Ok got a question for everyone. Is it more enjoyable to work on SHARKS or am I just crazy? I've worked on cars forever. Nothing fancy just american muscle. As you probably know I bought my 81 OB September of this past year. It was a piece of junk and undrivable due to the over heating problem. There was so much wrong with it I wouldn't know where to begin listing everything. I have been working on it off and on since it was delivered. What I don't understand is why I don't hate dumping the money and time in to it. I should be crazy by now. I suspect that with everything I fix the car gets better and better and I really love to drive it now. The other thing I don't understand is why I like it so much. I have faster cars and cars that handle better but given a choice I would take the SHARK. It just doesn't make sense so I thought I would throw this out there to see if I'm the only crazy one around here

 

I used to golf every weekend and blow $100 a round and hang out with people that I didnt really like anyway. I go to church with a bunch of guys that go fishing 3 times a week and have boat payments and drop cash on the latest rod or gizmo. We all have to have our "thing". You, my friend, are one of the lucky ones. Your "thing" involves the coolest ride on the road.

ps ( I have my wife convinced that I might actually recoup a portion of the $4k I used to blow on golf)

 

I agree, there are probably better cars out there to work on, price wise anyway.. but the shark is such a classic car, a beautiful one and a joy to work on (most of the time )

I think the bottom line is; the car has class and can turn anyones head when you drive by.. Thats a great feeling.

 

I think the other thing is that we all lead stressful lives. what with work, family and what ever else we have to deal with. So for me it's nice to be able to go to the garage and do something on the 928. Certainly a feeling of satisfaction.

 

I get this huge grin on my face everytime I walk out to the garge and it gets larger everytime I fix something that makes them better.

So yea, I really enjoy working on them.

 

No car magazine or test drive can tell you as much about a car as you learn by working on it. An American car or MG will leave you rolling your eyes at the cheapness and cost cutting. A Rolls Royce is built like a truck with big chunks of metal blocks machined into parts. A Mercedes will show it's complexity.

A 928 will leave you marveling at how well thought out the design was. You can tell that attention was given to even small details and there were no compromises for cost cutting or sharing common parts, it's an engineer's dream! That makes it very enjoyable to work on because it's worthy of your time.

 

Hey Mike, do you ever make it up to the blue ridge mtns?? There are several great roads, but my favorite is a 20 mile stretch from hiwasswee to clayton. Lots of banked curves, enough small straight shots to pass granny in her crown vic. Awesome rush.

 

Hey Brian. I know that area and it's awesome. Many years ago I lived outside Asheville, near where 928Specialists is. I had my first 928 then and would really enjoy the roads. At the time a set of tires would wear out in something like 3000 miles, I would drive the parkway enthusiastically during the night. Just a normal drive between work and home involved a 'hillclimb'.
Ahh...I get all chocked up thinking about that area, I miss it.
What road is that from Hiawasee to Clayton?

 

 

+1
You sir, are a poet. You captured it right there. There's nothing in my car that I have to 'pry and pray' on. It's all assembled from quality materials and can be removed, cleaned, repaired, and replaced. On most other cars I've worked on, there are lots of plastic parts that 'snap' into place. These are limited use items, because eventually they will wear out, get brittle, and what the heck, they're plastic.



And to the OP: Yes, I enjoy it very much.

 

There are also cars that are a lot easier to work on.

Somehow it is satisfying to fix things on the 928; it is a mental challenge as well as physical - just figuring out how some of the things are supposed to work is very interesting & then figuring out a fix. Working within the close mechanical tolerances also gives a good feeling when it works out right.
Simple example was when I replaced the radiator in the 928 last year and it just all clicked exactly into place. Coincidently did the same job on my Mustang and half an inch in any direction did not seem to matter.

Marton

 

Brian,

Even though I live in FL. now, I am from Clayton. Great roads and breathtaking views. My Family lived on Lake Burton for many years. It is between Clayton and Hiawasee.

Small World

 

I love making/ building things for it to go faster and don’t enjoy as much the routine maintenance stuff.

 

We've got great stuff here too!!! One of my favorites is TN 30 from the Ocoee gorge up to TN315, and TN39 into Tellico Plains... a great warm up for the Cherohala Skyway!

 

I've asked myself that many times as well ... what I know for sure is with PET and WSM available on the Internet, with the supplier community and most of all, with fellow Rennlisters ready to answer almost any question ... it's the only way I could try the things I've done (and will do) on my 928.

Paying someone $150/hour to do this stuff would be unimaginable!