The Kraken - A Restoration & Modification Diary
02-23-2014, 06:39 AM
#243
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
2/22/14 Update - Always Something
Prepping for VIR with Zone 2 PCA in March. The plan was to replace my cracking cross-drilled rotors with solids, and do the stainless lines while I was at it. I intended to do all four corners on the lines, but as usual the 928 gods conspired to prevent that.
It was an amazingly perfect day for wrenching and driving; 60 and sunny. In February in Maryland, that just never happens.
The front rotors developed cracks, like most do when pushed hard. They had maybe 10k miles on them.
Those were an easy job, as I'd swapped them over from my prior car when I bought this one. One of my left front caliper bolts is stripping, though; should order a replacement.
The real bitch of the day was one of the body brake lines deciding to snap off. The right front was easy, but the left front was deceptive. It felt like it was turning, but the line had rusted somehow (car lived in Chicago briefly; prior owner) and caused the bolt and line to mate. Snapped that sucker right off. Fortunately my brother's shop has a brake line flaring tool and people who know how to use it. We successfully removed the snapped line (which thankfully was the shortest possible line), and after my straightening and cajoling, got the bolt re-fitted and the line flared. And then the fun task of fitting it back into the car. All in all that added about 2 hours of work to what should have been a simple job.
Changed the brake fluid and bled the system. That took a while, too, since the calipers had been off and a ton of air got into the system. Used BG's DOT4 fluid which was great at Watkins Glen temp-wise.
Lastly changed the oil, again with BG 4 stroke 20W-50. That stuff is like maple syrup. Probably overkill to change it after only 3 track days and driving the car to and from the track, with a few other drives sprinkled in. But it's cheap insurance, especially when the oil is free.
Prepping for VIR with Zone 2 PCA in March. The plan was to replace my cracking cross-drilled rotors with solids, and do the stainless lines while I was at it. I intended to do all four corners on the lines, but as usual the 928 gods conspired to prevent that.
It was an amazingly perfect day for wrenching and driving; 60 and sunny. In February in Maryland, that just never happens.
The front rotors developed cracks, like most do when pushed hard. They had maybe 10k miles on them.
Those were an easy job, as I'd swapped them over from my prior car when I bought this one. One of my left front caliper bolts is stripping, though; should order a replacement.
The real bitch of the day was one of the body brake lines deciding to snap off. The right front was easy, but the left front was deceptive. It felt like it was turning, but the line had rusted somehow (car lived in Chicago briefly; prior owner) and caused the bolt and line to mate. Snapped that sucker right off. Fortunately my brother's shop has a brake line flaring tool and people who know how to use it. We successfully removed the snapped line (which thankfully was the shortest possible line), and after my straightening and cajoling, got the bolt re-fitted and the line flared. And then the fun task of fitting it back into the car. All in all that added about 2 hours of work to what should have been a simple job.
Changed the brake fluid and bled the system. That took a while, too, since the calipers had been off and a ton of air got into the system. Used BG's DOT4 fluid which was great at Watkins Glen temp-wise.
Lastly changed the oil, again with BG 4 stroke 20W-50. That stuff is like maple syrup. Probably overkill to change it after only 3 track days and driving the car to and from the track, with a few other drives sprinkled in. But it's cheap insurance, especially when the oil is free.
03-03-2014, 01:37 PM
#246
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks Will. It's actually just one camera that I move around and then compile the footage from various laps. And you should absolutely get your car on the track sometime. It's an amazing experience.
03-17-2014, 02:15 PM
#247
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
VIR Spring 2014 HPDE
3/17/14 Update - Just Back from VIR
First things first: the car performed beautifully all weekend. This was my first time towing the car to the track, so that was an adventure all its own.
The trailer came with a 928 on it (now my brother's car), but not one with Big Red brakes. Big Reds = big wheels = wider stance. The bed is 72.5" wide, leaving me about an inch on either side to fit onto the deck with my Carrera IIIs. My 19s were way too wide and did not even come close.
