½cwt

22 hours ago, ½cwt said:

Just got to decide which wheel centres to fit, my old faded crest or RS.

 

Tried fitting the crests, but was breaking a clip each time I tried as the lip seem slightly deeper on these rims than the original 17" rims.  Went for RS centres to avoid destroying the originals.

14 minutes ago, PaulQ said:

I'm starting to think the ones I have might be faulty in some way.... no idea what would cause this, though there are a few reports of them being noisy on tire reviews for other cars. 

Might just get some PS4's as have these on the front and they are fine, but could do without spending more money, plus the mot is due in a couple of weeks. 

It's spoiling my enjoyment of the car, especially with the roof down where it's even more noticeable. 

Just taken mine for a spin and bearing in mind that the GYs are just over a year old with less than 6k miles on them so hardly worn, the Dunlops do seem more refined already even given that they are bedding in so should smooth out a bit more over a couple of hundred miles or so.  Removing the two year old half worn Nankangs the PO had fitted to the rear to get through an MOT might have helped too...

Just now, PaulQ said:

Be interested to hear what you think of the Dunlops once you have a few miles on them. 

Don't think I can put up with the racket from these Eagle F1's for much longer. 

Interesting, the 17"s I took off had GY Aymetric 5 on front.  I partly chose the Dunlops because they are A wet, C fuel and 68 dB front size and 70dB rear size compared to GY Asym 5 at 71dB for both sizes.  There are others (Pirelli, Bridgestone, Yoko, Uniroyal) that are worse than both of these.  A factor worth considering on a convertible with less sound deadening than a normal car particularly with the roof down.

Finally got my new 18" wheels on the car with new Dunlop Sportmaxx RT2 tyres. 😁

Just got to decide which wheel centres to fit, my old faded crest or RS.

1 hour ago, Lennym1984 said:

Just a thought but I too had "clutch judder" which was cured by fitting a new engine mount. I'm sure my clutch is probably due replacement soon but I was quite surprised by the difference the mount made (the old one was totally shot) 

^^^ Good call if you've got judder.  Will also improve the gear change if that seems worse too.  Fairly easy DIY if you are that way inclined, but also pretty cheap enough at an indy as a pretty quick job on a ramp.

3 minutes ago, EVO Chris said:

I would recommend changing it as the flywheel scores to the fitted clutch plate, similar to brake discs and pads, and as its stripped it would seem sensible to do at 133k miles. A complete clutch kit on Euro car parts including flywheel is £379.

And while the flywheel is off the rear Main Seal (RMS) would be a preventative maintenance item.

2 hours ago, Cheddar Bob said:

Wales was gorgeous today. Headed over the black mountains. My fellow countrymen have ruined it with a crappy 40mph limit.....

 

Even more not envious at all..... 😠

53 minutes ago, stevemag said:

A blast over one of the best local "B" roads, Staylittle to Machynlleth over the mountains and moorlands 

Not envious at all  

1 hour ago, Stewart_H said:

Any recommendations for a sealer?

Not done any restoration of auto leather but I am aware of the UV protection

25 minutes ago, Berni29 said:

Hi

I just bought some "Dodo juice supernatural leather cleaner", and a bottle of their sealer. It was recommended by an OCD car cleaning friend of mine. I have tried the cleaner (use a brush to apply). Its unbelievably good. 

Modern car leathers are already sealed. So you use it (the sealer) very sparingly. The leather nourishing creams are all a waste of time on such leathers, and just sit on top, make the leather oily and attract dirt. Apparently.

All the best

Berni

The leather is sealed when manufactured but once cracked, any restoration needs to cover at least these areas so they are effective long term.  You should only use automotive leather cleaners that are formulated to clean automotive leather as others may have either effect or side effects.

Going to look up Dodo Juice.

7 hours ago, Stewart_H said:

No additional sealer was used. I'm happy to wait and see how well it lasts as it was really easy to use and has smartened it up 🙂

Automotive finishes usually have sealers with UV filters in them to stop colour fade and other deterioration that internal furniture is not exposed to..

Took off front PU to fit two new horn units (OE), I knew one had failed but got a very weedy toot the other day and then nothing.  Now she has a voice again!

Also fitted the polystyrene filler in front of the crash structure beam which I had noticed was missing on mine and would probably have avoided the PO splitting the bumper paint when he nudged something.  Made the PU a lot harder to refit!  Also where the paint had split it has now peeled.  Temporarily took a rubbing to get the correct profile and applied vinyl I painted up in an almost matched colour.  A much less obtrusive scar until I get the PU repainted.

Also opened the front of the engine bay to check the newly installed alternator and poly V belt were OK now they've done a few miles.

2 minutes ago, Berni29 said:

Great work. You could always swap the seatbacks over to even out wear.

Putting this idea on the to do list, thanks.

