DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Well, the car is getting dirty (and salty) already. I’m OK with that, the car will be fine. I do have some clear stone guards to affix to those leading edges on the rear arches but I’ll affix those after it’s had a final polish. Richard Leppard (the painter) has done a wonderful job on the finish, it’s looking superb already. But, he’s pledged to give it one last detail and so I’ve decided to leave that until the New Year and let the paint harden & settle a bit longer. Once that’s done the paint protection film can go on.

The car has been painted and protected to modern standards, the guys at Early911 seam sealed everything, I’m happy that I can do no harm to the car by using it. I’ve also protected the cavities and I’m confident it will survive the next quarter century even better than the previous.

My air duct has split!
Eh, what?
Well, there’s a section of plastic on top of the fan shroud that serves to deflect air to the blower motor.
It’s a known weak spot and after many years of heat cycles it can become brittle and fatigued.

This is where it sits on the engine:


And the damaged part:

But I was sure mine was good. So, I checked my photos of the engine before it was rebuilt. That part was perfect.
So I then checked the pictures I took of the engine after the Redtek rebuild. Again, no fault. Finally I viewed images of the engine after Mr Moss had kindly installed it in the car for me. No damage.
Which means it survived for for 23 years and then - on the very first journey I took in the restored car - it gave up the ghost!
Marvellous.

Well, that’s an easy £50 for Porsche.
I bet they sell a lot of those. In fairness it’s a complex moulding and a tricky mix of plastic & rubber elements so the price is sort of understandable.
Anyway it was an easy repair, just 3 bolts and a little wrestling to get the sleeve clipped over the ducting.
It wouldn't have caused much problem, any loss of cooling air pressure would have been minimal with just that modest split but I’ve seen photographs of cars where that part has burst open a much larger hole, allowing more air to leak away.

All is well again now.

Just had a read through the whole thread this morning very enjoyable and the end product is fantastic especially love the seats now that's done what`s next

Fantastic build and the car looks superb!

Had no idea hard back seats came in non electric form until this thread.

The fan housing looks great. Is that a new one or have you refurbished it some how? The one on my car is looking a little crusty and needs attention.

This really is lovely. I saw it in the metal when I picked up some wheels from Nick, the colour really is fantastic..

Great to see Ferry Man's car getting the recognition it deserves on the 911UK forum! The new DDK later air-cooled cars section should get a lot of hits when it's up and running shortly...
http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=11 ... sc&start=0

Time for a running-in update:
OK, I’ve been away most of January but I’ve managed to get a few miles on the car and reveal any issues.

Here’s my snagging list:
1. Fix starter motor
2. Sort weeping oil tank
3. Get heated rear window working
4. Set ride height & damper settings

Not a very long list for a complete restoration. I was pleased to discover pretty much everything worked fine upon reassembly.
I have now addressed those few niggles and the topics are listed below.

Firstly the starter motor. It was playing up and not always engaging. Sometimes I’d turn the key and the solenoid wouldn’t throw out the bendix. It would normally catch on a second turn of the key but I wasn’t having any uncertainty.

The thing is the starter had been fine. Before the restoration it had never given a moments trouble. And - despite replacing or renewing every other component - I never thought to recondition the starter motor. So, of course, the minute the engine was back in the starter went wobbly. It seemed better when cold (rather oddly) but was more recalcitrant when hot. It had to be changed.
Now, when the engine is out and sitting on a pallet, changing the starter motor is simple. I can do it handcuffed & blindfolded in 46 seconds. But when in the car it’s a pig of a job…

The FerryMan method is: ‘give it to Lee at Octane Garage’. I’m learning you see…
Needless to say Lee sorted it and claimed it wasn’t too tricky if you can get it in the air on a ramp. I think it’s still a bugger of a job for the skilled but he only charged a couple of hours, so, thanks Lee.

Another item on my snagging list was the oil tank. It was weeping oil. Very, very minimal but evident. Now I have had troubles with the tank, it’s been a nuisance. I had been recommended to remove the tank and flush it clean which is sound advice. But doing so some of the oil lines were reluctant to budge. Then, upon reinstall, the oil return line leaked at the connection. Then the join between tank & thermostat leaked. Then the tank weeped from a brazed joint. Then a pin-hole weeped. And then, and then….

So, a real pain. I’ve had that tank in & out many times.
The solution was new O-rings from Porsche. Plus new seals & sleeves from Porsche. Plus new rubber collars from Porsche. Plus wider clamps. Plus an excellent secondhand tank. But finally everything is dry. Thank you Nick Moss for help along the way remedying the issues and thanks to Lee Colbran for finally getting it sorted and leak free.

To date I’ve put 500 miles on the new engine. Maybe it’s a little early for an oil change but whilst Lee was sorting the oil tank I had him also do a full oil change and replace both oil filters. I’m sure the car will thank me.

Next, the heated rear window wasn’t working.
The old screen had a complex array of 4 wire connections and a couple of jumper wires joining various sections of the heating elements. The new screen I purchased was a much simpler affair with only 2 connections and the wiring proved bafflingly difficult. I struggled with it but gave up and once the car went back to Lee and I asked him to investigate. He traced the fault not to my wiring but to an intermittent failure of the relay.
Final outcome = Porsche richer £100 & Paul rewarded with a working demister.

Finally, the suspension. Well, I’m delighted with the PSS10’s, they’re a real treat. I’d recommend that set-up.

With the 993 Porsche decided to be rid of the antiquated ‘semi-trailing arm’ suspension of the earlier cars and devised a modern multi-link suspension. It’s a great setup but it is complex compared to the early 911’s and therefore you can spend a fair bit refreshing all those bushes and control arms.

So, how much did I spend on the suspension? Close to £6,500.
What did I end up refreshing on the undercarriage? Well it was pretty much as per this list:
Complete Bilstein coil-over suspension kit, all four corners (PSS10).
New front roll-bar mounts (pair of genuine Porsche).
New front wishbones (pair of genuine Porsche).
New front ball joints (pair of genuine Porsche).
New front strut top mounts (pair of genuine Porsche).
New caster eccentrics & lock-nuts.
Upgraded RS roll-bar fitted to rear.
New rear drop links for RS roll bar (pair of genuine Porsche).
New rear roll-bar mounts (pair of genuine Porsche).
New rear lower suspension control arms (pair of genuine Porsche).
New rear lower wishbones (pair of genuine Porsche).
New rear damper top mounts (pair of genuine Porsche).

Handily for me the previous owner had refurbished the brake system including new discs, pads & sensors. He'd also sorted the caliper plate corrosion issue and fitted some new back plates. I've since done the rest. That cost I outlined above for the suspension doesn’t include other work done underneath the car such as replacement fuel/oil/brake pipes, etc, etc, it is just the work tackled on the suspension. However, there are still a few bushes and control arms unchanged that were in good condition or had already been replaced recently by the previous owner. I’d guess if you started with a completely worn out car you could spend £10k just sorting the suspension on a 993.