Amber Gramps

This car's job is to take me back to before the fall of 1988, before the heart attacks, before the pacemaker, before the Iron overload and the liver failure. It does this job very well. It does it beond my wildest expectation. The car, this board, the friends it has attracted in the neighborhood have all added to the escape. I am the nutcase you think I am. I wake up every morning and can't believe I'm still alive. On days like today when I get to drive her to work I can't wipe the smile off my face. It's summer time, I'm 21, I'm in Rolling Valley, Virginia, and I'm single. Gone is the job, the kids, the wife, the bills, and the house. I'm free and Reagan is in the White House. Comprendo.

Peter Zimmermann

douglas: There are a couple of things that I want to mention. Although the factory liked Boges for Cabriolets, I think that upgrading to HD Bilsteins - at all 4 corners - is a fine thing to do. The problem with going beyond that is that your car is a Cab, clearly meant to drive to the beach on a 70-degree Sunday afternoon, or go out to dinner on any one of many gorgeous SoCal evenings. Have owners modified Cabs to maximize cornering/stopping ability? Sure! Do those owners really like to drive their Cabs daily? Some probably do! All that I can say is that my wife and I put more than 100,000 miles on an SC Cab, fitted with 1986 anti-sway bars and HD Bilsteins, and in all honesty we both found the car to be extremely capable. My wife did DEs with that car, and was surprisingly quick in it, enough to draw praise from Milt Minter at Streets of Willow. I think that what Steve posted above, about doing the shocks now and maybe T-bars later, is really correct. What you might consider is doing the Bilsteins, then finding some Porsche-only slaloms that will have quality instructors available, and learn your car. Slaloms have stock classes, and no matter what you do to the car there will always be somebody faster, so that should not be a concern. Competition driving is really cool, but your main competitor should always be...you. Every practice session should be devoted to going just a little quicker, and a little more smoothly, than you did the previous session. Play with tire pressures, learn what you like, learn to tell the difference in what the car is doing with 29/36 pressures, and 32/35 pressures. Above all, learn to feel if you are using the car correctly to do one corner, only one, perfect. You might be able to do your first perfect corner your first time out, or you might need to do a dozen slaloms before you nail that first perfect corner. I know that I've gotten long-winded here, I guess that my point is that you don't need a heavily modified suspension to nail that first perfect corner, all you need is practice. After a handful of slaloms you will be equipped with enough experience to know if you want to develop the car further, or just enjoy it for what it is. Replace those brake hoses, fill the system with Ate Blue, maybe put in Pagid brake pads, put in the Bilsteins, have the car aligned and go out and have some fun. I'm not familiar with current PCA rules, so I don't know if they require roll bars in open cars, or if you can run as-is as a student. That's something that you should check so that you're not disappointed later. We had a roll hoop in our Cab, but because of the two rear-facing supports we lost the use of the back seats, so that's something else to consider. Have fun wading!

g-50cab

I can tell you first hand that the carrera cabs are more than capable cars with wide tires and decent brakes.

I think your cab can far succeed your driving ability (and probably 90% of the board) in stock form.

A few tweeks to my car - and it still remains very streetable, very nice direct driving. Above 4500rpms and all he!! breaks loose - sort of like a stock carrera but in a more uncivilized way.

That being said, I still have stock torsions and have Bilstein HD's all the way around. Even with a little more HP - the squat is not excessive.

911S3.6

Douglas, Pete is right.
I really enjoyed my matching number, 1975 911s with it's not powerful 2.7 US motor. I was content giving folks pass bys on the track, and like you, was just giddy to be owning and driving the car. The car was original, balanced and as Dr. Porsche wanted. Pete was in my ear loud and clear, and correct.
The slippery slope started when, as Pete predicted, the magnesium engine case started to seep from pulled studs. The cost to rebuild the 2.7 correctly was more than an available 3.6L Varioram motor that came my way.
Once the motor was in, I could tell by driving, and from photos taken at the track the suspension was overwhelmed.
At that point I had enough track experience I knew this was not a passing fancy and that I was heavily addicted to the challenge. Thus, each year some upgrades...and now....oblivion.
This changeover from OEM to Performance machine was done under Steve's supervision and tutorship.
So, you see, it really is up to you to visualize what you and this car are planning to do, and then you have two excellent resources in Pete and Steve to guide you whichever way you go.
Don't forget, it's not the end, it's the journey.

Nick

Amber Gramps

I was out driving around today in the Carrera and I heard the right front brake bads make a rubbing sqeaking sound. The phone rang and it was Steve Weiner we talked about the shocks, bushings, and the "package" of things involved in the normal suspention rebuild. we chatted long enough for me to drive home. He had me under the car looking at the spacing of the tortion bar and the bushing and other such things. I remember the sqeak and go to the front of the car, grab the right front tire, and click, click, the wheel is moving. I can't see it move, but I can feel it and see it. So begins another episode of "ASK STEVE WEINER"......(ok we'll call this one ask Pete)

HarryD

Douglas,

You want to have fun with your car. Tell Steve where you want to go and trust him (he has never steered me wrong).

Pete talks of going to PCA Slalom events (I presume he means Autocross). Our PCA chapter has a decent program and Cabs are welcome (roll bars not needed). You see some of the biggest grins in folks running bone stock cars (which already have capability beyond belief). Check your local PCA chapter and see if you can go with a stock car (I think you can). Get some instruction and you will amazed.

FWIW: The beauty of Autocross is that it is 70+% driver and -30% car. Go out and get that stupid grin on your face. It will set your soul free.

And as far as those folks who say you should not track your Cab or Targa, I say:



NOT!