Ger's 2003 Porsche Boxster S

[geraintthomas]

Originally Posted by Dan Mumford

Wow, I've got to say you've probably got the best looking 986 I've ever seen, super clean!

I've got a non S, 2.5 986 that's been off the road for a little while so it's going to be a bit of a project for me, I'd love to know some more details about the custom android headunit if you don't mind? It's looks incredible!

Also the projector lenses, how does the wiring work to turn the fog lamps into the sidelights?

Thanks! 👍🏻

Thank you

The head unit is an android TD618AS unit, but I've put my own twist on it including a custom ROM start up screen, theme, and so on.

The DRL's are actually the side lights, the fog lights aren't changed at all. The projectors flip the projector shield open to throw the light upwards when you use the full beam on the stalk. The projector comes with a red and black wire, it's just a case of plugging those onto the full beam bulb's connector too, so the full beam switch operates both the old bulb and the projectors.

Car's still underperforming like a pig, but I think I've found the issue. It's a vacuum problem for definite, but I ripped lots out of the engine bay (alternator, plenum & throttle body, etc) and there's no evident leaks. All pipe work seems fine. Someone else has had the exact same problem with me and it turned out to be a bad vacuum valve that is used to switch the secondary air pump on and off, and to divert the air flow. That failed, air flow wasn't being directed properly, car suffered because of it. Problem is that there's 3 valves, so figuring out which one's a bugger. I'll most likely just replace all 3 as they're all prone to failing anyway.

[WillokBoy]

Hello,

I don't know if you remember my post when I acquired an old 986 2.5 1997 last year? Well, time has passed and I have now completed all the projects that were on my list

Here is the list of things I’ve done on the car:
- fully repainted in metal grey paint (by workshop, of course) and side vents in red matching the trunk logo
- added PORSCHE lettering on the trunk
- fully polished the seats, dashboard and door panels
- central console with AC control panel moved down and double-din Android radio, GPS navigation, entertainment system on top
- front speakers and under-seat flat sub-woofer
- tail lights (red & white facelift with LED)
- LED white bulbs everywhere (headlamps, signals, number plate, foglamps, etc.)
- front DRL LED kinda 911 style
- new horn/klaxon (I actually installed a pick-up truck model, to make sure I’m heard!)
- N/S door lock mechanism replacement
- cat-back and change of O2 sensors
- engine distribution and accessories belts
- engine and ATF oil change
- sun visors with mirrors and light recuperated from a Boxster S wreck
- restored coolant line (hoses)
- fixed the front left radiator fan and fully cleaned both radiators (there was about 200 grams of crap (2 handfuls) and dirt between the 2 grilles!) - that totally changed the cooling of the car and the AC performance!
- engine and cabin air filters
- fuel filter
- brake discs (perforated and normal) and brake pads and brake callipers (red with white Porsche lettering)
- Porsche wheel caps and air valves
- trunk and bonnet hoods pistons/struts
- window regulators
- ignition switch
- wheel spacers (15 mm front and rear) with balancing and alignment
- headrest wind nets and central wind screen
- and renovation of the hard-top roof

TOTAL: around EURO 7,000 (and hundreds (thousands?!) of hours of research, tutorials viewing, blogs checking, try&errors and hard work on the car by me!) 😉

But the result is there and I couldn’t be happier to have restored this 21 year old beauty!

Here is the result in pictures, let me please have your thoughts about it

[TrumpyAl]

How's the car going Ger? I miss your updates!

[geraintthomas]

Right. Time for an update I think?

Apologies for being so quiet, but I gave up on the car. It had been broken for such a long time (over a year now) that I'd just fallen out of love with it, and ended up buying a car cover, SORNing it and cancelling the insurance, and basically leaving it under a cover on the drive connected to a trickle charger so that I could forget about it until I could be bothered to think about it again. Which didn't turn out to be long.

Driving my little Fiesta TDCi around everywhere made me pine for the car. Not that the fiesta wasn't good (this thing cost me £500, does 75mpg and is bullet proof), but I completely took the Porsche for granted. It's one of those things which you don't realise how good it is until it's gone.

There were a few things I needed to do to the car to get it back on the road but I decided to get Christmas out of the way first, as it'll cost around £800 to get it going again (with doing all of the work myself).


The whole engine problem was previously fixed, but it still needs:


- Service

- Subframe replacement & four wheel alignment

- 2x rear tyres

- Alloy wheel refurb

- New battery

- New roof tension cables (the short clip-on ones)

- Mileage correction (remember I replaced the dials?)



Everything I'll be doing myself as it's all easy, just takes time. But, once it's done, it'll be back on the road.

I'm hoping to get it back on the road this month or early February. I've been starting the engine now and again to let it turn over for a while, but I've got two sticking lifters. It's just lack of use - a good run will loosen these up, it's happened before.

Going back briefly to the fiesta - what an amazing car. Fiesta mk6, TDCi, as basic as you can get (wind up windows, too!). But it costs £30 annual tax, cheap insurance, 75mpg, comfy, quiet and easy to drive. This will be my daily car too and from work, while the Porsche will now be a weekend and fun car, rather than my daily. Didn't realise how much fuel I was spending before...

