner with small brush (did 3 times until wipe down gave no grey grime. Amazing how much dirt came off)
2. Apply conditioner (did 3 times)
3. Quick wipe with light degreaser
4. Apply dye neat into cracks
5. Apply thinned dye over whole seat (did 3 coats thinned 30% - 50% with distilled water)

Before starting this I used 1,000 grit wet/dry with water to smooth the ridges around the cracks. It looked to me like the original dye was sprayed on to the bolsters heavier than elsewhere since they are a heavy wear area. The problem with this is the leather underneath dries out and cracks. I sanded the thick dye back to the leather before starting the cleaning process.

I used small pieces of an old flannel shirt to apply the dye and did one seat panel at a time trying to get an even wet finish over the whole panel. It dries pretty quickly so you have to work pretty fast.

The dye gives a matt finish to the leather and the kit comes with a gloss finish that can be added to the dye for the final coat if you want something shiny. I didn't so did not use the gloss and just buffed with a terry cloth once finished.

I am really happy with the result. The cracks are still there since they are in the leather but they are far less noticeable and just give the leather some nice texture. The leather is now MUCH softer and they really compliment the rest of the interior.

Here is the driver's seat once finished: