Fill it up !!

Ok, let's talk center filled fuel tank.

Sometimes it's fun to answer a question that does not have a answer, or have an answer but no question.  let me explain, in life we do things that are wrong and do things that are not;  when it comes to cars, sometimes it does not matter.

Somebody asked the question of how to make the opening for a center filled tank that Porsche Race Department was commissioned to do when they created the light weight version of the 911.  That meant a lot of items being deleted and made upgrades being integrated, we will focus on the center fill gas tank used on so many 911 now, only because it looks cool.

We have done this many times using a drill bit and a air reciprocate saw, it works for us and for other shops I've talked to, but there is a catch, a few reasons why this work for us and it may not work for you.  First, we don't use the big hole saw you see on one of this pictures, that thing create a lot of heat and as you punch thru, it can damages the structure of the hood, leaving that are very flimsy. second, you think you have to cut a perfect circle, not really, just cut enough to give the filler neck clearance, cut small and make your way around it.

Make sure your tank is sitting properly and use a new seal, find a fiberglass or metal venturi looking section and weld or bond it to the opening and make sure it looks centered on the hood; There you have it, we have gone north, east, west and south and arrived in downtown at the same time.  By the way, this made the short wheel base 911 R legendary !

Rude Awakenings

Time flies.....even if you are not having any fun....

Imagine this, you don't drive your car for a month........and then another month goes by and another;  Next, you find yourself wondering if you can go another month, like trying to kick a bad habit you dare yourself to do it

Soon you discover that months have turned to years and when remember that is going to be a decade, well, now you start to realized that some things are going to need changing and that is going to take money,  will have to wait a little longer.

In all the years that I have wore the grease monkey hat,  I have seen this many times.  it is a work in progress,  I'm in no rush, not enough money, not enough time  and so forth

So here we are, July 2012,  when I hear from my boss, there is a car coming today, it hasn't been started in a while...................License plate has tags of 1991, the gasoline in the tank went back to be crude oil,  the top notch lacquer paint job from the 80's help up pretty good, but it was no match for the galvanized coating of this upgraded 69 ex-long hood.


Time can be cruel to rubber and plastic and after replacing and repairing and refreshing the necessary parts, we were able to check the vitals and presto !!    purrrr like a kitten.   It has been given a lot of love and I think we are in the right track to recovery.

The last in line

How far can a dog run into the woods............

Half way, after that, it is running out of the woods.

For the looks of this week I can feel that three specimens might be able to taste some asphalt, actually, one already did.  The Viper Green  RS looker came to us from our Nation's Capitol via TRE Motorsports, they needed to do some mods, and we were hired to do RS flares and bumper, you know, one thing always leads to another, so you can guess what happened next.  Its owner flew from DC last week to participate in the Targa California run, I heard it was a blast.  Viper Green will comeback to us next week for some final polishing and minor details, and then it is off to the East Coast.

The Guards Red turbo was a guest of the electrical wizard for a week, and now we have everything working, even the windshield wipers, it has been tuned and as soon as DMV put a stamp of approval on its jacket, its shinny brand new ball bearing turbo will come on boost.......and of course, its owner has come to believe that white shoes don't go with red overalls, and as soon as the new ones get a spit shine, they'll go on for the inspection.

Running in third out of this mechanical woods is an upgraded long hood,  it has been a patient of many hospitals, but I think we have found the cure for its blues.  Unfortunately, it was out feeling good,  feeling really good, and then..........brand new BMW thought it could stop on a dime, so now it is back, doing well, but new turbo and header are going to be transplanted, what's trick here, it's the turbo, it's a new, much improved turbo, ball bearing, billet wheel, air diffuser, and one more surprise..............stay tuned, same bat channel, same bat hour.