1992 Porsche 968

Following on from this thread I'm going to start tracking progress on the 968 I just picked up.

I have been looking for a weekend tourer/occasional HPDE car since I sold my NC Miata back in December (as it was a little too loud and harsh for me to enjoy as a tourer without compromising everything that made it great). I started out looking for a 987.2 base Cayman 6-speed but they are rarer than hen's teeth and the couple that I managed to catch ended up in bidding wars beyond what I could stomach.

While considering a lot of stuff (in true GRM fashion) I decided that I did ultimately want to check the P-car box for the first time and found myself very compelled by the 968. They are weird and unusual in a way I really dig and also have the advantage of being very underappreciated in Porsche circles.

After going back and forth with the seller of a green one for the better part of a month and failing to connect, this popped up on FB Marketplace yesterday, the guy very clearly was the right kind of owner, and I drove straight there with a few envelopes full of cash to take it home. With the incredible list of documented work and modifications I don't think I will have trouble breaking even or turning a bit of a profit if I decide to unload it, but right now I adore the thing and plan to keep it for a long long time.

For posterity, the original sale post from FB Marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1022426162634898

1992 Porsche 968 Coupe 2D

$19,500

Listed a day ago in Redwood City, CA

About this vehicle

Driven 179,270 miles

Manual transmission

Exterior color: Red · Interior color: Black

Fuel type: Gasoline

15.0 MPG city · 24.0 MPG highway · 18.0 MPG combined

Very good condition

Clean title

This vehicle has no significant damage or problems.

Seller's Description

Early edition 1992 968 (recessed Porsche badge on hood gives it away). The 968 coupe is a fantastic GT car.

It has sport oriented suspension and tires including: Ground Control caster-camber lowering plates with threaded spring adjusters and Koni dampers in the front. Adjustable coil overs with Koni dampers in the rear delete the torsion bars. Porsche Sport Seats secure the driver and passenger firmly in place. It is equipped with a six speed manual transmission and the optional limited slip differential (option code 220). It has M030 sway bars. It has been upgraded to the 993 big brake configuration. It has the Lindsey Racing three piece crossmember modification. Falken Azenis tires are mounted to Porsche Cup replica wheels.

The coupe has an amazing luggage capacity. This will hold golf gear and luggage for two. I've owned this since June of 2021. I've completed a roster of deferred maintenance (listed below). This is an honest driver that has miles of smiles remaining. I'm selling to make room for my next project.

The work listed has been done during my ownership unless stated otherwise.

• Replaced timing belt
• Replaced balance shaft belt
• Replaced balance shaft rollers
• Replaced balance shaft seals
• Replaced crankshaft seal
• Replaced water pump
• Replaced fuel pump
• Replaced fuel hoses to injector manifold
• Replaced fuel tank strainer
• Replaced O2 Sensor
• Replaced valve cover seals
• Tires – Falken Azenis – new in 2022
• Wheels refinished in silver
• Replaced Transmission output shaft bearings
• Replaced climate control unit
• Replaced front wheel bearings
• Replaced rear hub carrier bearings
• Replaced CV joint boots and repacked CV joints
• Replaced deck lid seal
• Replaced sunroof seal
• Replaced left and right door seals
• Replaced midrange speakers
• Replaced drive shaft torque tube
• Replaced facia seals and bumper trim
• Replaced AC compressor
• Converted to R134A
• Replaced distributor cap and rotor
• Replaced spark plugs
• Replace coolant hoses
• Replaced air and oil filter
• Replaced alternator and power steering belts
• Replaced power steering belt adjuster
• Replaced power steering rack hose
• Replaced water temp sending unit
• Replaced oil pressure sending unit
• Replaced trip meter/ odometer gears
• Replaced parking brake shoes
• Replaced brake pad sensors
• Installed new luggage cover
• Installed MOMO shifter knob and new leather boot
• Replaced cruise control module
• Acquired new owner’s manual
• Clutch and dual mass flywheel replaced in 2019 by previous owner

The logistics of the sale took up most of the day yesterday, and I still don't have it registered or insured (blasted holiday weekend means the DMV and Hagerty won't process my forms until Tuesday) so I can't really go out and enjoy it yet. However I did take it out in the neighborhood this morning for a couple of photos and to make some notes of things I want to look into:

