by John Glynn | Feb 10, 2014 | Classic Porsche Blog, Modified Porsche Hot Rods, Project Cars
Jan sent me some pics of the Turbo Look Porsche 911 Carrera he’s building as an RSR-style hot rod out in Hamburg. We’ve been chatting about using a Twinspark WEVO Porsche shifter to sharpen up the gearshift of his 911, and interesting ideas to tidy the inside.
This is my favourite kind of project: a constantly evolving development. Just as every 911 owner is always changing and picking up new inspirations, so those inspirations must find their way onto classic Porsche canvas.
It’s as yet decided what route Jan will take on gearshift. So far he’s got SSI heat exchangers and a two-out muffler, an upgraded chip, 9-and 10-inch Fuchs, Bilsteins and new bumpers. There might be a paint to do, or not. Looks cool as it is, though the sharkfins have to go.
Hamburg is a very cool place to build cars. Going out there soon to see the Prototype Museum. More news on that coming up.
Got a 911 hot rod build in progress? Send your pics to me as they are always up my street. Ferdinand is the home of hot rod Porsches. Email mail@ferdinandmagazine.com.
by John Glynn | Dec 30, 2013 | Porsche Cayenne, Project Cars
I put a few hours aside over Christmas to get stuck into a Porsche Cayenne brake change on my Cayenne daily driver. Starting at the front, I had the wheel off, disassembled the pad retaining arrangements, clamped the brake flexi hose, pulled the caliper off (lovely lightweight 6-pot calipers) and removed the front disc.
I then found I had ordered the wrong front disc – 330mm instead of 350mm on the 18″ brakes – so had to put the rotten old disc back on with nice new pads. Talk about disgusted! I’ve sorted out replacements and will do the slightly pikey thing of fitting new discs and these new pads, assuming they are not too grooved from the old discs. Otherwise will buy new pads.
Rears are yet to be tackled. A job for the weekend. I’ve done 150 miles on the new front pads and they are bedding in nicely. I’m feeling a tiny bit less bite than the Pagids (badged Brembo/stamped Pagid), but I think that will improve when the new discs are on. Hope so, anyway.
While at a workshop today, I got the guys to stick the Cayenne on the ramp and help me check for this annoying front end squeak on steering. Was easy to find it: the split balljoint boot that’s been an advisory on the last two MOTs has finally capitulated, and the corroding old balljoint is creaking.
Balljoints can’t be bought separately, so the solution is changing the complete front lower control arm, which start at about £100 a side for pattern parts. The job means a suspension alignment afterwards, so I’m tempted to strip the complete front suspension both sides, change top and bottom wishbones with bushes and check the strut top mounts at the same time. Future proof the lot in one hit.
Option two is change the one lower arm, do the alignment and set a few days aside this summer to do both sides completely. Or maybe I’ll just take option three: let it creak a while longer and then refresh the lot in time for the MOT. Sounds a bit more like it. Oh, got a split in the NSF outer driveshaft gaiter too. A previous owner’s attempt at glueing it has given up the ghost. Easy job for someone!
by John Glynn | Dec 21, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Market & Prices
Just reading an (unpublished) draft post from a few years back on my Classic Porsche Blog, where I spotted a perfectly-preserved 1977 911S Targa in the corner of Tuthill’s yard and mused on how the 2.7 S Targa was once the runt of the 911 line – I mean the absolute worst car you could possibly aspire to – but now would be valued at £30k+ for insurance. Anyone who thinks a 2.5 Boxster Tip will never go up in value should remember the 911S. Porsche may have built thousands, but one day there won’t be so many.
Over breakfast, BBC 6 Music played a 1977 Peel session track from The Jam, introducing it with a BBC interview with the band from the same year. “Are you punks?” asked the interviewer. “This time last year, everyone under 20 who played music was a punk,” said Bruce Foxton with a very deft negative. “If you tell me what punk is, I’ll tell you if we fit,” said Weller with another. “We just want to play, to keep getting better, and not be shoved in a bracket. You can already hear music that’s going to last coming out of the movement.”
The trio’s music has certainly lasted. I’ve still got a 6-disc CD changer in my Cayenne (albeit about to go), and one of those discs is The Jam’s “In the City“. Still a visceral listening experience, it’s an electric ropeladder of escape from three guys who know their music has to reach out and be real. Reviewing the album for Record Mirror (who remembers that?!), Barry Cain wrote: “armed and extremely dangerous, The Jam stalk the decrepit grooves. If you don’t like them, hard luck: they’re going to be around for a long time. Seldom do albums actually reflect pre-20 delusions, but this one does.”
The best new music of 1977 continues to engage new listeners. I’m thinking The Jam, Donna Summer/Giorgio Moroder, Sex Pistols, or Billy Joel’s The Stranger (instantly wish I was in New York every time). In such lofty aural company, flat six sounds from a 911 Targa seem to sit just right. No wonder values are rising for cars this classic.
by John Glynn | Dec 19, 2013 | Porsche Cayenne, Project Cars
It’s been a rough few months for cashflow, with the end of a loft conversion, end of a tax year and Christmas all at once. The brake pad warning light came on while I was driving to have the Porsche Cayenne LPG Conversion fitted, so I knew the brakes were getting low. I started researching my options for a complete Porsche Cayenne brake replacement without costing myself a fortune.
