As a fellow passionate 997S owner, I am posting this here, hoping it doesn't get moved to the old 911 section, which is a little slow compared to the activity here.

Anyway, I'm hoping it's "relevant" in that it shows how care of a 911 can make our 997's be special in 25 years.

Here's my 1987 Carrera 3.2 911, original paint Guard's Red with black leather and vinyl interior. 128,000 miles on the clock, it's no garage queen.

As with my Supercharged 997S, I've spared nothing in terms of time, labor, and some cost to make this car not only a pleasure to be in, and drive all the time, but competitive in any Concours d'Elegance...
CATTMAN

 

So, while the carpet was in good condition for being 24 years old, it wasn't up to snuff. I want 10/10. So I decided to tear out the entire interior, and the carpet.

The red stuff you see under the carpet is not rust, no no no, not in this car. It's the original german sound deadening material/ heat proofing that cover the entire rear seat area. It's very heavy, and about 1/4 inch thick, all around. And the red painted surface on the floor is not the body sheet metal, it's the original german asphalt coating meant to quiet the cabin from road noise.

The floor boards behind the pedals are German wood, yes, wood, from the black forest! There is more wood in the car, as I discovered, more to come...
CATTMAN

 

Great looking cars back then! Please post more pics of the re-finish work too.

 

That is simply a beautiful 911.

 

After removing the rear seat backs, you remove the carpet on the rear of it, which is visible when the seat backs are folded down, as they are in our 997's.

But after prying out the carpet staples, it's more WOOD! More bavarian wood from the black forest, LOL! Wood? I mean, in 1987 this was THE freakin' car to own, the 0-60 mph in 5.3 second, status car to own! And there was over 35 lbs of primitive sound deadening, and however many lbs of, wood? Yes!

Do you think there's even a splinter of wood in our 997's?

Anyway, tape up the rear seat backs, mask them off, and repaint the scratched and worn metal hinges.

With all the interior bits out, it's a great opportunity to take a toothbrush and some interior cleaner, then some meguiar's natural shine, and clean up everything, inside and out, back and front.
CATTMAN

 

Very cool car John!

 

Very nice!

Jason

 

Beautiful 911.

 

Your attention to detail is second to none. It is only a matter of time before your beauty bags a first place. Great job. That original paint is showroom perfect. I am amazed. With 128K miles, I would have expected quite a few rock chips in the hood/front bumper. Is the hood repainted or that original too ?

 

The new carpet kit is from AppBiz, and is original OEM German Sliverknit carpet, cut and vinyl bound. You can also see how well cut the new pieces are when placed next to the originals.

Looking at the stripped out interior is a scary stage. It actually reminds me, emotionally, of how I felt at a certain stage of my DIY Supercharger installation when I said to myself, "What the heck are you doing, John?"
CATTMAN

 

Only as decorative options. But remember that wood was a desirable engineering material until composites took over. For the times, it had excellent strength to weight ratios. During the time your car was being designed, we still had one modern light aircraft being built of wood.

[edit] P.S. I meant to say that I loved your car when it was new and your example looks gorgeous and would be welcome in my garage right now.

Gary, an engineer so old he remembers when
carbon fiber was a material of science fiction

 

Wow... now there's a classic Porsche I would love to own! Very nice!

 

Thanks, guys!
As during the Supercharger installation, it's your comments that keep me going. It's pretty bleak when the interior is stripped, and my son calls it a "junker".

The worst is my wife is fed up with my use of the garage, and the creep of the parts into the foyer, etc. I understand her, of course. I really do need a separate facility for all my automotive projects. One with wifi, a 60 inch 1080p LCD, and fridge...

I do think that '87 and '88 are two of the best years for the 911. Any earlier and you get some quirky bits (tricky 915 tranny, the exploding air boxes of the 2.7, etc.) 1987 was the first year for the stout G50 transmission, and the car still has the original 911 look and shape that goes back to it's first year. In 1989 you lose much of that look with the (to me) odd bumpers on the 964 model 911. And by the time you're talking about the 993, the last of the air-cooled 911's, you're talking about a truly modern car.

The '87 and '88 give you terrific classic looks with drivability that I think are unmatched in other model years, either earlier or later.

So when I get the interior as perfect as the interior, what will I do? Put my son's car seat back in, and drive it to work!

BTW, I had to retro-fit rear seat 3 point shoulder belts, as those were not standard in '87 in US model cars. I'll post pics of that here, too.
CATTMAN

 

Nice cars. Recently acquired an 87' 911 Carrera Targa with 18K miles from my brother this past summer. I agree the 87'-89' are one of the best years for the 911. Having driven both my 06' C2S and this the last few months I find myself enjoying this classic quite a bit.

 

Simply fabulous! Congratulations for a well maintained car. And yes, a stock 997 can look stunning 25 years from now. I bet, far more desirable than the moving auto appliances of the time. The gadget guys will probably prefer those, as driving for them will simply be a push-button itinerary change on A-to-B rides.