Once I got it all strapped down, set out for VIR about 2 hours behind schedule. This put me into rush-hour traffic in VA, but I think VA is permanently in traffic mode, anyway. The tow vehicle, my Saab 9-7X (5.3L motor, 6500 lbs towing capacity) performed beautifully on the way down. The straps holding the ramps on not so much. One busted lose about halfway, and came off again at some point before I got to VIR. In all the trip took 8 hours. Should take about 5. Ouch!
Once I unloaded and got through tech (inspector didn't like that my professional mechanic brother was my tech inspector and hadn't stamped the tech form with some kind of ASE certification, even though that's exactly what I brought last year), I met up with my instructor, Bill Wenzel, a Noo Yawkah who drives a fast-as-hell 997 Turbo. Super nice guy and we hit it off right away. He brings down a whole crew of people that help him into his car, etc, and they have a huge hauler. Amazing set up, and they support several cars.
The first run only lasted 4 laps. VIR was recently repaved, which means new asphalt AND it's wider. Plus the Oak Tree fell down in a storm last year. The visual reference points are almost totally different everywhere on the track. The first run was cut short when a Boxster went off at the top of the esses in the South Bend, leaving a huge amount of mud and dirt on the track. Clean up ate up the rest of our session time. The track was very cold (air temps were about 40) so it was probably a good thing that we got cut short.
On that first session I managed to catch a pretty good ding in my paint from a shucked rock. So... I won't be caring about my paint anymore! Dedicated track car here we come. I covered up the lights with tape after that. Looks pretty mean this way, I think...
The second session was good and I picked up a lot of speed once I got some new visual cues. The track was still pretty raw, though. My instructor was so impressed that he was ready to solo me right away, and talked about bumping me up to the next run group (solo-white). The White group at VIR for this weekend was already getting a reputation for having a lot of "incidents" so I wasn't too eager to make that jump just yet.
Session 3 was even better than session 2 and I got in a good groove with the line. My instructor tried to solo me but we had to cut through some red tape that he didn't get to do in time. Nonetheless it was an awesome run. My best lap with him in the car was a 2:32. My best lap last year, solo, was a 2:42, so that was a pretty big jump! Of course, I was running on street tires, and have since done some other suspension work.
On Day 2, the track was cold but we expected a good warm up. Highs got close to 70 and the track really came alive. I had three great sessions, and set a new personal best lap of 2:29. Really psyched to have broken into the 2:20s. My instructor also officially recommended me for white-solo. Yikes! Will definitely try it out, but might self-demote for another weekend. Definitely something to ponder.
Throughout the weekend, the car performed nearly flawlessly. The only two issues I had were a small tire rub that I solved by "rolling" the fender (i.e. bang on it with a rubber mallet), and a tail light (not brake light) that went out. I burned about a half-quart of oil over the entire weekend, which isn't surprising considering I probably burned it the couple of times I shifted at or near 6k rpms. I kept it under 6k 99% of the time. I'm giving up speed, but I'm trying to avoid detonating my motor. I think it's time for an external oil cooler, too.
Coolant temps were great all weekend, though I think it's time for the AC to come out. As a safety measure I ran the car with the heat blasting the entire time. I have a strange whine coming from the rear that you can hear in the videos. Not sure what it is, but I think it might be the right rear wheel bearing. I also had a brake dust cover get bent at some point, so you can hear that ping every once in a while in the videos. Brakes were great; didn't really notice a difference that they were solid rotors. If anything they stopped better.
I think the Bilsteins might be a little tired, too. I'm getting more body roll than I'm used to. Might try to finish the season on those before upgrading.
Tire pressures were remarkably consistent all weekend. I could count on an exactly 6 psi increase at the end of each run. When it was colder out, I started at 29 psi, and on the next run 30 psi. I think 29 was a better choice. When it was a little warmer, I started at 28 psi and that was optimal.
At this point, I'm sold on making this a dedicated track car. Driving fast on the street simply isn't worth it to me anymore for several reasons, and I know I'm giving up seconds due to weight. So, off to review the weight-saving tips thread... I'm most concerned about how to replace the door panels. Might have to make up something custom. I'm also going to add several gauges; oil temp and coolant temp for sure, and not sure on gauge three. I have a three pod A-pillar mount ready to go. I'm open to suggestions for gauge 3; I'm thinking maybe an external oil pressure gauge.
