All posts categorized Project Cars

Rebuilding the Shifter

The Miata’s shifter was getting worse as time progressed, so I decided to perform a shifter rebuild. I purchased the 5-speed transmission shifter rebuild kit from Flyin’ Miata, which you can also get from 5X Racing. In addition to the shifter, I also wanted to replace the center console boot which is the exterior boot, part number NC-10-64-331A which I ended up purchasing from Tasca Parts.

The process for the shifter rebuild is outlined in this post. This post has several pictures, so may take some time to load.

Patching the Vinyl Window on the Porsche Boxster S

The previous owner had used packaging tape on the 4 inch size tear in the vinyl window on the soft top (Figure 1). When I had washed the car in August 2019, I had taped it further with silver 3M duct tape which stayed on for quite a while. I decided to fix the vinyl window using Lamin-x transparent vinyl tape from Amazon for $14.

I also purchased a full replacement vinyl window and stitching kit for $99 from EMiata. Even though their website looks 20 years old, they do sell Boxster replacement windows and a full stitching kit. But this post is for the temporary fix, as the stitching requires about 4-5 hours of serious work. And it is still winter and too cold to be doing that outside.

Winter Wheels on the Porsche Boxster S

From the 986forum.com, where you can find me as username vkmotorsports, I found a post (now removed) selling used Boxster 17” wheels with brand new Dunlop WinterMaxx tires (Figures 4 and 5) for $500 in Brooklyn, NY. This was a great deal considering the wheels had some scuffs but the tires were brand new and unused. The seller wanted to buy a Boxster, but did not end up buying one. He instead bought a 911. However, he had purchased these wheels and tires before he even bought the Boxster !!! Hilarious! That made it easy for me to get the whole package for $400 cash.

Patching Torn Seats on the Porsche Boxster S

The Porsche Boxster S I purchased had a torn driver’s seat in the left bolster (Figure 1) and on the seating area (Figure 2). After spending a lot of days looking at used seats and sports/racing seats online, I decided to save money and buy leather tape from Amazon.

Fixing Dents on the Porsche Boxster S

The Porsche Boxster S I purchased had a salvage title because it had a massive dent in the left rear quarterpanel, as shown in Figure 1, and a broken tail light. Fixing dents on a car requires real talent and experience, neither of which I had. Nevertheless, I gave it a try in late 2019 by buying a hammer and dolly, and a stud welder set. However, I failed to achieve a good result so ended up giving up after some effort. About 14 months later, in 2021, I decided to hire a cheap body shop guy off CraigsList to get it fixed up so I could make the Boxster my daily driver going forward. I had sold my actual daily driver, a 6-speed manual transmission 2017 VW GTI S, since I was not driving it due to the pandemic.

To make the Boxster my daily driver and to get the salvage title converted to rebuilt title in NJ, I needed the dent fixed. Below is my experience trying to fix the dent myself and then hiring a profesional.