A day in the life. 991 and 959 content.

[leadphut]

You know you wanted to...
http://youtu.be/brPRpI9ohZQ

oof.

[tig]

You know you wanted to...
http://youtu.be/brPRpI9ohZQ

oof.

No. Poof.

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Feel free to box up that engine table and send it my way when you're done with it!

That thing is brilliant. Only thing that would improve its design would be lockable castor wheels on the front. Lining it up to reinstall subframes etc is a bit of a pain. Removal is a breeze, though.

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

You know you wanted to...
http://youtu.be/brPRpI9ohZQ

Funny thing is, the day that video made the rounds, we had a rolled 991 turbo S in White get picked up and sent to another shop. Long story, but at first glance we all thought the video was of that shop trying to start it. given the impact was so hard it tore the suspension mounts off the body and sent the LH rear wheel into the LH turbocharger and smashed it to pieces, the result would've been very similar.

[slammin_e28]

Feel free to box up that engine table and send it my way when you're done with it!

That thing is brilliant. Only thing that would improve its design would be lockable castor wheels on the front. Lining it up to reinstall subframes etc is a bit of a pain. Removal is a breeze, though.

I really only take shit apart Anyway....so it's perfect!

[Dub-Nub]

Question: how are you keeping track of the bolts/nuts/etc?

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Question: how are you keeping track of the bolts/nuts/etc?

A whole lotta ziplock bags. In some cases, such as with suspension studs that vary in length, I'll lable each individual bolt also. A good memory comes in very handy, although I cop it at home quite often from the wife to be.. "You'll forget what milk I asked you to buy 30 seconds ago, yet are able to differentiate between and recall perfectly where a screw goes on a job you stripped 6 moths ago"

[Dub-Nub]

Right on. I always have trouble keeping track of my nuts.

[e28Sean]

I always have trouble keeping track of my nuts.

You should put your nuts in a bag, and then label said bag. It's a great way to remember where your nuts go when it comes time to use them again.

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Got a present today. An $18,000 one.

[wkohler]

Wow.

[Tammer in Philly]

Got a present today. An $18,000 one.

How much does that $18,000 weigh?

-Tammer

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Got a present today. An $18,000 one.

How much does that $18,000 weigh?

-Tammer

At a guess, I'd say around 80-100kg at most. I can lift one side off the ground with eaze.

[Chimi-Changa]

Yah but in USD it's only $13,600?

Great work thus far, let the fun begin!

[rubix_cube12]

Yah but in USD it's only $13,600?

Lol. Only.

Great work. Looking forward to see the end result.

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

The 991 is coming along. The front clip has been removed, and the new clip fitted. Glue and rivets attach 90% of it to the rest of the body, with spot welds only where the rails meet the underbody.






This image shows how the rear rails have dropped by around 2mm. That eye in the alignment jig should be dead center with the reinforcement mount behind it. Impressive considering how minor the damage to the rear end appeared.


In the meantime, I've also been fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time with one of only 2 959's in the country. The owner supplied us with a few NOS items to be fitted such as a gearknob, bonnet latch/catch, bonnet seal, fuel bowl and Blaupunkt headunit. The engine lid and taillights/reflectors required alignment and a few small paint touch up and blow ins were also requested.






Gotta appreciate original boxes, ey!


It's in spectacular condition in, out and underneath, and the carbon/kevlar body work has held up very well for the most part. Parts supplied were simple bolt on jobs, and despite the engine lid taking an entire day to gap up correctly (carbon/kevlar as with fibreglass has a habit of changing shape over time) the job on a whole had gone smoothly. This was until I realized the extent of the work required to fit the bonnet lock..

It turns out the bonnet lock is riveted into the lock panel similar to an e28 in fact, and is only removable from an access hole directly underneath. The problem with this is that directly underneath this hole, the radiator sits. (Unlike 911's from this era, the 959 is air and water cooled with a coolant capacity of ~25L). Normally removal of a radiator would not be an issue, however on a car of this nature and value, such things are generally avoided if possible. As I dug deeper, it became evident this was not going to be a quick an easy task so we contacted the owner who respectably stated to 'do whatever it takes'. I think at this point it is easier to describe what was involved using images.

The part requiring replacement.

Front bar off, headlights de-pinned and removed and coolant drained



Guards removed


Reo, oil cooler ducting, radiators and A/C condenser removed

Emergency release twine untied, and success!

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Given I had to dig this deep, I figured it necc. to do some tidying up so despite the fact that %90 of this will never see the light of day again I spent quite some time detailing and touching up. Every bolt I've removed has been replaced with new, including factory anti tamper paint markings replicated. The insides of the guards have also been painted given they had to be removed, and the factory sealer will be re-applied upon assembly.