• The suspension is low and stiff and the handling seems amazing from the couple on-ramps I hit on the drive home, but I'd like to raise and soften it up a bit as I want this to be more of a tourer. I need to check what springs are on the coilovers and look at possibly swapping them out and raising the ride height.
• I enjoy the seating position with the exception of my knees hitting the steering wheel (6'3" and 34" inseam), which feels a little too far away. The car came with a Momo wheel and hub, but I also see spacer options, and the 996 3-spoke wheel swap is compelling as the stock wheel is kind of dorky.
• The stereo is dreadful. It looks like the Rennlist guys have documented a couple upgrade paths, so I need to look into that.
• The gauge lighting situation is also not great, but I see that this is another problem that has largely been figured out.
• As I expected from a California car, the dash is not in great shape. It came with one of those ugly carpet covers which I've always hated, I'd rather look at the cracked dash. (I see that Coverlay makes a unit for the non-airbag cars, and I'm curious if I could get one of those and trim it for the passenger airbag. I have also wanted to experiment with flocking a Coverlay to see if that helps keep them from warping.)
• There's a chip on the passenger side of the windshield that I need to get filled before it spreads.
• Probably want to look at deleting the completely useless rear seats to get more storage space.
• There's an aftermarket shift knob installed that I'm not fond of, and want to get swapped out, probably for a stock unit.
• The vanity plate has got to go (a not-particularly-well-executed reference to Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein).
• I'm really curious to see how this car would look with a pro detail...

Sweet!

Fixing the dim lights isn't all that hard but you also never get the lighting you'd expect from a more modern car.  I always use tin foil to line the "light tunnels" and that works as well as anything else...

Mmm, that's nice

You did well.  That guy replaced a lot of parts - that's what you want along with him selling a track 968.  That's the owner you rush to with all that cash like you did. Good job!

Such cool cars. Thanks for sharing. 

In reply to docwyte :

Yeah, I am planning to do the foil HVAC tape and some warm white LEDs and leave it at that most likely. My E28 also had the old front-lit style gauges and they're not the worst thing as long as you have good bulbs and the light is getting where it needs to go.

In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :

Right? I looked at his FB seller profile and saw the race car as well and was like "yeah I'm probably not gonna find a previous owner any better than this." He also has an old Ranchero with a 944 transaxle in it he's building as a shop truck. Real cool guy and very helpful/knowledgable.

Wow, you found a great example, with factory sport seats and everything.

That ride height actually looks about right for one of these - they sit pretty low even straight out of the factory. I think the factory M030 sport suspension was something like 220 lb front springs and 25.5mm rear t-bars, which ends up being a similar rate in the rear if that helps you compare with whatever you have under there.

How is the hatch holding up? If the struts are weak, you may not want to replace them as the aluminum frame likes to separate from the glass. Just something to keep an eye on and be aware of if you hadn't read about that particular quirk yet.

In reply to gearheadE30 :

Good to know on the ride height, and you're right, looking at other examples this one is not meaningfully lower though it does have some more pronounced camber. As far as the hatch, docwyte brought up the potential for glass delamination when I first asked about these, and this one has it starting to occur. I talked to the PO about it and he was aware as well, and purposefully had not replaced the struts or adjusted the rear hatch bumpers to try and minimize further damage. It be what it be.

I've now gotten insurance sorted through Hagerty but am still waiting on the CA DMV to process my paperwork via the "online office"...if I don't get news tomorrow I am just going to go waste time at a physical office on Friday, I guess, as I want to drive this weekend.

Meanwhile I put in my first parts order. After doing a lot of research I'm going with a 993 RS steering wheel to replace the factory airbag wheel as it's a little smaller and uses an offset adapter that raises it up in addition to being a little closer. I also bought a new factory shift knob and boot as I'm not a fan of the aftermarket Momo currently in the car.

Just don't use silicone on the hatch if you end up needing to seal it up or anything - once silicone has been used, it's very hard to get anything else to stick. 

I've used some Sikaflex products on other oddball applications that needed a very high strength bond to a strange material. If I ever go to the trouble of fixing the hatch on my 924, my plan is to use Sika 221, since I've had good luck with it on other structural-but-kind-of-flexy projects.

