Easy Interior Detailing | Project Porsche 911 Carrera | Porsche 911 Carrera | Project Car Updates

Here’s something that might help you tackle a big detailing project: You can break it up into bite-size chunks. That’s how we’ve been cleaning up our 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera. We recently spent a few hours just detailing the interior–put on some tunes, grabbed our little Harbor Freight work stool, and went to work.

Anything made of plastic or vinyl was wiped down with protectant–and we mean everything, down to the door threshold plates. We’ve been getting great results with Griot’s Garage Vinyl & Rubber Dressing. Spray and wipe with a microfiber towel. That’s about it. They key, of course, is taking the time to clean everything. The plastic ignition key surround had whitened over the years, so we’ll see if this product can keep it looking black.

Door jambs should be cleaned, too, and we’ll hit them with some quick detailer applied with a microfiber towel. This isn’t rocket science; it’s just time.

Cleaning automotive glass, especially the rear window, can be a pain. That probably explains why our rear window was so dirty. Don’t forget to clean the gauge faces, too. Foaming glass cleaner seems to cut well while hanging in place and not dripping onto the interior.

Our coco mats from CocoMats.com do a great job of hiding the dirt, but periodically you need to vacuum them clean. The wider nozzle seems to work best here. For bonus points, take a few minutes to vacuum up the entire interior–spend a few minutes, too, and see how much of a difference you can make. Our goal was to find every crumb, every dog hair. Again, it’s all about time and being methodical.

Lotta junk in the glove box, center console and all of those cubbies? Yeah, our Porsche was no different. Why there was an extra pedal pad in the center console we’ll never know.

This is your chance to fix stuff, too. The release lever for the tilt-forward mechanism on the driver-side seat had popped off. Now it’s back in place.

We also noticed a few missing plugs on the passenger door, so we need to order replacements. And, yeah, the dash is cracked. It happened before we bought the car. One day we should deal with it.

Maybe we're not quite ready for Amelia Island, but the interior definitely looks better after some garage time.

Comments

300zxfreak Reader
1/27/21 9:17 p.m.

I notice you found out about the best glass cleaner going. My wife put me on to that stuff for my Z, and it gives great results, so much better than the blue stuff.......but fair warning, some glass cleaners will damage the gauge lens/covers, depending on the type of plastic being used.

Colin Wood Associate Editor
1/28/21 12:51 p.m.

In reply to 300zxfreak :

Thanks for the heads up about lens, though I think I'm going to have to get some of that glass cleaner. I'm tired of cleaning my windows, only to see streaks everywhere when I'm driving.

David S. Wallens Editorial Director
1/28/21 10:04 p.m.

In reply to 300zxfreak :

Thank you, Tim McNair from Grand Prix Concours, for turning me onto the Sprayway glass cleaner.

A few weeks ago, I was at our local supermarket and they were out--yet the tag on the shelf advertised 2 cans for $5. When I checked out, the cashier asked if I found everything okay. Well, I said, you were out of the gas cleaner.

She pinged someone who could tell me when more would be in. A case was due the next day and would be on the shelf the day following that. The sale still had a few more days.