As Porsche no longer offer the replacement bolts and other hardware in the original gold coloured nickle plating, we discussed options with the owner and decided to have every nut, bolt, washer and hose clamp easily accessible on the car sent away for re-plating as the majority have dulled off over the years. All the undertray bolts, caliper bolts, engine bay and luggage compartment hose clamps, oil/fuel and hydraulic filler neck mechanism's, engine cover bolts and lower suspension bolts are being re-finished. Quite a job to remove them all simply for refinishing however the result will be worth it and even after the effort on the front end, it's already looking spectacular. It's a testament to the current owners dedication, and a privilege to be performing the sort of work to an impeccable standard and detail I usually reserve for my own personal projects. If only I had his budget!

959S stereo blanking plate replaced for an original Blaupunkt Bremen unit also.



What a marvel the 959 is.. constantly am I flabbergasted by the engineering in this thing. I was always adamant that the F40 was the supercar of this era to have, however I'm beginning to think I've made a rash decision. The fellow also happens to own one of those too, so I'll save that decision until he decides to replace the bonnet latch on that one but for the time being, the 959 is leaps and bounds ahead.

There is a tonne of interesting stuff ya'll will appreciate that I've photographed, but here's a couple for the time being.

Double wishbone, duel strut (front and rear) suspension. This is 959S specification, the original hydraulically adjustable suspension has been removed in favor for this - a supposedly common upgrade.

This is the muffler for the nearside turbochargers wastegate. As it's a sequential turbo system, this turbocharger isn't fully exploited until higher revs to keep lag at a minimum.

A dogleg gearbox with low ratio 'Offroad' gear. For those trips to Dakar.

[leadphut]

absolute wow. thanks for sharing and please keep the pics coming! would enjoy seeing all the nuts/bolts/clips replated and replaced.

[tig]

Wowowowow!!! Thanks for sharing. There's a guy on Pelican doing a complete restore on a 959...worth checking out: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche- ... 959-a.html

[leadphut]

how is that 991 not totaled? seems like a lot of needed work AND it's only a 991, not a classic.

[wkohler]

The 991 is very exciting, but the 959 is just ridiculous. Truly a marvel. Thank you for sharing.

[bkbimmer]

959's are stupid RAD!

[GaAlpinaOwner]

Very very nice work! How much it pains me to see a new 991 Turbo S in that condition....

To my knowledge and I may be wrong, there were at least 3-5 959s in the USA 2 whites/1-2 red and one black, the last time I checked or was told this from Brumos that had one of them..... this has always been a favorite car of mine.

[Mark 88/M5 Houston]

Wish I could find the picture.

Twenty or so 959's locked in a separate chain link fenced compound on the back corner of Al Holbert's race shop property in 1987. Pure eye candy, sort of looked like a bowl of M&Ms from a distance. If I remember correctly there were both Customs and EPA warning signs posted with threats of death and dismemberment if any of the cars were so much as moved under their own power. They sat there, outside and uncovered, for a few months while Al and Porsche tried to get exemptions to sell them for off road use, as far as I know they couldn't get it done and all of the cars ended up on ships going to more supercar friendly locations.

[unt0uchable]

Subscribed to this one! Thanks for sharing Bob!

[offroadkarter]

To my knowledge and I may be wrong, there were at least 3-5 959s in the USA 2 whites/1-2 red and one black, the last time I checked or was told this from Brumos that had one of them..... this has always been a favorite car of mine.

I saw this grey one in connecticut back in november of 2013. So now we're up to at least 6 in the US?

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Been a while since an update, so here we are.

The 959 is done and gone, the re plated bolts, clamps and bracketry really took the car to the next level. What a pleasure it was to have the chance to put my personal touch on one of my childhood pin ups and the result was impeccable. Humbling in fact.










Meanwhile, the 991 is coming along very well. Repairs and paint have been completed, and I'm making good time on the re-assembly. Here's an assortment of pictures of the trial fitting and re-assembly process post paintwork. Due to how busy I've been with other projects I've not been left alone to focus on this job, although have around 20 hours into re-assembly as of today and around 110hours since day 1.

This bald man is Vince. He's very good at fixing broken Porsche's. He has 130 hours on this repair and it's absolutely spot on. Currently the entire driveline, fuel tank, coolant/AC lines and brake hydraulics are in and the interior is awaiting the arrival of the dash which has been on backorder for 3 months. At least it's not an e12 part. I've got a LHR knuckle to replace as the bushing I need can't be ordered separately and once that's done I'll be able to drop it on it's wheels, give it an alignment and then hang and gap the panels. The exhaust manifolds need repair, and after sitting unstarted for over 18 months and at one point on it's side, half a litre of oil poored out of the RH manifold when I removed it. She's going to be a smokey old thing on startup that's for sure.

[e28Sean]

Ooooh man... that 959 is pure sex. And the 991 is looking damn fine as well.

[Neel]

More than 6 959s in the country.. Ive seen 4 on the east coast.. that grey one you saw in CT makes 5. One of the ones Ive seen on the east coast is technically not in this country

[Das_Prachtstrasse]

Judging by Canepa's records, there should be at least 10 Canepa 'federalised' 959s in the US.