From back east to back then.......

Here we have a model from the year 1987....

Rumor has it that it got some wide body surgery and then moved to New  York.  Though it was nicely done, the streets of the Big Apple were not kind to it;  When we first saw it it looked like it got jumped in a dark alley.

The long trip across country was slow but safe, it made to TRE Motorsports when they gave it new legs and it can roll its way to us.  We checked all vitals, replace the damaged skin and will give it a new identity

The wide body covered in white paint with black letters will be history.  A new page will be written when the transformation is completed.
Panels will be change, holes plugged, pieces added. Fueling the 3.2 litter engine will be different.
The next time it enters that alley, it will don the looks of a 1973 RSR with Mexico Blue skin. upgraded suspension and vintage interior, fiberglass pieces will make it lighter and faster than before.

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 !

It's aliiive !!!!

Not yet, but soon....
If you go back to post #4 you will find the beginnings of this project.

A 1974 Targa with a few ex-shops to its reputation, a couple of mystery engines that run up a tab at the towing company and some paint job that look more like bad cosmetic surgery than a show stopper.  But now it is here......and wait until they get a hold of me........

For 10 years I have been the operations manager her at Axiom Motorsports, and for 10 years I have seen this ex Targa come in and out just wishing. 

I am led to believe that some body rubbed that bottle the right way because for the last few months dreams are becoming a reality.   Picture this, you roll into the biggest parking lot anywhere and park.


You will never see another car like this in that lot or any other lot.

Sure, for the amount of money one can sink into a project like this, you can just go and buy a new car, then what?  when you go to a show there are 300 just like it,  maybe the color is different, oh! you might have a different exhaust.

But let's go back to the nitty gritty of the re invention of this 74 ex targa.

The body was treated to an 930 look along with some mods to provide air to the inter coolers hidden it the quarter panels, after that was done, we gave it a bath of triple black single stage paint, let that rest for about 6 weeks and then it was cut with 1000 grit sand paper to kill all imperfections and then another bath of polyurethane clear to bring the color to its highest resolution.

 
A 6 speed with steel synchros in first to fourth was adopted by the targa body that has been reinforced to the gills to cop with the 600 HP  ( that we are expecting) and torque.

Cosmetics like 993 gauges and interior are being accommodated for comfort and I have to admit,  some bling.

Go back to the first picture,  the headlights are custom made, the result of the 3 volunteers lamps and some bought on impulse made the angel eyes by xenon projection headlamps possible.   Later I will tell you about the evil eyes......

This 3.1 twin turbo will breath through KnN filters and 3' pipes, the wrapped custom headers will keep the charge at maximum velocity and will exit through the a high chamber custom muffler stuffed with 4 pounds of stainless steel wool that hug the exit perforated stainless steel pipe all the way to the carbon fiber muffler tips.

Coil on plug set up will have this beast's heart beating at a sequential level, making the pump gas or E85 burn rubber with a passion.

I 3 weeks time, it shall roar through the streets of L A and annoy his neighbors.........

The Bare necessities ....

Finally !!!!   a plain Jane stock paint job....

Or is it???
Even though a new project comes in as a stock, nothing out of the ordinary, there are always a few little surprises waiting for us.

From Santa Barbara to our shop......Let's get busy

First things first,  all panels, trim and glass has to come off;  All rubber  will be replaced

Next:  that mid 80s respray job will have to come off as well.  It would be difficult to guaranty a high end paint job without going all the way to the bare metal

And since we are in luck,  this is a 1979.......galvanized metal........To some it is a great thing, but to painters and body men, it could be a nightmare, all thanks to EPA  that banned the use of some great products that did not meet Los Angeles standards.

After striping the body and found only some waves and door dings,  looks like we are in pretty good shape,  we will apply our direct to metal primer and then our surfacer.   Next will be the prepping and disassemble of it to give it a bath in Grand Prix White.

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.

High standards

Quality is not a matter of money.....is a matter of pride......I read this phrase somewhere.....true to a point...........

But.......what if you don't have any talent !!

