blown 87

Pretty sure he meant your post, goes with out saying of he meant mine to feel free.

No_Substitute

What if I wanted something specific items...like Rog's motor mounts or some of Porken's goodies?

I'm a reasonable guy. I run a business too. I realize that you're not running a charity. I've been stalking this board for years now. I know what I want. I just don't have time/tools/skill to do it myself. At the same time, I don't want to offend you.

Would you prefer that I buy those specific parts and have you add a couple hours to make up for lost parts markup, or direct you where to find them and add a markup, or... ?

(This isn't really fair, because you guys hang out here and know what these things are, but what if you didn't?)

blown 87

I would have no problem with that, you just would not get a warranty on the parts, only that they were installed correctly.

nsantolick

My messing around with Saab's, Volvo's, Citroën's, Porsche's, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo's, Maserati's, Jaguar's and a gazillion other somewhat more exotic cars does not mean that I'm wealthy, or a "master mechanic", whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. Most were $3-4K and 2-3 were closer to $10K perhaps. "Master Mechanic" to me is nothing more than a self-appointed title and means absolutely nothing unless you're prone to pretending it does. I've never heard it from the few that I've known, and truly respected, and trust me, over the years I've had the pleasure of meeting some very serious car people. I've heard that arbitrarily and self-given title of respect from some of the most incompetent losers I've ever known though...

If I asked about jack stands here, it's not because I haven't been under a car before. It's actually that over 20 years ago, I had a god dammed pit built into the garage I used until recently. Although I now have a set of 6 ton jack stands, and hydraulic skates, and 2 sets of ramps, a bunch of shop jacks, 2 engine cranes, a lot of other shop equipment AND a full machine shop, yeah, I asked what you people think about jack stands. I don't feel that comfortable with them. I'm getting a real lift now, to feel safer. And if I'm paranoid, well, what can I say? I've read about 2 people now in my area that were killed by cars falling on them. Maybe they were idiots, as one used cinder blocks, but still, I'm just not that comfortable, especially with my current less than perfect floor and driveways. Within a year or so, they'll be completely torn up and replaced too.

POST #1 - "I AM happily working on it myself now, and hope to have it tip top soon, finally... "

POST #16 - "I do love the idea of doing my own work, from now on. I hope I maintain the humility to not think that I shouldn't double check most everything with the consensus of the more experienced Rennlist 928 people..."

POST #23 - "I really am quite happy now. The car's looking good, and, one by one, I'm going over my list of things I want to do, often times over after the mistakes of others - others I trusted in the past because of their assurances of how great they are or how much they know or how long they've been around automobiles. My own work, as a professed amateur, seems to CONSISTENTLY far exceed the detail that they have proven capable of, no matter how much they brag."

POST #36 - "That's when, after I sobered up, I made a list of everything not perfect, ordered some parts and bought $1000+ of buffing/waxing related tools and machines and felt, I'll go over the car, with excellence, and fix everything on the list, myself. That's where I'm at now. No rush. Must be perfect... :-D"

POST #39 - "Again; I'm not letting ANYONE touch my car again if I can help it. I'm buying my own lift. I already have SOME better equipment than some of these pro's."

POST #64 - "Anyone who's read my posts knows that I've had some horrible experiences in the past and although I'm happy 100% handling things myself now, what can I say?"

If you actually read my posts on this thread, I said a few things about not being satisfied with what a mechanic brags about - how I felt that doing something for 40 years doesn't necessarily mean that you've done it correctly, or how knowledge of other marques means little when it comes to 928's. I thank you for your honesty about admitting that you've only worked on a few 928's, and only over the last ~4 years.

I appreciate your interest, and how you started on motorcycles in Arkansas at 13 or whatnot. I wasn't paid, but I played with them myself around that age, and it was for me the next step up from changing spark plugs on lawnmowers and whatnot. Soon, although it wasn't my plan, I completely disassembled a '76 Saab EMS. A Jaguar XJ-6 soon followed too. Despite butchering those first cars, soon I was half-decent at being able to put them back together, and had done a lot of work over the next few years with my '80 Saab 900 Turbo. And so it began...

