Big Dave

But not cheap. We need a new house (*cough* better garage *cough*) before pouring money into upgrades.

Rob M Budd

The machiine shop just called. All the new parts are in. the block is finished and all the internals balanced. All brackets and mounts are at the powder coat shop. The heads will be done in a week or so.
I started to refinish and detail the engine compartment. Spring won't come fast enough!

Big Dave

Rob....which powder coat shop are you using?

Rob M Budd

http://www.exoticcoatings.com

Highly recommended. I've seen their work.

The guy's name is Joe. Tell him I sent you.

Big Dave

I think 500 is a bit low for Rob's project, but I won't steal his thunder.

Dozman

Thats good not to steal ones thunder. It's great for one to show his own pride. Unless one needs to brag or talk for others like you do.

Jadz928

Well again, I wish I could make it to hang with you guys. Ol' man Leland bustin' my hump over these reports...

KRAMER
What did you want to see me about, Mr. Leland?

LELAND
Kramer, I've.. been reviewing your work.. Quite frankly, it stinks.

KRAMER
Well, I ah.. been havin' trouble at home and uh.. I mean, ah, you know, I'll work harder, nights, weekends, whatever it takes..

LELAND
No, no, I don't think that's going to, do it, uh. These reports you handed in. It's almost as if you have no business training at all... I don't know what this is supposed to be!

KRAMER
Well, I'm uh, just--tryin' to get ahead..

LELAND
Well, I'm sorry. There's just no way that we could keep you on.

KRAMER
I don't even really work here!

LELAND
That's what makes this so difficult.

That always makes me laugh...

Anyway, Dave, I'm hoping that maybe I could get a look at your happenings sometime soon. Your project sounds very interesting! It's like a science project for school, except for grown-ups, and without detention.

And Rob... Holy Moly! Whatcha got up your sleeve Bullwinkle? ...So the LT wasn't enough juice, ey?

Well, my birthday is on Friday and I'm taking off Saturday to spend with friends. First day off this year. I'm SO looking forward to it!

Have fun!

PS Sorry for the rambling... It's late for me.

AO

Just think of all the money you're saving for Chewy! (BTW, my kids have a pet guinea pig at school named Chewy - he's very cool!) Happy birthday!

Rob M Budd

There's a little less thunder than the original plan. I decided the 550 HP and 500+lbs of torque (that was the estimate of the engine builder at the machine shop) was a bit to much for a daily driver so I scaled back the project. I'm shooting for 480 HP and less torque. This means cutting the stroker, smaller cam and smaller valves but I'm using better quality parts, trying to focus more on reliability than power. I expect to drive it every day for another 5 years or so.
Of course the dyno will show the final figures when its all said and done. In the meantime, with the engine out cleaning and detailing is progressing well.
Since prices are dropping and the market is so competitive, I find its not all that expensive for the better parts.
And its snowing again, so I have plenty of time.

Newbie928

Hi again Detroiters,

Do you guys do most of the work on these cars yourselves? Are there recommended shops in the area?

Thanks,

Chris

Big Dave

Most of us work on our own cars, and it's pretty common for us to help each other, too.

That being said, the only mechanic I'd recommend (only because I've heard good things about him) is Jeff Jones out in Farmington Hills.

chaadster

Chris,

While I can handle some light duty wrenching, I do rely on shops to keep me going. Fortunately, I've not had much occassion to have the 928 in for repairs, but I do know that there are at least a couple in Ann Arbor that I can recommend, if that's Detroit area enough for you:

Tim Pott over at Eurotec (734.973.6335) is/was a Porsche racer who has been in biz for many years. He used to work on my VWs and Audi, and certainly has 928 specific experience. It used to be he could take awhile to get things done (don't know if that's still true; only 1 visit with the 928, which was speedy), but he does it right, I believe.

Also, Mike Bender over at P.A.T. (734.665.9707) is heading up a good service shop, bringing 928 specific experience to bear. I like Mike alot, they run a tight ship, and are great at diagnosing and explaining options.

I should look at a bill to be sure, but I think both are in the neighborhood of $90/hour. Not cheap! If I had a fraction of Big Dave's courage, I'd have a GTS by now, for what I've spent at the shop!

In Birmingham, the guys over at AutoEurope (248.645.6300) have a really nice garage and, based on my one visit, are good folks to work with. A friend of mine who's wrenching at Auto Doctor in Southfield and who used to work at AutoEurope (he's clearly got an issue with auto!) gives his former employers a thumbs up, too. Good techs, he says.

That's it for me, personally. Here's a link to a collection of Porsche mechanics by state that may be of interest to you:

http://www.eatel.net/~dslabat/mech.htm

Hopefully you won't need any of these guys much! Good luck!

chaadster

Hey guys...

Unfortunately I won't be able to make the meet-up tomorrow. I picked up a wine tasting gig. Gotta make that money you know, especially with the timing belt job on the schedule for Spring! And yeah, I'm taking it to a shop for that, sad to say.

Have fun all the same, and I'll make it out yet again I'm sure.

Newbie928

Thanks guys!

AO

WHAT? That's an easy job (now that I've dove it) You can do it yourself and save $500 plus and you'll know it was done right! If you need help, just ask, I'm willing to lend a hand when I can. If you're not familiar with working around a car, that's fine, we can show you how. In fact it might be a good spring/summer tech session. Easily done in one day (provided there aren't any gothchas).

Go make some money and have some wine for me.