Restoring the 911 Steering

[@larsniklassonhede3798]

When I bought my 87 Carerra in 1996 I had a strange problem with the steering. It was very hard to steer. You had to force the steering wheel in one direction to full swing. Then it went easily in that direction, but when you wanted to have full range in the other direction, it went sluggishly and you had to force the steering wheel again. I was very confused, didn't see anything from below. I found a hatch under the carpet in the trunk and opened it. There sat a large speaker connected to the stereo and the space was filled with tangle. It was this tangle that had wrapped itself around the steering rod and prevented the steering wheel from turning. Fantastically good videos. I will now follow your video on brakes and adjust my handbrake before inspection. My 87 has done 110,000 km is red and beautiful. Thank you/Vielen Dank

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks very much for that feedback, Lars. Very well received. People’s harness strategies sometimes are surprising, especially around the fuse box. I’ve seen directly wired a/c systems, radios, fuel pumps, amplifiers, horns, … so a speaker is just one more in the list. What I interior does yours have?

[@larsniklassonhede3798]

Black leather and plush fabric. Not the most elegant but you sit still

[@GreasyFingers]

@@larsniklassonhede3798 just like Walter!

[@paulnorris7270]

Very nice job. Looks easier than i thought, so will do mine myself

[@GreasyFingers]

Hi Paul. Yeah it’s not that difficult when it comes to the actual wrenching. The hardest thing is to properly adjust the wheel alignment, but there’s a film about this too … ☺️

[@jameseli5782]

These mechanical refresh project are enormously satisfying to what. You do amazing work!

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks, James. Yeah, that’s true. One has to walk the line though to not overdo because despite all workshop beauty they belong on the road.

[@goofballgarage]

As always a super job and super video. Everytime i have whatched a “Greasy” video i get inspired to do some work om the Gt6 … 🙏🙏

[@GreasyFingers]

Danke, Peter. Viel Erfolg mit dem GT6!

[@---rg1gb]

Beautiful. Great job

[@marionfisk7926]

Your video was very informative on restoring of the rack and pinion steering box. but how about the inside of the steering box? Is there any grease or oil that needs to be packed inside of it and with the ball bearings?

[@GreasyFingers]

Can’t tell. It’s available for reasonable money and neither me or anyone I know has seen the necessity to restore it.

[@dennisvogel]

Thanks for sharing this. There aren't a lot of people putting the old style (i.e., non turbo) inner tie rods on. This video was very helpful. What did you use for sealant? The manual calls for Terison Atmosit (circa 1970) on eyebolt threads and the rack face. Not something easy to find in the US. Best I can tell this is a silicon-based case sealant. Maybe Permatex Ultra Black RTV Silicone Gasket Maker?

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks, Dennis. I think it’s not about old and new style, but rather „absorbing impacts better“ or „more intense road feedback“. I consider my Targa as a relaxed cruiser for summer therefore I went for the comfy option. What sealant do you mean? Can you give me a time stamp?

[@dennisvogel]

@@GreasyFingers You don't reference sealant in your video. The Porsche factory manual does. I wondered if you used some, but didn't mention it.

[@anthonywurgler8845]

Nice work, but do you know where I can buy the black tool to tighten the socket ?

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks, Anthony. Can you give me a time stamp? Don’t know what you mean.

[@anthonywurgler8845]

merci j'ai trouvé :-)@@GreasyFingers

[@ArmySigs]

Great video, watching all your vids and subscribed after the first! What products did you use to repair the plastic piece? I have to repair a lot of plastic parts and am always looking to find better solutions.

[@GreasyFingers]

Cheers & thanks for the loyalty. I've used cyano and epoxy. No specific brands, but you can see them in the film anyway.

[@alexgross4749]

Excellent rebuild as always. I am working through a very similar project right now. One question if you don’t mind: can the u-joint for the steering shafts be rebuilt? Mine is a bit clunky and I wasn’t sure if it’s possible to rebuild or if I ought to just replace it with a new unit. Thanks!!

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks, Alex. Lass uns das mal auf Deutsch besprechen. Was hat das Gelenk? Hat‘s Spiel?

[@alexgross4749]

@@GreasyFingers Vielen Dank für Ihre Antwort! Ja, ich werde versuchen zu übersetzen. Das Kreuzgelenk bewegt sich nicht reibungslos. Kann es umgebaut werden oder sollte es ersetzt werden?