Stephen (nc_growler) also attended in his gorgeous 91 GT. Unfortunately he "sprung a leak" as our old cars are bound to do, but I believe he made it home safely. I'll let him share the details (if he so chooses!) ...
Unfortunately, the impending weather caused me to make an unusually prudent decision to pack up and skip the last day. Big rain was slated for the afternoon at VIR, plus snow here in Baltimore. We ended up with about 4" so I'm glad I rolled when I did or my car would be sitting on the trailer in my driveway covered in snow.
As usual the paddock was filled with awesome cars and awesome people. I was again surrounded by BMWs, like last year, despite this being a Porsche event. Fortunately they were all super nice people; Jared (993 C4), Eric ('14 Cayman S), Hong ('11 M3 sedan), and Art ('11 M1), are buddies who rented a Villa, and were kind enough to let me join their crew for the weekend. Theo, another Baltimorean and owner of the Stingray pictured below, also joined up with us. Super nice guy, with a HUGE enclosed trailer that became our clubhouse. We're hoping to meet up at Summit Point soon, which is closer for all of us.
This track-prepped 914-6 is a BEAST, and the driver is a super nice guy.
PDK equipped:
VIR sunrise/tech line
2014 Stingray Corvette
My craziest experience of the weekend, by far, was towing. My very old trailer did not enjoy having all manner of straps attached to it, and the right side fender in particular was a total PITA. It shucked multiple straps until its welds finally gave way about 50 miles from the end of the trip. First the rear welds gave up, making me 1.5 lanes wide in traffic on the DC Beltway; made it about impossible to safely pull over. Awesome. I rigged that up, and that got me to Baltimore, where the fender came completely off. I stopped right away and managed to save the fender. Limped home from there.
And unfortunately, I managed to break my windshield.
I was trying to put the ramps into the hatch of the already-on-the-trailer 928, but they were just barely too long. Push down on the hatch, and pop goes the windshield. Ouch. Hopefully insurance can help me out with that. Wasn't on the track at the time...
My tow vehicle, an '06 Saab 9-7X 5.3L with 6500lbs towing capaity, performed great, though I think the air shocks/leveling system broke down a little. Makes sense, as that thing runs almost all the time even when not towing. Got 12.5 mpg! Was expecting sub-10, so I was very pleased with that.
And... the videos are processing, but here's the first. This is from my last session on day 2 (my last session of the trip, period, actually!). Jump to 2:45 for the start.
It's always something...
First things first: the car performed beautifully all weekend. This was my first time towing the car to the track, so that was an adventure all its own.
The trailer came with a 928 on it (now my brother's car), but not one with Big Red brakes. Big Reds = big wheels = wider stance. The bed is 72.5" wide, leaving me about an inch on either side to fit onto the deck with my Carrera IIIs. My 19s were way too wide and did not even come close.
Once I got it all strapped down, set out for VIR about 2 hours behind schedule. This put me into rush-hour traffic in VA, but I think VA is permanently in traffic mode, anyway. The tow vehicle, my Saab 9-7X (5.3L motor, 6500 lbs towing capacity) performed beautifully on the way down. The straps holding the ramps on not so much. One busted lose about halfway, and came off again at some point before I got to VIR. In all the trip took 8 hours. Should take about 5. Ouch!
Once I unloaded and got through tech (inspector didn't like that my professional mechanic brother was my tech inspector and hadn't stamped the tech form with some kind of ASE certification, even though that's exactly what I brought last year), I met up with my instructor, Bill Wenzel, a Noo Yawkah who drives a fast-as-hell 997 Turbo. Super nice guy and we hit it off right away. He brings down a whole crew of people that help him into his car, etc, and they have a huge hauler. Amazing set up, and they support several cars.
The first run only lasted 4 laps. VIR was recently repaved, which means new asphalt AND it's wider. Plus the Oak Tree fell down in a storm last year. The visual reference points are almost totally different everywhere on the track. The first run was cut short when a Boxster went off at the top of the esses in the South Bend, leaving a huge amount of mud and dirt on the track. Clean up ate up the rest of our session time. The track was very cold (air temps were about 40) so it was probably a good thing that we got cut short.
