by John Glynn | Dec 12, 2014 | Porsche Cayenne, Project Cars
Not reported on my Cayenne for a little while, so that is worth an update. It’s been a busy bus and not had much love since fitting the new propshaft in September. You might remember that I bought a recon shaft and that was not right so had to send it back, then bought a new one and that had a small vibration when I fitted it.
My plan was to refit that second one using a Porsche propshaft alignment tool and then have my original shaft reconditioned by some old-school guys in Nottingham and fit that to sort it once and for all. A great plan and so far I have managed to achieve none of it! Busy, busy, busy: it may happen over Christmas.
Minor vibration notwithstanding, the Cayenne trucks on regardless. I had to top up the coolant by quite a lot for the first time in months the other day, so I guess I have a leak. As the Cayenne is approaching 140k miles, it could be water pump or could be rad wearing out. The centre coolant pipes in the V8 have been changed to aluminium, so unlikely to be that. I’ll look at it when it’s next on a lift.
It being winter, the starter has gone sluggish again, rarely starting first time from cold. I have another starter to recon and fit, but that’s another project not sorted yet. I did manage to swap the worn-out summer tyres for nice set of part-worn Pirelli Scorpion winter tyres on 19″ wheels. I like the look on the original Cayenne wheels, and the early 19s are wider than later rims. Not convinced about ultimate grip of the Scorpions but a: they are better than nothing and b: they are on the car now so we will wear them out. I’ll wash the truck when I change back to summer tyres.
Swapping the wheels gave me a chance to to check the brakes: still looking good after plenty of miles. A big tick for lifespan of Mintex discs and pads for Cayenne. Things that will not last much longer include the rear light units – will have to replace the offside one soon as it has now started filling up with water over time. Resealing the unit made no real difference, so I drilled a few small holes in the base to let water escape. It’s had condensation problems since the day I bought it, which is common on Cayennes and very annoying.
A change to new Philips X-treme headlamp bulbs brought a lot of irate drivers on a high-speed thrash up the A34 from Portsmouth one evening. Coming up behind people quickly with my headlamps on dipped beam, the Philips pattern was obviously dazzling the car in front, but turning the headlamp beam height adjuster had zero effect on angle. Took the lamps apart the following day to find neither adjuster was working internally, so I am looking for headlamps now also: new ones are mega expensive.
Having recently used the Big Pig to tow Tuthill’s 997 R-GT rally car to a PCGB GT3 Register open day, a good friend asked me this morning what he should be paying for a used Porsche Cayenne, to do a bit of towing and usual mix of everyday work stuff. I have to confess, I pointed him towards a Landcruiser instead. He may still buy a Cayenne, but it won’t be on my say-so.
You’ll pay a bit extra up front for the Landcruiser (a proper 4.2 TD Landcruiser that is, not a 3.0 Colorado or whatever), but it comes with better reliability, better economy and better residual values. You don’t get quite as much personality, but personality is well down the list when a truck can’t hold itself together at 140k miles: small beans for a working machine. That said, I have a Landcruiser in the garage, and no plans to sell the Cayenne, so what the heck do I know! š
by John Glynn | Nov 30, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
The Porsche 911 RSR used an external gearbox oil cooler on its modified 915 transmission for better heat dissipation and increased reliability. The external housing for the additional oil pump gears required by an external cooler has been unavailable for decades, but EB Motorsport has now recreated the RSR oil pump housing using the latest production technology.
The EB oil pump housing is recreated in cast aluminium, using an original RSR assembly including the transmission end case to ensure an accurate fit in reproduction. A series of complex engineering procedures is required to achieve the high quality associated with all EB parts.
EB Motorsportās reproduction 915 transmission oil pump housing is supplied assembled with bushes for pump gears. EB’s part also includes the correct metric/fine adaptors and crush washers. The price is Ā£296 plus carriage and VAT.
As an additional service, EB can supply the complete system including transmission spray bars, pick-up drive gears and pressure relief valve. Prices for additional services are available on application via the website at www.eb-motorsport.com.
by John Glynn | Nov 8, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
I’ve been swapping emails with friends at McLaren regarding Jenson Button’s future (not that they know anything) but another man at the Woking F1 team has a different connection to Ferdinand. Richard owns this Porsche 911 SC hot rod, which recently went back on the road after a long laid-up period.
I’ve been following the project for a while, after meeting Rich via EB Motorsport. The Porsche fan bought some of Mark’s Porsche 911 SC RS bumpers for narrow-body 911 models including the SC, and added a ducktail for fun.
“I was very happy with the EB Motorsport parts,” says Rich. “The ducktail engine lid fitted straight on with no issues, and the bumpers were good as well. I modified the smile at the front to make a centre bracket, which looks good and supports the front edge over the whole width.”
