If it walks like a duck .....

and dresses like a duck.......

Who knows if it's a duck.......    The Boss owns a 1974 Carrera RS.......Original Ducktail.  This Black 86 wants one.

 For years I have been complaining about the poor quality of duck tails that we install but I have never been asked to do one, until now.  Metal based and fiberglass top to mimic the original one.

 

And I must say, what a paint in the rear.  I do understand now why the more affordable ones are of such poor quality,  the hours that are involved in a project like this are not cost effective.  Once you move one thing, everything else changes angles.

So, for us to make this a production item is not a reality, but we do have a couple of orders, some of our clients are very dedicated to their cars and want to have a duck tail made specific the their car.......and that is something to brag about.

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...........

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.....................

Light of day

Angel eyes........

It seems like everybody wants them, and they are available for a number of vehicles, but not for the air cooled Porsche.  For this application,  we have to make them ourselves.

It is my opinion, that angel eyes, only look cool if you have projection headlights.  After a few little experiments,  this is our version, it can still have some variations, as you can see, one headlight is black, the other one is white.  the inside of the light can painted, powder coated, chromed or just as it comes.

So far we have sold two sets, and I will continue to find other ways to work with.

Keep an eye on it.

Suspension pan

Not too many months go by without one of these jobs coming in. 

And with each job there is always something different about the parts.

There are different vendors and they have their following, so many times parts are provided by the client, who's done some research, so may times I hear  "all you have to do..."

We have performed this procedure may dozen times, and there is always something we don't approve of the parts

I noticed on this particular part that the A arm mounting points were just tacked,  some may think that it is enough, but not us, after all, it is a very important area.

I think it would be very irresponsible of me not to do anything about it, sure it may be overkill, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. 

In this case...more is better.

Blue by you !!

Ground off restoration ...part two...


After the chassis has been flipped, dipped and stitched

we will turn our attention to the body parts,  the doors, fenders, hood and deck lid take center stage to make sure all gaps and lines are even and correct. then dissembled to be painted individually.

The fun part begins when the car has color and stars coming together, our customers know that it won't be long before delivery, and even though it may look like it's just a matter of days, the details can take a little longer.

The former Viper green is now a full blown Mexico blue, gallons of paint were used to paint the inside, outside and under, only what needed to be sating black was black.

Before going home to San Juan Capistrano, it took a detour to TRE Motorsports for suspension and engine work, most likely upholstery too.

Frame Off Restoration....

In my time, I have heard this term thrown in a lot.....

 By shops, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and tree shade mechanics,  I've even heard of a one man operation.

There is no frame on these cars.......

But, everybody has their own way of doing it, and this is the way we do it: 

This original 1971 Viper green was to be transformed into a Mexico blue RS

 First order of business is to prepare the tub for stripping, we removed the suspension, wire harness and brake lines.

Then it gets cooked............I mean, the tub goes into an oven, at a very slow temperature it melts the undercoating and paint, after that it gets blasted with a media of our choice.

As soon as it gets delivered back to us, it gets hung on what I call the "chicken Roaster"  others call it a rotisserie.

Every project comes with a list of mods to be added, these are a few of them:

Stitch weld the tub.
Replace the rear sway bar brackets.
Replace the shock tower.
Reinforce the tube.
Reinforce the through body front sway bar points.
Remove the battery boxes.
Modify flare to make look like a RS flare.
..and a few more.

Then we turn our attention to some rust issues, they all have it, it's just a matter of how much.  After all that is taken care of, the body work begins.

Body language

a 1988 came to us some time ago, Yes, a 1988 Carrera

 From Oregon to Axiom Motorsports via TRE Motorsports, this guest came wearing different bumpers and tails, part of the metamorphosis had began months before,  with new wheels and a 3.6 litter engine, G50 Transmission and new oil cooling system  and big brakes........... 

The whole idea was to have a very light and fast vintage looking car, but elegance was a must.  Let's get physical:   fiberglass fenders, bumpers, hood and deck lid are to be fitted, this task was painfully itchy, anybody that has work with this material knows. custom made rocker panels added a touch of class

 Every line and gap was match as close to perfection as humanly possible,  then primed and block several times to insure the triple black paint job would reflect its surroundings

There are many more pictures of this build here.  http://axiom-motorsports.com/Back_Dated.php

Before heading home to Oregon, it took a little detour to San Diego to be in a parade;  People thought it was an old car with new interior.......

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.

Back in Black

But not by AC/DC,....I have to admit, my head banging and long hair days are pretty much over, but I still have to let loose from the noose.

  It's been months since we started this project, the idea was to upgrade it to a 3.2, and fix the cigarette lighter.......weeks later, we moved to: ...let's give it a little more pizazz !!  and a few weeks later, ...all hell broke loose....... In earlier posts, we shared that a 1974 former Targa was going to need rejuvenating in order to take in a 3.1 Turbo, at least we thought it was a good idea.

We have spent a few months cutting, welding, stitching and the occasional squirrel moment ( I like the movie UP )....... Yesterday we were on the final mission of getting the main body in good shape, on a Friday, when people just want to leave a little early, we were all guns blazing, .... In our sights, the body looked like we wanted it, every curved matched the other one, every square was square and every circle was round, and then I heard.........Shoot her......

That's what Gerardo said......and when he says that, paint has to be mixed, and something is going to get shot !!

So far it has been a fun project, we have been allowed to play with saws, cutters, torches, we even ran with scissors, all in good fun
In the next few weeks somebody's dream car will be starting to become a reality, and then, somebody will have this answer,
 YES, it is mine !!