I had to look up the stock steering wheel, you're right, that's something straight out of a 90's Chevy. That 3 spoke wheel will be a major improvement.

Signed up with the 968 registry and got some interesting information that this was the 26th 968 to roll off the line in 1992! So a VERY early car as far as 968 production.

Starting to poke at it a little more. A PO put in cool blue LED bulbs in all of the interior lighting positions, they didn't match the vibe at all so I swapped out for warm white LEDs to maintain the low current draw. Feels much more appropriate for the car. Also discovered that this car came with the amplified 10-speaker sound system from the factory, but various components have been messed with or had cheap aftermarket junk installed, so I have a better idea of how to proceed with correcting the crappy stereo situation. I also hit the faded/cracked dash with a coat of Solution Finish to make it look a little more acceptable until I figure out a more long-term solution.

On the docket for right now:

• 993 RS wheel & factory shift knob/boot (can't wait to get a little more knee room and eliminate the awful stock wheel)
• Red/black Coco Mats and trunk mat (hoping that quells some of the very pronounced hatch noise, might also look into some strategically-placed Dynamat)
• Proper 6.5" 8 ohm woofers from Parts Express for the rear seat speaker position (a PO put in some cheap 4-ohm Rockford Fosgate 3-ways which just blast treble from behind my head, it sounds awful)

Still waiting on a lot of stuff to come in the mail, but finally have the car registered and have been taking it out to enjoy.

Some progress, some headaches.

Progress: the 993 RS steering wheel is in. It's a MASSIVE improvement to both the seating position and visual presentation, now I have room to move my knees around for heel-toe and clutching at a more natural angle too. I was hesitant to drop $700 on a steering wheel, but this one was worth it.

Minor headache: it turns out this car has a Lindsey Racing short shifter setup which does not easily accept the stock shift knob (which is made to fit over a square shift lever, not a round one). Luckily, I've had to deal with crap like this before and have some ideas. I'll probably make a little spacer and then drill/tap the OEM knob and Lindsey lever for set screws to get everything just right and retain the Lindsey shifter.

Major headache: the Sony tools to release the head unit from its cage showed up today, so I popped it out to get a look...and all of the factory stereo wiring was cut, the current deck was hard wired in, and all of it was wrapped in a foot of electrical tape! Ugh. I'm going to install one of the new 45W RMS Sony decks in this thing soon so I guess I'm doing all the wiring over again...

Anyway, pics.

before:

after:

disappoint:

First time I've ever seen disappointment for a properly wired head unit! but that does make it a bit harder to change. 

That steering wheel was a great choice, major improvement.

In reply to gearheadE30 :

I mean, I was hoping to find a Metra or Scosche adapter harness that kept the factory wiring intact. I always try to keep the ability to revert back to stock as much as possible. While this is sure better than finding a bunch of Home Depot wire nuts in there, it eliminates the possibility of wiring up the new deck on my bench with a new adapter harness and just doing a quick swap. Alas, there are worse things, though I am hoping to see good wiring under all the electrical tape at least.

Are the headlights on these as weird looking as the 928 when they're up? Please post pics :)

Goodness that new wheel make a huge improvement!

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Yes indeed! I'll get some real pics this weekend but here's a sneak preview:

I much prefer the Metra and Schosche harnesses too...

Headlights up is frog mode!

Turns out there was a 928 flatnose. Which is the opposite of your 968 :)

Also, eww. Not well executed.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Yeah, as with the square-headlight BMWs, there are all sorts of bizarre kits out there, some of which are strangely nice while others are godawful...

There are fenders you can get for these to use 993 fixed headlights, which is an interesting (very "90s BPR GT series") look. I do love the frog mode though.

I kinda love that 993 headlight conversion, maybe it's the additional vents that contributes to the vibe.

In reply to cheese :

Yeah, I think the fender height is slightly raised behind the lights to keep them at the right angle which gives it a real interesting look. Maybe if I wreck it someday...

I have a real assortment of updates I'll type up tomorrow but for now here's a cool photo of me tearing ass up CA-1 in it on the last Breakfast Club Rally.