Peter Zimmermann

LOL! Much appreciated!

SiberianDVM

I got the Pelican order.......who thought it was a good idea to put all 4 brake rotors in the same box?

They sure are pretty, though. I kind of hate to put them on the car where they will get all dirty and rusty.

theiceman

in my defense those brake pads had a mm of meat left on them .. a real shame to throw them out ..

SiberianDVM

Yesterday, I installed a pair of new Bilstein HD front strut inserts & new front wheel bearings & new Zimmermann front rotors. Haven't started rebuilding the front calipers yet. I would do it today, but the stupid plant where I work loves to have us work on holidays.

Anyhow, I noticed that the rubber boots on my tie rod ends are split and a little bit of nasty grease is leaking out. Oh crap. I don't see where just the rubber boot is listed as an available part on Pelican, so does this mean that I should either replace the tie rod ends, or do the Turbo tie rod upgrade? Or is there another place I can buy just the boots?

What do the experts say? I'm planning on ordering the tie rod end removal tool from Pelican anyway, after reading the horror stories about attempted removal without the right tool. How hard (stupid question on this Porsche) is it to remove the tie rod where it connects to the steering rack without a special wrench?

theiceman

i did it .... but i dropped the sway bar first .. then just detached the outer tie rod end and i used the tie rod as the wrench.

Not sure everyone can do that but thats what i did while upgrading to turbo tie rods.

SiberianDVM

Dopping the sway bar allows room to use the tie rod as the wrench?

So, I guess that means I need to replace the sway bar bushings "while I'm there"?

Ed Hughes

This is why I suggested treating the suspension as a seperate project-there is a lot to refreshing the suspension correctly on a 20+ year old car.

You can spend good money on individual components, and have them playing with 28 year old components, and not get the full benefit of the investment. Plus, you end up needing to realign multiple time, if you just piecemeal it. You do tie rod ends now-alignment. Drop the control arms to do the bushings in need of replacement-another alignment.

SiberianDVM

Naw, it won't ever need an alignment at the rate I'm going.

theiceman

yes i did replce the bushings but they are dirt cheap .. may be a bit of a challenge getting the bar in and out tho. well..... in .. not so much out ....

rusnak

The challenge with the tie rods is the outer ends. I don't remember any problem with the inner ends. Toe in is not too hard to get right, but castor and camber are, as is centering the wheel.

Reyes98

I'm just trying to get it ready for some DE sessions

SiberianDVM

Well, after only 6 weeks, the Targa is back on the road, at least temporarily.

New Zimmerman rotors, new Textar pads, braided steel brake lines, new front wheel bearings, new Bilstein HD in front and new Sports in rear, A/C and cruise control delete, new engine compartment fan, old tires balanced, greased tie rod ends and new Prothane tie rod end boots. I have the turbo tie rod ends but I was tired of not driving it, so that can wait until later.

Took a short drive yesterday to bed in the brakes.

Took it out today for a good run, got it up to 80mph on the bypass, and it is silky smooth. Shocks are not harsh riding at all, brakes are firm with no mush, noise, or pulling, and just rebalancing the old tires made a world of difference in steering wheel judder.

So I pulled by my mom and stepdads house and actually talked my 79 y.o. mom into going for a low speed ride. First time in a Porsche for her, and I don't think she ever let go of the door handle.

Now, I want to take this car to a DE in a few months. Obviously, the 1st thing I need is a good, new set of tires. I have a few options in 15" tires.

What else is a must for DE? This car has NO tail or front spoiler. Will that be a problem at DE speeds? I would like to go with fiberglass bumpers, probably RUF Yellowbird type, coupled with either a Getty ducktail or TS wing, but I don't have that much free money right now. If I didn't do the bumpers, I could do a valance, but they are almost as much as a Yellowbird front bumper.

Fabspeed premuffler and SW chip will be high on my list as well.

Ed Hughes

Focus on good rubber-you don't need aero aids when starting DE. I assume you flushed the brakes? New fluid, good rubber and a solid car are what you need for the track-and a good helmet.

SiberianDVM

Got the good helmet, used it at Roebling Road earlier this month, in my Acura RSX Type-S.

Did the brake fluid flush, yep. Started with the Motive Power Bleeder, which has a leak in the gauge, btw , and finished with the GF in the driver's seat, in 104* heat. She loved that. The brakes are good, though.

The reason I asked about the aero aids is we did reach speeds in excess of 115 mph, and I'm wondering how stable this 911 will feel at that speed. The po-po around here are not real understanding of road testing.

Reiver

Frisbee with folks you don't care for....Hey, heads up! Catch!