986 front grill frames
986 front grill frames
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MogulBoy

Original Poster:

3,066 posts

254 months

Friday 20th January 2012
quotequote all
Onwers will know that these go milky-white after years in the sun (if you are lucky!) but they seem quite cheap at this source and replacing them could freshen-up the front quite a bit.

http://www.rosepassion.com/en/cat/porsche-boxster-...

The front PU seems to come off easily enough, are they simple enough to swap over and would you expect the fixing (clips?) to be re-useable?

P.S. Not sure if the above are a genuine part or a pattern but doubt anyone would have tooled up to make them other than Porsche.


Track_Puppy

62 posts

218 months

Friday 20th January 2012
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I've taken the front bumper off both my 986 and 996 in the past (very similar) - very easy and I even found a youtube clip that shows you how step-by-step! Only new thing I needed was stubby screwdrivers IIRC. I wouldn't bank on being able to re-use all the clips, but they're only cheap so spares are worth it. Yes these grille things pop out easily.

As an aside, I think I remember reading somewhere about a cleaning product (more than "back to black") to restore originals, might be worth a look.

Finally, a tip! While the bumper's off, clear all the old leaves / other cr*p that gets stuck around your rads. They're known for rusting from the outside-in, an annoying design fault, but you can avoid a £5-800 bill doing this every year or so. Almost happened to mine, but were "finished off" by a light front end prang (long story, had lent it to someone...) and luckily the insurer covered it without me even realising I had a problem!

MogulBoy

Original Poster:

3,066 posts

254 months

Friday 20th January 2012
quotequote all
Thanks. Will try to get some new clips at the same time. I think that "back-to-black" would struggle to make an impact on mine at this stage. Happily I live somewhere where the air is often very dry and leaking rads do not appear to be a major problem out here.

Track_Puppy

62 posts

218 months

Friday 20th January 2012
quotequote all
MogulBoy said:
Happily I live somewhere where the air is often very dry and leaking rads do not appear to be a major problem out here.
Great place to own a roadster! It's worth a quick check while the bumper's off though, as decomposing leaves can give the same problem - although clearly it's worse if said leaves hoard rainwater, not a worry for you.

thegoose

8,077 posts

241 months

Friday 20th January 2012
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Replacement grilles just because they're a bit discoloured?

An alternative solution:
smile

mollytherocker

14,469 posts

240 months

Friday 20th January 2012
quotequote all
I did my 993 rear spoiler grille with some american stuff that is basically a black dye. You just wipe it over the surface with a cloth. I did it 2 years ago and it hasnt faded at all. More importantly, it looks totally original (matt) and not shiny or oily.

I havent got the stuff at hand, but if you are interested, just shout and I will post up some pics tonight.

thumbup

MTR

MogulBoy

Original Poster:

3,066 posts

254 months

Friday 20th January 2012
quotequote all
The 'dye' sounds interesting but you know how it goes with black plastic: the white 'bloom' appears to have a thickness to it so it might soak up a dye but I would imagine trying to paint them would be a ballache and unless it was a special 'plastic' paint, it may not adhere that well.

As the grilles appear to be quite inexpensive and I am planning a bit of refurb this year, I could probably lose the incremental cost in my respray budget... Now then, I wonder how much the mouldings are in front of the rear wheel arches... type