On that first session I managed to catch a pretty good ding in my paint from a shucked rock. So... I won't be caring about my paint anymore! Dedicated track car here we come. I covered up the lights with tape after that. Looks pretty mean this way, I think...
The second session was good and I picked up a lot of speed once I got some new visual cues. The track was still pretty raw, though. My instructor was so impressed that he was ready to solo me right away, and talked about bumping me up to the next run group (solo-white). The White group at VIR for this weekend was already getting a reputation for having a lot of "incidents" so I wasn't too eager to make that jump just yet.
Session 3 was even better than session 2 and I got in a good groove with the line. My instructor tried to solo me but we had to cut through some red tape that he didn't get to do in time. Nonetheless it was an awesome run. My best lap with him in the car was a 2:32. My best lap last year, solo, was a 2:42, so that was a pretty big jump! Of course, I was running on street tires, and have since done some other suspension work.
On Day 2, the track was cold but we expected a good warm up. Highs got close to 70 and the track really came alive. I had three great sessions, and set a new personal best lap of 2:29. Really psyched to have broken into the 2:20s.
My instructor also officially recommended me for white-solo. Yikes! Will definitely try it out, but might self-demote for another weekend. Definitely something to ponder.Throughout the weekend, the car performed nearly flawlessly. The only two issues I had were a small tire rub that I solved by "rolling" the fender (i.e. bang on it with a rubber mallet), and a tail light (not brake light) that went out. I burned about a half-quart of oil over the entire weekend, which isn't surprising considering I probably burned it the couple of times I shifted at or near 6k rpms. I kept it under 6k 99% of the time. I'm giving up speed, but I'm trying to avoid detonating my motor. I think it's time for an external oil cooler, too.
Coolant temps were great all weekend, though I think it's time for the AC to come out. As a safety measure I ran the car with the heat blasting the entire time. I have a strange whine coming from the rear that you can hear in the videos. Not sure what it is, but I think it might be the right rear wheel bearing. I also had a brake dust cover get bent at some point, so you can hear that ping every once in a while in the videos. Brakes were great; didn't really notice a difference that they were solid rotors. If anything they stopped better.
I think the Bilsteins might be a little tired, too. I'm getting more body roll than I'm used to. Might try to finish the season on those before upgrading.
Tire pressures were remarkably consistent all weekend. I could count on an exactly 6 psi increase at the end of each run. When it was colder out, I started at 29 psi, and on the next run 30 psi. I think 29 was a better choice. When it was a little warmer, I started at 28 psi and that was optimal.
At this point, I'm sold on making this a dedicated track car. Driving fast on the street simply isn't worth it to me anymore for several reasons, and I know I'm giving up seconds due to weight. So, off to review the weight-saving tips thread... I'm most concerned about how to replace the door panels. Might have to make up something custom. I'm also going to add several gauges; oil temp and coolant temp for sure, and not sure on gauge three. I have a three pod A-pillar mount ready to go. I'm open to suggestions for gauge 3; I'm thinking maybe an external oil pressure gauge.
Stephen (nc_growler) also attended in his gorgeous 91 GT. Unfortunately he "sprung a leak" as our old cars are bound to do, but I believe he made it home safely. I'll let him share the details (if he so chooses!) ...
Unfortunately, the impending weather caused me to make an unusually prudent decision to pack up and skip the last day. Big rain was slated for the afternoon at VIR, plus snow here in Baltimore. We ended up with about 4" so I'm glad I rolled when I did or my car would be sitting on the trailer in my driveway covered in snow.
As usual the paddock was filled with awesome cars and awesome people. I was again surrounded by BMWs, like last year, despite this being a Porsche event. Fortunately they were all super nice people; Jared (993 C4), Eric ('14 Cayman S), Hong ('11 M3 sedan), and Art ('11 M1), are buddies who rented a Villa, and were kind enough to let me join their crew for the weekend. Theo, another Baltimorean and owner of the Stingray pictured below, also joined up with us. Super nice guy, with a HUGE enclosed trailer that became our clubhouse. We're hoping to meet up at Summit Point soon, which is closer for all of us.
