Long Distance Restoration 1970, 911T

[Nine One One]

So have you got out of Vegas yet???

We need the next chapter!

[sladey]

Great stuff! You're creating fantastic memories

[Midlifecrisis]

Thanks for the kind comments,

We drove the car back to the hotel and parked it in their guest parking, although it dawned on me we didn’t have an immobiliser or tracking and had to take a chance that if someone really wanted it they probably could take it. David and I spent a fairly tame evening in Vegas and ended up going to sleep reasonably early (at least by Vegas standards). I woke up around 6.00am and went to check the car was still there. It even looked good in a parking lot!




We left around 7.30am for our next leg of the journey 300 miles to Huntington Beach. The car felt much much better and I was getting used to the gearbox, managing to find 1st and 2nd more consistently. One of my favourite memories was driving down the strip past landmarks such as the Bellagio fountains, Caesars Palace, Paris Hotel with The Eiffel tower and a fairly empty road.  We were soon back on the I15 and heading west towards California. With the windows down the desert wasn’t too hot and we had refilled our water and ice supplies at the hotel so were ready for the journey. If we averaged 65mph we should be there for lunch. It was then I decided to turn off and get some fuel, the gas station was a little bit off the main highway and as I approached it i could see a large rock in the middle of the road. I looked to change lanes but there were more rocks in those lanes as well. I slowed down as best I could but soon heard a horrible bang from the front of the car as it drove over the frickin obstacle. I was absolutely gutted, I didn’t know if I had done any real damage that would stop us from driving as well as the realisation my new mint car probably had a dent in the underside somewhere. We pulled in and after some nervous inspection realised we got away with fairly minimal scratches. I was feeling quite stressed at this point and just wanted to get it on a ship as quickly as possible. After refuelling and driving cautiously back onto the freeway I could see the offending rubble on the opposite side. Most Americans drive 4x4s in that part of town so this really wasn’t a problem for them, we also had the ride height set to “European” by the guys which to me looks like it would ground out on the first speed bump outside my house in Hammersmith! 

The desert is pretty beautiful if not a little monotonous. I was starting to relax back into the drive and counting down the miles until we turned off towards the coast. The weather was a bit strange as there were storm clouds on the horizon. I had assumed that it would be blue skies and super hot, however it was a bit like driving in the South of France in August! We worked our way along the route and were heading along a particularly straight piece of two lane road towards some mountains (think Eagles Hotel California cover) when David started shouting “WE’RE ON FIRE!!!!!". I could see smoke coming out of the dash and pulled over quickly onto the hard shoulder. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as we thought and after lifting the front bonnet there seemed to be little damage to the wires. On closer inspection it was the same dodgy connection on the gauge that had caused us problems in the first place and had burned back the wire. I called Eric (thankfully getting a signal) and he explain which wire to disconnect and then tape up to prevent it shorting out anything else. In the meantime a kind lady had pulled up to see if she could help. I asked if she had any tape and she offered to find some in her luggage. It didn’t materialise so we found a bit of spare masking tape from some packaging and that did the job temporarily. We said thank you to the woman - who clearly wanted to have a long chat to the two English guys (!) and went on our way. 

[jamie]

Jos - it looks lower than 'Euro' ride height. Not a big deal to lift it if required - the front is very easy to do, the back is a bit more involved but not exactly difficult. I'd get it professionally corner-weighted etc once in the UK. I had it done on my 72T and it was the biggest improvement I made to the car during the time I owned it.

Good story. Keep on.

[murph2309]

Holy schamoly - you're having a real hardcore introduction to early cars! On my first journey back to London from the wilds of Lincolnshire where I bought the car, the 'top end' rebuild had been done really badly and the throttle rods had been fitted back incorrectly. Which meant that as I came into London and towards the back of a big Q of traffic, the throttle stuck full open!!!! Aaaagh....

Two weeks later the incorrectly fitted SWB brake lines decided to come off at the back resulting in no brakes at all.

It does get better - you will look back on this and wonder how you ever got through it, but trust me, when you've got the niggles sorted, it will be fantastic. Seems like you're going through something of an extreme 'shakedown...' Good luck for the rest of the trip.

