OCTANE CARS

David Lillywhite gets four classics on the road

HOW’S THIS for my last ever Octane Cars, before I move on to a new project: four fully working, roadworthy classics – my Prodrive Impreza; newly purchased Porsche 996; ex-John Chatham MGB GT; and Range Rover P38. That just leaves Saab and Zipkart to finish…

It’s been quite a mission to get to this point, but all four vehicles are now more or less as I want them. The MGB needed a new set of tyres (Goodyear BluResponse 185/60s) and an MoT; I’ve just finished fitting a new dashboard to the Range Rover, having also changed the aircon blend motors and heater O-rings in the process; the Subaru has had a suspension and steering overhaul plus a change of wheels; and the Porsche has had, well, everything – which backs up our feature in this issue rather well.

So, Porsche first. I bought it a month ago, knowing the suspension was soggy, the aircon dodgy and the clutch tired. I budgeted about

£3000 for repairs and an IMS bearing upgrade, assuming I’d do some of the work myself. That would keep me well under £20,000 total outlay, for an immaculate, bulletproof, 52,000-mile Carrera 2. But then I got a bit carried away.

RPM took out engine and ’box together, because the exposed ends of the bellhousing bolts were corroded and threatening to strip the threads or even crack the block.

And then why swap just the clutch when a lightweight flywheel makes such a difference to engine response? The flywheel, £474 no less, is a thing of astonishing beauty. And the brake lines, rather corroded on my car, thread over the gearbox, as do the aircon lines (also corroded). RPM can fit braided flexible brake lines to avoid having to remove the gearbox but, with the ’box out anyway, it seemed sensible to fit new solid lines.

Also, the 996’s oil separator can fail, causing oil to be drawn into the

engine. It’s a pig to change in situ but with engine out it’s a ten-minute job. As was changing a leaking chain tensioner seal, while the IMS took less than an hour to replace.

I could have swapped the weak rear suspension struts myself but RPM were doing such a good job… I wanted Bilstein struts and Eibach springs, just as my Impreza has, so in comes a Bilstein B12 kit, and at that point why not replace the worn bushes? Cue four new suspension arms. Out of hand? Yes!

And, wait for it… Because the discs were corroded on their inside faces, and new pads would be needed to match – in they went too.

Then the aircon, which I was going to ignore for a while, until I decided that I wanted this car to be right from the start. New condensers now replace the rotten originals.

Finally, refurbished wheels. They had been reassembled incorrectly at some point before I bought the car, being split rims. Front centres on rear rims, and vice versa. Chris at Exel Wheels did the most amazing job, straightening two out-of-shape rims, swapping the centres and diamond-cutting the rims.

The result? Amazing! The 996 is transformed in looks, ride, braking and driveability. That flywheel makes a remarkable difference, as does the Bilstein kit. RPM Technik talked me through every stage, showed me every part – and thanks to them I have a car worth keeping for a long time. I’ve spent more than £5000 but it was worth it.

Meanwhile, the Impreza was in surgery too, its power steering rack having sprung a leak and several bushes needing replacement. This one went to Meerkat Garage, near Bedford. Another great bunch, and

Left and facing page Impreza in the process of having its suspension geometry set by Revolution Motorstore in Gateshead; bargain-buy P38 Range Rover is now looking a lot smarter after some intensive fettling to the interior.

mechanic Vaidas seemed to really enjoy working on the old Scooby.

I sent the rack to Western Steering for its two-day turnaround recon service, which cost £150, and all the front suspension bushes and rear anti-roll bar bushes were replaced with Powerflex equivalents. The old plastic anti-roll bar drop links were swapped for Whiteline alloy links.

Another car transformed! The wonderful Prodrive-spec Bilstein struts have always given a great ride but it feels so much smoother and more precise on the new bushes.

The finishing touch was to finally pick up my genuine Prodrive Speedline wheels from Revolution Motorstore in Gateshead. Boss Glenn Campbell has developed a geometry set-up for the Impreza Classic, which he used on my car. Again, what a difference, and much kinder on the new Avon ZV7s.

I’ve spent a lot of time and money but my cars feel the best they ever have. So huge thanks to all involved, and of course to you for actually ‘listening’ over the years. You can follow my progress on Twitter. Next up, a fast-road V4 engine to be built for the Saab…