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By: dmhager On: Saturday, 29 December 2018

I acquired #16 in March of 2017 and recently started restoring the car, beginning first with a mechanical restoration.  I spent the last year and a half acquiring some of the hard to find and unique early 928 parts that were missing (stainless gas cap, air vents, battery box cover, cargo cover, etc.).  The original transmission is badly in need of a rebuild so I swapped in a recently rebuilt 79 LSD transaxle and torque tube (retaining the original gearbox, torque tube and short coupler and intermediate shaft.  I sourced a proper stock exhaust system and got rid of the aftermarket Ansa unit.  Next up will be the front suspension (steel lower ball joints to replace original aluminum) and other bits.  After replacing all of the fuses and a good cleaning of the usual grounds and contacts, all of the electrical systems work.  The car is now roadworthy for at least local trips.

The original black and blue Pascha shows its patina, but is in remarkably good shape, although the fabic is weak with age and will need to be fully replaced when I'm ready to redo the interior, which will follow a repaint of the complete exterior.  Time permitting, the engine will come out this summer (2019) for head gaskets, a complete reseal, fuel injection system overhaul and whatever else is needed to get it properly sorted.  Despite obvious lack of maintenance over the years, the engine runs pretty well, shows no obvious signs of oil or coolant leaks and starts reliably.

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By: dmhager On: Saturday, 11 April 2020

During the COVID19 shelter in garage order, I am making good progress again. Out came the old cracked dash and in went a crack free dash, the original cluster is in remarkably good shape, only needing a cleaning and the light bulbs replaced - the original flex circuit is in perfect condition! The original odometer gear is also intact and not deteriorated with time (they must have switched to the biodegradeable version later). The original wiring, with hand painted stipes is also in excellent condition, with minimal abuse by hack mechanics over the years. I only had to restore a single connection at the ignitiion switch. The early cars had a different cam connecting the ignition lock cyclinder to the switch - it needed a little massaging to allow the ignition switch to function properly when turning the key. The CE panel is in excellent shape, only needing a gentle cleaning and a little Deoxit along with a new row of fuses and a couple of relays to bring all of the lighting back to its full glory. The build quality of this early car is amazing!

I also installed a perfect center console pulled from my other early donor car, along with the original Blaupunkt radio and tuner module (the tuner module sits aft of the cruise control module and connects to the head unit). All of the vacuum pods function pefectly, with no leaks. With some new light bulbs, all of the center console, clock and ash tray lighting all works as it should. The interior now looks quite good, accompanied by the black and blue Pascha with a bit of patina showing on iits original fabric. Ive decided to keep the original Pascha seats, but recover the interior from my early donor car so I can retain the original Pascha and have a brand new Pascha interior.

New inner and outer tie rod ends, steering boots, upper ball joint boots (the upper ball joints are tight and in good shape) and lower ball joints returned the steering and tracking to that marvelous feel that all 928s possess. A bad right front wheel bearing was sending all sorts of unpleasant vibrations through the car - new front bearings and races also restored the smooth quietness to the suspension.

New soft brake lines and a set of Hawk HP Plus made this old shark stop like an S. Good thing too because some kid blew a stop sign on a country road and I nearly t-boned him if it werent for a four wheel lock up to haul my speed down from 70 mph in short order (Im glad I seated those pads and had fresh fluid and hoses - confidence inspiring).

Someone installed the fuel tank and pinched the breather hose, making it difficult to fill the fuel tank beyond about 12 gallons so out came that for replacement hoses, a little cleaning and inspection. At some point, the original tank was replaced by one from 1983, which means I can use an available strainer in the future. The original dual external fuel pump configuation is still present, and the orignal replacement pumps are available from Bosch. New isolator mounts quieted the fuel pump sounds (the little rubber things with bedded screws on each end).

Now the question ... when to pull the motor for a reseal. I may take the car on a rally this summer now this its road worthy, and although there is a little oil weeping from a few tired old gasket, it runs excellent and the timing gears are in excellent shape. I may put this off to next summer and get the car painted this year.

 

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By: dmhager On: Saturday, 18 February 2023

During the past 2+ years, the car was treated to a windows out, trim off, bumper off repaint in its original silbermetallic, new pasha seat covers front and rear by Classic9 and a countless list of refurbished/replaced or serviced parts from front to back so that it now runs and looks very respectable and reliable. My journey with #16 is captured on Instagram at pascha928.

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