912 outlaw project

[55ovalcharlie]

Great stuff Chris

[hot66]

spoilt for choice Chris

Why do cars seem to photograph so well in the USA ? They both look well at home

[jb]

They both look wonderful in the autumn sunshine Chris but enlighten me about the 9653 plate. Is it about presidential hopeful prisoner 9653 or a Nike catalog number or something more esoteric?

[willbrown]

Sweet Chris My car made the opposite journey (Portland Oregon > Gravesend). Your post reminded me of that long, anguished wait for the call from customs followed by the pure joy of getting the registration docs

PS you might want to look up http://www.audettecollection.com/ in Oregon - run by the guy I bought my car from, John Audette

[Darren65]

Really chuffed for you Chris......the cumulation of a lot of hard work, sweat, imagination and dreams!

Well done.

Now get driving young man......you've got some catching up to do!

Cheers,

[DustyM]

Excellent stuff, I imagine it will take a while to sink in that you actually have two road legal cars. You've had a busy year, hopefully you get some time to enjoy all the hard work.

Cheers
Jon

[jury]

Thanks for the kind comments, much appreciated.

Went for a longer drive today, covered about 40 miles which included going to the petrol station which sells Ethanol free ''Gas'' .Had an interestesting discussion with the attendant who was amazed that the engine was in the back, with this in mind I asked if he would mind if I pumped the Gas (oregon has pump attendants on all forecourts), he didn't mind and 10 gallons later I was ready to roll.

I had set the MSD rev limiter to 3000 just to make sure I wasn't going to damage anything during these first few hundred miles. First thing I found was that the 3000 limit doesn't make make for a smooth change from 1st to 2nd, and the previously mentioned heavy clutch doesn't help either. Once rolling all was good and today I managed to get all the way up to 4th. The ride is firm but very direct compared to the 912, but I haven't got anywhere near to feeling the balance and poise...one step at a time!

I made some running adjustments to the pedals and got alittle better suited setup, and also shifted the seat runners back to get a better driving position (still needs to be lower).

But the best thing is the sound !! Got some pops on downshifts which sounded cool
It is loud inside and outside, and is another candidate for the Loud Pipes Save Lives campaign...people certainly hear me coming. For the next trip out I am definitely removing the rear tool box and window straps, also probably the passenger harness...there is so much going on that it is impossible to tell if something is loose or just vibrating. I may need to find a passenger to identify what is what.

Got back home and had alook around, nothing leaking and Oil level 3/4 on the dip stick and at 180 degrees. Then just had to listen to the Idle.....we are all geeks

VIDEO
https://vimeo.com/144687208

VIDEO
https://vimeo.com/144687207

Set at 3000 rev-limit


Same again tomorrow, if the weather holds up.

Chris

[cubist]

Lovely plate application - always liked an aged leather strap - just needs a weeny Union Jack top right corner to mirror that roundel...

[jamie]

I love it too. Such a cool story, cool place to live, cool end result. Not that, as you said, there will ever be an end.

[jury]

So as the miles are put on, some updates are being made.

Firstly, I love it ! Everything I hoped it would be...with so much more potential to come. However the main buzz currently is being able to drive it ( and the 912) throughout the winter months. As I mentioned, they don't put salt down around here in winter

Found afew nice routes and got acouple of all day runs in the planning.....along with some video planned.






First round of updates:

I loved the look of the leather strap pulls for the window, door pull and catch release, but there are some problems. The leather has stretched abit, the window operation is a two handed job, but more alarmingly the door opens when the window is pulled up, and also when a passenger used it as a grab handle !! I thought I was being clever, by looping the window strap around the horizontal catch release to keep it from flapping around, but the pull-up action on the window ends up opening the door !

I had found some great silicon/rubber strapping that I have been using in some jacket making (longer story). No stretch, matt black, and returns to its original shape.

The new design separates everything out, the catch release is a small loop just visible on the left. Whilst not as visually interesting as the leather (the window action is still a two handed job) it all works alot better...The bottom of the window strap is attached to the door frame to keep it in check and limit the window drop when opened.










Next up, rear torsion bars and anti-roll bar

Mutters....."it will never really be finished"


Chris

[Lightweight_911]

Looks like a neat solution Chris - did you follow up on/source your strapping from the same 'fetish' supplier that I used for the latex strip on my 904 windscreen surround ?

[sladey]

"Finished" is just another word for "lost interest"

Evolution is the key

[Darren65]

Next up, rear torsion bars and anti-roll bar

.....you're going to appreciate that way more than you imagine!

Car looks great Chris, thanks for sharing

[jury]

Not exactly related to the car, but still important.

We got lucky finding a house (in the area we wanted to live) with a double Garage, but the drive is abit steep. I had been relying on some cut decking boards to make the transistion from sidewalk to driveway. The boards work fine but I have to measure the placement every time I take the cars out, not a big deal but gets annoying, especially when the rain washes the chalk placement marks away.

So decided to make a semi-permanent solution. I drilled into the concrete and tapped in some lag shields, then screwed in some substantial lag screw hooks and sprayed in hi-vis fluro pink...




Next, took some drilled angle bar and attached to the existing Deck boards.




The Deck boards now hook onto the screw hooks, which allows them to be placed in the same place everytime.




Back the car down the driveway, hook the boards off and place behind the garden wall until returning home.








Next door has a nice four car garage (with four BMW M cars in there!!) but this will do for now

[jury]

I don't mind admitting my mistakes, this is one of them

As I have been putting the miles on the car, I have also been 'pushing' it abit as well. I have my 912 to compare to, but the characteristics of the two cars are very different. The Modrod is very light...860kg light...and is set up firmer them the 912, though not uncomfortably firm. However I have been feeling the sensation of "Bambi on ice" from the rear...so did some rethinking. I know the rear roll bar is 18mm...hmmmm maybe this is too big. Next up Torsion bars. I thought I had ordered 24mm solid Sway-A-Bars for the rear and 20 for the front...but this was in 2008 when I had distractions like newborn twins and moving to the UK

I found the order confirmation email from Pelican Parts (still had it!). Turns out the rear Torsion bars were 28mm !!! and the fronts were on back order and never arrived. So the car is set up with:

Front torsion bar - 18mm
Front roll bar -13mm
Rear torsion bar - 28mm
Rear roll bar - 18mm

As I said it is 860kg...No wonder it feels abit light at the rear

Since being back in Portland, I have met back up with David Hanning who sold me the '68 shell back in 2008. I discussed the torsion bar issue with David and he said he might have some 23mm rear torsion bars, he did ! and also had a 15mm roll bar !! Afew beers later they were mine and cleaned up...

...But the best part is, is that David has a new workshop complete with a car lift

The workshop is only 10mins away, so off I went and got to work.







Adjustable spring plates make torsion bar removal alot easier.


Its a whopper


23mm vs 28mm


Next, roll bar


15mm vs 18mm



It was getting late, and this included a visit from the local plod...all good though. Set it back down and looks good.








And the result ? IT FEELS SOOOO MUCH BETTER !!

I only drove the short journey back home, but the feel from the rear is like night and day, it feels alot more sure footed. I will see how it settles over the next few days and tweak if needed.

It would be boring if you got it right first time