Adk46

This is a twisty story line, with a bit of punctuation yesterday. Read only if winter boredom has set in.

2013: Epiphany: Every man should own a Porsche at least once in his life. I saw one while resting during a bike ride. Promptly found an '09 Cayman and drove it home from California.

2014: Wasn't sure, but the same might apply to a vintage Porsche. 911's were too pricy, so got a 928 instead. Started in on a long sequence of standard maintenance routines, most known by odd sequences of letters: TB/WP, MM/OPG, etc.

2015: Attended Frenzy. 928 owners are as interesting as their cars. Met Jon (Captain Slow).

2016: What about other vintage cars? Picked up a '59 Austin-Healey Sprite with a jumble of mis-matched clutch parts. A good way to learn how to pull an engine.

2017: Traded Cayman for an '82 911. To be clear, from the 928 perspective, a GT perspective, it is a POS, but with more "exciting" handling. Decided the Northeast needed a 928 gathering - Camp 928 was born (Jay Kempf appears!). Built garage for the collection.

2018: Jon encourages me to get a Unimog. Second gathering, this time in Camp 928 Clubhouse. Built addition to garage for the Unimog.

2019: First winter that 928 is not scheduled for anything major. Unimog gets a workout moving snow around but oh dear a new clutch might be needed; a chain hoist would be useful in the 'mog shed.

This week: hauled home an 18-foot I-beam for a trolly hoist, precariously balanced in the back of a truck with an 8-foot bed. Wayne style!

Yesterday: Went to a place that makes giant pressure vessels for paper plants - I needed a shop with an abrasive water jet machine to make joist hangers for the I-beam - over-engineered in the finest German tradition. The AWJ guy knew what a Unimog was, and further had once owned a 944, and asked about the belt tension tool I used. His girlfriend owned a Cayman. We spent an hour sharing photos and stories. The Tesla was also discussed with a larger group, how its surfer-dude engineers don't understand how to design traction control for snow.

We discussed abrasives for AWJ, too. The deluxe garnet abrasive is mined locally, just up the road in North Creek - the birthplace of sandpaper! Some of you have been there, following Dave C on fun runs into the Wilderness. I know Chuck Barton, the 3rd generation owner - only because Barton's has a stake in an old railway I've been trying to convert to a bike trail. Jon, I'll make sure you see the big garnet-bearing rocks surrounding the North Creek Rail Station when you come up in June.

I think I'm going to get a good quote on the hangers. The 944 guy pointed to some scrap stainless steel he might use for them. Gosh, there's something beautiful about metal scrap bins.

I was once a metallurgist.

skpyle

Excellent read!

Curt, you are a strange man. Don't change.

voskian

Captain_Slow

What about the bombs hidden the Sprite dash? They are the 2nd most scary thing about the Sprite...after riding in it, I guess.

My offer to come up and help you change the Mog clutch still stands - though I've only changed a clutch on a 404. Seems very similar - remove/tilt cab, take out radiator, move engine forward a bit...change clutch.

Need to grab a sample of the garnet rock for the road.

I'm imagining you started this thread while stuck in the house next to a wood stove and heavy snow outside.

Adk46

Bob and I discovered some years ago that we were both materials engineers. We get along well despite being in opposing camps, metallurgy and ceramics. Bob's career involved interactions with John Kelly III, VP for research at IBM. We found out he was the backer behind Tumblehome Boat Shop, which we visited last year during Camp 928. At the same time, we found out he is a major Porsche collector, and had recently become a 928 owner. We think he should come to this year's event. God knows we could use some Watson to solve some of our problems.

It turns out that Bob and I both played the French horn in high school. I took it up again ten years ago; music, like 928 ownership, is good brain exercise. I mentioned that I had no big project for the 928 this winter - my big German-oriented project is arranging Gustav Mahler's 3rd Symphony for band. I know as much about doing that as I did about auto mechanics before getting the 928. I fell into this rabbit hole because the beginning features eight horns, and is marked "Kräftig. Entschieden", which roughly translates to "drive it like you stole it". Bob and I will give it a shot in June. Anyone know what "Zurückhalteng" means? Sounds important.



Jon can get excited over nerdy things, like when I referred to the outcropping of primordial anorthosite that tore off my front spoiler. He seems to know what I need, encouraging me to get a Unimog and to launch Camp 928. In return, I have stopped him from selling his 928 several times. He's older than he looks, so he will need the brain exercise. Oh - the unexploded ordinance I found in the Bugeye Sprite ... I'd like to get the German for that, since even their word for "butterfly" will frighten children.

Seth, I hope you don't mind the ribbing. You are driven to excellence. We just hope your excellence can eventually be driven.

$24 each for the brackets, including the A36 steel plate (0.25-inch) - pretty good for a substantial custom piece. They'll make a test piece so I can check it against the I-beam. How many got the reference to "Wayne-style"? Is he running for President again?

Wisconsin Joe

Oh my. It's late & I'm tired. But thanks for the laughs.

Balancing a huge beam in the back of a truck is very "Lambrightish". Did you use cinder blocks to brace it? At least you have enough engineering to orient them correctly.

Captain_Slow

OK...now I understand these braces...and they are far from "Wayne-Style". Getting the I-beam home sounded a bit Wayne-ish...but now that I think of it my 404 clutch job was a bit improvised, because I'm short.



Spare rims came in handy to let the Mog bow down.


Disconnect engine from bell housing, pull engine forward into the space vacated by the radiator.



replace the clutch



Ready to go. Miss this 404 radio truck, but most of it's payload capacity was consumed by the box itself, limiting its utility to camping trips.

skpyle

It is quite alright, Curt. I have earned and deserve every bit of ribbing and criticism leveled against me. That kind of effort requires dedication.
Oh, fear not, ye mortals. The Red Witch shall ride forth upon the highways!
At some point...