Shark #2 Has Arrived - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

husker boxster · 08-04-2022, 02:20 PM

I just sold my house, moved into my mom's house, and paid off my siblings for their share. I had a few bucks left over and decided I might look for another shark. I didn't get to enjoy the last one I had, as it was a Wheeler Dealer car. My plan for the next one is to drive it for 2-3 yrs while the Wheeler Dealer mkt finds an equilibrium (think it's now headed down). With that as a backdrop, I began checking 928 ads. Even threw a few bids in on a beautiful blue S4 auto on BAT. Owned it for a few min, but not the crucial last second as it got outside my budget. Then this thread popped up on RL by one of the top 928 contributers:

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...available.html

This Vegas shark intriqued me, although it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. But it was a 5 spd, so it would always have value. I decided to contacted Greg for the info.

He sent me the contact info and I sent a text to Steve. We then talked for a bit by phone and I asked the usual shark questions. This was Sat of July 4 w/e. The car was at work and he was home, but he gave me good info. I needed to think it over. After sleeping on it, I was certain I wanted to buy it as long as it was as described. I sent Steve a text Sun night saying I would buy if it was good. He said to contact him on Tue and that I'd have 1st shot at it, but he was also going to be busy getting cars ready for Monterey. I called on Tue and left a msg, but didn't hear back from him. Called again Thu and texted Fri. Now I'm getting worried because of all the excitement Greg's thread was generating. Steve called me back on Fri and said I was still 1st in line if I wanted it. Yes I did. He was busy the following Mon but got me the wire transfer info and all the paperwork to me on Tue. Wed morning I transferred the money and she was mine!

In all my Wheeler Dealer activities, I normally buy a car, fly out, and drive it home. That wasn't a wise decision with this one as she had been sitting for yrs and all the usual suspects were in play - bad gas, old timing belt, cracked tires. So shipping was the way to go. I contacted BAT, figuring they'd have the process down pat. They did but the driver they selected had truck trouble and backed out. BAT was having trouble getting a replacement. Took 2 wks but the new found driver showed up Mon morning (actually Sun night but the dealership wasn't open) and shark #2 arrived Wed morning.

She looks great! Nice exterior and interior. One of the two prev owners did some mods I'm not too excited about. There's a replacement radio and a trunk full of speakers, along with a built in radar detector and an old GPS system. The later was attached to a perfect dash.

Plan is to drain the gas and look at the filter. Then see if the fuel pump and LK are working. At that point she'll be ready to start. But I need to juggle my schedule as my #1 priority is to get my mom's car ready to sell. Will take some disipline not to veer from the To Do list.

Steve was great to work with and didn't snake the sale out from under me. He's the Classic Sales Mgr at Gaudin Porsche. I was worried when Greg mentioned a bidding war. Looking fwd to getting her running, tackling her needs, and enjoying her for a while. A friend who helped push her into the garage thinks she may become a permanent resident. You never know...

husker boxster · 08-04-2022, 02:31 PM

Today my schedule shifted so I had some time to do some work on the shark. Gave her a "sponge bath" this morning, along with some detailer and she looks show ready. I went thru the receipts that came her with and she's only been driven 500 mi since 2005 and hasn't been on the road since 2012 according to ins cards.

I'd like to try the stereo before I remove the rear speakers to get to the gas tank peep hole, but I'm afraid I'll drain every last ounce of life out of the battery if I do.

And wake up the dead.

Newsguy · 08-05-2022, 06:41 AM

Sehr nett!
What a nice find--love those seats! I never understand the craziness over sound systems in cars. That's why we have concerts and home systems. When we switch to self-driving electric (hopefully after I have left for the great racetrack in the sky,) then they may be useful.
Enjoy!

paulofto · 08-05-2022, 09:46 AM

Nice nice nice! A wonderful find.

PaulE · 08-05-2022, 05:26 PM

Great looking car! Sorry about the perfect dash being "upgraded" with the GPS!

husker boxster · 08-06-2022, 09:37 AM

Yesterday I drained the gas out of the tank. It looked pretty good. Think I'll try running it thru my lawn mower. Pulled 6 gallons. Went to the parts store to buy a 5 gal gas can - $30

. While I was there, found a pair of windshield wipers (both friends who helped me push the shark in the garage noted the ripped pass wiper). Been a while since I've bought wiper blades - they were $23 each!

I bought 3 things and spent $80. But I was able to get my gas stored properly. Put 1.5 gal of new gas in and was ready to give her a try. Spun for half a min and the battery was toast. Figured out how to get the subwoofer moved enough to get to the battery enclosure. Put the charger on the battery (2/20 date) and quit for the night.

This morning I took the charger off and tried starting again. Just spun and no attempt at starting. OK, time to start diagnosing the issue. Pulled the out line from the fuel filter and stuck a hose on it to a funnel to a gas can.

Tried starting again. No fuel. Tried honking the horn. It worked. Swapped the the horn relay with the fuel pump relay. Tried starting, still no gas but the horn worked so good relay. Then I notice the LH computer relay wasn't there but was replaced with a jumper wire. Hmmm... Took the horn relay and replaced the LH jumper wire with it. Still no gas. Final test told me what I needed to know. I replaced the fuel pump relay with the jumper wire. The fuel pump worked - gas out of the hose.

