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!' 

My first track day...

...as always it's great to get the boys together - it had been a while. Myself, Rob, Jamie and Robin set out early to get to Castle Combe Circuit in Wiltshire for a 7.30am rendezvous, where we met with two gentlemen, namely Mike Wilds and his son, Anthony Wilds, our instructors for the day. Father & son, both licensed ARDS Grade A Instructors, with a tonne of top-flight motor racing experience between them - in fact Mike's celebrating 50 years of motor racing this year!

My intention was never to track my car (far too risky), but I did want to learn how to drive it fast and more importantly safely on the open road, so decided to give Mike a call. This is what he had in mind:

'...a day on track to focus on learning and practising the techniques required to drive quickly and more importantly safely on road or track. There is no emphasis on speed, just good driving techniques of smoothness, looking well ahead, getting the driver in a settled mind set to think well ahead of the cars actual position on the road, corner lines of maximum continuous radius, vehicle dynamics under braking, cornering, power application etc etc.' 

So, that's exactly what I did...a track day...but nothing could prepare me for what actually happened on the day.

Mike and Anthony's style is all about relaxing at the wheel so that the car can do what it's designed to do and that's most of the work (super important for endurance racing!), yet the conditions on the day sadly meant it went the other way for me. It was my first time on the track, in my precious pride & joy, it was wet (which amused Rob no end, as he knew how anxious this would have made me), there was no run off with Quarry Corner being responsible for 25% of the UK's track day accidents, plus I had to get my head round performance driving for the first time; short braking distances (brake-points), quick gear changes, turn-in points, racing lines, apexes, exit points etc. All of which I would have probably normally coped with, but add a swam of 'muppet' driven race-prepared MX-5s (all out testing and quite happy to ignore the code of conduct), being 'relaxed' was easier said than done.

So, what happened? Well, for me, not much to be honest. Mike was of course fantastic, but I simply wasn't. The car drove beautifully, handled really well and we got a few sessions in, one of which was pretty good, but all in all my nerves got the better of me, and with my concentration waning and front discs starting to judder towards mid-afternoon, I decided to call it a day early. It seemed like the sensible thing to do for both me and the car. 

The good news is that I got a taste of the track - it was without a doubt an exhilarating experience and I learnt a huge amount - the performance driving and racing basics about lines, smoothness, looking ahead, braking and relaxation are basic skills that can be adopted for everyday road driving with high performance cars. Yet, I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for myself, and a little battered after the onslaught of banter from the boys!

That said I remain determined and aim to get back behind the wheel, with Mike or Anthony by my side once again, later this summer. We're thinking Bedford Aerodrome would be better suited for a beginner like me, who obviously needs to be gently broken in. Also it's an open pit lane track day venue, has lots of run off and there won't be too many race cars using the circuit, which sounds perfect to me for track day number 2.

As for the other boys. Rob was having a blast in his Boxster (giving a 911 GT3 a run for it's money, see photo below), Jamie was loving his 944 (with new suspension set up) and Robin had fun, but sadly like me retired his 996 due to a few plumes of smoke from the exhaust (the air-oil separator is a known problem when tracking 996s). I'm still waiting to hear how Jamie's car is doing, as on the way home it began sounding like a tractor. I know that Porsche's are renowned for being bulletproof but Robin summed it up nicely: 'the old timers amongst the group are certainly showing their age'. 

I'll take this opportunity to say a huge thanks to Mike and Anthony for being brilliant - an absolute pleasure meeting you both and we're all very much looking forward to the next one. Onwards and upwards, and sideways. Well, perhaps not sideways for me - I'll leave that to Rob. ;-)

At Northway's for the annual health-check...

At Northway's for the annual 12K mile service, brake fluid change, MOT and general health-check in advance of my very first track day and performance driving tuition next friday! I can't wait - Castle Combe Circuit + Mike Wilds here we come...

Plus, I took the opportunity to replace the front brake backing plates (they tend to rust through and can be a bit of an eyesore) and investigate the failed Air-Con. Mike gassed up the system and spotted some leaking from the compressor. He said that the cheapest way to do this is to look for a reconditioned one - and I was lucky enough to stumble across one, in stock from these local guys in Chertsey (A.C.R. Ltd), who specialise in rebuilding automotive air-con units. Here's the part and at 252.00 all in (for the full assembly) I've certainly saved a few beans. It's less than an hour labour to replace so I'll be heading back to Northway's some time soon.

993 appreciation...

...I pulled up for a moment, jumped out and closed the gate at my mother-in-law's place (Lockeridge, Wiltshire) before setting off home. I found myself taking a spontaneous moment to appreciate my car. Something I don't do often enough. Even though I'm lucky enough to own a 993, I still lust for them as if I don't. She was looking particularly sexy today...