Some people claim that they have high standards, but, again, what if they're short and distance is not the same as those of others.

Anyway, after countless hours of redoing everything that was not period correct on this 74,  we are finally on the last stretch, every panel, from the roof to the wheel wells have been detailed with the correct, color and finish.

All the extra holes were plugged, every piece of wire was cleaned and every piece of hardware was change to match the correct shade of cad plating.........soon we. will be judged !!!

Wish list

When it comes to restoring a Porsche 911

We usually get a big list,  sometimes it is all the matching numbers and sometimes it is all the mods to be made...

In the case of this 1972,  it is going to have some serious mods to take the 3.8 engine with a monster air injection and a 6 speed. 

So, this body will have to be reinforced:
1:  stitch weld the tub.
2:  reinforce the shock tower.
3:  rinforce the jack points.
4:  double the inner rocker panels.
5:  weld in strut braces.
6.  weld in section for power brakes.
7:  remove rear tray and fab custom one.
8:  remove rocker panel and fab stainless steel oil lines.
9:  remove rain gutters for a slick look.

151:  prepare for a tripple black paint.

201:  polish to the highest shine...I want to see myself !!

Looks like we have a lot to do yet, but it is coming.
Once the gaps and lines have been matched, it's all down hill from there.

Stay tune...........

Horror stories

They do happen from time to time

If one researches a shop, or one is recommended to one,  why is this the result ??

A 1974 911 that is in need of some TLC goes to a shop,  a promise of an excellent job is made and price is agreed.   After months and a lot of unhappiness, the result was not what was promised, sad to say but it was just make up.

I know I've had my shares of mistakes throughout my years of grease monkey, but to put 4 different bolts to hold the engine lid.....really, the most basic of things.

The horror of it is that the suspension pan was just tacked, I was surprised that the suspension did not fall off.   As luck would have it, our customer finally found TRE Motorsports and they recommended us to take care of Greenie,  we were supposed to take care of the suspension area and a few small things.

This car is special, it deserves the proper job and my customer said, I want the car the way it was on July 30th of 1974.

Stay tune..........

Angel eyes

Same cat with them evil eyes.

When your license plate reads REINVTD you'd better show some creativity.  If you look around, almost everybody has HID headlights, but they are just bright, not really something re invented.

The mission was to find Bi-Xenon projectors that would fit in the Porsche headlight bucket.  the first suggestion was to get a BMW light and see if it can be mounted,  my answer was simple, anything can be mounted, the problem:  BMW uses dual bulbs, just like a lot of the aftermarket products already available,  it has to be a hi/low bulb.

My search engine took me to a place in the east coast that is a distributor of the product I was looking for, the price was not bad so I order 3 kits, one to take apart and see how it works, and what needs to be done to it to make it work, the second one to install on the vehicle and the third one to sell and see if I can make my money back

The product's website says that they have a feature never seen in US roads before.............that is because it is freaking illegal, no red is to be in front of the car,  but it looks kind of cool, so we are going to wire it on separate switch and use just for show.

At the other end THE BOSS has been busy connecting all the dots from the air intake to the exhaust and soon we will have exit to the all the horses inside this twin turbo.

Coil on plugs will burn the E85 fuel that this puppy is going to drink, but that will be for another post

Hang them high..

Or they might hit the ground....

Well, we finally made some serious progress on the ex Targa,  it  has been a slow process due to the invention of certain things, many non stock items have been added to made this twin turbo a special one.

But first we gave it a new hat and a pair of shoes.
Finding a manual top now days seems a difficult task, in the end we have to modify an electric one and made  it work with the Targa locks.

Finding the right wheels is always a headache, wheels can make your car, or it can trash it,  lucky for the master of this beast, we had the opportunity of looking at different options thanks to a few of our customers that were nice enough to let us try their shoes on.

But the sweetest thing is that the turbos are being hung and that means,  we are past the Ecuador of this reinvention, we are on the other side of half.  When turbos are positioned it is easy to know when the rest of the piping will go.........Let's cut some tubes.....................