So I have a bad LH computer. This is a common issue and what kept the '87 from starting. I'll need to ship it to a guy in AZ to rebuild it. That will be $500. The good news is it took me 2 mo of trial and error to figure out the LH computer was bad on the '87. It only took me a day on the '89.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulE

Sorry about the perfect dash being "upgraded" with the GPS!

I may see how many holes were drilled and if Bumper Plugs would work to fill them. IDK, just a thought but it would prob look much better than that eye sore of a GPS module. Just not sure how much un-wiring I'll have to do. But that's a project for down the road.

PaulE · 08-24-2022, 10:12 AM

You're going to have to put some miles on it to catch up with the over 400,000 mile 928!

husker boxster · 08-24-2022, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulE

You're going to have to put some miles on it to catch up with the over 400,000 mile 928!

That many miles might impact the value. This one is pretty similar to mine, other than 30K fewer miles, but same needs and spec. I about fell out of my chair watching it live.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-porsche-928-s4-80/

The rebuilt LH computer and recalibrated MAF arrive tomorrow. Also picked up the rt rear wheel after a repair today. However, they wouldn't put the old tire back on so I'm not going to be able to drive it. Have been looking for tires for wks. The rears generally are hard to find. But with supply issues, I can find fronts but not matching rears or rears with no matching fronts. Found some BFGs - the rears are in stock but no one has the fronts. Might end up buying the rears since I have to have them and hope some fronts show up.

And my mom's Fusion just got back from the dealer for a new steering rack. I need to clean the interior and shine up the ext and it'll be ready to sell. Hope to have it ready to go by the w/e. Have to get Fusion done before I can put my attn on the shark.

When it rains, it pours.

husker boxster · 08-27-2022, 07:18 PM

Finally had some time to replace the rebuilt computer. It's on the far right in this pic.

Still have some buttoning up to do to finish. She gave me more of a fight going back in than I anticipated, so I decided to quit once the computer was installed. Have to replace the MAF before I'm ready to try starting it and will probably jack her up and take the tires off. The set of Yokohama tires I ordered were an issue. The rears are on nationwide back order. Damn supply chain. But I found a set of Potenza Sports that will work (and will be $200 cheaper) that are scheduled to arrive on Wed. If she starts tomorrow and the tires arrive on Wed, I might be able to drive her on Thu.

husker boxster · 08-28-2022, 04:24 PM

husker boxster · 09-01-2022, 03:55 PM

New shoes arrived today. Wasn't easy finding 16s. Could either find the frts or the rears but not both. Had to go with a diff sized frt to make this set work - Bridgestone Potenza Sports, which are reportedly a sticky tire. Not that it matters since this will be a cruiser.

Will maybe put them on tonight when the temps cool off or tom morning.

PaulE · 09-01-2022, 05:54 PM

Thanks for the updates, looking good!

husker boxster · 09-02-2022, 08:07 PM

Got the tires on last night, went out for a ride this morning.

In order to license a car purchased from out of state, you have to take it to an "inspection" site where they basically run a vin check to see if it's stolen. The site is 6 mi from my house. Drove the shark there after lunch. Get my "inspection sheet", go to my ins agent for ins, then to the DMV. While the lady at DMV is rifling thru all the papers, I ask if she has any plates with 928. She says the only ones she has are 500s. Dang, how do all my friends get their 911 plates? Lady finds an extra letter in the vin on the insp sheet. She won't overlook it even tho it's their fault not mine and she won't call the insp site. I have to go back down there myself. Crap.

I go home and swap the shark for Punkin. Wow what a difference in driving exp - the shark has a dog leg 5 spd, meaning 1st gear is lower left and the clutch releases high. But Punkin got me down to the insp site quickly and I had a new sheet w/ 1 less digit. Take it back to the DMV and get a diff lady. She gets my paperwork and starts rifling thru it. Gets to the pt where she compares the vin on the insp sheet and the title. Not correct - the insp sheet had the letter O instead of the number 0. Double dang! She feels sorry for me so she calls the insp site and has them fax a new, corrected sheet. Hmmm. But I keep my cool and the fax arrives quickly. When the 1st lady finds out I had a 2nd problem, she disappears and then comes back with these plates.

So I wasted some time and gas this afternoon but scored a good plate.

PaulE · 09-05-2022, 04:27 PM

Nice plate!

husker boxster · 11-30-2022, 10:00 AM

It's been a while since I've provided an update on the new shark. Mostly because I've been letting my credit card cool down. Now that it's had time to chill, I've started buying maint parts.

Here's $400 worth of spark plugs and wires from Pelican.

Last wk I visited my sister in suburban Dallas for Thanksgiving. While there, I stopped by a 928 vendor in the metroplex (928sRus). I bought several items from them for The Mistress, so I thought it would be fun to visit them in person. $1600 later I should have most of the parts I need to make the new shark road worthy without fear of starting on fire or the engine becoming a boat anchor.

