944 Race Motor Update

In these photos you can see the oil pick up installed and short block complete.

You also see the stock oil cooler on the side of the engine, I use this in conjunction with a mocal external oil cooler run off a sandwich plate between cooler and oil filter.

The timing on the motor has been solidified so I will be getting it after April 10th. So, for the first race of the season I will need to run my current 140,000 mile motor. Oh well, I can really cane it now, knowing if it blows, big deal.

So You Want to Write About Racing...Panorama

That wonderful little book in the white envelope you get every month is one of the better benefits of PCA membership. It really is worth the price of membership alone. Betty Jo Turner and her photographer husband do a solid job of bringing club and Porsche news every month. 

So, I was really pleased when they agreed to run my piece about building a Porsche 944 race car. It is nice to see a bit of low cost Porsche news in Panorama as it is usually full of expensive cars, trips and racing.

The article was fun to write and the pics came out great thanks to my wife and Cooper Naitove, who took the big action shot that is the main photo of the article.

Style & Substance & Tax Write Off - Windshield Banner

We had a mercury-favorable day in Denver today and I was able to uncover the 'ol #901 and install the windshield banner/sunshade I had made at Signspecialist.com. Toby who owns or runs the place was great. Contacted me by email after I submitted my order just to make sure the banner was exactly how I imagined it. Plus, the decal came with a video, an instruction guide, a squeegee and a razor blade. Man, they give your everything you need and then some to do a bang up install.

For like $25 this was a multi-purpose score. One, no sun visors in a race car, so this helps with reducing glare from noon-day sun. 

Two, my car is #901 so this works as another numbering decal.

Three, I can promote my novel Hunt for 901, at every track appearance. I already to that, but this is a visible promotion tool for the IRS. 

944 Balance Shaft Install. 200th Post

Dave at 944 Motorwerks is keeping me up to the moment. He has been installing the balance shaft in the 944. Everyone knows this is a part Porsche licensed from Mitsubishi. But, another interesting thing to note is that some race cars and street 944s have run without the balance shafts.

But, SPEC rules mean you have to run them. And I do not think you gain much power by not using them. Just a lot lumpier idle. 

Also today ordered up a real oil temp gauge and an oil pressure warning light so have the final pieces needed once we get around to install.

Kinda mediocre 200th post. Man, it feels like I have made 2,000 posts. But, not too bad. You keep reading, I will keep them coming.

944 SPEC Engine Build Starting Assembly

Dave sent me some shots of my cleaned and prepped block beginning assembly. The first step he is taking is trial fitting the main bearings, as you can see above.

After that, he will fit the crank. Truly, it is very straight forward from here.

Proust Moment - When I saw this picture this morning I realized I had never had a brand new motor in any of the 15 cars I have owned. Not once. I put a new cam and intake on my 440 Chrysler that my dad and I dropped into my first car, a 1969 Roadrunner clone. But that was not a down to the bare parts new motor. So, this is getting more and more exciting for me. Come to think of it, most of my cars have had over 100,000 miles on them. Some, over 200k. So, let me drift off thinking of the smell of assembly lube, touching the greaseless block. Proust had it right, certain things that we see can cause a domino effect of memories.

Well Begun IS NOT Half Done

The saying, "well begun is half done" was posited by a hard-working fellow lost in time. But many Porsches come to us with "half done" jobs. A half done job on my recently acquired 82 Targa was the A/C delete.

In reality, the job was 10% done. The compressor and evaporator were removed from the engine compartment, Oh, you can also add in the compressor belt.

So, I had the task of removing all the other parts listed in the four above diagrams. That is a lot of stuff. I have, I am not afraid to admit it, smallish hands. But even my diminutive mitts got scared and scraped digging into the smuggler's box and recesses of the engine compartment.

So, a "half done" job on your Porsche is not great to leave as is. It is not something to stand idly by and abide. If you work on those stuttering jobs in fits and starts, that is OK. You are in great company. I remind myself of Gaudi's Sagrada Church, still not done. But they are working on it....

And, if you sell a car with a "half done" job. Shame on you.

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. 

Glamorous Author's Life

So, what looks like a convict in a prison shipping room is actually myself signing books a Porsche Book event held at Iconografix in Hudson, WI. 

All those boxes are filled with fantastic automotive literature. I feel a bit inadequate when selling my little novel next to some huge tomes like Excellence Was Expected or the newest Jesse Alexander  photo compilation. Getting to just wander around the stacks at Iconografix was great. But it took a lot of effort to only buy one book out of the dozens I lusted after. Right now, the race car is getting priority over my library. 

But, it was fun time chatting with all the Porsche nuts who braved the cold to show up. And even more fun talking with my publisher Kevin Clemens and owner of Iconografix Tom Warth. Both have wells of auto stories that would probably never run dry.

New 944 Race Motor. Last Great Excuse Gone.

My last really great excuse as to why I was running at the back of the pack is going to be gone. I was using a 140,000 mile original NA engine in my 944 SPEC car. But with a new season coming, and one that includes 3 enduros, I needed to get a new motor. Note I said, needed.

I figured better to do this before the season starts than wait for the inevitable blowing of my 83 engine. 

To start with, I needed a new core. And as 1988 is the hot motor year to have in SPEC because of a tic higher compression and rev limit, as well as improved oiling I hunted down a donor motor. I found a complete 88 engine including AFM and computer on Ebay and had it delivered to Dave Dirks at 944 Motorwerks. Lucky for me, this 944 NA engine specialist lives in CO but does motors for racers across the country.

Dave offers a number of build options, but none too crazy as the rules in SPEC do not allow for much beyond a stock rebuild and mild valve work. Costs range with parts, labor and machine work from 2,000 - 3,000 dollars. And trust me, the vast portion of that is parts and machining. Dave's build rates are very reasonable.

Buying an Ebay motor is a risk but I got lucky. When stripped down all the bores were smooth and in spec. Even all the rods required no resizing. So my build is a straightforward one with a race valve job, micropolished crank and an improved oil pan and baffle. I am also adding in ports for a real oil temperature gauge and oil pressure warning light. You have to protect that new motor.

I can't wait to get a new motor in the car and see where my pace will be at. More info and pictures to come.

Porsche Radio Blanking Plate. Trompe L'oeil.

After removing about 60lbs of high-end stereo equipment from Schwartzie, I was not in the mood to replace it. Besides, with the M&K muffler, it is not the most sonically pleasant environment to listen to NPR or Coldplay or Lady Ga Ga or anything.

So, left with a gaping whole where the headunit used to reside, I needed to find a solution. Often, people just put in a metal plate with a Porsche badge. Boring. I thought I could do a little Trompe L'oeil magic though. Dropping some mad art terms here. But, basically it means fool the eye. 

So, I printed out a photo of a Blaupunkt face plate. Cleaned up the display in photoshop and then added the station call letters, "Flat Six", because that is what is always playing.

I've gone ahead and attached the properly sized files so you can replicate this idea yourself. I've included a blank one as well so you could add in your own text. Even if you don't have Photoshop, you could drop in some text in any number of programs including MS Word. Just click on the photo to get the full size image.

I then printed out the file. Shaped a piece of modeling pine to friction fit in the opening. I then used Mod Podge to decoupage the printout onto the opening. This also makes the print super durable and cleanable. I did eight coats of Mod Podge.

Hit me with any questions, enjoy and the raucous sounds of WSTT, Flat Six radio.