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I've had him for 5 years.
He's always been my adventure car.
Yes he's a he & not a she.
His name is Wilson because of the Tom Hanks' Cast Away movie.
He's the best car in the world.
Some changes I regret while others I do not.
I don't regret saving him from a life of boredom.
I don't regret changing his transmission oil.
This is a new thread, because that's my bag...
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Listen, when I first bought this car I wanted more power, so I followed the internet sage advice. I wanted 190 hp... and I got it. Then I chased 200 hp.... the "magic number"... I'll never know but I think I obtained it.
Then I realized that power... can be never enough... you start chasing it down & want more & more.
So the most practical direction was to convert to 16 valve (or so I thought). In my opinion if a budget 8 valve build can do 200 hp (and a top grade professional build - high dollar can do 230), then a budget 16 valve 2.5 litre can obtain about 10 percent more.
So I hunted down essentially everything I would need to convert. HOLY COW... before I knew it I have huge money ($4000) into all the parts I'd need... and STILL need to do a full rebuild of those parts & I still wouldn't have a piggyback or stand alone MAP/MAF or aftermarket cams or headers, etc... so my goals of a 220 hp engine are a long ways off & I coulda bought a whole 951 for the sort of money I'd put into the engine alone.
Today I made a trade with a friend. I got a nice set of staggered 16x7/8" phone dials. Promptly took them to get my soft gummy winter tires mounted & balanced. WOOHOO!
Cannot under-rate fashion & comfort. Check these babies out! $28 from Snap On Tools. New issue product.
EXPANSION: Changing from "Dual Purpose" to a FIA approved stage car... that's still street legal. This is going to take time. And money.
1. Planning on installing a FIA spec roll cage to replace my Hanksville roll bar. Exactly like this: http://cagethis.com/2009/12/porsche-944-complete/
Darn too bad the car is in the shop. It's my favourite type of day; light enough to see but grey enough it's not too bright to blind your vision or burn your skin. Much like in these two photos:
Mounted the 6 point harnesses. Whole different experience. Shoulder checking in traffic is difficult with the shoulder straps on tight, but wow, the level of security is vastly improved. However, FIA standards require extra mounting (not shared mounting for the lowers straps), but for now I think it'll do.
Mom always told me LSD is way too fun. I don't find carving 30 years of dirt off the LSD trans that much fun... over-rated!
Broke all the rules and went Johnny Cash on dat ***:
I'm a HUGE fan of this short shifter (so much even bought 2 of them). But going to sell this as I'm a baller on a budget & my "shop mod" to factory linkage is comparable in performance I think. So long my delicious little darling, we'll find you a good home.
A while ago I tried describing a persistent problem I have on gravel when driving close to *my* speed limit on gravel. What happens is I hit a patch of extra thick gravel or in the case a month ago I hit a puddle of water... for one reason or another I get a bit sideways when I should be going straight. Then I try to counter-steer and now I am sideways the other way, so I counter-steer & now I am a bit sideways the other way.
Although it's exciting, it's also a lack of control and has almost caused me to crash many times over the last 15+months.
Welll, I finally figured it out. And I am better at handling the unintended sideways problem.
Others have suggested things... I think John Stahl has been the most accurate in his assessment.
In a nut shell: The problem was I was lifting the throttle & over counter steering.
Solution: When in doubt throttle out! And don't over correct with the steering wheel. And (some may disagree but for me this is working) let go of the steering wheel if the counter-steering you are doing is making it worse)... the wheel will find centre.
These are hard things to do in a panic situation. It's sometimes hard to find a safe place to practise, but I have now experienced it enough to believe it really works. Thanks everyone who helped with advice.
WHO'S GOOD at tire wear? Is this normal?
Dunno how many kilometers but a summer's worth. Maybe 3-5000 kms. Only 1 autocross & the rest is "spirited" road (a bit of slippage here and there... plus gravel driving. No big track... no racing. These are sticky DOT tires so I expect more wear. In the spring I had an inexpensive alignment after new struts & shocks and in my opinion the car handles fantastically. Ride height is factory & these are the right sized tires for the factory rims they are on. Side note: when I brought the car in for an alignment the car was probably 150-300 lbs pounds lighter than it is on most drives I do (weight varies depending on co-driving & gear), so the most rational thought I have is the camber changed with the extra weight. THOUGHTS?
The wear is consistently the "inside tread" on all 4; meaning all 4 tires are exhibiting about 15% accelerated wear towards the centre of the vehicle. Tire pressure is kept as per the owner's manual.
Right drive:
Left steer:
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How I will make a short shifter. I love my aftermarket one don't get me wrong, but since the car is exposed to a high degree of snow/mud/dirt I thought I'd go back to factory bushing & weld a tab on for 30-40% less throw.
Seen here from L to R:
924 n/a bit, 944 bits, 944Only shifter. And above is bar stock I'll be adapting to the factory bits to make it work (like I successfully did to Gramps, the 924).
Where should I buy factory 87 944 S LSD friction pads? (I don't even know the name of this LSD but I think it's built by ZF, no? And is replacement easily done "in car"? I've never played with one before. I know replacement is easier outside of car but I want to drive the tranny first and make sure it shifts great before spending more money.
Finished up with my home made short shifter... and it would work (I think) but for how long?
The angle on the cross bar with the rubber bushings is too severe... even though you can shift through the gears, stress on that mechanism bolt & bushings is evident. Last thing I want to do is to bust my linkage in the bush (or anywhere). Darn... I'll have to reassess what made the 924 Gramps so successful. I know the lever is a different design and perhaps the single element that makes it work is I used this rod with spherical rod ends: (photo from 944only website).
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The above photo isn't my tranny.
This was my tranny today with what I thought would work (Johnny Cash transmission):
(notice the input rod is "off centre" - which I think is happening as a result of the binding.
And this is how I'm putting it in the car today. Notice the input rod angle is corrected:
Now I gotta tell my bud I won't be selling the short shifter to him afterall.
I said it a couple of years ago & I'll say it again. I think these cars are the new 944 n/a.
Here is a very nicely done up car, with the type of hood function & aero that I'd like on Wilson. Although the splitter is a bit too outboard for the bumpy stuff. http://cp-e.com/webstore2/speedhunters-frs/
09-09-2016, 09:43 AM
Rally Street Wilson