I don't know where the consensus came, here, that all I've done is google searches, or that I don't know a thing. If anything, I've been humble about it all, and wanted to double-check most everything I've learned, to make certain that my 928 is absolutely PERFECT. And believe me, when it is, it's going to at a minimum be on the Pocono's race track one weekend a year, approaching it's top speed. "Running" isn't enough and I just don't trust the best-guess from ANY mechanic who doesn't REALLY, REALLY REALLY know his **** about 928's... Is that wrong?

I don't know why some of you were so sensitive about me suggesting that a lot of "skilled mechanics" who brag about years of experience in reality sucking great big huge donkey ***** when it comes to the 928. I had even said that the fact that you all are here gives me a lot more confidence than someone so full of themselves, that they genuinely believe they know enough, because of other cars, that they can figure out what Porsche intended with one of the most expensive and capable cars that they had ever made in that era...

Soooooo, when a mechanic tells me that "he doesn't need to check tension with a tool on MY timing belt", or that since he's been "working on cars his whole life" he IS able to ASSUME what Porsche intended, I don't feel that confident, ESPECIALLY if he expects to trust him because he ink-jet printed some business cards where he claims the title "Master Mechanic..."

GregBBRD

This thread reminds me of why I so much enjoy this forum...there are so many "unique" people involved.

SeanR

I sure does give a certain amount of entertainment doesn't it.

blown 87

I hear ya Greg, some folks just amaze me.

nsantolick

What's so dam amazing now, Mr. Nettles? You started all this crap. I don't see why you've had any problem, because really, nothing I said was meant to be personal. What the hell did I say now?

worf928

Holy Strek. This thread is still going on? I guess I'd better go back a few pages and read it...

JHowell37

Judging by the length of certain posts, someone is rapidly approaching category 4 butthurt, and we can predict that a full blown episode of nerd rage will be coming shortly. See the illustration for IRL appearance of such an event.

nsantolick

Please do, and please, tell me just what the hell I said that was inappropriate? I used to like this group.

blown 87

See, that is just part of your problem, you think I started it.

It started when you made the first post and has been in every post since.

You came on here badmouthing mechanics, saying in effect how you can do a better job, well lets see it.

SeanR

That is sig material right there. Well done.

nsantolick, coming off as a complete StrekStrekStrekStreking know it all doesn't help your case. Less snobby would help also.

worf928

nsantolick, I read (well, mostly; I did skim some of the longer posts) all of this. I have only a few things to write.

This is the complete list of people I would trust to work on any of my 928s other than myself (in no particular order):

Greg Brown
Greg Nettles
Bobby Delsandro
Earl Gilstrom

(I suspect that there are a couple of other folks on Rennlist who could, conceivably, fall into this category, but I've not examined their work first hand. For the above folks, I have.)

Almost Two years ago you were advised - since you lived in PA - to take your car to Earl. I think, but am not sure, that I may myself have advised you the same.

Given some of your other posts on this thread, I suspect that you will totally discount anything I have to write since I will likely come across as a self-appointed expert with a big inflated ego.

But, I'm going to address one specific point:
No one can make the correct part appear out of thin air. No one can make a missing, but necessary, tool appear out of thin air.

As you forge down the road of DIY on your 928, you will be faced with the choice of doing it right, or doing it quick. With some luck, you may come to appreciate the difference.

Lastly, keep in mind, that the folks that post on this forum that actually do it right, have to put up with all the ill-will generated by those that don't do it right.

blown 87

If Earl is who I think it is, the gentleman who rebuilt the same car three times, yea, he knows his way around a 928, that car is stunning.

I know that Earl got recommended several times in the past.
EDIT: Earl got recommended in post eleven by Dr Bob in the very first thread the OP posted.

A lot of grief could have been saved, and my guess thousands of dollars.

Nick, I will tell you what, if you really want to learn how to work on these cars and IF you are willing to except help, and heed it, I will send you my phone numbers and will try to help you any way I can.