Long-Term Impressions: Constantine's Upgraded Torque Tube Bearing System
10-18-2011, 01:29 AM
#63
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my sincere appologies Dave. i was out of line. i was sad to have read such an interesting thread only to see that it had died out. and i sort of over-reacted without checking if you were still actively posting. thanks for the update. 
and about the mouthing off thing. there's 1 guy on the 44 forums that has been trolling my posts for a long time. otherwise, i assure you it's not anywhere as bad as you say. is there a certain edge to some of my posts ?
perhaps. once again, please accept my appology.
and about the mouthing off thing. there's 1 guy on the 44 forums that has been trolling my posts for a long time. otherwise, i assure you it's not anywhere as bad as you say. is there a certain edge to some of my posts ?
perhaps. once again, please accept my appology.
10-18-2011, 01:51 AM
#64
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and about the mouthing off thing. there's 1 guy on the 44 forums that has been trolling my posts for a long time. otherwise, i assure you it's not anywhere as bad as you say. is there a certain edge to some of my posts ?
perhaps. once again, please accept my appology.
perhaps. once again, please accept my appology.
10-18-2011, 02:52 AM
#65
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i actually like 928s — a lot. mostly jealous due to the fact that i was in way over my head with mine 6 years ago. it was my second P-car experience and i can only blame myself for not having the resources to sort out a few of that car's issues.
for me it's not a problem to accept that our driveshafts require periodic bearing replacments, but my contention arises in their being so difficult to access. that's really my only problem with the cars. i've seen several at the dealer getting tt work....
my first P-car was an almost new 944 that i purchased from a friend who picked it up at an insurance auction in 1990. it ran perfect for about 100 k miles before i had an engine failure on I-10 just a mile east of Junction, Texas on a long trip due to a slow oil leak. i really loved that car....
with the 944s, plenty of people love them. and for good reason. but there's a lot that's required to keep them on the road... they're actually one of the costliest mid-level performance cars to drive and maintain. by today's standards, they're really a lot of work to justify 4 cylinders and 160 hp... i've driven my 3rd P-car, my 968 for 70 k miles for a lot less $$$ in maintenance by comparison to a typical 944 in the afterworld... it's simply a far-better built car.
on the '44 forums i have, in several instances cautioned kids against several 924 projects for being nearly impossible to justify on the $$$ side.... i've taken a few licks for doing it. (i consider the 924s to be little more than 944 prototypes... i think they should have waited a bit longer to develop the cars)... i sometimes advise the kids not to go forward, but to save their money for a more, well-sorted 944...
when 944 project cars require engines be rebuilt... i advise them to find used engines or even relatively inexpensive 968 engines instead of attempting risky rebuilds (as the four cylinder engines are hit or miss for all but the most experienced rebuilders) i most often advise them to excercise extreme caution and even diverting their projects to parts cars if they're simply too far gone...
that's where all the trouble started with this one member. 2 years ago i had suggested he use his first 944 not as a project, but as a parts car that he could dis-assemble, learn from and have available as invaluable parts resource down the road. his project turned out to be just one in a long lind of very expensive, time-consuming projects that ended up in failure over there. and, for some reason it pisses me off... anyway, i've got a lot of good friends in the 944, 968 and 928 communities. but i don't mince words when i see a kid about to throw a lot of money down the drain in a tough economy.
and i know you won't believe it, but if you search my 9,000 ++ posts. you'll see that it wasn't until that very posting (99.9 % sure) that i've ever dissed on the 928. and it was only in the context of the driveshafts not being able to be easily dropped out of the cars.
very regrettable.
.
for me it's not a problem to accept that our driveshafts require periodic bearing replacments, but my contention arises in their being so difficult to access. that's really my only problem with the cars. i've seen several at the dealer getting tt work....
my first P-car was an almost new 944 that i purchased from a friend who picked it up at an insurance auction in 1990. it ran perfect for about 100 k miles before i had an engine failure on I-10 just a mile east of Junction, Texas on a long trip due to a slow oil leak. i really loved that car....
with the 944s, plenty of people love them. and for good reason. but there's a lot that's required to keep them on the road... they're actually one of the costliest mid-level performance cars to drive and maintain. by today's standards, they're really a lot of work to justify 4 cylinders and 160 hp... i've driven my 3rd P-car, my 968 for 70 k miles for a lot less $$$ in maintenance by comparison to a typical 944 in the afterworld... it's simply a far-better built car.
on the '44 forums i have, in several instances cautioned kids against several 924 projects for being nearly impossible to justify on the $$$ side.... i've taken a few licks for doing it. (i consider the 924s to be little more than 944 prototypes... i think they should have waited a bit longer to develop the cars)... i sometimes advise the kids not to go forward, but to save their money for a more, well-sorted 944...
when 944 project cars require engines be rebuilt... i advise them to find used engines or even relatively inexpensive 968 engines instead of attempting risky rebuilds (as the four cylinder engines are hit or miss for all but the most experienced rebuilders) i most often advise them to excercise extreme caution and even diverting their projects to parts cars if they're simply too far gone...
