Oil Lines and Side Skirts

I posted a few weeks ago that I'd swapped out an oil line I found to be woefully sub-par (read: ready to pour hot oil all over my passenger rear wheel at any second). That repair had the added bonus of fixing an oil leak I've had ever since putting synthetic in last year. It was dropping a quart about every 700-800 miles, so not bad, but making things all oogy all over the back of my car, garage and the cars behind me (discovered that gem after my lovely wife followed me home one afternoon and I had to clean it all off the car I'd just cleaned that morning).

This left me deciding to rectify a POGE (Previous Owner Grand Engineering) "fix". My oil lines have so far been affixed to the car by super technical nylon fastening devices (otherwise known as Zip Ties). While this has proven to be functional for [at least] several thousand miles it's ugly, bobo and certainly not as Dr. Porsche ever intended one of his glorious creations to be seen wearing. I ordered the proper winged holders that are supposed to be there and also mounted the side skirts and rubber trim. (one of these days I'll get enough done that painting those still primered pieces become a priority).

Maybe now my fellow Southerners will stop assuming those pretty circles in front of the rear wheels are where the exhaust comes out. (I can't tell you how many time's I've been asked that)

Raising the next generation of the obsessed

Lesson #5,283

Don't ever replace (1) set of wheel bearings

.....she's not howling anymore at 75mph after doing the other side :)

Yeah Baby! Heated winter driving!!!

I still have some adjustments and work to do to this little project but I'm happy to report there little puffs of warm air coming out around my knees. I do live in way South Alabama where admittedly we don't have much of a cold problem but there were plenty of days last winter where just a tiny bit of warmth to cut the chill or defog the windshield would have been appreciated.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/595880-poormans-heat-exchanger.html I give all credit for this idea to that Pelicanite who exhibited his own setup using headers like mine with just the same goal. It's simple and not particularly pretty but sometimes the best ideas are :)

Come on cold weather.

It's a wonder these old things keep going down the road

I discovered this a few weeks ago while trying to isolate an annoying little leak. Call it a lack of attention or blissful ignorance that I've tinkered with this thing for a year and a half without noticing it, and it wasn't even moist but after I found it, coupled with my leak being at one end of the line it was time for a shiny new one.

Not nearly as much oil poured out as I thought would and the swap was easy. I did find my thermostat end was a tad "buggered" making me think that's the leak source and still needing to find a final solution. Oddly it came "buggered" as I've [obviously] not touched that line in my ownership but wasn't leaking till I made the mistake of running synthetic oil through about 6 months ago.

New line, including a proper Porsche part that holds the oil lines instead of a big washer and zip ties. One of these days I'll make a post exhibiting all the "creative solutions" found so far, but I'm hesitant to exhibit those as I feel like they speak as much about my lack of pre-inspection as their poor stewardship.

The continued saga of the Porsche Targa Top

If you have been following this, or read from the beginning you will have noted my obsession/location of/tinkering with a Saratoga Top

Not a small amount of this obsession spurred from acquiring my car with a Saratoga Top that never made it home as it failed and sailed off into the wild blue yonder, on the highway while my big collection of parts [later known as Glenda] was riding on a trailer to Alabama.

Well, fast-forward not quite a year after obtaining the object of my desire and I've gone and sold it. I best equate this experience to "the hot chick", you saw her from afar, man she was pretty, wouldn't it be nice to spend some time with her! So by some twist of fate you landed that beauty, but after living with her for a little while you started to see the realities of day to day life with her and the picture loses some gloss......you get the story.

A Saratoga Top is made of lightly tinted Lexan, this is particularly nice to look out of on a moonlit night (one that for some unknown reason you didn't want the top off for) but try hoping it gives you any respite from 100°+ Gulf Coastal summer sun and you might as well expect a 3 year old not to argue with you.

Secondly there's a storage issue, when I first got it I was proud to announce that "I have a '75, without a brake booster, a hardtop was designed to fit in the trunk" Well, in theory this is correct, in practice it's not so great. It JUST fits, it rests uncomfortably on top of the battery, and has a tenancy to wiggle into just the wrong place to want to unlatch the hood. The alternative is that it "will" fit behind the seats, problem here is that just like the trunk it just barely sits there, it rubs on the top corners and against the rear seatbacks (laying down). I lived in regular fear of harming this pretty thing irreparably.

All this combined to leave me less than thrilled with it as a useable item, the only time I loved it was when my car was sitting parked and I could stare at how pretty it was. My 911 is not a showpiece, it's not a garage queen, I don't drive it daily, but I do drive it once or twice a week and my ultimate (and likely years long) goal is that it functions as a real car. Combine this with the fact that I tend to run on limited funds (unfortunately) and thus am not really in a position to hang something as nice (and valuable) like this on a wall, buy an additional top, and use it as an occasional change.

So I placed an ad on Pelican and within 30 minutes it was sold to a new admirer (there are a lot of admirers of this hot chick, I could probably have fetched 3 times more on evil-bay but I'm not that kinda guy). And I was able to procure a fairly nice example of the folding top Porsche found to be the best solution for about 30 years. It needs a little adjustment (what on my car doesn't) but so far it may not be quite as gorgeous but it's not nearly as demanding of my space and stress level and been a little easier to live with ;)

I so love my 911

We have had a very odd string of humidity & rain free [August] days down here on the Gulf Coast. I've been able to drive my toy to work 3 days in a row and not bother to put the top on it, worry it's going to get soaked and enjoy the drive without baking.

I came to my senses from my last post in that Glenda has a safe [fairly] permanent spot in the garage :D