[@GreasyFingers]

@@alexgross4749​​⁠Hi Alex. I’m sorry, I misinterpreted your name which sounds very German. We can of course continue in English. When I did the work in the film I too thought about changing the joint, not because it had play, but because it was covered in quite some rust. Back then I didn’t find a workshop that’d repair it, so I removed the rust myself and painted it with the bearings remaining in place. As a spare part today it’s not very expensive (250 at Partworks) so I doubt someone can repair is for less than that.

[@alexgross4749]

@@GreasyFingers Thank you for your response! And yes my family has German heritage, so I understand the confusion 😊. (My grandfather was German, and I’m actually rebuilding his 1975 911S right now) Makes sense on the u-joint. Mine is also quite rusty and so my initial plan was to refurbish it aesthetically much like you did. However mine also does not rotate smoothly so I thought that oiling it might loosen it up…and when that didn’t work I was just wondering if you had ever actually rebuilt one. Agreed that the replacement cost is not too high, I just always like to try and repair what I can before I buy replacement parts. Thanks again for your time. I really enjoy your channel and Porsche videos. I’ve learned a great deal from watching, and am inspired to keep working on my project.

[@peterslutter5432]

WoW, so impressive!! Unbelievable what you can do with a car. Do you sell them after you are finished or will this car stay in your private collection?

[@GreasyFingers]

Many thanks, Peter. It feels really great to get feedback like that. I'm an automotive engineer which means I can theoretically meet most of the challenges my cars impose on me. Practically things do go wrong from time to time, but I don't show the mishaps on video. :-) This specific car is very close to my heart and therefore not for sale, but generally I sometimes buy them, fix them and sell them again.

[@peterslutter5432]

@@GreasyFingers Well...if you ever decide to sell this car and start a new project, please let me know :-)

[@andreaslieblang2107]

Hallo Johannes, mal wieder eine sehr schöne, saubere Arbeit von Dir. Warum hast Du nicht gleich die Turbo-Spurstangen verbaut? Viele Grüße Andreas

[@GreasyFingers]

Danke, Andreas. Der Targa ist für mich im Gegensatz zu meinem Carrera kein ausgesprochener Sportwagen, sondern eher ein cooles Cabrio, mit dem ich im Sommer lange Touren in die Berge unternehme. Da passen die Gummis in der Lenkung besser zum Charakter.

[@vwwerks]

Awesome videos! Great content, video work and I enjoy the humor. I have this same project on my to-do list this winter. I'm wondering, why did you decide not to go with the turbo tie rods? I'm leaning towards switching to the turbo ends since the cost is reasonable, for a Porsche part. It seems if it fits a Porsche the decimal point gets moved at least one place to the right.

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks! To my experience it’s not possible to notice the difference between the normal tie rods and the turbo ones when driving. It’s also said that the turbo ones are more durable, and while I guess that’s right, the loads on the steering system need to be absorbed somewhere. So if the peaks are passed on to the rack, don’t know whether that’s in my best interest.

[@alessandronardelli551]

Great job, Johannes. Just one question: why did you paint the cardan joint in stead of zinc coating it like the other parts?

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks, Alessandro. Appreciated. I first thought about zinc coating the cardan joint, but eventually I opted against it, because I wasn't sure what the electrolyte would do to the bearings. It's very corrosive and some remaining of it in the gaps could do great harm.

[@anthonybaiocchi3028]

You are just adding weight and undoing everything the rust has done to your power to rate ratio!

[@GreasyFingers]

Hell, you’re right! Why hasn’t anyone else told me before? 😆

[@anthonybaiocchi3028]

@@GreasyFingers 🤣🤣 I've got a lightweight Jag. It wasn't built that way. Thanks for the great vids, they are really good quality!

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks, Anthony!

[@coolcolschannel8773]

Today's lunchtime viewing 🤗 you're a clever guy are you self taught

[@GreasyFingers]

Yes, I’m really clever. 😆

[@coolcolschannel8773]

@@GreasyFingers haha then I watched the alpha video on jack point repair ,that car was used in film the Italian job as police cars 🤣

[@GreasyFingers]

🤣🤣

[@amg2rs236]

@@GreasyFingers I'd say awesomely CLEVER!!

[@1967250s]

Never thought I would see you use cyano and baking soda for a repair! Or epoxy! Always nice work though.

[@GreasyFingers]

It’s not baking soda! 😆 This stuff works pretty well on plastic parts.

[@annoodannoo1032]

Another great and inspiring video. I'm a bit curious what the white stuff is that you use when repairing the cover at 13m41s? kzbin.info/www/bejne/fV7JiI2mjd-taZo

[@GreasyFingers]

Thanks, mate. That’s a product called magic dust which you can use as a filler with cyano.