The Kraken - A Restoration & Modification Diary
10-06-2012, 09:09 AM
#91
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
mileage: 115,750
After the clutch work, the Kraken decided to start making a very strange popping sound at low speeds. I wanted to get the power steering sorted before taking her to Watkins Glen this weekend, anyway, so back to SSI...
And there the Kraken remained for two weeks, hunting down the pop. And it's still doing it
But, the front end is tighter than it's ever been. Hopefully it passes tech despite the pop.
Repairs:
power steering pump replaced (rebuilt ZF)
PS fluid & reservoir replaced
front upper control arms replaced
left front tie rod replaced
brake fluid flushed, replaced with RS683 "Extreme Performance" brake fluid http://rs683.com/ (Normally a Super Blue guy, but the shop swears by this stuff)
Also had an epic saga obtaining track wheels; a nice set of Carrera IIIs off eBay. The took two trips from Florida... when UPS f'd up and sent them back to the seller when I was not home for the 3rd delivery attempt; in-person signature required = they are supposed to hold them for 5 days at the local facility. They held them for... 1 hour. Gee, thanks. Finally received them, and the tires on them were simply done. I bought them knowing the tires might not be usable, but was holding out hope that I could get a track day out of them. So, now they've got new Hankook V12s on the fronts, and I happened to have two Fierce tires (Goodyear brand) on my old Kinesis wheels. No one in this area had rear tires in either a 265/35/18 or 285/35/18, so I was really lucky to remember I had these, and that they were still servicable.
Unfortunately because of all the prep I still need to do for the track, I won't make it to Frenzy.
And I hope to God that this car stops kicking my ***!
After the clutch work, the Kraken decided to start making a very strange popping sound at low speeds. I wanted to get the power steering sorted before taking her to Watkins Glen this weekend, anyway, so back to SSI...
And there the Kraken remained for two weeks, hunting down the pop. And it's still doing it
But, the front end is tighter than it's ever been. Hopefully it passes tech despite the pop.Repairs:
power steering pump replaced (rebuilt ZF)
PS fluid & reservoir replaced
front upper control arms replaced
left front tie rod replaced
brake fluid flushed, replaced with RS683 "Extreme Performance" brake fluid http://rs683.com/ (Normally a Super Blue guy, but the shop swears by this stuff)
Also had an epic saga obtaining track wheels; a nice set of Carrera IIIs off eBay. The took two trips from Florida... when UPS f'd up and sent them back to the seller when I was not home for the 3rd delivery attempt; in-person signature required = they are supposed to hold them for 5 days at the local facility. They held them for... 1 hour. Gee, thanks. Finally received them, and the tires on them were simply done. I bought them knowing the tires might not be usable, but was holding out hope that I could get a track day out of them. So, now they've got new Hankook V12s on the fronts, and I happened to have two Fierce tires (Goodyear brand) on my old Kinesis wheels. No one in this area had rear tires in either a 265/35/18 or 285/35/18, so I was really lucky to remember I had these, and that they were still servicable.
Unfortunately because of all the prep I still need to do for the track, I won't make it to Frenzy.
And I hope to God that this car stops kicking my ***!
10-06-2012, 09:39 AM
#92
Rennlist Member
Just got a pair of V12's for the front clubsports on my project, they seem to be a popular choice right now 
My project's gone a lot slower than yours but I was really happy when I finally got the front end refreshed (control arms, ball joints), so I know the feeling when one's car once again handles like a Porsche. I still need to replace springs & shocks toward that end.
I should've signed up for DE at the Glen this year.
Hope all stays clear for the tech inspection!
My project's gone a lot slower than yours but I was really happy when I finally got the front end refreshed (control arms, ball joints), so I know the feeling when one's car once again handles like a Porsche. I still need to replace springs & shocks toward that end.
I should've signed up for DE at the Glen this year.
Hope all stays clear for the tech inspection!
10-06-2012, 11:17 AM
#93
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Just got a pair of V12's for the front clubsports on my project, they seem to be a popular choice right now
My project's gone a lot slower than yours but I was really happy when I finally got the front end refreshed (control arms, ball joints), so I know the feeling when one's car once again handles like a Porsche. I still need to replace springs & shocks toward that end.
I should've signed up for DE at the Glen this year.
Hope all stays clear for the tech inspection!
My project's gone a lot slower than yours but I was really happy when I finally got the front end refreshed (control arms, ball joints), so I know the feeling when one's car once again handles like a Porsche. I still need to replace springs & shocks toward that end.
I should've signed up for DE at the Glen this year.
Hope all stays clear for the tech inspection!
Just swapped in the CIIIs. They look pretty sweet! But you knew that...
10-06-2012, 11:18 AM
#94
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
10-06-2012, 11:57 AM
#95
Race Car
mileage: 115,750
After the clutch work, the Kraken decided to start making a very strange popping sound at low speeds. I wanted to get the power steering sorted before taking her to Watkins Glen this weekend, anyway, so back to SSI...
And there the Kraken remained for two weeks, hunting down the pop. And it's still doing it But, the front end is tighter than it's ever been. Hopefully it passes tech despite the pop.
