Newbie from Japan

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:17 pm

Hi All

This is my first post. I am a geriatric Australian with a long history of Porsche insanity. My first, a long, long, long time ago, was a 1956 356A Speedster (with a very long story I'll be happy to tell some time in future). Currently my daily driver is an RHD 1991 C2 Coupe, and I have just about finished restoring a drop-dead gorgeous 1967 911S Targa (soft rear window), which was white when I found it, but have returned to its original Tangerine color. when I get to know my way around this site a bit better I'll try to post some pics.

I currently live on a thoroughbred horse stud in the south-east corner of Hokkaido, the northernmost island in the Japanese archipelago. It is VERY remote location. I need to head in to Sapporo (the "Big Smoke") soon to have a proper wheel alignment done. I have located a good alignment shop, but he has no prior experience with anything older than about 1973.

I have nothing either that gives me all the information I need on toe-in, camber, torsion bar settings, and all that sort of stuff, for the 1967 model. So my first contact with you all is a plaintive plea for help from someone who might be able to point me in the direction of the information I need.

Lots more soon, I hope.

Cheers
Greg

Post by **Bootsy** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:21 pm

Hi Greg, welcome. Did the membership pack reach you ok?

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:38 pm

Yes thanks very much. The pack arrived last weekend. Love the decals, but at a bit of a loss to know where you put them on a soft rear window Targa !! Not all that much visible glass. Mighlt look good on the white lid of my Mac ?? A bit intrigued by the small green one - it won't peel off its backing. I'll get around to the shop as soon as I get everything sorted on my 911S. I am leaving on a trip to the UK and Italy on 1 October, so rushing this week and next. The alignment issue is really the last one I have to deal with before she goes into hibernation for the winter and I can do all the finishing touches in a warm garage.

The 964 C2 does service all winter with snow tyres, but is always a very scary proposition on the ice - even with a front boot full of sandbags and a set of the narrowest tyres it is possible to fit all round. Still, what is life without challenges?? Vic Elford did it, so I can too - or so I keep telling myself when the courage starts to run out!!

Cheers
Greg

bjmullan · Post by **bjmullan** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:05 pm

Welcome Greg, it will be easy for you to organise a Japanese DDK get together as you are the only one!!! Any pictures of the Targa?

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:16 pm

G'day Brendan - good to be aboard. I might be able to round up a couple of other members. I am having a sort of formal unveiling of the new car over this weekend. One of the cars coming (from Sapporo) is a 1970 911T Sporto, and he has a mate who I have just heard about with a 1973 911S Coupe. That's a start at least !! I joined the California-based Early 911S Registry and they claim to know of a few more early 911 owners in Japan, so I'll extend the web as far as possible.

I'm looking all over the place and can't see how to post pix. Any advice would be welcome and I'll get some up very quickly.

Cheers
Greg

Helen · Post by **Helen** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:26 pm

Hi Greg,
welcome to DDK. i can't help with the wheel alignment questions, But i can help with the green sticker problem as i had the same trouble with mine.

i ended up soaking the backing off & then rubbing the gunky glue off. then it stuck to the window no problem just using soapy water.

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:44 pm

Thanks Helen - I'll give the sticker a soaking in the morning. I had decided it was really the only one I could use on the car itself because of its size. Not sure it doesn't clash with the tangerine but . . . .

So you have a Tangerine one too. Fantastic. Everyone here tells me I'm insane to paint it that color. But the thing is, it WAS that color originally. The Karosserie plate on the driver's door post says 2002L. I now know the 2002 to be the code for Tangerine in 1967, and L to be the paint manufacturer, Lechler - one of Porsche's several paint makers. But when we started stripping it down, the orange started showing up everywhere, so we took some scrapings and had the formula reproduced locally. THEN I discovered what the Karosserie numbers really meant!! Could have saved myself a lot of agro.

As soon as someone enlightens me re posting photos, I'll show her off. Her name is Brunhilde, by the way. In Norse mythology, a shieldmaiden and one of the Valkyries - fitting enough for a well bred Germanic girl.

Cheers
Greg

Post by **Bootsy** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:49 pm

I'd better have a look at the Green sticker production line and check quality control!

Helen · Post by **Helen** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:53 pm

Yes, my 1968 911S is Tangerine. have to confessits not my favourate colour (that would be signal orange) on a early 911 as in the UK its got to be one of the most common colours

reg posting picture on this site. you pictures have to be hosted on website. for example photobucket or flickr then you copy and pste the url between [img]"post%20url%20here"[/img]

Bootsy posted a thread explaining this a lot better http://www.ddk-online.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3864

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:02 pm

Thanks Helen. I'll have a look at the Bootsie instructions tomorrow (it is now 1 a.m. here and I am fading fast under the relentless influence of several OP rum and cokes.

But would be interested to know if the following URL will open for you.

http://home.att.ne.jp/red/greg/sisters/

Not sure if you have to cut and paste it into a browser or whether it comes through as an active link.

Please let me know.
Greg

Helen · Post by **Helen** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:08 pm

yup, that link works fine

look very nice

Post by **Bootsy** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:14 pm

What a cool soft window Targa - very very nice.

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:21 pm

Thanks Helen.

Glad the pix opened. Obviously two Porsches are a recipe for disaster in a place where we get a cumulative snowfall over winter of about 15 metres, so in the garage behind I have two AWD vehicles that transport us magically to the ski house in Niseko with a minimum of fuss - the red one is an Audi A4 Quattro (2.4, V6) and the (other) silver one is a Subaru Legacy B4 Twin turbo wagon. Both a lot of fun on snow and ice. There is also a big, boofy Toyota Landcruiser, which is hopeless, but hopefully it will be sold very soon.

And so - at 1.20 a.m. Friday in Japan - to bed. I have enjoyed my introduction to ddk. Looking forward to more.\

(And if anyone can help with those aligment numbers, I'd be REALLY grateful!!

Cheers
Greg

Bertroex · Post by **Bertroex** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:35 am

Hi Greg,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting those pictures of your gorgeous targa.... My word, what a beauty.

Now, especially as you are in remote places and you seem to do a lot of work yourself (or locally), I'd advice you to invest in a set of original service manuals for the 911S. Even better, try to lay your hand on one set with the updates of service bulletins of later years included, so rather than 1967 a set of say 1970 or so. They look like a 3 or 4 claret coloured a4 plastic file folders, and that puts you on par with a specialist with regards to finding the correct settings, measurements et al.

Moreover, for exploded views and parts numbers, there is something called PET, an electronic parts catalogue.

http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesa ... catalogue/

I have a set of service manuals for the 964 as well (including the Rs ones harrrr!) so that is quite usefull indeed to have for instructing/providing a mechanic with.

All the best and good luck!

Bert

Greg · Post by **Greg** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:39 pm

G'day Bert - Thanks for the compliments. She is lovely, and will be even more so by about this time next year. Still fair way to go, but I wanted to get her running to enjoy the end of this summer and now autumn in Hokkaido. By the end of November, we'll be under snow and she will hibernate till next Spring, but that is when I hope to do a lot more work on the interior and some of the rough edges still left.

I have workshop manuals for the 964 also, and also all genertions of PET, and have been searching for manuals for earlier cars but so far unsuccessfully. I have ordered, and am waiting for arrival of Haynes workshop manual for the early 911s and hope it might help. But someone who has one says it is not really satisfactory either so far as alignment specs are concerned. Very disappointing. I'd love to get this aspect sorted before she goes away for the winter.

All the best
Greg