Oh and McMark, I was going to ask you what you did with my DME relay, but I found it!

That information is need-to-know, and your clearance isn't high enough. Sorry.

You mean like this freshly chromed, new knob one?

Funny, my clearance used to be high enough to be in the operating room if the president needed emergency surgery. Now, I don't even get to know where my DME relay is mounted!

I don't know if I want that one. Its got a creepy picture of you on it! But I'll take it if it is for sale... Though technically, I don't have heat so... But still, I'll take it if it's for sale.

I've learned it's never good to pull the "used to be" card. It sends a message you don't want going forward.

The reflection face is awesome. It's the new SE version. Worth triple the price as a collector edition. The Mark McMarky face triple ripple... Ok, I give. Happy Fathers day.

It sends the message that I'm retired after 23 years. Period.

So todays small project was a little more trunk restoration. Here, I'm replacing the front targa latch cups and the front mount for the roof with 914Rubber.Com's excellent recreations. The originals were in good shape, just dirty, so I wanted to freshen it up.

Good day for a drive. Plus Cars and Coffee Reno which meets twice a month meets today. So I fired her up and took her out. She ran very well and got mobbed at the C&C event...

A couple other cars that caught my attention...

your car looks really good Rob!

Thanks Andy! That's quite a compliment coming from you... She's getting there.

We all owe quite a debt of gratitude to Mark Whitesell and his 914Rubber business. Mark is not only doing a business no one else would do, he's doing it with a passion and precision that shuts up the concours weenies. I replaced my carpet a couple weeks back and when I did, I recalled that I got criticized at last years Sierra-Nevada Region PCA Concours for not having carpet in the rear. Well, I have my old rear trunk carpet but dog-gone-it! I just painted the trunk and replaced all of the targa hardware so that old stuff, though original and in good shape just wouldn't do. So, I checked 914Rubber's site looking for carpet to match the stuff I put in my interior a couple weeks back. Nada. So, I called Mark and asked and he said "sure, I can make you a matching rear and bind it."
It came FedEx today... What do you think?

Mark is currently doing a group buy on the heater control knobs. I had put myself in on that and Mark saved himself having to ship those by throwing them in the box. If you're wondering how they'll look, they are indistinguishable from the originals. Just shiny like new!

These are the old.

And thats why Mark will always get my business! Looks great.

The Sierra Nevada Region PCA had a breakfast this morning in conjunction with the Commemorative Air Force. Latest of late model Porsches and mine. But the star of the show was this WWII trainer. Here daughter Samantha flies no hands on the stick while Yopu screams for help!

I had a little company from Baja today at the Reno C&C... It was nice to see one of these that actually prowls the BLM land!

A nice bus. Driver. And, they drive it! 367K miles!

Short of a supercar, these GTR's are incredible. Track ready right out of the show floor. This one was super clean too!

I think it needs a metal grommet for the tie-down hole where you can put the spare.

--DD

True 914 Guru! But that begs the next question - what spare?

This morning at the Sierra Nevada Region PCA Concours. Or, as McMark would say the car washing contest!

My 914 got some love again this year! Two in a row...

Great work Rob!

we don't need no stinkn spare,,,,,,

Andy, are you a RR member? I'm thinking of coming down for your car washing contest in September. Maybe even sign up as a sponsor...

Yes I am a Redwood member. I don't do judging, but I know who does. I can fix it so you win for sure.

wait what???

Seriously though, I want to get more involved with Redwood Region as I'm a dual region member. Perhaps promote the smog shop a bit...

Ha ha. I knew I'd get you going. Come down for some good wine and great people. It is a zone event so we have a lot of people from all over.

Congrats Rob on the second win!!