This track-prepped 914-6 is a BEAST, and the driver is a super nice guy.
PDK equipped:
VIR sunrise/tech line
2014 Stingray Corvette
My craziest experience of the weekend, by far, was towing. My very old trailer did not enjoy having all manner of straps attached to it, and the right side fender in particular was a total PITA. It shucked multiple straps until its welds finally gave way about 50 miles from the end of the trip. First the rear welds gave up, making me 1.5 lanes wide in traffic on the DC Beltway; made it about impossible to safely pull over. Awesome. I rigged that up, and that got me to Baltimore, where the fender came completely off. I stopped right away and managed to save the fender. Limped home from there.
And unfortunately, I managed to break my windshield.
I was trying to put the ramps into the hatch of the already-on-the-trailer 928, but they were just barely too long. Push down on the hatch, and pop goes the windshield. Ouch. Hopefully insurance can help me out with that. Wasn't on the track at the time... My tow vehicle, an '06 Saab 9-7X 5.3L with 6500lbs towing capaity, performed great, though I think the air shocks/leveling system broke down a little. Makes sense, as that thing runs almost all the time even when not towing. Got 12.5 mpg! Was expecting sub-10, so I was very pleased with that.
And... the videos are processing, but here's the first. This is from my last session on day 2 (my last session of the trip, period, actually!). Jump to 2:45 for the start.
03-18-2014, 07:38 AM
#249
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks Ryan! Going forward they'll mostly be about prepping the car for more tracking. It's addicting, and I'm hooked. Down the slippery slope I go...
03-18-2014, 09:17 PM
#250
Burning Brakes
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03-25-2014, 12:07 AM
#252
Burning Brakes
Hey Mike. Thanks for the nice shout out above. Loved your footage from your last solo run... Looking pretty smooth out there! Under 2:30? Sweet!!!
Sounds like you made the tough, but absolutely right call heading home a day early. Who knew your trailer would end up being the problem? I guess it's always gonna be something?
Yeah, made it home fine... Took it really easy. Still smelled some more gear oil on the exhaust when I got it into the garage. Borrowed some lift-bars and 6-ton jack stands from Larry (NC928S4) here in Apex and got the car up in the air and the rear tires off. Then got to spend last weekend up in Philly and NYC with my son as part of his spring break. Just now getting to look at the car.
It's gear oil everywhere under there.
And I don't think it's a good thing when you pull out the differential plug and find something significant attached to it?!
Looks like some sort of spring steel that snapped off of something inside? This does not sound good!
Sounds like you made the tough, but absolutely right call heading home a day early. Who knew your trailer would end up being the problem? I guess it's always gonna be something?
Yeah, made it home fine... Took it really easy. Still smelled some more gear oil on the exhaust when I got it into the garage. Borrowed some lift-bars and 6-ton jack stands from Larry (NC928S4) here in Apex and got the car up in the air and the rear tires off. Then got to spend last weekend up in Philly and NYC with my son as part of his spring break. Just now getting to look at the car.
It's gear oil everywhere under there.
And I don't think it's a good thing when you pull out the differential plug and find something significant attached to it?!
Looks like some sort of spring steel that snapped off of something inside? This does not sound good!
03-25-2014, 12:30 AM
#253
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Very sorry to hear that Stephen, but you definitely made the right call, too, to shut down. I hope driving it home didn't exacerbate anything. Best of luck getting it sorted.
03-25-2014, 02:34 AM
#254
Nordschleife Master
That spring isn't critical - I've pulled three of them out of three manual S4's I've owned. Its the reverse lockout spring, attached to the inside of the top-cover, and designed to stop you putting it into reverse when shifting out of first.
I've replaced it in one of my cars, but its not a needed part.
The gear oil being everywhere isn't usual - so check the input shaft seal. Look to see where the oil came from - if its up on top, it could be coming out of the vent on top of the trans.
03-25-2014, 11:26 PM
#255
Burning Brakes
Thanks Hilton! That's a relief. I noted in the 1987 addendum to worshop manual that they had removed at least one of the reverse springs because they could never get it in there right?
Definitely looks like this was the input shaft seal.
Definitely looks like this was the input shaft seal.