Yabba Dabba Doo.....

Reporting from Bedrock we bring you an update :

Our short wheel base with the floors issues has gotten something to put the seats on,

After hours of grinding and literally chiseling off chunks of plastic fillers and silly putty, we found ourselves with a dilemma...........I said  Abandon ship !!!   But our customer really loves this car.

Buying new floors is not the answer, the support areas where the new floor would attach are gone.

 But somebody had already tried to attach some kind of floor, and some parts seemed to have a good hold.  After testing some of those areas we had an idea,  find the stronger points of the frame and build from there.

Normally we would put folds on the sheet metal panels for strength, but we are going from something different this time,  we are going to use the existing panels, to sandwich the new panels by structurally weld them together

Then add reinforcement to the side of the tunnel and the new double floor panels,  this is going to prevent straight panels from flexing, and keep our customer's legs inside the vehicle.

Hundreds of little self tapping screws were driven to keep the two panels close together, then we remove and weld, remove and weld...........

The side of the tunnel gets a little more complicated, remember that wires fuel lines and battery cable are still inside of it, so is not only  remove and weld,  it becomes, remove, inspect and weld, then inspect again.

After the welding was 90 % completed, I felt I can withstand any relationship......I've been on my knees for a few hours.

The important thins is that now the floors are very strong, next we will use rust inhibitors for added rust protection, when we get done we will also install a roll bar.....just in case.           you shall hear from us soon.

Out of body experience

 It seems like our movie star is going to collect one more part, one very important part.

All that running around making his presence felt has left him clutch less, his powerband does not surpass the 400hp, pity, that is where the fun is.

So up we go, it's time to let doctor operate.

 The "while you're there" bug always pays a visit and the temptation of adding a few more things is gaining momentum, a limited slip and alcohol injection have been on the wish list, who knows, maybe we can proceed to check out

 In the meantime, let's add some real clamping power and keep the rubber on the ground.  We had one our vendors build us a dual face Kevlar disc and a heavy duty pressure plate.......that ought to work out your leg muscles.  I don't think my chicken legs can handle that.

When this ride was called the 75 beast on TV, it really didn't show how wild of a beast it really is,  but here you can see it in all it's nakedness,  intercoolers stayed on the car of course, the twins breath through 3 inch pipes and their oil feed get monitored, as well as the engine pressure by mechanical gauges....it's a Hot Rod kind of thing.

It is still using the stock fuel rails and pressure regulators, so we also monitor the fuel the same way.

We may have to add something to the wish list......

I

Is it real.. or is it.....

Some time ago, we were commissioned to duplicate a 959.  It started as a one piece fiberglass kit......there was a lot of cutting, but the end result turned out pretty good.

 One mayor issue with these kind of body kits is that it looks ok when it is round, but when you start drawing lines on it, you realized that one side was bigger than the other

Time to divide and conquer..... after getting all the lines to actually look like bumpers, we took a good look at a real one, and copy every single detail.
The front bottom of the doors were round off.
The fender lights were recessed.
The gutter was erased.
The two side doors were made operational.
The fuel door on the hood was free handed.
But the grafted 993 headlights instead.

 Once the body was in good shape, we began on the top end of the 3.6 liter.
Custom made plenums.
throttle bodies.
twin turbos, with manual boost controllers and fully adjustable blow off valves.

We used stainless steel tubing for the vacuum hoses because it is neater, and they use less space, we bent and flared each one of them.

All the fuel and oil hoses were also tailor made with Kevlar lined hose.

Custom headers, pipes and muffler gives it a protesting voice when the traffic is it wants to go.

It is still going through some adjustments, but it has roamed the L A freeways, and so far every one who's seen it believe it is the real thing.

Boost me up Scotty

Boost controller....can we talk ??
Ok, so as far as I know, forced induction have been around since...well, according to history, since the bootlegging days;  In those days when the jig was up and the law had you pegged, the car had to be ready to go, go, go and the driver had to know how to handle that horsepower.

Many steps have been taken to improve non aspirated horsepower, you name it, it's been done.  From fuel enrichment tricks to tailored boost.

Boost, give me more boost !!!
It is almost like a drug......

Manual boost controllers have made this task a little easier, rather than to physically take the waste gate apart to replace the spring, a touch of some buttons is needed to accomplish that. 

