Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi all

Have just purchased a 1986 928 for £1000.00, car has stood for the best part of ten years and hadn't ran for about 4. Got it home and thought it best to get it running first new fuel pump and fresh fuel had it going. Took it for a short drive and was really surprised, felt really tight, gears smooth (auto), no warning lights. The car has a full history and is currently showing 103000 miles backed up with old mots. Then decided to look a bit closer fuel lines and auto trans lines badly corroded, petrol tank virtually fell out (rotten cradle), rear anti roll bar clamps rotted through all stuff I am not too bothered about and can happily fix myself. The bit that concerns me is the rear of the sills/quarter panel. Externally the area is soft with a couple of holes behind this area is the main body of the car removed countless old leaves spiders webs etc and found a hole about 4x4cm in this area (both sides) the only way I can see of repairing this is by cutting out the rear sill/quarter panel and welding the offending area up, I could then replace the cut away part. Is this the best way to deal with this problem, is it common and are repair pieces available for the sill area. I really like the car and would love to see it back on the road but unsure if it is worth persevering with or best to possibly look for an example that is up and running. The body is in good condition with only minor corrosion and the interior is excellent. It has the larger s4 brakes? recognize these of my old 944 turbo. Any advice help would be appreciated .

Thanks.

Well, first of all can you do the welding yourself or will you have to pay somebody else to do it?

I'd say if the car drives well and has good bodywork/interior it's got to be worth a go, Also depends on whether you like doing this kind of "restoration" work.

If you can get the car fixed up for, say, another £1000 then you'll have a sorted 928 for £2000 which is less than you'd have to pay to get a good one. Even if you spend £2000 on it you won't be wasting your money, if the end result is a good 928.

I bought a lovely looking 928 S4 for £5000 in 2009 and it cost me £2000 almost immediately in mechanical repairs, but it was worth doing.

Can weld but not to the standard that would be required for body panels. More comfortable with mechanical repairs I have about 15 years experience in the motor trade different job so find it enjoyable now. Had toyed with the idea of a full re-spray as I have a good body shop that will do me a deal if I do the basic prep (stripping down basically) I did want to remove the rubber side trims and have the holes welded up as I like the look without them. I know you can never start something like this and expect not to loose some money but its always nice to come close to the value of the car when finished. I am guessing even a running on the road project will certainly need some of the work I encounter anyway and at least doing it this way I know what needs doing from the off. Its just good to know its worth doing before starting to spend 1000's.

Thanks

Hi

That body shop..and that deal.... ?

There is one guy that does most of the 928`s spraying in the UK...hes called Dake Mak at Daytona Coachworks in Stevenage...

Hes brilliant at 928s by the way and very helpful, he will always give you advice over the phone if it helps...

Now he normally charges around 4 to 6k to fully strip and paint a 928 and as a 928 owner he knows exactly what hes doing...the point i am making here is that be careful with that deal at the bodyshop....even if you strip it down, if its less than say 2-3k they dont know what they are doing..and a 928 has a very strange paint system...as some goes over galvanisied steel, some over ally and some over plastic (front and rear PU`s)

If you are replacing all the rubbers, they also cost an absolute fortune new

All the best Brett

If you go for a full respray it's going to get expensive as Brett points out.

I was basing my comments on the fact that you said the body was OK. You can get a superb condition 928 S4 for £8000 (prices seem to be rising) In fact I believe my old car is on sale at about £8000 and it's pretty much flawless.

However as with most car restorations it's generally a labour of love, so if you want to restore a 928 S2 you are not going to get your money back for a few years.

Some say the S2 is the one to go for, as it's got the power of the later S4, and the brakes, but less of the complex electronics.

Body not that bad really, re-spray would be nice but if it is going to cost that much to get a good job I would rather concentrate on the mechanics. I'm sure a day with the machine polisher will see it presentable. Have been looking at s4's but personally I think I prefer the older style of the S2. There is a quite rough looking red S4 on ebay at the moment but seems ridiculously cheap at the current bid.

Ricky, where are you? Your car sounds identical to a friends 928 up here in Scotland. The mechanics on the S2 should be easier to deal with than an S4 ( I often get the feeling that I've bitten off more than I can chew). There might be a local 928 owner who can talk to you, or show you what might be required. Please don't drive it or start it again until you know if the cam belt was done in the last 3 years, regardless of mileage. If not, this is the first thing needing done.

I'm in sunny Whitley Bay near Newcastle. I know I should of changed or at least checked the cam belt before starting but got a bit carried away with getting it going. Will definitely be changing the cam belt before it runs again. Noticed a exhaust manifold blow when it first ran so have been busy removing two broken exhaust studs from the left hand cylinder head the last couple of nights, that was certainly fun. Plan at the moment is to make a list of everything I need and try to get all the parts in one go. Seems to be a lot more available from the states

Small world! I'm out the west side of Newcastle, towards Hexham..

There might be someone who can supply second hand parts for you, he is currently breaking a couple of S2's.

Rawky, you're only a couple of hours from our Scottish 928 meet in July. You coming?

I was unaware it was happening to be honest! When and where?

However it certainly sounds like a canny day out, are we ok to turn up or do you need a sure answer? It would be nice to see some other 928s, I am yet to see another 928 when out in mine!

Cheers
Simon

You're welcome to attend, even without your 928 if you want. Got a few guys coming for a cross border invasion, Phil is bringing his SE which I'm looking forward too. Info' here. Sorry for going off topic, as you were.

Ricky, if you have a list of parts you want, I can give you a friends mobile number and he will be able to see what he has got. Just let us know.

Most parts up to now will probably need to be bought new fuel lines, rear springs but a good rear anti roll bar with securing brackets and a fuel tank cradle would be nice.

Rawky: Work in the Heddon on the Wall. Haven't seen a 928 on the roads in the North East area for years.

Haha the world really is small! I fill up in Heddon. Get along to the Fastlane show in Corbridge on 15th May if you're free. You can google it if you're interested, my 928 is entered!

Good luck with the car, sounds like a good project!

Cheers