Gulf Porsche 911 SC
The 911 has just come out of paint and Richard has shared some new pics of the project. Normally, the Gulf tribute schemes involve light blue all over with orange stripes running from under the bumpers across the cars: it’s a look I’m normally not that sure about. Richard’s decision to go orange with the bumpers and carry a modified stripe theme is a good one: the car looks very cool.
“I’ve owned this Porsche 911 SC for more than 18 years. This is rebuild number three! It’s a pretty standard 3-litre SC engine, that has carried us more than 100,000 miles so far. Interior is RS-like, with 993 GT2 seats.
“Last painted eleven years ago, it came off the road for a few years when an oil leak required the engine out to repair. My wife was then ill with cancer and, after she passed away a year ago, my mates got me sorted with a barn with lift and it’s been keeping me occupied ever since.
“The engine was a filthy mess when I dropped it out, but we’ve done what it needed and tidied it up. It’s running very well: just needs lots of super unleaded!”
It’s always sad to hear stories of loss, but the aftermath of these traumatic events can be motivational, as we seek to cope with the loss and make sense of what comes next. My brother-in-law, David Bolger, was claimed by cancer over a decade ago: that was my wake-up call to share the Porsche love. What I do today is closely linked to his passing, and I think of him often.
Kudos to Rich for a car that looks good! It cheers all of us up to see long-owned air-cooled cars modified nicely, not just put back to standard and shoved on the market. A good way to move on: and well done to your mates for helping out too.
by John Glynn | Oct 31, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
The lightweight Porsche 911RĀ race car in build at the EBĀ Motorsport workshop has almost reached the end of its bodywork journey and is now being prepared for paint. Earlier this year, EB added another metal fabricator to their engineering business, who was also experienced in restoration. The new man has extensively rebuilt the rust-ridden chassis, replacing the huge amount of corrosion in the base chassis with nice clean metalwork.
Pictures I received of the project in progress made it look very nicely done. More shots just shared by Mark at EB Motorsport show the 911 with EB’s light composite body panels (handbuilt in the same workshop) attached, including front wings, doors and rear quarter panels. The roof is still steel, which begged the question why the guys didnāt use the EBĀ Motorsport fibreglass roof panel to replace the original metal panel.
“Simple answer is that the lighter EBĀ roof panel is perfect for replacing sunroof holes on cars originally equipped with a sliding roof,” says Mark at EB. “On a car without a sunroof, we would be putting a lot of work in to save two kilograms, so we’ve opted to leave things as they are and look elsewhere for weight savings.”
EB Motorsport reports a number of 911RĀ kits sold to satisfied customers. I know a few people who have opted for a 911R conversion on their challenging SWB 911 restorations, using EB’s lightweight Porsche 911 doors and aluminium hinges, full front wings with built in sidelights, 911R tail light conversion and composite rear quarter panels. Target weight for the EB 911R is circa 860 kilograms: that would be quite an exciting achievement.
Also in the EB project stable is the 2.1-litre RSR “Baby” Turbo replica, which now looks little short of insane. Mark has been working on the flat fan conversion prototyping and recreating the magnesium oil cooler housings as per original race cars. He is also building a new front end for his Harley chopper. So much stuff going on up in Yorkshire: kudos to the guys there.
by John Glynn | Oct 29, 2014 | Project Cars, Porsche Cayenne
Anyone interested in buying a Porsche Cayenne who’s been researching their purchase via forums is forgiven for massive paranoia regarding propshaft failures. The truth is that propshaft or cardan shaft failure is going to happen to any Cayenne you buy. Propshafts or driveshafts are maintenance items on any vehicle: especially 2-tonne 4wd SUVs.
Porsche Cayenne Centre Bearing Mount
Prime suspect of a Cayenne propshaft issue is the centre bearing mount. The bearing supporting the CV joint in the middle of the two-piece propshaft is mounted in rubber. Like all rubber mountings, it eventually wears out. The vibration from a failing centre CV joint will often kill the bearing. It is under a heavy 4wd car in all weathers, so do not be surprised about this: the part cannot be expected to last indefinitely.
I just had to sort this ‘cardan shaft’ centre bearing mount failure on my Cayenne S. The centre bearing mount failed two weeks ago and I have been driving it around ever since, in the process of sorting it out to my satisfaction. If you’re easy on the throttle you can keep driving it a bit. I am now on my second shaft this week: a brand new OEM GKN Spidan propshaft.
I went a slightly long way around this issue, as the usual suppliers wanted the original prop shaft in exchange and I wanted to keep it for rebuild. I bought a recon propshaft from eBay and fitted that to the car, but as soon as I drove it it was obviously wrong. So I ordered a new shaft and fitted that last Thursday morning. I’ve got a miniscule vibration above 80 mph: more a sound than a sensation, but it still needs sorting out.