 After using many different units, we came to the conclusion that the TurboSmart gauge and controller is the best way to feed the beast.  Turbo chargers are not smart, they will create boost until your cylinders look like little astrays,  the e-bost unit will become the brain.

 From:  http://www.turbosmartonline.com/index.php?id=42

All Turbosmart e-Boost Controllers feature our exclusive adjustable gate pressure feature which minimizes wastegate creep and can improve turbo response by up to 1000 rpm earlier in the rev range – this means that you can increase the performance and response from your engine without even raising the maximum boost level. e-Boost controllers allow the user to control 3 different aspects of the boost curve; the maximum boost pressure (set point), the spool up rate of the turbocharger (gate pressure) and the reaction time of the controller (sensitivity).

Boost Levels: up to 6 levels of boost.
Boost on Demand: provides instant overtaking power at your fingertips
Gear-based Mapping: set a different boost for each gear!
Adjustable Boost Levels: program boost against TIME or RPM.
Aux Output: fully programmable; controls water spray, methanol or nitrous injection.
RPM Compensation: eliminates boost drop-off at high RPM.
Peak Hold/Max Boost Recall: monitors boost and RPM.
Gate Pressure: eliminates wastegate creep.
Overboost Shutdown: provides added protection for your engine .
Display: programmable, can be configured to KPA, Bar or PSI.
Auto Dimming: with backlit buttons for hassle free navigation.
Aceessories: dash and roll cage mounting kits, shift/warning lights and a full range of spares.

Experience the acceleration



  In the always exciting world of turbos, we are about to get our feet wet.

In years past, one nagging problem, at least for me, was the limitation of the position of the turbo charger.

cast wheel...billet wheel...billet wheel with air diffuser

Things are about to change,  new technologies developed at Comp Turbo are going to allow us more flexibility, we are about to go "OIL LESS"  just a few more details and our client will be able to drive without sump hanging down from the turbo.  We will keep you updated.

Santa came earlier.........

FROM COMP TURBO TECHNOLOGIES:

Comp Turbo X-HF billet compressor wheel

After intense research and development the X-HF billet compressor wheel design flows 15-20% more air flow than prior impeller designs. The X-HF line is machined from high grade billet aluminum for durability and lower inertia. Comp Turbo X-HF line is the most advanced compressor wheel design and was engineered for maximum performance output.

For more info on the new turbos available visit:  http://www.compturbo.com/

Special guest

The National Geographic channel aired their episode of Break it Down, Porsche in Pieces last night, and this black Pearl made an appearance, since then we have been asked to elaborate in this build.

 It started as a 1975 S, but has been through the carousel of changes, first the 2.7 liter engine was replaced with a 3.2 first, while the boss was building the twin turbo twin plugged that takes him around town these days.

Having invested in the fabrication of a special engine lid, it would have been shame to lose it and make room for the intercooler, instead, let's put individual coolers under the quarter panels.

The coolers get their fresh air through the custom made vents  added to the body.
A especially designed muffler keeps his neighbors in good standing, but manual boost controllers can sometimes let its presence known.
Coil overs in all corners, strut support bar and 28mm sway bars keep it close to the ground while making very tight corners.

 The AC brackets and fuel rails were modified to allow room for the retractable 996 wing to be operational.  AC fully charge keeps the passengers of the two baby seats in comfort, a roll bar keeps them protected.

The engine is a 3.1 liter twin turbo, twin plugged, flame ringed, ported and polished heads fed by two motorsports fuel pumps and allowed to breath by TurboSmart waste gates and blow off valves

There have been many changes since his appearance on TV, and I am sure there will be more.

Before and After

While we are still recuperating from a bad Saturday......Let me share a story of a short wheel base that we had to dice and splice.

 It came to us with new floors, rocker panels and a mini SC  flare.

Our mission was to make sure all lines and gaps were correct, after that there were some details to be addressed.

A racing style oil tank was to be installed using a 72 tank, the neck was modified to fit the quarter panel opening.

Vents on the front bumper were done by hand. it gives it a hot rod look.

It also matches the rear deck, which was bought at a swap meet. the trick with this lid is that the louvers weren't perfectly center, and when you put lines to it, it shows.