That's pretty much where I'm at. The car is now back in the middle of my drive with the cover off so I can work on it. It's currently jacked up with no front wheels (I'm Nitromorsing the wheels at the moment). Another beauty of having another daily - I can spend time on this and not rush.

But yeah, I'll update you as I go. I'll be back on here now!

[Nevergrowup]

Yay! You’re not dead!

[TrumpyAl]

Originally Posted by Nevergrowup

Yay! You’re not dead!

+1

[paulofto]

Yay! He's back. I really missed your pictures of that high gloss paint. Welcome back.

[geraintthomas]

Hah, thanking you! You wouldn't want to see it at the moment, it's a bit of a mess. But once it's mechanically sound, it's nothing that a two-day detail wouldn't fix. It'll be better than it's ever been then.

Had a load of things delivered today, including this wee little thing:



I've got the black and red ones of these, but the yellows were discontinued years ago. Managed to get it still in its box/packet off someone for £15! The normal colours are £25 new, and the yellows are seriously rare. So yeah, quite happy with that. Goes with my dials too:

[Smallblock454]

Originally Posted by geraintthomas

Hah, thanking you! You wouldn't want to see it at the moment, it's a bit of a mess. But once it's mechanically sound, it's nothing that a two-day detail wouldn't fix. It'll be better than it's ever been then.

Had a load of things delivered today, including this wee little thing:



I've got the black and red ones of these, but the yellows were discontinued years ago. Managed to get it still in its box/packet off someone for £15! The normal colours are £25 new, and the yellows are seriously rare. So yeah, quite happy with that. Goes with my dials too:

I like that.

Do you know if there are any black ones for the 986S? And perhaps i would need Km.

Regards, Markus

[geraintthomas]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

I like that.

Do you know if there are any black ones for the 986S? And perhaps i would need Km.

Regards, Markus

I designed and printed the overlay myself (it's on here of you scroll back)

Right, riddle me this.

I need to get this nut off:



Trouble is, the socket on the bolt has rounded and I can no longer stop it from spinning while I attempt to undo the bolt. I've bought another arm to go on so I'm happy to butcher this one.

Initial thought was a nut splitter, but would it split the nut this thick?

Another idea is to cut a groove in the top to place a flat head screwdriver (or socket) into it, but the nut rising may close this gap.

I've tried forcing a bigger head into this but he aftermarket part has such soft metal that it didn't work.

Bit skeptical of dremelling the nut off due to how close it is to the hub, but it may be an option.

Thoughts?

[maytag]

Originally Posted by geraintthomas

I designed and printed the overlay myself (it's on here of you scroll back)



Right, riddle me this.



I need to get this nut off:







Trouble is, the socket on the bolt has rounded and I can no longer stop it from spinning while I attempt to undo the bolt. I've bought another arm to go on so I'm happy to butcher this one.



Initial thought was a nut splitter, but would it split the nut this thick?



Another idea is to cut a groove in the top to place a flat head screwdriver (or socket) into it, but the nut rising may close this gap.



I've tried forcing a bigger head into this but he aftermarket part has such soft metal that it didn't work.



Bit skeptical of dremelling the nut off due to how close it is to the hub, but it may be an option.



Thoughts?

I've been known to weld another bolt to the rounded one. Or even buy a cheap wrench at a pawn shop and weld the wrench right to it.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[geraintthomas]

Originally Posted by maytag

I've been known to weld another bolt to the rounded one. Or even buy a cheap wrench at a pawn shop and weld the wrench right to it.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Great idea! Though I've not got a weld gun nor have access to it - I also can't take it to a garage as I'd need to insure it, which it's not, and then we're talking trailer costs, and so on.

I tried lowering the arm on an axle stand, specifically the end so that it stops it from spinning, but this didn't make the slightest bit of difference. Not sure if I'm doing it wrong...

[TrumpyAl]

I'd try a single hex socket with an impact gun.

If it starts spinning once it loosens then I'd reach for multigrips to push the arm back 'home' and go again with the inpact gun so that it bites.

This almost always worked in my trade days with compressed air driven guns that had very high levels of instantaneous torque.

Nowadays I only have a 36v cordless impact gun, but I expect that it would still work. My gut feel is that the heat introduced into the male threaded part expands it so that it doesn't spin.

[RayW]

one of the guys on the Boxster group on Facebook posted a link to your thread here. Read through the whole thing and am inspired to get the cover off mine if it ever warms up here. Love your wheels and gauge faces. I have a Speed Yellow base with the same gauge setup as yours. Would you be interested in printing a non S tach face in Yellow for me. I love the fact that these just slip over the needle, as removing it troubles me. Anyway, if this is an option, let me know what it would take to get one sent to the states, and if you don’t have the time or desire, I understand. Thanks, and good luck getting yours back on the road!! I know you gotta bemissing it.

[StuatP]

Hi, may I ask what compounds and pads you used for the correction detail?

[TrumpyAl]

In case anyone's reading through here and wishes that there was a base version of the startup animation.



It's not perfect, but is probably good enough for most.