that's where all the trouble started with this one member. 2 years ago i had suggested he use his first 944 not as a project, but as a parts car that he could dis-assemble, learn from and have available as invaluable parts resource down the road. his project turned out to be just one in a long lind of very expensive, time-consuming projects that ended up in failure over there. and, for some reason it pisses me off... anyway, i've got a lot of good friends in the 944, 968 and 928 communities. but i don't mince words when i see a kid about to throw a lot of money down the drain in a tough economy.
and i know you won't believe it, but if you search my 9,000 ++ posts. you'll see that it wasn't until that very posting (99.9 % sure) that i've ever dissed on the 928. and it was only in the context of the driveshafts not being able to be easily dropped out of the cars.
very regrettable.
.
Last edited by odurandina; 10-18-2011 at 04:14 AM.
10-18-2011, 03:58 AM
#66
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Well then, I hope you accept my apologies for judging you based on those two posts. All of these cars are a labor of love, and I agree the TT is a big job -- one of the reasons I went with the best parts I could lay my hands on.
I admit I didn't see the point in digging deeper than I did, but it seems I was wrong.
One last point to make, what is ridiculous about any of the early front-engine Porsches is the way that people took care of them. The 928 in particular was a toy of the rich, and such people tend not to value things once they cease to impress the others down at the country club. Sad, but those same people kept the business of selling 928s alive, for which I am grateful.
I admit I didn't see the point in digging deeper than I did, but it seems I was wrong.
One last point to make, what is ridiculous about any of the early front-engine Porsches is the way that people took care of them. The 928 in particular was a toy of the rich, and such people tend not to value things once they cease to impress the others down at the country club. Sad, but those same people kept the business of selling 928s alive, for which I am grateful.
10-18-2011, 04:22 AM
#67
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i'm facing the same situation. i need an extremely reliable torque tube done for a 500 hp LS3 that's going in my 968. it's pretty stressful though, as my swap will be topping $30 k including the gts brakes, 200 mph transmission build (done, btw), LSD install, Comp cams kit, aluminum flywheel, heavy duty clutch, ac, hydroboost, and finally, Constantine's tt parts.
probably not entirely, i try to be entertaining, but sometimes it backfires... been accused of all things good and bad.... i know people put a huge amount of work and love into their Porsches.
.
.
Last edited by odurandina; 10-18-2011 at 07:33 AM.
10-18-2011, 10:27 AM
#69
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Update: I have roughly 4k miles on my driveshaft and I couldn't be happier! Silky smooth and NO noise!
10-18-2011, 02:11 PM
#70
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We have installed several sets of them, zero problems.
I have about ten thousand miles on mine, they are still smooth as can be.
I would not consider putting the stock type bearings back into a customers car, unless they absolutely told me to, and they would get zero warranty from me on them as far as labor goes, or parts for that matter.
I will warranty the Superbearings, but I doubt I will ever have to.
I think that on any automatic 928 the superclamp and superbearings should be one of the first things that are done to one, right after making sure the timing belt is in good shape.
I am not sure how many of the clamps and bearings we have installed, but it is one 928 part that I do not worry about after they have been put in.
(I still think the crank endplay should be checked ever ten thousand miles, even with the clamp, just to much at stake on that, not that I have ever seen movement in one)
Good product.
I have about ten thousand miles on mine, they are still smooth as can be.
I would not consider putting the stock type bearings back into a customers car, unless they absolutely told me to, and they would get zero warranty from me on them as far as labor goes, or parts for that matter.
I will warranty the Superbearings, but I doubt I will ever have to.
I think that on any automatic 928 the superclamp and superbearings should be one of the first things that are done to one, right after making sure the timing belt is in good shape.
I am not sure how many of the clamps and bearings we have installed, but it is one 928 part that I do not worry about after they have been put in.
(I still think the crank endplay should be checked ever ten thousand miles, even with the clamp, just to much at stake on that, not that I have ever seen movement in one)
Good product.
10-18-2011, 08:58 PM
#71
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I don't remember the first three pages of this thread, but I'll chime in on unreserved support for BlackSea R&D:
A couple of weeks ago I put one of Constantine's rebuilt TTs with a new "correctly-sized" shaft and superbearings in a 90S4. I was shocked and surprised - most pleasantly - at how much vibration was gone from the car. It felt like 60k-miles had fallen off the odo.
Now I just need to dig up threads on measuring bearing migration and add the how-to directions to my PPI tech-document.
A couple of weeks ago I put one of Constantine's rebuilt TTs with a new "correctly-sized" shaft and superbearings in a 90S4. I was shocked and surprised - most pleasantly - at how much vibration was gone from the car. It felt like 60k-miles had fallen off the odo.
Now I just need to dig up threads on measuring bearing migration and add the how-to directions to my PPI tech-document.