Porsche Cayenne Cardan Shaft Propshaft
My old shaft had apparently been on there for 135k miles. The car has been maintained by a Worcester specialist since 60k miles and we know they have never done it. I very much doubt that it had ever been apart: it took me ages to split the shaft off the diff input flange. In the few days I ran it with a less than perfect centre bearing mount, the centre CV joint was seizing until it warmed up, which could easily have caused the rubber mount to fail.
Taking the second (supposedly recon) propshaft off the Cayenne, no doubt the centre bearing has been replaced on this, but the centre CV joint is just like my own one: sticky and recalcitrant. The new shaft feels totally different.
Speaking to a few propshaft experts this week, all agree that the problem is tied to the centre CV joint. The complete shaft has three CV joints for maximum smoothness, but the centre one takes most abuse, is the most exposed and will eventually seize up and fail. That wears out the rubber bearing mount, but most people just swap the bearing and don’t sort the CV, which causes the same problem soon after.
Although I have a new shaft on the Cayenne now, I plan to send my old shaft to a specialist who was very helpful this week and obviously knows his stuff. He will refurbish it before balancing at the highest RPM. I plan to refit that to the vehicle in due course and see where we go from there. This is a key part of the transmission, so I want it perfect.
Cardan Shaft/Propshaft/Driveshaft
A Cardan Shaft is a propshaft is a driveshaft. The original concept to adapt ancient Chinese gimbals into a universal joint to use in transmitting power came from the Italian mathematician, Girolamo Cardano, in 1545. It’s been called a Cardan Shaft in mainland Europe since becoming common in the early 1900s. It’s a prop shaft/propellor shaft here in England, thanks to common use in the industrial revolution. A driveshaft is the same thing, normally smaller.
So, don’t think Cardan Shaft is Porsche’s fancy name for this. Cardan shaft, prop shaft, drive shaft: same thing.
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by John Glynn | Oct 8, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Project Cars
This freshly-built Porsche 911 RSR replica recently enjoyed its track day debut at Spa Francorchamps. Replica, homage, interpretation: call it what you will, it’s a widebody version of the classic 911, but still more compact than your average modern sports car. Owner Tony tells it like this:
After much consideration on what style of sports-purpose Porsche to build from my 1979 Porsche 911 SC, I opted for an early 911 that packed a punch and would one day enable us to possibly race at international events. I therefore choose the 1973 2.8 RSR as the ultimate aim for my project, with the end result hopefully of a car with FIA papers.
Whilst researching and preparing my budget, it became obvious that the cost of such a project was going to be considerable. We therefore decided to break the project into two phases.
Phase 1 would include chassis, suspension, brakes, bodywork and paint. I knew that, as an ex-Porsche Club GB championship car, the SC had a strong and willing power plant. Therefore, if I added rigidity, removed weight and upgraded the brakes and suspension, it would be an exciting drive. Phase 2 would be all about more power. Phase 1 thus became:
- Strengthened shell, built within the FIA rules, including revised rear crossmember
- Wide body with lightweight panels
- Coil-over suspension with Porsche RSR front Bilstein struts, Reiger dampers and monoball top mounts
- Early adjustable RSR anti-roll bars with RSR strut brace
- Brembo brakes (not FIA)
- Custom Cages T45 historic cage
- 8 x 15″ Fuchs front wheels and 9 x 15″ Group 4 rear wheels
- Michelin TB15 tyres: 215mm F/270mm R
- Front-mounted oil cooler
- Lightweight windows inc heated front screen
- Lightweight fuel tank (bag tank)
- Target weight sub-1000kg
The Porsche project 911 2.8 RSR replica commenced in March and was due for completion in time for a track day at Spa Francorchamps on July 14. I got to know some great people during the course of the project. A special thanks must go to all the guys at Track Torque Racing for building the car, as well as Dan Sutherland at Dansport and Mark Bates at EB Motorsport for Porsche parts, advice, support and expertise, without which the car would never have been completed.
Despite a few teething problems immediately prior to leaving for the Hull ferry, the trip was fantastic, with circa 1000 miles through Belgium and on track at Spa. The car was unbelievable. It delivered astounding performance in the wet conditions in the morning and was capable of running very quickly in the dry PM session, however it was clear the grip level would not last forever in the dry conditions and that Michelin TB5s would be more durable.
Regardless, I now have a car which always delivers a great big smile to my face, whether in the garage or when Iām behind the wheel. Ultimately the car is fast, light, agile and fun: exactly what a Porsche should be all about! The best thing of all is I still have Phase 2 to look forward to!
