2558 - 2550

Adrian Streather's comprehensive 911SC book which I own( and you should too if you own an SC) and refer to often has the SC's weight pegged at 2558lbs. That is not too light. My race prepped 944 weighs in at 2450lbs.

So, I was wondering what my 82 SC Targa weighed. And remember my Targa has a fiberglass ducktail, radio delete, complete A/C delete including all hoses and brackets, lightweight door panels and minimal carpeting.

2550lbs was the weight with a quarter tank of gas. So figure that is about five gallons of gas at 7lbs a gallon for 28lbs of fuel. That puts the car weight at approx. 2525lbs. What the heck! You would have thought my car is 200lbs lighter than a stock SC. I bet it is. Because I bet the weight in Streather's book is a completely dry weight. Whatever. Now I know what it weighs.

But I do have to say that it has put the bug in me to remove even more weight from it...

Shamed by a 912 Driver

I have nothing against 912s at all. I love them. A 67 912 was my first Porsche and like all aging men I am sure some day I will track down another 912 just like it to relive some memories.

The snow was melting today in Denver but the roads still a bit mushy and soggy and snowy on the side roads so I decided to take my Jeep to work. Well, on the way home I spotted this well-worn SWB 912(you can tell it is a SWB by the position of the torsion bar cover) on I-25. Damn him.

I will drive my 911 tomorrow.

The car seemed to be riding a bit high, and the burble from the exhaust was blowing something fierce but he was still in the fast lane enjoy the drive.

Track Day Vid - How Many Effects Can You Spot

Nothing against my neighbor who shot this video while riding shotgun, I commend him for not getting motion sick, it was a rather boring day just lapping. Nothing like the usual 944 SPEC scene.

So, on a snowy day I spent some time hacking it together and putting more effects on this than a James Cameron movie.

Hope you enjoy the vid and 'The Horror. The Horror.' Soundtrack.

V8 influenced Wheels on the SC

As the son of a Hot Rodder, I was around a lot of classic Fords during my formative years. As such, I have a love of the Ford Engine Blue color. Just something about it. Just a bit softer than Gulf blue, more grayish.

It brings me back to the 1970 F250 I owned for a couple years as we restored our home. With a 390 V8 and only two wheel drive, it was the best vehicle I ever owned for laying strips. And under the hood was always pleasant to look at because of that blue color.

So, I painted my very tired Fuchs with it. I used the 500 degree engine paint, primer and clear. The 2000 degree stuff requires a heating period so it is not good for wheels. I have painted other wheels with this engine paint and it was durable.

Odd Green Porsche 911SC

I am the biggest fan of odd, factory-color Porsches. The odder, the better. Browns, Greens, even the Pink I saw on a 964 once. With matching pink interior.

So, I flipped a U-turn when I saw this SC parked near University Park in Denver. I had never seen this color green before. The car looked well-maintained too. Nice Fuchs. Good interior with Sheepskin seatcovers. The interior was caramel. Even a classic plate on it so the owner seems to be an enthusiast. Top it all off with the rad ski-rack and this SC has a lot going for it.

So, anyone know the name of this color green?

63,000 miles 911SC

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The hibernation period for my much coddled and loved 1983 SC is over. We are having some beautiful spring weather in Denver and I wanted to drive her to work.

After being a bit dyspeptic upon startup, she soon cleared her throat and began singing her song of flat six. 

Ok, enough jargon. The car was a bit rough to start, but did run great after a few miles. I think it has more to do with 6 month old gas than anything else. So, I went and brimmed her to the top with Ethanol free gas from a Conoco in Lakewood. A rare find here in Colorado. And ethanol has a nasty habit of corroding the delicate CIS system.

Also on the drive in, the car ticked over to 63,000 miles. I bought the car five years ago with 58,000 miles, so 1k a year average. I've always had another Porsche that I use as my daily driver so I can keep this car in pristine condition. 

To switch and begin driving this car everyday would be like using a new razor blade each time I shaved. I can only appreciate how smooth and effective a new blade is if I push my current blade's use until it become scratchy. Same with my daily drivers. I drive the Jeep and my stripped out SC targa all the time. So when I step into the coupe and become enveloped by the smell of aging horse hair and leather. The look of patinated carpets. The touch of the original Blaupunkt knobs. The muffled thrum of a the stock engine. It all is that much sweeter.

Someone last weekend suggested I sell all four of my cars; the 82 targa, 944 SPEC, Wagoneer and this coupe and get a Cayman or used 996 GT3. They are nuts. Like eating the same thing everyday. 

Really, the only people who eat the same thing everyday are babies, prisoners in third world countries and the insane.

German 911 Gets Scottish Interior

After being so completely thrilled with the way my new Grand Wagoneer headliner came out I knew I wanted to do some interior work on my 82 Targa. Add to that the Targa is black on black on black and you get for a very boring interior. And note, I am a huge fan of funky clothes, interiors, etc. And so is Alois Ruf, so I think I am in good company.

I could not afford to pay for this work, so was limited to redoing the door panels and rear package shelf. A project hastened along when I went ahead and removed the monstrous stereo system whose speakers left Crater Lake-sized holes in my door panels. And left me without a rear shelf.

First thing I did was remove the interior door panels. This takes about five minutes aside. Take a photo of the window switches so you know how the wires go when you put the switches back in. As you can see, the original fiberboard was well stained and warped from moisture exposure over the years. I would use these as a template. 

The material I used for my backer is called Coroplast and can be found in many colors and cheaply at any decent art store. Coroplast is easy to trim with scissors or knife, has a smooth surface that accepts adhesive well, will not be damaged by water, weighs less than a Korean ice skater and is bendable. The final benefit being needed for the rear parcel shelf. To ensure a good facsimile, you can see I clipped the original to the coroplast before cutting. I marked all holes with whiteout to cut out later. 

But back to the doors, you can see the original doors had foam on the back in varying depths, something I recreated with my door panels. I did put a thin headliner foam on the door panels, you could also use felt like I did on the parcel shelf. Both worked easily and provided the soft curves you need. But if I had to do it again, I would use the foam on all the pieces as it is easier to trim and glue on without wrinkles.

I used 3M trim adhesive. You really need to use an automotive adhesive, not Super 77. The stuff sits on the fabric and does not stain it and has a long, 20 minute work time. Something good for rookies. Once I wrapped the fabric around the back, making lots of relief cuts to the fabric did not bunch up on the corners, I also duct taped them for overkill. The glue held really well, but why not go one step further. Staples, the normal way to secure the fabric are hard to find in the shallow depth and do not stick well in the coroplast.

As for the rear deck, since I had none, I first made a template out of cardboard and then transferred that to the coroplast. 

The only trick worth passing on is you cannot have a big enough space to work on for this. A kitchen table is a bit small. Might want to put two tables next to each other. I am luck enough to work in an ad agency that has huge cutting tables. Total project including glue, fabric and coroplast cost me about $50. 

High Plains Raceway Trackday

Did my first DE at High Plains Raceway. Wonderful track. 2.6 miles. Lots of blind curves and elevation changes. I drove the SC and loaned the Boxster to a friend. Both cars did well, nothing broke, so a successful outing.