Devia

Yup, Spring has sprung - and our cars need HELP! Time of year to do preventative work, such as Timing Belts, Water Pumps, thermostats - and a few Headgaskets, and a few other things.

Just got off the phone with Legoland, and he said Jeff was wanting another get together - and Legoland GENEROUSLY offered the use of new house's driveway for our party! Very, very looong driveway, I must add. Just fabulous. He has one air compressor, though small, there. Others could bring theirs, to power tools.

And if anyone had guessed it - yeah, looks like poor Kijo blew the Headgasket finally, no more long drives for her. More than an oil film in the antifreeze tank now, it's starting to look like a thick milkshake layer. Drove like 2 hours into Hollywood for a party (friend's birthday), and then 1 1/2 back the next day. It's symptoms of the next day where we are having trouble, ie, went over 3/4s on the heat, I don't like that, and the fan won't shut down, unless I yank the battery cables off. Possibly a relay or something along those lines.

Probably needs a new thermostat too, and I'll have to check out the waterpump. Still, I win the bet that she'd last 2 years without needing the Headgasket done, lol. Just want to change it before the head warps. Won't know everything until we dig around in there.

I'm also going to need to do something about the Cat - I need to pass Smog, so I don't think she's going to do that, heh. Yeah, THAT yeah, blech. Any bright ideas? Good prices on cat. conv.? Not sticking one on until the headgasket is done.

So, the new place is right off the freeway in Long Beach, pretty convenient for all of us down in S. Cali!

How about in 2 or 3 weeks?

- Julie

Devia

Come on, you all want to do it...time to tune up your cars. Frank has a race car he just bought, it's something else!

Also West Coast Wrenchers now have a Spec shell we can all pitch in parts & moola, to make our OWN racer! What do you all think, eh?

- Julie

Mongo

I'm in, I don't need a tune up yet *knock on wood* but would like to help!

Devia

Andy, best way to learn - help out, and learn!

- Julie

ibkevin

Hey Julie,
I might be able to do that time frame, that will be a week or so before I roll out to Denver. Maybe Joe would like to drag out the AC stuff again?
Sorry to hear the HG pulled chocks!

Danno

I'll be down there this weekend if anyone wants to get together. Got a business meeting in LA on Friday, We can wrench on cars Sat. morning. Got a chic coming up from S.D. and we're gonna trash the down Sat. night if anyone wants to get roudy...

Mongo

don't forget the cap and rotor

Porsche-O-Phile

Naturally I'm in. I have two cars' worth of t-belts to do as well as a plethora of other things including (but not limited to):

944
1. Timing belt retension
2. Replacement of oil pump drive sleeve & front seal
3. Diagnosis and repair of poor idle
4. New a/c receiver-drier installation, vaccum / leak-test & system charge-up

951
1. Belt replacement
2. Oil pan gasket replacement (ugh!)
3. Replace a couple of bolts in the wastegate that never got put back in
4. A/C compressor replacement, receiver-drier replacement, vaccum, leak-test and charge-up. I have all parts
5. LOTS of stuff on the interior (replacing rear speakers, fixing a loose door track, etc.)

I'll forgo my repairs in the interest of Julie's head gasket though. That's a show-stopper. My stuff is just "wanna' get done" type stuff.

I'll very likely be renting space at Frank's and storing the Callaway project there. That way I can rip it apart and not worry about where to store removed parts in my own less-than-spacious garage. This will be extremely useful in prepping the car for paint as well, but this is a "however-long-it-takes" type project. I just figure it's good to get done while the engine is out, preferably before fall.

Good times are a-comin'.

Anyway yea I'll be there.

Kelly Chiu

I'm in as well, it would be nice to see eveyone. My car needs timing belts done, but headgasket is the priority. Just send over the details of time and location.

Sunday would be better for me, if its Saturday, I will likely skip out after a few hours.

josephsc

Left all that stuff at Jeff's -- so I think some sort of Long Beach get-together would be a good idea. Just pick a weekend when I'm actually going to be in town! (This weekend I was in Boston, next weekend is Chapel Hill, then I'm in LA, then SF, back to Boston, etc, etc.... work sucks.....)

Mighty Shilling

Bah...you guys suck...not inviting me... I HAVE AN IDEA!!!! COME TO MY PARTY!!! 2nd week of May!

Eyal 951

Julie,
Like I said before, I have the widefire to donate if you want it. I'm in.
~Eyal

Devia

Well, we can have more than one get together, lol.

Like I said, I feel like we have several cars that need help. Also, a silent 944 owner friend of mine, Bradley (friend of Frank's) is an original owner of his 944! He does need belts done too, and can't drive his baby until done - just too long between T-belt changes.

Also, keep in mind, some cars are not going to be done in one day; there's a very good chance mine may wind up needing other things, but we won't know until we get in there. BUT she was very well maintained, until the last few years before I got her, when she sat in an Insurance yard.

Like Jeff, I would like to get her prepped for a repaint - a CORRECT repaint. The front side panels were ground down wrong, not finished off with the proper grit - and you can see it through the paint. Now I may be able to get away with sections repainted, I don't know; but I am going to need to fix the driver's side seat, maybe shove some 1" foam up it, to help my lumbar.

Depending on Legoland's and Jeff's schedule, I'm game, any Saturday or Sunday - though I admit Sunday this next weekend would be easier on me, just because I may wake up late, due to a possible party on Friday, and don't wish to do that to anyone, we need to get started early.

Jeff, I think we can do ONE of your cars easily; not sure about both. I'd like to do Safety checks on as many cars as possible too, as a preventative measure; ie, check stuff we all put OFF! CV joints, or whatever. Make sure stuff is lubed well, that kind of thing. If anyone has wierd noises going on in the back end, could be brakes, even wheel bolts breaking off!

Part of my safety issue is because the latter happened to Cameron & I, almost 2 weeks ago - in a Honda Accord, and we heard some squirrelly noises going on, as we got onto the freeway. I closed my eyes to listen, thought it sounded like shocks (very, very similar, folks!), then the tire blew, and we were down! Cameron managed to limp her over to the shoulder, my back hurt, since it was the passenger side, and I was suddenly jolted.

We got out to change the tire, and one bolt was GONE, and two were spun out - not even a rechargable impact wrench would do the trick!

So, let's go over some safety checks, including the rollers and tensioners, for anyone concerned. I feel incredibly safe in a 944, but it doesn't mean that the above can't happen to you and your car. FYI - it was determined the bolts were overdone with impact wrenches, ie, you should always hand thread them as far as you can, then impact them, but to their torque specs. I asked if that was it, they felt like idiots, and agreed, lol.

Drive safe & sane!

- Julie

Porsche-O-Phile

I don't want to speak for Frank since it's his place but it certainly sounded like get-togethers were going to be something of a regular event now. Heck, on the weeks he doesn't host I'll be happy to. Maybe I can actually start turning that pile of parts I have into nicer cars now.

My cars would be perfect were it not for time and money! Damn impedements to progress I say! Aarrrrgggghhhh!!!

Legoland951

We can do more than one car at a time if we have enough people. The person who is getting their car worked on can bring meat/food/drinks and for big jobs like the head gasket, bring a barbecue pit too I can probably have a newly machined head ready to swap in. Just pay for the machining as long as the core head is still good. The new place has no power in the garage yet but I already got a 220v 60 gallon 5hp compressor. I know nothing about construction so maybe if someone want to barter services, let me know. I also have a forklift so even engine swaps will be easier (how much did you want that car body to be lifted?). The backyard IS the 405 freeway so I can't imagine too much complaints against noise.