Thankfully, what’s left has lasted a few weeks of school runs. With the discs just about past it and the pads on their way out, I figured I’d change the lot. My replacements arrived today, so I figured I’d show you the size of these things. The PCM 2 navigation CD shows scale and, believe me, these are HEAVY.
Most Cayenne S models come with the 18″ brake setup, same as the standard Turbo. Turbo S is a whole other ball game: Porsche-only parts. The brakes are just incredible – one of my favourite things about the Big Pig. So I didn’t want to fit ultimate-cheapo aftermarket stuff.
Porsche Cayenne Brake Replacement
Cayennes allegedly possess expensive appetites for brakes and tyres, but I’ve not found that to be the case. The discs were getting low on mine when I got it, but I’ve logged about 6k miles now and they are still going strong. It’s almost 900 miles since the pad light came on and no sound of grinding as yet.
Tyres – well yes, they might like a bit of summer rubber. But if you’re OK with playing around on tyre choice, then you can do OK on spend. I’ve got a set of part-worn Pirelli winters on at the minute that only cost me £30: a new set would be circa £650 for a mid range brand. They’ve done about 1500 miles now and no sign of huge wear so should see me out of winter. After that, I plan to stay on 18s for the much better ride, and will experiment with summer tyre brands.
Back to brakes. I had a look around eBay for the best price on OEM Pagids. Discs are about £110 an axle and pads maybe £75-80, so call it £350 for discs and pads all round. I’ve always had Mintex on my Subarus and find them pretty good when worked hard, so I bought a full set of Mintex discs and pads for the Cayenne from Premier Factors on eBay, costing £196 delivered. Add £10 for the warning looms front and rear from a local guy in Milton Keynes totals a shade over £205. I’ll change the brake fluid when doing this job: should cost me less than £225 in bits.
Is £225 a lot of money for full brake consumable refresh? I don’t think so. OPCs charge £90-100 just for the fluid change and they keep the brake change prices POA. Perhaps the “Cayennes are pricey on brakes”reputation comes from people who lean hard on the brakes rather than keeping some flow in their driving, and then have them changed at Porsche dealers. Yes, doing things that way would be properly expensive. I’ll share some pics of this job when it happens over Christmas.
by John Glynn | Nov 17, 2013 | Porsche Cayenne, Project Cars
It was the US Grand Prix this weekend from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The time difference meant practice/quali sessions and the race started late in the day for UKers, giving a few hours to escape the computer and get my hands dirty.
I spent the daylight on Saturday rebuilding a door lock and window regulator on the stopgap Skoda TDI, bought to use while setting the wife’s recent insurance write-off (Skoda is actually an excellent drive), but today was all about Porsche Cayenne winter tyres.
I’ve had the winters on standby for a while. In keeping with my budget rock ‘n’ roll Porsche lifestyle, they were a proper screaming bargain. Part-worn 255 55 18 Pirelli M&S Scorpions, over 18″ Cayenne Turbo wheels. I bought the wheels on eBay for £100 during the summer, tyres were a ludicrous £30 (eBay) plus maybe £30 travel to get them. So a full set of winters in perfect condition for £160, plus a few quid to fit: call it £200.
The mild October and early November has allowed me to eke the last few miles out of the 19″ P-Zeros the Big Pig wore at purchase. The tyres weren’t new when I had it, but I’ve had about 5k miles of spirited driving on what was left: it’s about what I was expecting and I’m happy at that. The 265 50 19 Pirellis are not quite down to the wear bars, but they’ve likely done enough, as they’ve become increasingly squirrely towards the end of their life. We’ll seek out new ones for next year.
For now, I’ll run these ice driving bargains towards the stops and report back on grip. I’ve just bought another set of 18″ Cayenne rims and am planning to fit some new but cheapish SUV winters from a name not commonly seen on Porsche. I’m all about maxing the value for money on this Big Pig, and Youtube videos of the tyres in question on crazy Polish snowchargers look good.
Two things of note can be seen in these pics. One is the best tool in the standard tool kit: the locating pin for tyre changes. Everyone should get one of these, no matter what the car! Makes changing ten-ton Cayenne wheels a lot easier. The other just visible on top of the house is the dormer of the loft conversion: the reason I’ve been slaving and not blogging all year! Almost done now and it’s really wicked. You can also see the rusty roof of the lean-to garage that’s coming down next year: I plan to tie it to the Cayenne and shove the car in drive.
Cayenne continues to be wicked (of course) and a welcoming seat at the end of a long day’s work. I know a few blog fans are thinking of trying one, and to all I say “do it!” It makes sense to retain access to something small and diesel for long-haul solo boring jobs, but the Cayenne makes bigger work easy, and I’m slowly working through the allegedly costly maintenance items. Plugs and coils done: battery, starter and brake discs next.
Roll on next Spring’s Essen TechnoClassica road trip – the Cayenne will be four up, at least.
