New Targa owner seeks advice ...

[Argo]

I just bought an 88 Targa with 86k miles - its everything I hoped for and more. I do have a few questions, tho, and it seems that this board is a great place to look. First, sadly I live in a very snowy place so I'm going to have to store the car for at least 6 months to avoid giving it a massive salt bath. In addition to the regular winter prep steps (oil change, overinflate tires, etc) I'm thinking of protecting the carb/cylinders by using fogging oil (spray into the air cleaner til the engine stalls, spray into plug holes). Is this a good move? I worry that it will react badly with some component or cause corrosion, etc. Second, the paint on the front surface of the "roll bar" (where the targa top makes contact when installed) is chipped down to bare metal. It seems like sanding/ repainting would have to extend to the whole roll bar to avoid a mismatch of colors and that seems like a recipe for disaster, particularly as the rest of the "roll bar" paint is fine. Could I just cover the bare metal with primer/paint and then cover this "repair" with a thin strip of additional weatherstripping to keep the paint from chipping further? Finally, I notice the shift from first to second is stiffer than any other gear change, up or down. Is this a normal characteristic or is it specific to my car?
I really appreciate any words of wisdon you all could give me. I want to ensure this Targa gets the level of care it deserves from one happy newbie.

[Ted Stringer]

Number 1, Your car is Electronically Fuel Injected. I would think that spraying oil into the air cleaner will mess up the mass air flow sensor. If you are going to put oil into the cylinders do it through the spark plug holes. I am thankful that in florida I don't have to worry about the problem, and havn't given it much thought.

As far as the Targa bar I would just touch it up if you can match the paint. The part that is painted black is alumnium, so I wouldn't worry about rust. There is a few chips on mine. If you replace the seal on the front of the bar that is the time to do the touch up. Also those seals need to be kept in good condition, or it starts raining on the inside.

About the transmission, I can't help you because I drive a 915 not a G50. FYI: the first G50s were in 86. The 915 was used from early 70's (72 or 73 I think) to 85.

Hope this helps!! And welcome to the wonderful world of Porsche ownership!

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Ted Stringer
nuke3@juno.com
'84 911 Targa aka pocketrocket

[steve911]

Argo--
I'll leave the cold weather stuff to others (CA climate means I don't have to deal with your issues).

the Targa bar was originally (I think) painted with Wurth satin, though it may look flat now given passage of time. Wurth makes both a satin and matte black - might want to talk to the guys at www.carcareonline.com for their advice - they seem very knowledgeable about Porsche-related paint issues.

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Steve
'85 911 Targa

[ZwickSAN]

You bought a Porsche and need to store it half of the year?

MOVE!

Here's another free tip:

Statistically most accidents occur within ten miles of your home.

Move at least 11 miles away!

[masraum]

Cold weather, not here in HOusTon TX, so I can't help you there. I have a chip or two on the rollbar on my '88 targa too. It was touched up by someone at some point, but the paint chipped off again and didn't match to begin with, I drive it everyday and haven't tried to paint it again yet.
What I can help with is the transmision question.
The first to second gear change will be the "stiffest" for a couple of reasons.
1. That's the gear that everyone "jams" when they are trying to drag race in a 911, that will result in more wear and tear and deteriorate the shift.
2. The spread between 1st and 2nd is the largest of any of the gears, so it will take fractionally longer for the syncros to do their job.
You can either pause a tad while doing the shift (let the rpm's drop about 900-1000 rpm's before you try to put it into 2nd. It should go in much easier. You could also double-clutch on the 1-2 upshift. This results in a smoother shift because it usually adds the fraction of a sec pause while you put the car in neutral and it matches the input shaft speed to the gears or whatever. Either of those should help the shift and extend tranny life.

[scedmonds]

Congrats on your purchase -- you'll love the car.

I, too, have the paint worn down/off on the "front" of the Targa roll bar. I've done little more than keep it polished/waxed so there's at least a little protection of the metal. Please post your solution if you're satisfied with a paint job on it!

RE: storing the car 6 months out of the year . . . really, your new P-car is reason enough to relocate during exactly those six months.

Cheers!

C.

[masraum]

I found the link to the person who has a rollbar painting project on their website.

His website
and the specific page for the project.