[geraintthomas]

I've just realised I haven't updated this thread!

IT'S FINALLY F***ING FIXED AFTER 2 YEARS!






Get yourself a cuppa, this is a long one.

The hub, the subframe, everything's done! Finally had some spare time in the summer to work on the car!It was stood on three wheels for almost a year with things going wrong here and there, but it's now road legal with a fresh MOT. It's been one hell of a journey to get this suspension fixed since the last time I posted. Wrong hubs posted, two faulty arms received, etc.

It looked like absolute shyate though. Matted paint, mould on the roof, faded plastics, bird poo damage to the paintwork (light enough to sand/polish), cobwebs completely covered the engine bay, fuel cap, all wheel arches and even some inside the car, etc. It's honestly a state. To think of the condition it was in before... but, as you can see from the photos below, it's back to it's former glory.

But I took to the garage like that for an MOT. I only started refurbishing it when I knew it's road legal again which, thankfully, it passed the MOT with flying colours! A huge relief. It's also been serviced, new battery, and new tyres too with a four wheel alignment also. Drives like a dream.

As you can see in the photos below, I've had the wheels refurbished back to silver with black center caps. I feel like the anthracite was too muddy and got lost in the contrast. Now they ping out lovely.

Whilst the wheels were off to be powder coated, I had the chance to scrub the suspension area and to re-clean and coat some parts. They look 10x better.




Going to eventually do a lot more of this under the car.

I'm going to take it to an exhaust garage soon as I want both pre-cat O2 sensors swapped (they need to blow torch them), and at the same time I'm going to ask them to replace both gaskets between the manifold & exhausts and all of the clamps on the exhaust to ensure all leaks are sound. Not that there's any, but emissions weren't the most comfortable at the MOT. Being stood on my drive wouldn't have done it any favours, so it's precautionary.

Other things I've done - I've dropped the horseshoe radio surround at a local bodyshop to get it resprayed gloss black for £50. It was scratched and, no matter what I did, I wasn't happy with the finish. I tried wrapping it but it bubbled in the heat. Tried spraying it but it was never a good finish. If this looks good I'd be tempted to take more interior bits of trim in to get them done. The black surround around the dials, the centre console, door bin lids and handle covers would look beautiful in gloss black, so I may get those done too.

Here's what the radio horseshoe looks like now:





Also temporarily wrapped the ashtray in gloss black before spraying.

And here's how the car stands now:








And that's it! I'm going to fit an external amp for the stereo as the built in amp chip is weak as hell on this chinese radio. I've replaced the speakers and didn't notice the improvement, so the amp is needed. Aside from that and the exhaust work I need to do, it's all done! I've got some performance upgrades I'm planning on doing soon though.



Oh, and by the way...



I figured out something. I thought the lip that cracked off the subframe when I was replacing a track rod arm was the sole culprit of the alignment constantly going out, but I was wrong.

The original track rod arm two years ago sheared its bolt on me whilst driving, right? Remember this?





And remember how I replaced it, and not long after that I decided to reverse into a Tesco bollard and clip the rear quarter (same side), which bent the bolt of the new arm I put in? The bolt was bent at the same point that the old one snapped, which was odd:




I never figured this out.

Either way, a third arm went in. Following that, the alignment never stayed true and the arm always came loose with the nut needing constant tightening. I never got to figuring out why. Until recently.

So this is the new hub's hole that the track rod arm goes into:





But this is the old hub I took off the car...





Oh, my god.

From the fact that the original arm snapped its bolt, it would seem that the arm was actually replaced before I bought the car. That bush most likely fell out without the previous mechanic/owner's knowledge, so they didn't put it back in when the arm was changed. This explains the original arm's bolt snapping and the second arm's bolt bending due to the tremendous force on that particular section of the bolt rather than having a snug fit. Everything is explained. I'm quite shocked to be honest.

Either way, the new hub is in, new subframe, handbrake cable guide, eccentric bolts, tyres, etc. It's all fresh and it all feels fantastic.

And here we are now.



If you've read this far, thank you!

[Silver']

Yikes, that's alarming!

It's great to see the car back on the road Ger, well done!

[paulofto]

Great story and a happy ending. Anyone contemplating parting out a Boxster should read this and take heart that these cars can be resuscitated and turned into beautiful machines. A ton of work and patience has paid off for you Geraint. Congratulations!

Also, love that first photo!

[geraintthomas]

Originally Posted by Silver'

Yikes, that's alarming!

It's great to see the car back on the road Ger, well done!

I very much apprechate that, thanks!

Originally Posted by paulofto

Great story and a happy ending. Anyone contemplating parting out a Boxster should read this and take heart that these cars can be resuscitated and turned into beautiful machines. A ton of work and patience has paid off for you Geraint. Congratulations!

Also, love that first photo!

Thanks so much for the kind words, means a lot. It's been a very up and down ride with this car, but as it stands I absolutely love it and wouldn't trade it for the world.


I've just found out that there's now 718 rear lights for the 986, and I'm kind of obsessed by them.




I REALLY want them, but they're massively expensive as I'd have to ship them to the UK