Going for paint soon- What trim to replace?

[schwaggen]

Soooo... My '87, well, the paint is tired. It's a very nice 20 footer, but we're at the point where there's enough rock chips, door dings, scratches from my kids dragging bikes out of the garage, etc. that I'm beginning to feel like a paint job is in order.

The question is- to do this correctly - how far do you go? I plan to pull the bumpers off, the glass out, the front fenders, hood, sunroof, decklid, doors, rocker trim, headlights/taillights, valences front and rear- and then I need a list of all the rubber trim I need to replace-

Eyeballing, I need: Window trim front and rear, door seals, side window trim, headlight/taillight seals, rocker rubber strip, door thresholds, bumper trim, front "smile," those little strips at the back of the front fenders where they meet the unibody, sunroof seals. I do plan on ditching the rear rubber "bumperettes."

Probably do the headliner while the windows are out.

This is a slippery slope, as I type I think of more and more things. So anyone who's been through this- any advice?

[darrin]

slightly OT, but if you have any interest in upgrading your h5 headlights to euro h4s, this is the perfect time to do so, as the trim rings used by h4/h5 lights aren't compatible with one another.

On topic(ish) -- if you ditch the rear bumperettes, you should look into whether you want them to fill the bumperette holes in your aluminum bumper.

Since I'm around a month away with my '86, I'm subscribing too

[universeman]

Have not been through it, but if you're going back to original color, and you're doing all that above, sounds like you're going to get a good result.

If you're after a show car you might strip the interior entirely and drop the engine etc, but if you just want a nice fresh driver I think you're in the ballpark. Doing the "whole kit and kaboodle" seems like a ton of work for not a whole lot of gain.

[JV911SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by schwaggen

I need a list of all the rubber trim I need to replace-

A number of places sell the rubbers in kit form, so no need for a list. The best would be from Sierra Madre. It certainly takes the guesswork out of things.

[War584]

I am at the end of a complete glass out repaint of my 85 Targa. I stripped the car mostly and kept a list of all of the items that needed to be replaced. My body shop did the same. What I found was nearly everything that was plastic or rubber (in CA at least) was replaced due to fading, cracking or wear. This included items that are not immediately visible such as windshield wiper rubber seals, internal bumper seals for driving light wires, headlight washer motor cover, etc.

I went with mostly genuine Porsche parts, so not sure if the pre assembled kits are going to be very consistent. Some of the aftermarket items were less than perfect so be careful.

Since you are going to the time and expense of painting, don't overlook replacing your emblems and door handles (if not reanodizing them) along with all of the stickers in the engine bay, door sill and gas filler door. I replaced my rear lenses, all the bulbs, front and rear hood shocks, interior light door switches, headlight washer spots and even the door stops which were worn.

For me, since it was off the car and if it didn't look or act new, then I replaced it and very happy I did. It wasn't cheap but the paint was so nice the car deserved to be fully put together.

Final word of advice, get a parts diagram which will be hugely helpful in locating parts and pieces. While our host is excellent, they did not have everything I needed so I had to scour the internet vendors. DCAuto has an excellent on-line diagram/catalog to help with identifying part #s.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[JV911SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by War584

Since you are going to the time and expense of painting, don't overlook replacing your emblems and door handles (if not reanodizing them) along with all of the stickers in the engine bay, door sill and gas filler door. I replaced my rear lenses, all the bulbs, front and rear hood shocks, interior light door switches, headlight washer spots and even the door stops which were worn.

Agree - That's the difference between a good job and a great job

[JTL]

Cowl seals, between front fenders and cowl - definitely. They are a pain to reinstall but well worth it.

[vulcan300]

When I refreshed the exterior on my Targa I did the following:

- Replaced smile (the original had rust bubbles)
- Replaced front and rear window seals (only use Genuine Porsche seals to avoid trouble!)
- Replace accordions at front and rear with nice used pieces bought from Pelican Forums for sale section.
- Replaced rear bumperettes with nice used pieces bought from Pelican Forums for sale section.
- Cowl seals (as suggested by JTL) - There are small seals between the front fenders and cowl and a few other spots.
- Seal behind torsion bar cover
- Door seals
- Frunk seal
- Headlight Trim ring seals
- Window squeegees on both sides
- Window guide rail seal - front edge of window
- Felt trim for windows (these are pricey for what they are, but in my case they had disintegrated)

I reused everything else. In my case I had all of my black trim stripped and plated or polished depending on material. If you're keeping the trim black, and it is looking faded, replating and/or powder coating is a good idea.

[McLaren-TAG]

1) Replace all of it
2) When in doubt replace it
3) Replace the trim you can't see (especially all window squeegees and felt)
4) Some of the trim is cheap some is incredibly overpriced (don't skimp on window seals)
5) Give yourself three times the amount of time you think it will take

Enjoy the ride.

Here's what the process looks like; Just became a Porsche owner, so I've got some questions

[War584]

3) Replace the trim you can't see (especially all window squeegees and felt)
4) Some of the trim is cheap some is incredibly overpriced (don't skimp on window seals)

Amen to that. The window seals, internal, made a huge difference. If you take the time to search on-line, you can find every part - some, such as the internal window felt seals, for much less than retail. Use the part # and partial description for best results.