[Midlifecrisis]

Jos - it looks lower than 'Euro' ride height. Not a big deal to lift it if required - the front is very easy to do, the back is a bit more involved but not exactly difficult. I'd get it professionally corner-weighted etc once in the UK. I had it done on my 72T and it was the biggest improvement I made to the car during the time I owned it.

Good story. Keep on.

Thanks Jamie, can I ask where you had yours done (if you would recommend them).

Also looking for someone to sort out my electrics who knows their way around (or to keep the US theme aren't at their first Rodeo). Any suggestions gratefully recieved.

[squirejo]

Geo guru = Center Gravity.

TBH I would take your car to a one stop shop that can give it a thorough check over and remediate issues of all kinds. You know who they are but the likes of redtek, Neil Bainbridge, tuthills, Autofarm etc. Otherwise I suspect you may have a frustrating time taking it to different places to have different problems solved.

[Midlifecrisis]

Thanks for the info will definitely look to get the ride sorted and balanced. 

We set off again, this time without a petrol or temperature gauge, and no windscreen wipers.  David and I decided to pull into the nearest gas station and fill up as without a gauge it would be a bit of a guess anyway. We took a turning off into a tiny town which reminded both of us of ‘Radiator Springs’ in the movie Cars. There were several gas stations however we opted for the one furthest away as it was a Shell. David had a 'rest stop’ and managed to drop his glasses down the loo, spending a long time cleaning them while I waited outside (he says it was post flush). As I was sitting there suddenly there was a face at my window... The ‘kind’ lady had followed us and wanted to chat some more. I noticed her fingers were all stained as she handed me her flimsy card. She was a ‘mediator’ whatever that meant! David came along just in time and we sped off again leaving her behind.

We were about 100 miles from our destination still in the desert when we spotted black clouds on the horizon (which seemed odd for the desert). The car was running well and we cruising at about 75mph, I started relaxing which was obviously the wrong thing to do on this road trip. Splat, the first heavy drop of rain hit the windscreen, before long we were driving through an absolute torrent. Without wipers I had my face right up against the windscreen trying to avoid going off the edge of the road and also concerned that we would somehow aquaplane on the very smooth tarmac surface. This part of the highway was clearly not used to rain as it had no drainage at all. We drove through the downpour for about 20 minutes with cars speeding past and finally broke through into clear skies. At San Bernardino we left the I15 and took the 215 towards Huntington Beach. The car was running well and I adjusted the PMOs down slightly when we stopped for a Starbucks. It really needed a tune from someone who knew what they were doing but would get us to our destination in one piece. We finally arrived at our friends house, relieved that we were at the end of an eventful journey. 



The following day I drove the car to the shippers and was relieved to see her safely delivered. Theres obviously still lots to be done but for the time being all I can do is wait until she arrives.

[Darren65]

Well that was a rollercoaster of emotions!

No doubt the trip will become a fond memory and something you'll look back on and smile

Congrats on the start of your early 911 adventure, your car looks superb .....lots of great experiences to come.

Enjoy.

[yoda]

Great story, sounds like a proper adventure! Much more interesting than my tales of collecting cars.

Hammersmith is just down the road from me (Chiswick) and there are a few others in the areas so look forward to seeing your car when it gets here!

[cubist]

Great tale of daring-do. On a side note, 'David' looks very much like randomly-hatted, rubber-legged funkster JK... or you do!

[Midlifecrisis]

Great tale of daring-do. On a side note, 'David' looks very much like randomly-hatted, rubber-legged funkster JK... or you do!

Im afraid that's me.....wish I had his dance moves or car collection.

[neilbardsley]

Glad you got there but your journey should of been much less stressful. Badly wired gauges and a new alternator! You would of hoped that they would tested it for you rather than throwing you in at deep end!

It can only get better.

[Midlifecrisis]

Glad you got there but your journey should of been much less stressful. Badly wired gauges and a new alternator! You would of hoped that they would tested it for you rather than throwing you in at deep end!

It can only get better.

Yes I'm afraid the handover wasn't as good as it could have been. Eric had to deal with moving his elderly father into a home and going through and sorting out his stuff and I think this took longer than he hoped. On the positive he reduced my final bill and has offered to help getting parts sorted. Hopefully just a few minor bits to do and as you say it can only get better.

Now got to wait a couple of weeks until it arrives in the UK.

[jamie]

Happy days! When is it arriving?