Simply Porsche...

...today we experienced our first TIPEC (The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts Club) show; their Simply Porsche event held at Beaulieu. All things Porsche could park in the estate parkland directly in front of the museum, and the turn out was very impressive - probably the largest I'd ever seen in my place - from what you'd expect to some highly modified beasts that you wouldn't. I spent a lot of time looking so not too many photos from me for this post sadly, but one creation that stole the show for me, was described as 'the missing prototype RSR' that raced in the 1973 Targa Florio and then disappeared. The donor car was a 1972 911S (a sought after and super expensive car in it's own right) and the subsequent work that went into recreating this iconic 911 is amongst the best I've seen - all the art work for instance is actually in the paint, not a decal in sight! It really is stunning. Below are some photos I found on the web but for more information there's an epic thread here. Built by these guys; BS Motorsport. A seriously awesome car chaps! 

Some pics from the day...

 Myself, Jamie and Jamie (Mr Davis in his menacing Q7 in the background!) convoyed down from The Goodwood Breakfast Club for the occasion. 

Pecs and Porsches. 

Lots of 993s with aftermarket body kits - not a fan myself. 

This 964 '50th anniversary' creation was probably my 2nd favourite car in the show. Nominated for The People's Choice Award, so I sincerely hope it won! 

Brothers. One likes air, the other is more into his water. 

Last pitstop to refuel before heading home. Great day out. Until the next one. 

The sun is shining and so is the car

...nice and clean for the Goodwood Breakfast Club (7th June: Soft-Top Sunday) and TIPEC's Simply Porsche gathering at Beaulieu tomorrow. It will be 'dawn patrol' in the morning (sunrise is just before 5am - ouch) to get a good run out on the country roads before those pesky Sunday drivers awake. Breakfast at Goodwood, lunch at Beaulieu, with a side of Porsche. Yum.

Rotor hat refresh...

Every once in a while the rotor hats need a refresh - they are subject to continuous contamination by road grime and hot brake dust, which is corrosive, unsightly and difficult to remove. I enlisted Craig at Rivieria to carry out the work...

Give the rotor hat a rub down using an abrasive scotch brite pad - removing any surface debris and keying the surface in preparation for the etch primer.  

Clean surface with degreaser, and mask up bolts and calipers using masking tape. 

Spray on 'PRO XL Etch Primer' aerosol, which gives excellent adhesion direct to bare metal and has active rust preventing pigments that provide corrosion resistance. It's very quick drying, which is also handy. Note that we didn't mask the rotor / disc and it's easy enough to remove any excess using a cloth soaked in paint thinner.  

Key primer with fine scotch brite pad before applying the basecoat - we opted for a flat silver, which resembles the rotor hat finish of the latest 911s for a fresh modern look, as opposed to the flat grey that is stock on these older cars. 

Blow on a little hot air to speed up the drying process. 

Finally apply a clear lacquer for some additional protection.

Then throw the wheels back on, and job done. This photo doesn't do them justice but they do look great. Worth noting that the untidy edge on the rotor / disc soon goes as the brake pad naturally cuts a perfect edge on the drive home! Nice. 

Next time, I think I'll have a go myself.  

'The Push' and 'The Pull' - Rear Quarter Window Seal Replacement

Back at Riviera today. And no, this isn't Ty doing 'the plank' against my car to improve his core strength, instead he's using a technique know as 'the push' to replace my rear quarter window seals. 

The seals were looking a little worse for wear so I decided to have them replaced. It didn't take long but it's a two man job and requires some good old fashioned tricks of the trade. Ty and Craig made it look easy: Loosen off the original seal with a blunt edge and pop out glass. Remove seal and take the opportunity to give it a clean (use razor blade to remove any stubborn residue). Squeeze on new seal around glass and run a length of rope along the grove. Offer up glass - one person gives it 'the push' whilst the other give it 'the pull' - pop - et voila! 

Safety first...

After hearing some horror stories of owners watching their car burn without the ability to do anything about it (whether a known manufacturing fault or pure bad luck) I decided to do the sensible thing, and get myself an on-board fire extinguisher, especially if I intend to throw in the odd track day here and there. 

I spoke to the guys at JJC and opted for this one - a handy 2kg ABC powder filled extinguisher with support bracket and quick release fasteners. There are plenty of mounts available, like this one that neatly secure small extinguishers to the front seats, but I didn't really want mine on show, so decided to tuck it away under the bonnet - not so easy to reach but accessible nevertheless - they can be mounted anywhere, except near anything hot since the bottles are pressurised.

Under the carpet there's a space saving spare wheel, bolted to the body with a single bolt & plate. I thought that this would make a good safe place for my extinguisher to live - all I needed was to secure the bracket to the plate. So, off to see a friend with a welder, and 8 small spot welds later all is done.

Feels good to have one now - let's just hope that I won't ever have to use it! Gulp.

Blowing cold...

...I was back at Northway's to have my new reconditioned air-con compressor fitted. It went a little something like this:

1. Mike rolls in his special air-con machine; connects one pipe into the high pressure line (the thicker one) and one pipe into the thinner the low pressure line. This allows him to collect the CFC gases safely. 

2. Unbolt the hose manifold and free it from the main unit. 

3. Disconnect the wiring which runs to a single connector in the electric box (remove plastic cover to gain access). 

4. Undo the main mounting bolts. Be sure to secure the square M8 nuts which can fall and get lost in the darkness of the engine bay. 

5. Remove old hose 'head' from manifold, and using some emery cloth clean up the surface before securing onto new unit (which should come with new gasket and fully oiled). 

5. On the bench and in the vice, Mike bolts the old hose 'head' onto the shiny new unit. 

 6. A little rethreading to remove any surface rust / residue to ensure bolts go in easier than they were to take out. 

7. Using emery cloth again clean up surface of hose manifold before securing onto original 'head', now mounted onto new compressor unit. Replace old O-Rings with new ones as it's likely that the original ones would have perished causing them to leak / fail. Also rub with the same compressor oil (PAG) to ensure better fit. 

8. Bolt the main compressor unit back onto the mounting plate and into the engine bay. Before securing Mike plays around with the adjusting bolt (which slides the unit back and forth on one axis) finding the right position to give the belt it's correct tension (approx. 10mm of play). Then connect old manifold back onto 'head'. 

9. Plug back onto the special air-con machine and re-gas. The system also pushes dye through the system so should any other leaks appear they can easily be identified. We got up to full pressure and no signs of any dye - so job done. 

10. A nice new shiny compressor. For the first time since I've owed the car, she was blowing cold. Just in time for the summer. Nice. 

Thanks Mike for a sterling job. 

Spotted...

Thanks to Jamie who spotted this 993 on his travels...

 'Mint 993 4S in Dubai car park!'