First, thanks to Jamie for all his efforts for a successful WCR event this year. As usual, there are so many unexpected things that change plans by the minute, it is amazing that somehow the show goes on.

My ending to WCR 2016 was unexpected as well. On Thursday I had trailered the car down to Medford from Cave Junction, some 60 miles, so I could leave it at the event. I had taken the car out on a shakedown drive the day before, and it ran OK. So what could go wrong? Right??

This morning, my wife and I drove back from CJ to the event for the Show & Shine. Some brave souls helped me adjust my timing (thanks Greenie) and pointed out my MAF sensor was disconnected. Well, connecting the vacuum hose to the MAF made the car stall out at idle. So I decided to drive with the car running... crappily.

After leaving the motel with the group to tour the Applegate and surrounding area, my car up and quit in the middle of downtown Jacksonville. The car had been running rich and belching a lot of black smoke, but there was also some smoke (?) seen by the front of the driver's rear wheel. The odor was strange, and I didn't recognize it right off the bat.

Now what? Rubbing tires? Burning brakes? I got on my back and finally deduced it was the newly powdercoated underside tins that attach to the heat exchangers! 400 degrees doesn't cure the parts when subject to 7 or 800 degree temps, at least for a while.

So some good souls gave my wife a lift back to the motel to get our truck (thanks) so I could get my trailer and bring the 914 home.

While waiting for my wife to arrive, a car backed into the space in front of me, and the Oregon license was 914 GGV. Seriously. An omen, would it be good or bad?

By the time my wife returned with our truck, the 914's engine had cooled down, and it started back up. I instructed my wife to follow me and if I thought I could make it home, I would nurse the car back. Just another 80 miles or so. Otherwise I would go get the trailer.

I found I could keep the car going if I kept the revs up, so I used the e-brake and kept goosing the throttle and was able to make it onto Rt. 238 towards Grants Pass. I kept the revs over 3000 and was able to drive OK, but there was a serious lack of power. I now know what the old 40HP VW's must feel like.

The main challenge on the way back was when I went to stop, as keeping the revs up, braking, clutching, and shifting simultaneously was not easy. A couple times I stalled the motor and had to pop the clutch before the car came to a stop to get it running again. How did I ever do that in my younger days?

Once on 199 and 30 miles from home, I thought I had it made. Then, by the Wonder store, I crested a rise and there was a mama Goose with a dozen or more babies smack dab in the middle of my lane! I had a split second to decide whether to brake to a stop and risk stalling and be stranded, or keeping the car moving.

I hit the brakes hard and almost got rear ended! I somehow was able to keep revving the engine and the little goslings and mama scattered. I was SURE I was going to stall the engine and pay the price for being a good person, but somehow I was able to continue and I looked in my rear view mirror and I hadn't ran over any of the babies. There was still one out in the middle of the road, but the car behind me let it run back to its family.

I made it home without incident except for the fa**ot who got on my tail and flipped me off for going the speed limit when he blasted past on Sours Flat. My wife never did catch up to me as there was a truck/trailer between us and the driver of said vehicle managed to side swipe an oncoming car and then stopped, blocking highway 238.

I have owned a 914 for 40 years, but this was my (and my wife's) first West Coast Rally. We really enjoyed meeting the attendees, and it is nice to put a face to a lot of the people I see out on 914World. Great bunch of 914 fanatics.

So, lesson learned. Next year, if I attend, the car stays on the trailer!!!

Or maybe I will get the car running like a champ!

Or maybe I will let my wife do the driving!

Until then, happy teening!

Thanks for coming Ken. Sorry things went a little crazy today with the car. Also sorry I changed up the drive. I appreciate the time you put into setting up our original plan. I changed to keep us out of the rain more. Not sure we managed to make the drive any shorter. I do guarantee the lunch at Top rock grill was much better than Lake of the woods lunch would have been. Inside & warm plus killer food. Outside & cold with burgers . I think we made the right call there

You made it there! which is more than some of us can say!

next time check your 6 before slamming on the skids for a duck or any animal ..good god man are you trying for a 4 cylinder/Boyd enema,,I rather have duck soup! so ya gotta clean off some feathers better then wrecking a pile of cars and hurting someone,,,Officer there was a duck in the road ,you totaled that nice red car for a duck??? glad you made it home OK ,,,, drive your car more it`ll make it happier and there for treat you better,good luck on the fix

Take care
MikeC

Are these the tins you are referring to? The pic is of the newly powdercoated ones I just put back on my own car.

BTW, gasket remover will take off powdercoat almost instantly.

Click to view attachment

I-5 northbound, southwest wash doing about 70. Just coming out of a fairly heavy squall Curt and I watched new looking ford 250(?) p/u passing us on the left doing 80 or so hydroplane, the rearend kicks right into our lane edge in front of us, then back to the left, Curt calmly backs off and eases to the right, l front of truck SLAMS into the jersey barrer and there's a plastic explosion. WHOA!!! Truck carooms of the barrier back into traffic. That would be us. Curt gets us out of trouble going about as far right as he can. We prob miss this disaster in the Making by 15' or less. We're moving ahead now and I'm looking out the r window. Truck spins around and the r pass stuffs into the the barrier. Canapy explodes and the truck goes up on 2 wheels. And we're safe and now Curt did'nt miss a beat. This all happens in seconds and I watched it in slow motion. The freeway was super busy. I have no doubt the situation resulted in pile ups behind us. We were very fortunate to say the least. Then the crappy feeling after the adrenaline rush and your legs tremble a bit. We were a jacked up, talked about the action. then it got real quiet in the car for a while. Sobering...

You need......

Actually Jamie, the change of drive was for the best - it put me closer to home. We'll do this again sometime eh?

6freak, those were some good burgers. But damm, I'm a Duck, get it? Went to the U of O in 1974, when Animal House was being filmed! No way I could hit that geese family. I had been watching the Volvo behind for a few miles and could tell he was paying attention; maybe it sounded more dramatic than it was. Accidents happen all the time on 199 and it usually is because drivers are driving too fast for conditions and/or not paying attention. Do you want me to keep all my cars locked up in my big shop and never bring them out? lol


And yes, those would be the underside tins Amphicar. They stopped smoking after being extra cured. I have experienced some powder coating that gasket remover won't touch, BTW.

All in all, I feel sorry for those who weren't able to attend this year's WCR. It was a BLAST!!!

Thank heaven you got out of that one OK! Good instincts and reflexes are all one can rely on these days.

I went over on Friday to the track and met about a dozen people. It was great to meet you guys on my first WCR event. Thanks Jamie and to all who helped run the activities. The goal is to have the Blue Porscheru up and running next year for WCR. Already looking forward to it. Chris.

At least now I can say that I've actually driven my car in the rain. Note to self - roll up the window after putting it on the trailer. It was a bit of a mess by the time it got home.

Great event - weather be dammed.

and that is EXACTLY why we AX...nice drive n kurt ,you knew what the car could do and just drove it out of harms way ....HELL YA

the only thing you should be locking up are your 914 brakes on the track hahahah drive um man they like it,it makes for a happy car and a happy car will take you home and come up to the cook out this summer! but you have to drive your car or no moose burger for you hahahahahah
MikeC