New Sounds

It was about time that I upgraded my speakers. The paper cones had past their sell-by-date and my Alpine head-unit was crying out for more. So I dropped a quick note to Gert at Carnewal and he recommended the following:

P93183 front door speakers : 90 euro

P93077 rear HiFi speakers : 180 euro

Shipping : 20 euro

Total : 290+21%vat = 350,90 euro

He said that he'd looked around for some time for replacement speakers for his own 993 but struggled to find any that retained that original look. Until he came across the "Helix" speakers (high end German brand) that he now supplies, for the Front Door Speakers. The Rear HiFi Speakers are original Porsche parts. Descriptions as follows: 

Front Door Speakers: 2-way coaxial system, 6.5 inch / 165 mm woofer with woven fiber glass cone and integrated 0.75 inch / 19 mm tweeter with silk dome and neodymium magnet. 50W RMS / 150 max.

M490 Rear HiFi Speakers: 2-way speakers from the "Hifi"option. Will replace the 4" x 6" standard speakers on the rear deck. A full range speaker and a tweeter. Uses the same connectors as the standard speakers. Easy installation.

So I ordered both sets, and as always Gert was happy to share some wisdom how to go about fitting them...so here goes...

Speakers arrived safe and sound - always a good idea to check for any damage. Thankfully, all good. 

First I decided to tackle the rear speakers, as I thought it best to get the easy ones out of the way. 

Pull down the rear seats to expose 4x screws that hold the rear deck in place. Once free pull the rear deck out, which makes life so much easier when unscrewing the 4x corner screws of the existing speakers. Unplug the connectors and since the new speakers use the same ones it's a simple 'plug & play' installation - easy! Worth noting that you screw the new speakers in from the underside of the deck, as opposed to the top side when undoing the originals. Reinstate the rear deck with the 4x holding screws and jobs a good'un, as they say. 

A nice new pair of full range rear speakers - the little humps allow for the raised tweeters. They look and sound great. 

Now for the front ones...(did you know that the originals were made by Nokia!?!) 

Good news is that you don't have to remove the door cards, but it does require a few simple alterations...

Remove the door tray (everything under the arm rest) by removing all the screws along it's perimeter. Don't forget the one screw on the inside, under the flap in the armrest. Once removed you can access the speaker, remove the mesh and unscrew. Simply unplug the connectors - one runs from the head-unit and then other from the tweeter in the door. Then take the original speaker to the bench or kitchen worktop, whatever you prefer. And don't forget to keep the original screws and clips as you'll probably want to reuse these. I did. 

The trick here is to cut the connector 'female' socket from the body of the original speaker and use as a donor part to connect the new ones. A junior hacksaw does the job nicely. You'll also notice that the small recesses on the side of the socket bear the '+' so at least you know which side is which. 

The supplied wires that come with the speakers have crimped connectors at one end, which easily push onto the new speakers. Then cut, shorten and strip the other end. Ensuring that '+' goes to '+' and '-' to '-', solder the wires onto the donor connector socket. Now the speakers are ready to plug back into the original connectors in the door. 

Next job is to prepare the template. With the speakers comes a paper template to mark out the size of the hole. I mounted the paper onto card using some spray-mount and using a scalpel cut out the negative space. I then cut around the outside to make a thin ring that I could push between the leatherette and the hardboard door card. You don't need to cut the leatherette, instead simply pull carefully and it will tear away from the staples on the other side of the hardboard. Use a sharp razor blade to cut away the excess foam padding, approx. 5-10mm, and give it a firm rub with your thumb to remove the glue from the surface - this will make it easy for when marking out. Use the original 4x clips to hold the template in place and mark using a black pen. 

Now for the cutting. The easiest way to do this is to use a new / sharp pair of end-cutting nippers. Simply work your way round ensuring that you don't cut any of the wires that are lurking behind. 

I suggest that a quick vacuum between the leatherette and hardboard to remove any off cuts.  

You don't have to worry about filing down the edges to make the extended hole a perfect circle. The template is a little oversized so the new speakers will fit in nicely so don't waste your time. 

Simply offer up the new speaker, and carefully drill (using a pilot bit) each of the four holes. Then remove the speaker and locate the original 4 clips placing directly over the newly made pilot holes. Then connect the speaker, offer it up for the last time (don't forget the mesh plate too, minus the mesh of course, which simply pulls apart), and using the original screws secure in place.

Finally press on the mesh. 

Then reinstate the door tray. Once installed, the little logo on the mesh is hidden, which makes them appear even more original. Great.

Do the same on both sides.

Finally, turn up the stereo, and enjoy the new sounds!