A little bit of optical illusion has to be created, it took a little while, buy in the end I think we got it.

Front and rear bumpers had to be cut in order to make them fit, and  since a mini flare was added.........

 This, being a short wheel base, the torsion bar hole was in a different position, it looked kind of odd, so we moved it.  A single hood strap and stainless steel mesh on the fog lamp openings, along with a bath of GT silver paint complete this little, but mean ride

I think it looks pretty cool ...don't you.

It happens.....

There are days when nothing seems to go right, Saturday was no exception, and it has taking hours to find the positive side of a day like that.

I told Gerardo that if we start early, we can have an awesome day,  before 8:00 o'clock we had already made so much progress, the day was looking good, with the exception of some grey skies.

With a blink of an eye,......everything changed,  we had visitors, so we had to pause, and there are times when a very small pause can ruin the rhythm of what was a great day.  On restart,  one black convertible developed a fuel leakage, but at least after fixing the firing order, we got fire.

Our custom headers for the turbo coupe, need a little bit of adjustment, but the boost controller and selenoid were installed and wired.

And trying to deliver the Testarossa, we realized that we had run out of the detailing towels. The Boss tried to go get some, but paint supplies store was closed........... didn't even get a chance to take a decent picture....Well, at least now we know what we have to do on Monday, of course, in addition to what I had planned.

How good we really are...........next week is going to be a good test.

Fuel Pressure

I am often asked to do a more technical post, the truth is that I sometimes don't have all the facts to do so, but since we recently became a TurboSmart dealer, here is one of their products, one of  which we think it's a very important part of performance.

How does an FPR work?

What is a fuel pressure regulator?
A fuel pressure regulator (FPR) is a device which controls the pressure of fuel supplied to the fuel injectors on an engine.

How does a Turbosmart FPR work?
A Turbosmart FPR works by bleeding off a portion of the fuel flow to the injectors from the fuel pump to control the fuel pressure.
Fuel is pumped from the fuel tank to the fuel rail by the fuel pump. The FPR is normally mounted after the fuel rail to ensure that the fuel rail has priority in fuel flow. The valve in the FPR controls the amount of fuel that is bled from the fuel rail by opening an outlet port to allow fuel to flow back into the fuel tank.
All injectors need a pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the injector to spray fuel into the combustion chamber. This is called the base pressure. The base pressure is adjusted on all Turbosmart FPR’s via the adjustment screw to suit the injectors and fuel pump system you are using.
The adjustment screw pushes down on a spring which applies a force onto the valve. When the pressure inside the bottom chamber of the FPR exerts a high enough force on the valve to overcome the spring force and lift the valve off its seat, it allows fuel to flow through the outlet port effectively controlling the fuel pressure in the fuel rail.

Since the outlet of the injector is exposed to manifold vacuum/pressure which varies depending on throttle movement, but the flow of fuel from the fuel pump is constant, the valve needs a reference to continuously change the amount of fuel bled to maintain constant fuel pressure to the injectors. In addition to the spring force acting on the valve, a vacuum/boost signal also applies a force onto the valve so that the valve is always maintaining a constant pressure difference between the inlet and outlet of the injector.  For more on TurboSmart you can visit:  http://www.turbosmartonline.com/

A tale of two tails....

  All these years, we have worked on Porsche, and frankly, I don't think we have done the same thing twice. I mean, there is a general idea of restoring a car, but, there is always something different;  The taste in wheels, color of the wheels, seats, or material for the seats, roll bar, rear seats deletes.....you get the idea..

In this case, we will talk about tails, or deck lids, we may even call them hoods.

 don't really mind when car enthusiasts want to be different, and we have fulfilled requests of tails that might be considered original;  The smog exempt black coupe, has been a great canvas, and has a tail that needed a 996 donor.

A short wheel base with looks of Hot Rod,  In my opinion, the right amount of louvers can give any ride a touch of class.......the right amount.

This Silver bullet decided that the aerodynamics of the original tail didn't have the looks of what he saw doing 80 on the 405

Last, but not least, a long hood with desires of being outside the box, for some, the retractable 993 wing is more appealing than that of the 964.

Doing a matching numbers is a welcome challenge at our shop, doing a fun project is somewhat of a stress reliever,  but whatever ttickles your fancy, you know where to find us.