Finally ordered the 18" tyres for the 18" GT3 lookalike rims I bought about 9 months ago and dropped off the rims with the fitters.  Hopefully I'll have them on the car next week.

Before anyone asks, Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2.

3 hours ago, some bloke said:

I fitted new frunk gas struts as the old ones didn't really work until the bonnet was right up to the top. Now the lifts itself from about halfway.

Can anybody tell me if the rears struts on a 986 pop the boot lid up themselves when new? You know, when you unlock it with the keyfob.

Alas they do not but like the front the lid pretty much lifts its self once started off a bit.

1 hour ago, PaulQ said:

Doesn't make any sense to me either but it definitely is the stone guard shield as I can make it worse by bending the thing in a tiny bit. 

Bend it the other way to stop it then!!! or have I missed something here?

1 minute ago, PaulQ said:

Mine does this sometimes going round tight roundabouts, and it's the metal shield jobbies. 

I don't see how the brake disc shield can move to touch something.  It is either clear or not as it is all bolted together in fixed positions and the shield is very light weight so wouldn't flex by any notable amount due to even 1g lateral force and you can't generate that much in a Boxster.

Are you referring to the exhaust shields?

1 hour ago, Cheddar Bob said:

was this hard to do? I've got this issue on the rear right... makes a whoosh noise going around roundabouts but nothing turning left when the weight is on the wheel.... 

Assuming you mean mean the rubbing, it was because I had slightly bent it whilst working on the suspension so it was a fulltime grinding rubbing noise.  Just jacked it up again and bent it back away from the disc a fraction using long screw driver as a lever.  IIRC others have found characteristics you describe to be hand brake related.

All the other work is just time and patience.  I change all the screws on the bottom of the PU to stainless and put all the push in plastic grommets/retainers back together with some silicone spray to hopefully make them easier to pull out if I need to take them off again.  I'll find out this weekend as I have to replace the horns as the only noise I can make at the moment is a flat 6 motor.

4 hours ago, AMacdonald said:

Whoever invented the helicoil deserves a statue.

+1 - absolutely.

6 hours ago, AMacdonald said:

This weekend I swapped both front dampers and springs on my 986 and replaced a roof rope. I only actually needed a front spring but since it was my first time I bought a couple of complete units from Steve Strange so I could experiment with the dismantling before it mattered. When they arrived, the dampers and springs looked all-but new so I tarted them up a little, replaced the top mounts (just in case) and got them on complete. The only issues were I stripped two of the caliper bolt threads (helicoil kit is on the way) and had to take the angle grinder to one of the drop links. All done (apart from mending the calipers) and I'm pretty pleased with my unexpected manliness.

Without this forum, stripping the caliper threads and the seized drop link would have seemed like the end of the world. I love other peoples experience!

Owning a Boxster (and many other 20+ year old cars), a route to self improvement!

Good work and by using man maths see how much money you have saved by not paying someone else to have that much fun and smug feeling as a reward.

24 minutes ago, el 3.2S said:

Just done some fuel calculations and with 14,4 l/100km = 16,3 mpg for the trip, it ended up being quite expensive water lol. Was great fun though.

Very respectable fuel consumption for enthusiastic driving!  I must try harder.

13 minutes ago, Mattman42 said:

why do i never end up buying cars from people like you?

Because of the price tag????

10 hours ago, Malky007 said:

Hi,

Do you have the part numbers for these?

What’s the cost?

Thanks

Cup holders only apply to the pre face-lift cars, after that there were built in above the head unit/heater controls.

If @the baron hasn't replied when I get back later I'll dig them out and for the ash tray delete.

4 hours ago, the baron said:

Got my parts from my local OPC and did the ashtray delete, easy job, looks ace and is now a useable space.

I also got the OEM cup holder that fits into the air vents at the same time, quite a neat little device which will be very useful.

Wondered how long before you took the plunge on both these options.

1 hour ago, Darkstar said:

 

I think if I was in your citation I would have bought one before now and tested it out against the maths to see how confident I felt about it all.

Thinking about it I probably should get one as in some peoples eyes I am an alcoholic as I find it very difficult to go a week with out a beer and can easily put away 20 plus pints in a good session. I don't drive the morning after one of those nor for most of the afternoon.

Based on the maths, that should be 40 hours between throttle and bottle....

4 hours ago, Apollo000 said:

Yeah it’s not camber - that’s all ruled out had geo done twice. I’m getting a sore right hand from holding the right hand side of the wheel all the time 😂😂 hopefully sorted today. 

 

@Cheddar Bob I’m here for at least the next hour or so, hoping the cafe opens as there’s no sign of anyone. If you come down I’ll buy you a brew if it’s open! 

Camber on the road, not on the car; Lee nor anyone else can adjust that...  Could be uneven tyre wear across the tread if the geo was out by a lot for a long time and I'm assuming both tyres are the same age and tread depth wear.