A few years ago, Eric Shea hooked me up with a set of Alpha Romeo GTV-6 aluminum front calipers. A fairly rare and little known option for our stock front ends. They are quite beautiful and take about 4# of unsprung weight off the front suspension per side (the most important kind of weight reduction). I have been very pleased with the them over these last couple years. They have performed very well.
But it's time to freshen up the brakes and since I keep missing Eric every time he's close or at an event, I decided to actually bring the car to PMB for the brake work. Eric and I pretty much shut down cell service for a long conversation over the last two days and the decision has been made to bring the car to Sandy Utah in October for the work. Eric never misses an opportunity to ask if you want fries with that burger so while its there, he will be installing what will likely be one of the last sets of alloy rear calipers. He may have another set so if you want it, you'd better pony up quickly.
It will be great to see him and if you know him personally, you know he has a wonderful family. Here are some pictures of the calipers stolen from the PMB site. They are copies of the 914-6 rears. Ignore the spacer as that is the one for the vented rotor which I don't really need...

love real performance upgrades. unsprung weight is the best weight to lose!

A lot of what you can't see on the car has some pretty cool performance upgrades going on. They predate this thread though. For instance, there is no rubber in the suspension. Monoballs top the Koni adjustables. Elephant bushings in the a arms and trailing arms. Tarrett swaybar. The handling is very precise. With the corner balancing and performance alignment, this is a very sharp instrument...

I'm glad you appreciate it. Thanks!

Ok, some more progress today. Some time back, I purchased the fiberglass backpad pieces from 914Rubber. They sat for a good long time waiting for me to get to this point as there were many more important projects to do first. But, eventually, if you keep paddling the canoe, you get to your destination. The backpad plug was made in such a way that the rough side of the fiberglass is on the finished side which is probably incorrect. I'm sure Mark has changed this in the interim. The problem of course is that when you adhere the vinyl in the parts where it is in direct contact with the fiberglass, it transmits that rough surface from the chopper gun side of the mold. if it were made reversed, you would adhere to the mold side. That would yield a much nicer surface. Anyway, Mark didn't make it but I think he is working out a new supplier. As you can see in the pictures, the surface under the vinyl behind the seats transmits through the vinyl. Not a huge problem as it is behind the seats but still, unnecessary if it is corrected...

The result is actually stunning. One of the great things, is that a problem those of us with the Super Beetle replacement interior light have - that the pressed board is too thick to allow the light to clip in. The fiberglass is thin enough that the light clips right in place!

Awesome as always, Rob.
I think I would put a real thin layer of soft foam under the vinyl to give it the smooth look and soft touch.

I thought of that...

After I had adhered the vinyl.

Actually, I should say, that the offending portion is behind the seats so only I am really aware of it...

You were. Not any more.

^

Might have to go to your local fabric store and pick up some nice pink faux fur. It goes well with silver and black and hides everything.

I'm on it! Great idea!

said no one ever! Sorry for the hijack.

With the seats in place. They're next on the restoration parade!

Well, I solved the fastener dilemma for the four screws that go across the bottom of the backpad. I'm not entirely happy but it does most definitely work. The AA website lists these screws as 6mm X 25mm. I went up to the local fastener store RE Fasteners and got 100 of them for $1.76. Got home and they are about 25mm too short. So, I started looking around to see what I had that might actually work and I found 1 5/8" drywall screws work like a charm. I'd love to find the exact right replacement but these will do for now...

Took the old girl out to a car show today that turned out to be 99.9% 'Murican Muscle. Don't get me wrong, I love that, but as I pulled in I got stink eye from this asshat who said "you can't park that here." So I kept my money and just did a walk through. Ran in to Bradley Brownell of Stoddard NLA fame. He gets the photo credit for this picture. Oh, and I did park that there too prick!

Looks great Rob!

Thanks! just a few details left and I can turn my attention to the 240Z...

Very nice Rob. Very nice.

Perhaps someone knows...

I have a mystery. While the seats are being recovered, I am putting the rear fog light AKA Garvey light on the car. When I take off the lens, I discover there is no bulb (which I was going to change to LED anyway) and nothing in the instructions (in 8 languages) that tells me what bulb to use. What do I do here? Do I just keep trying bulbs until I find one that fits the holder? What have my fellow Garvey light guys used. I'd ask Eric S. but he's busier than a two-peckered owl in mating season and it's his youngest daughter's birthday today. Anyone??

The bulb in mine says: GE 1057 F, 12V P21W

Hope that helps....

immensely! Thanks!