Power steering hoses on the left, fuel lines on the right. There was 1 fuel hose that was sold out but will be shipped when the next batch arrives.

Next up is the important items for a timing belt / water pump change. Depending on how much I need to let my cc cool down again, it might be next mo or Jan before I do the TB / WP (I'll need to hire someone to do the work). It requires a lot of items to be removed before you can get to them. And while I have things torn apart for the TB, it's the perfect time to get to the power steering lines. There will probably an addl purchase of radiator hoses and alternator / power steering / AC belts too. The spark plug wires will also go on when doing the TB since you have to move them out of the way to get to the TB.

And finally a few trim pieces. The hood release pull works but the pieces of plastic that hold it are broken. And there's a trim piece around the driver's rear window that's missing. Probably got pulled off when going thru a car wash.

Like I mentioned, hopefully this gets the maint up to snuff. A little polish and she'll be ready for spring.

PaulE · 12-01-2022, 04:18 PM

Nice, thanks for the update!

husker boxster · 01-21-2023, 10:52 AM

I've been on the bench for the last mo after my heart attack and then catching a nasty cold / cough. But I'm on the mend and I can start doing things again. Have an apt for mid-Feb to get the timing belt, water pump, and power steering hoses replaced. In the meantime, I'm starting on removing the stereo in the trunk. My plan is to pull all the stuff out and replace it with a Blaupunkt Bremen SQR 46, which is a new radio with an old school look.

Here's what I started with.

I've got the subwoofer, 2 amps, and 2 6-disk CD changers out w/o cutting wires. Now I want to be sure I don't take out something important, so I've asked for a pic from a Rennlister to see how it compares to my current mess.

There will be lots of work left removing all the speaker wires routed everywhere, but it should be a lot cleaner, lighter, and more spacious when I'm done. The subwoofer box must weigh at least 50 lbs.

For some reason I have a hankerin for spaghetti.

PaulE · 01-22-2023, 03:34 PM

Sorry to hear about the heart attack. Glad you are back, hope you made a full recovery!

husker boxster · 01-22-2023, 05:44 PM

Thanks Paul.

My event was Dec 18, so I haven't made a full recovery yet but I'm on my way to one. I'm not a DR and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn, but I was told I had a 100% blockage in a right side artery. They cont with what little damage done to the heart will heal in time. That seems a bit diametrically opposed, but they're the experts. The best thing I did was not ignore the signs - a severe clutching feeling in my chest, numbness in my left fingers, and a slight clammy feeling. It wasn't going to go away and would have been deadly had I ignored it.

I'm doing rehab 3X a wk and still have 7 wks left. So far no issues. Just like the athlete who suffers a knee injury, I need to get my confidence back that I won't cross the line of doing too much. And there will be some diet changes, although I wasn't a horrible eater. Hardly drink alcohol and always been a non-smoker. I'm hoping to attack my high blood pressure and bad cholesterol with lower weight. I was getting a bit chonky (5'10", 197#), so after Thanksgiving I started doing the Apple Cider Vinegar tablespoon in my OJ. I'm now down to 182. It doesn't taste the greatest, but it's working and hasn't been too tough to do.

The Docs told me to take it easy for 4 wks. I wasn't supposed to even lift a gal of milk. They didn't want me to tear up the cut in my right wrist where they went in with the stent. That 4 wk ban was over last wk, so now I can do a few light things. It's defn fun to be back in the garage doing things. There are plenty of light work items to accomplish on the shark, so I should have no problem filling my time.

PaulE · 01-23-2023, 05:22 PM

Wow, so glad you caught it, sounds like you are on your way!

Quote:

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Thanks Paul.

My event was Dec 18, so I haven't made a full recovery yet but I'm on my way to one. I'm not a DR and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn, but I was told I had a 100% blockage in a right side artery. They cont with what little damage done to the heart will heal in time. That seems a bit diametrically opposed, but they're the experts. The best thing I did was not ignore the signs - a severe clutching feeling in my chest, numbness in my left fingers, and a slight clammy feeling. It wasn't going to go away and would have been deadly had I ignored it.

I'm doing rehab 3X a wk and still have 7 wks left. So far no issues. Just like the athlete who suffers a knee injury, I need to get my confidence back that I won't cross the line of doing too much. And there will be some diet changes, although I wasn't a horrible eater. Hardly drink alcohol and always been a non-smoker. I'm hoping to attack my high blood pressure and bad cholesterol with lower weight. I was getting a bit chonky (5'10", 197#), so after Thanksgiving I started doing the Apple Cider Vinegar tablespoon in my OJ. I'm now down to 182. It doesn't taste the greatest, but it's working and hasn't been too tough to do.

The Docs told me to take it easy for 4 wks. I wasn't supposed to even lift a gal of milk. They didn't want me to tear up the cut in my right wrist where they went in with the stent. That 4 wk ban was over last wk, so now I can do a few light things. It's defn fun to be back in the garage doing things. There are plenty of light work items to accomplish on the shark, so I should have no problem filling my time.