Mike Frye

I finally got to isolate the occasional squeak I was hearing from my front end. It was getting worse and I traced it to the right lower ball joint.

First I marked the eccentrics, pulled out the old ones (both had torn boots) and replaced them last night. No more SQUEAK! Thanks Adam G. for the explanation of the Optimoly Copper anti-seize required for the eccentrics. I had to use the pickle fork for the DS ball joint (I hated to do it, but it wasn't coming out any other way)

I know I need to get an alignment but I took it down a straight level road to check for tramlining or pull and it tracked nice and straight.

Next steps: Upper ball joint rebuild (thank you Carl) and fuel line replacement (thanks Roger).

Hoping to make a DE before the end of the year!!! Wish me luck .


Can anyone recommend an alignment shop within an hour or two of the Jersey Shore that knows how to do an alignment on these cars?

F451

Hey Mike,

You might consider sending Earl Gillstrom (user name: Earl Gillstrom) a PM, or email, he's down outside of Philly. He's a bit of a 928 expert, and since his retirement, he does 928 work on the side. Tell him I recommended him to you.

http://members.rennlist.com/captearlg/

His rates are very reasonable, and you get to help out if you want.

When I bought my S4 on the east coast, the listers here got me in touch with Earl, and we spent a couple of days working on my car. One of the things we did was an alignment with Earl's sweet setup.





He's a great guy, and knows his stuff. Good luck.

Ed

Mike Frye

Ed,

I remember that. I'll get in touch with him, it would be great to learn from the captain.

F451

He also has a sweet wheel balancer!

Gary Knox

Mike,

I will also vouch for Earl - an almost neighbor and a friend. I've spent a lot of time in his garage, and we've aligned a lot of cars. His method is EXCELLENT. IF you want wheels balanced, the blancer is actually in joint ownership between Earl and me, and is in my new detached garage (with a lift), so balancing wheels is pretty easy here.

Also, with respect to DE's. Schattenbaum region runs a nice event, and their next one at Watkins Glen is the 1st and 2nd of October (Mon and Tues). I will register for this one, and perhaps a couple of other 928 guys as well. Look into it at their site in the zone 1 region of the PCA web site.

Cheers,

Gary Knox

Mike Frye

Gary,

That sounds awesome. Maybe you can help me find someone to do a tech inspection before that too?

Having never done one before I would like to lean on someone with some experience if I can. I'd love to go to one where there is at least someone else with a 928 there, and if it's someone from here, all the better.

Thanks!

Gary Knox

Mike,
Any professional mechanic with a "garage" stamp can do the tech inspection. I have a guy near me who used to be a drag race mechanic that does it for me (~$40 per inspex). You can print out the Tech Inspection form and go over everything yourself, so you are pretty sure it will pass before going to the mechanic. IF you come to Earl for the alignment and want, I could set you up with the mechanic I use (~15 miles from Earl's house).

Cheers,

Gary Knox
West Chester, PA

Mike Frye

Gary,

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely send Earl a PM and see if he can help me with the alignment and wheel balance (I get a little shimmy around 100mph, I mean er, feet per second) . Adding a tech inspection during the same trip would be awesome.

I'm sure I could check with my local PCA (of which I recently became a member) but they only meet during the week, so I haven't made any meetings yet. Someone recommended here carries more weight for me.

Thanks again!

NickT

I need to take mine down to him as well.. Much rather travel to someone whom I know can do the job, than risk someone who "thinks" they know how to do the job.

Better to support someone on the inside anyway..

Earl Gillstrom

Thanks for the Kudos. I am here most of the time. Call for an appointment.

Earl 610-358-1268

Mike Frye

Earl,

I will definitely call. I've been hearing and reading about your work for a long time. I feel very fortunate to know you're within a 2 hour drive. I'm hoping to make an appointment with you very soon.

Hopefully you won't mind me following you around while you work. I'm a newbie at this, with less than a year's experience (close to 100 hours I'd guess), so anything I can learn is a major bonus.