If that car is even half as fast as it is beautiful, no one else has no chances

Lots of interesting and nice details, e.g the sump cover. Never seen one like that before.

You couldn't stab the throttle a few times for us...
Car looks amazing.

Most of what we did this weekend you can’t really see.
The clutch seemed odd: when you step on it, there was a click or pop sound in the tunnel. I had replaced the stock clutch cable with a Terry Cable version. It’s different. So I put the stock one back in and it seems fine...so now we have 2 Terry Cable clutch cables for sale

Also did some adjusting to the brakes. Again, something seemed “off” turns out I never tightened the lock nut on the rod between the pedal and the master cylinder...there was a fair amount of play when you stepped on the pedal. Better now.

-Made brackets for the fire suppression nozzles.
-Fixed an issue with the GoPro dash mounted on/off button and light (we use that for a rear facing camera)
-Cut and painted screening for the front fender vents and installed screen for the oil cooler intake
-Started making the glove box door (it’s where we keep the log books)
-Spent way too much time trying to figure out how to run the fire suppression lines...(still don’t have an answer)
-Got it corner balanced and aligned last week.
-Oh, and cut a hole in the front hood for fuel fill.

Going to get wrapped on Wednesday.

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A work of art!
Can't wait to see video of it in action.

Rolling perfection.

Spoken like a true gear head.

Little change to the color scheme...

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Looking Great Bob!

When are you scheduled to drive? I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on how the cage mods have affected the handling .

Nice!

I'm here for the inspiration.

You are crazy if you add a livery to this thing. Just gorgeous. I'd add the simplest numbers possible and call it a day.

The car looks great, Bob!

pete

Next Friday (May 24) is test and tune day!! , then we’re doing the SCCA Time Trials Nationals on Saturday and Sunday both driving and as a vendor.

So...in the end, this will be 8 months from running car, tear down, rebuild, to back on track. 2 months later than I had hoped, but we’ve done a lot more than I originally planned so I guess not bad...

Thanks Pete...but we also have some sponsors, or more like companies that gave us free or greatly reduced rates to get this done we have to take care of. And it’s kind of a showcase of what we sell and what you can do in your own race car...

It’s a race car. Personally I don’t like boring single color simple race cars. Heck, even our “street” 914 is way beyond simple...

Plus we need PCA Racing, Vintage Racing, and SCCA decals, classes (VGTO, GT4 and GT2), weight (diff for PCA and SCCA of course),

It won’t be crazy...

This is our side numbers...pro-ish style

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^^ wow, showed up really big!

As somebody who works Grid for PCA Club Races - thank you, thank you, thank you for using simple, easy to read numbers (I hope the ones on the front trunk are easy to read too).

You haven't really 'partied' until you're one of a team of 4-5 people trying to get 70+ race cars directed to, and parked, in a specific numbered Grid spot before the race.

Complicate that with drivers that are strapped in with Hans devices that make it nearly impossible for them to see you and see where they should go, and race cars that do not turn easily at parking lot speeds (and that you sure the heck don't want to ask to back up)!

I also hope you're one of the considerate drivers that show up to Grid loooong before the rush of inconsiderate drivers pile in right before the 5 minute warning that Grid is closing!

And thank you from the Timing and Scoring folks too. Trying to read numbers at speed when they match the colors of the hippie swirl on the side of the car becomes a real "challenge".

Oh.. and check your transponder number against your logbook too. Unresolved transponders are the biggest headache T&S has.

Oh.. and Betty wanted me to tell you that you are invited to help grid a big group at COTA. If you experience it, you will understand.

'Lol....remember, we have been doing this race thing a LONG time now
Nadine did T&S starting back in 2004 for 8-9 years, then Scrutineering for another 7 or so.
She was our regions race chair one year
We’ve both done grid and worked corners.
I’ve been racing since 2006.
So yeah, we totally understand the work that the volunteers and national staff deals with

We still have the same transponder we’ve had since the beginning, and it seems to work (lights on). We’ll know next weekend, doing a SCCA time trial before my first race at VIR.

Still haven’t decided the hood number, but it will certainly be contrasting color.

Before you sell the Terry Cables check the clutch tube to be sure the bracket is not braking away from the welds inside the tunnel. This happened to my car during Okteenerfest last year. Adjusted the clutch several times and could never get it right. There was a clicking sound inside the tunnel and I found where the bracket had broken lose. This is a YouTube video of what I found: Broken Clutch Tube

Seems to be a common problem and might be worth running a scope inside the tunnel to check.

Papa Smurf is looking fantastic!

Kelvin

Hi Kelvin
I thought the same thing, but I do have an access panel to that whole area and it’s fine. With the stock cable it works perfectly, no clicking, and it’s easy and smooth... just strange.
Personally, I thing there is a slight kink in our clutch cable tube right where it exits the fire wall. The stock ones have the Teflon shield on them, the Terry Cable ones don’t, (but they’re thicker cable). So it may be hanging up on the kink a little...don’t know.

So....update!! As I mentioned above This weekend was the first time out for Papa Smurf. Friday was a testing day, Sat/Sun was the SCCA Time Trials National Tour event.

