Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Hah, yes - looks like it's happy indeed.

Stained glass paint:

What started it all, now with no rot and a plastic gasket to stop it happening again:

Bonnet and boot release now without heavy scratching from feet:

I've asked the painter to order some clear side-repeaters and paint them with the stained glass paint to match the headlights:

Refurbished the callipers in the correct (C2 Carrera) black (most people choose red, or for the fantasists yellow):

Have mixed half tank of Halfords berry scented washer fluid with citrus flavour. Mmm, fruit salad washer spray. There's a market for savoury ones I'm sure.

Current roof is now coming off, new one with a glass rear window going on.

Car should be ready to collect by the end of the month.

What rubber is it sitting on?

I was never a great fan of the 996 looks as you know but im somewhat coming around and the cab was always the best looking out of this series. If yours will drive anything like it looks after its said and done it will be pretty damn great! I like it a lot.

What rubber is it sitting on?

Michelin PS2 - 225/40/18 fronts and 283/35/18 rear.

I like it a lot.

Thanks! So do I.

The cost of this work has been somewhat surprising, is the only negative aspect - more on that when things are finalised.

To tell you the truth. Im not so suprised by that lol

It is what it is I guess, no one would bat an eyelid if I was doing this work to a 964, it's that it's a 996 which makes people question my sanity.

That's ok though. It really is only a matter of time before 996s will take off...

Well they will likely go up in price with time but i think the engine failures will make a lot of ppl nervous and thus the raise in price may not be as big as a lot of other modells. Dont really matter tho. If you can afford it and enjoy it thats all that matters. I wish i had capital to do something similar without regard to what i would get back but im not so i have to be more "sane" in most of my purchases in life.

Hence i got the maserati.. knock on wood.
Kinda eager to bring it out of winter storage in a couple of months to install the new wheels and hopefully smile.

On the 3.4 litre cars the engine thing is a bit over-blown* I think, any car that's survived to this point is likely not to suffer an IMS failure, and the earlier cars don't have the scoring issue of the 3.6.

That said, my engine is coming out next winter for a complete rebuild that will remove all the potential failure points that Porsche's engineers left in their design.

My expectation is that we'll see a pretty big reduction in the number of good 996 over the next couple of years, and that the remainder will more often than not have a rebuilt engine (wholly or partially) that addresses most of, if not all the issues they have.

With that said, when I started looking for a 996 15k got you a decent one (or so the theory went), that figure is definitely 20k now looking at what's been bought and sold recently.

* lol, etc

Minty Fresh. Gratuitous detail shots necessary.

@Dammit like you say isn't cheap but looks a very high level of finish in those photos.

Track day photo that I was playing around with in Photoshop, anthracite wheels need to happen. Think I'll buy some then sell my silver ones.

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Interested to hear your final report and costs please

Did you have those wheels originally? They look great 👍

No, I bought the rims from a chap on eBay, got Chris from Exel to pick them up from eBay seller and refurbish them, stick new rubber on, then deliver to Precision who put them on the car.

I'm hoping the cost is going to be offset by getting some money back from the guys that fucked up the head gasket replacement..... should hear soon. Otherwise it will be 6k in the last two years on repairs! The rebuild is going to be around 3k and the head gasket, clutch, water pump, timing belt and rear arms was nigh on 3k.

Looking amazing!

Looks good... has reminded me Gravity Shadow is in bound this week. I’ve been meaning to email you about piant. Will do so tomorrow.

Hopefully the bill at the end of it won’t be as unexpected as this...

I added it up- unexpected part (so far!) is £750, all stuff that I had understood to be included in the quote, but turned out not to be. We’ll see what the next stage brings.

Gravity Shadow - Matts not shipped it yet due to Snow Doom, should be with you during the week.

I’m at work tomorrow as normal then in Rotterdam the rest of the week- so that’s more pot luck.