We had two sets of really old tires...no need to spend a lot of money on new slicks for a test day and just a TT at a track that destroys tires...Friday went very well, only two minor issues:
- in my second session out, I started to smell fuel. When I looked in the rear view mirror, I saw a liquid spitting up onto the rear window...obviously fuel. Not wanting to test out our new Lifeline fire suppression system I shut it down and got towed in. We found a loose AN fuel fitting at the fuel rail. Easy fix.
- Cody Forbes of Black Forest Racing was there to help out with testing. I let him take it out and toward the end of the session he was having an issue shifting into 2nd and 4th. Turns out I never locked down the stops on the Rennshift and one had vibrated itself “in” and stopped the grow from going far enough to engage the gear. Another easy fix.

Otherwise...the tires sucked, but we managed through them and I ended up finishing First Place in the top class U-1!!

I’ll post some video links when I get them up. Here’s one on FB that Cody took.

https://www.facebook.com/294754070719241/po...v=e&sfns=mo

Next up, PCA Club Race at VIR later in June!

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Congratulations on a great day.

Beautiful car.

Form AND Function. It doesn't get better than that.

Congrats on your results in both!

Love the rims. One off?
Gorgeous!!!!!!!!

WOW!

Papa looks great!!!!

It's so awesome seeing your car back on the road after the drama you went through with the engine a while back.

You sent me a very nice PM encouraging me to finish my car when I got discouraged. I'll never forget that.

Thank you, and Bravo on the win!!!!!!

P1 outta the box!

I'll second that comment about form and function. Car looks great, and obviously goes great. Well done, Bob!

P1 at the very first outing after a MAJOR rebuild, AND on crappy tires... Papa looks awesome... the business booth/setup looks very classy.

Congrats on all of it (but just the teensy-ist, tiny bit more for the success on track cuz that's just the way I feel really deep down inside)!

Video!!
Quick recap of the work we did, plus a lap from the SCCA TT this past weekend.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w24UYb3hNBQ

Lookin good Bob. Love the engine sounds with the close ratio gearbox!

What a great video. Loved the sound.

Finally got a chance to do a real race after all this work - PCA Club Race at VIR in Vintage class.

Results:
Fun Race - 1st overall
Sprint 1 - 1st overall
Sprint 2 - DNF (threw an alternator belt)
Sprint 3 - 3rd overall

Not a bad way to celebrate your birthday weekend!!

we accumulate points through the races and I ended up 3rd overall, but most importantly I won the coveted Workers Choice Award!

The only issue - besides the thrown fan belt - was having issues with shifting into 2nd later into the 3rd race...


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Here's a video of my fastest lap of the weekend - which came on the last lap of the last race, even with a few mistakes and not being able to grab second at Oak Tree turn. I'll put together a video of actual racing action later.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s568Vbrh-IE

Worker's Choice! Way to go Bob and Papa Smurf!!!

Congrats and the car sounds great

Congratulations! And three of the top four cars were 914s!

Awesome.

Geez Bob...2:09's!!!... Sweet

watch the video....2:07's...

You sure it was 2:07s? I can pull the timing data from the PCA club racing website and see your times on every lap.

Have at it! And you will see I did multiple 2:07 laps.
The picture of the timing sheet was from Sprint 1 because thats the race I won. Video and my fastest lap was Sprint 3.

Congrats on winning the race.

So...18 months after the last post on this thread - almost to the day - I have very sad news...this is a VERY hard post to write...but hey...its 2020 right? What else is new?

As some of you may know (and probably most do not), during the practice sessions at the PCA Club Race at Summit Point in September, I experience a stuck throttle which force me head on into a tire wall/mound that did major damage to Papa Smurf.

Here's the video. https://youtu.be/nhCRNtCPxno

After a lot (an AWFUL LOT) of soul searching, staring, partial disassembly and consulting with body shops and mechanics, we've decided its time to cut our losses and move on from Papa Smurf into our next chapter of racing...whatever that may be.

I know...anything is possible to fix, but we just don't have the mental fortitude, time, or desire to spend the financial commitment its going to take.

So...we will be selling off most of what made Papa Smurf such a great car...primarily the 3.4 liter Engine, 915 Transmission (regeared, LSD, Velios, cooling), wheels and tires, body panels that aren't damaged, wing(s), suspension, etc....

Over the next week or so I'll start putting together listing on mine and the NaroEscape Motorsports Facebook pages of what exactly we have... As some of you know, the engine and trans were built by Dawe's Motorsport and they are about as good as you can get. Recent refresh on the engine and new build on the trans. 325 RWHP @ 7000 RPM.

PM me for details.

I just read this entire thread and almost cried. Look...I know its only a car and during this year there are WAY more important issues at hand that many of you are dealing with, so please don't confuse my sentiment here to insinuate I am diminishing REAL world issues. Life, safety and peoples livelihoods are obviously way more important.



2020 can't be over fast enough.

Ohh Bob....no words really except the great relief to see you walking around the paddock afterwards with everything intact...
+1 on the right equipment...

John

Happily you are safe and sound....that's what's most important.
Still doesn't make it any easier to lose a car that has so much time, money and emotion put into it.

And yes, i can move on past 2020 too.
What a crazy year.

Oh man that is a tough one to watch, glad you were unhurt. I was cringing as I watched the video not knowing where the mishap was about to occur. Was especially puckering as you came into the downhill. Could have happened at a lot worse places!!!

Everything happened so quickly. I glad you weren't hurt.

So hard to watch.
We all know this is possible every time we strap in. Happened so fast.
Glad you're ok.

Oh no! I am so glad your not hurt. A car can be replaced. Take your time to decide what is right. Thank you for posting the video. It is an excellent reminder of how quickly things can go wrong. As a former pilot, a couple of the publications I subscribed to would break down accidents for analysis. I wish you the best in 2021!