Repairs:
power steering pump replaced (rebuilt ZF)
PS fluid & reservoir replaced
front upper control arms replaced
left front tie rod replaced
brake fluid flushed, replaced with RS683 "Extreme Performance" brake fluid http://rs683.com/ (Normally a Super Blue guy, but the shop swears by this stuff)
Also had an epic saga obtaining track wheels; a nice set of Carrera IIIs off eBay. The took two trips from Florida... when UPS f'd up and sent them back to the seller when I was not home for the 3rd delivery attempt; in-person signature required = they are supposed to hold them for 5 days at the local facility. They held them for... 1 hour. Gee, thanks. Finally received them, and the tires on them were simply done. I bought them knowing the tires might not be usable, but was holding out hope that I could get a track day out of them. So, now they've got new Hankook V12s on the fronts, and I happened to have two Fierce tires (Goodyear brand) on my old Kinesis wheels. No one in this area had rear tires in either a 265/35/18 or 285/35/18, so I was really lucky to remember I had these, and that they were still servicable.
Unfortunately because of all the prep I still need to do for the track, I won't make it to Frenzy.
And I hope to God that this car stops kicking my ***!
After the clutch work, the Kraken decided to start making a very strange popping sound at low speeds. I wanted to get the power steering sorted before taking her to Watkins Glen this weekend, anyway, so back to SSI...
And there the Kraken remained for two weeks, hunting down the pop. And it's still doing it
But, the front end is tighter than it's ever been. Hopefully it passes tech despite the pop.Repairs:
power steering pump replaced (rebuilt ZF)
PS fluid & reservoir replaced
front upper control arms replaced
left front tie rod replaced
brake fluid flushed, replaced with RS683 "Extreme Performance" brake fluid http://rs683.com/ (Normally a Super Blue guy, but the shop swears by this stuff)
Also had an epic saga obtaining track wheels; a nice set of Carrera IIIs off eBay. The took two trips from Florida... when UPS f'd up and sent them back to the seller when I was not home for the 3rd delivery attempt; in-person signature required = they are supposed to hold them for 5 days at the local facility. They held them for... 1 hour. Gee, thanks. Finally received them, and the tires on them were simply done. I bought them knowing the tires might not be usable, but was holding out hope that I could get a track day out of them. So, now they've got new Hankook V12s on the fronts, and I happened to have two Fierce tires (Goodyear brand) on my old Kinesis wheels. No one in this area had rear tires in either a 265/35/18 or 285/35/18, so I was really lucky to remember I had these, and that they were still servicable.
Unfortunately because of all the prep I still need to do for the track, I won't make it to Frenzy.
And I hope to God that this car stops kicking my ***!
10-06-2012, 12:01 PM
#96
Rennlist Member
Front swaybar link connections (the through-bolts) can wear, and/or be a bit loose, and cause a very frustrating pop at low speed. Can happen if they are tight if worn. That's what we found on our 85 car. Most evident in a parking garage, slow speed, when crossing the concrete seams in the floor.
10-06-2012, 01:25 PM
#97
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
10-06-2012, 08:57 PM
#98
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Long day of wrenching today, and it finished with a smile on my face. Popping is still there, but according to the mechanics, it's not a safety issue.
Started out by swapping on the Carrera IIIs. They are classics for the 928 and fit perfectly. Not sure they look as good on a light color like mine, though. Maybe in black? I think I will get them painted matte black.
Then set to work on finally cleaning all of my grounds. This morning, the brake lights decided to stop working. But only sporadically. Found a great write up here, shocker, and followed it. Wow, my grounds looked goofy! Didn't resolve the stereo whine, but it absolutely resolved the brake lights.
I wired the car for installing a GoPro Hero2 with a remote microphone, mounted right by the exhaust. Should be sweet.
I then installed my stock sharktuner PEMs. I of course had the filter board that blocked the PEM from fitting normally into the EZK. Had to search that fix down, despite having read the manual, good times. The fix is cutting the filter board, which seems a little crazy, but hey, it works.
Buttoned everything up and went for a ride. And holy $hit those chips are incredible, even in stock form. Chirped the tires in 4th on the highway, and absolutely smoked a 540i that was on my ***.
Very much looking forward to my track days.
Started out by swapping on the Carrera IIIs. They are classics for the 928 and fit perfectly. Not sure they look as good on a light color like mine, though. Maybe in black? I think I will get them painted matte black.
Then set to work on finally cleaning all of my grounds. This morning, the brake lights decided to stop working. But only sporadically. Found a great write up here, shocker, and followed it. Wow, my grounds looked goofy! Didn't resolve the stereo whine, but it absolutely resolved the brake lights.
I wired the car for installing a GoPro Hero2 with a remote microphone, mounted right by the exhaust. Should be sweet.
I then installed my stock sharktuner PEMs. I of course had the filter board that blocked the PEM from fitting normally into the EZK. Had to search that fix down, despite having read the manual, good times. The fix is cutting the filter board, which seems a little crazy, but hey, it works.
Buttoned everything up and went for a ride. And holy $hit those chips are incredible, even in stock form. Chirped the tires in 4th on the highway, and absolutely smoked a 540i that was on my ***.
Very much looking forward to my track days.
10-06-2012, 09:01 PM
#99
Three Wheelin'
Front wheel bearings, have you checked them. They will make a popping sound if they are damaged from age... Also put the car on the lift and see if the front swaybar drop links are touching the lower control arms.
10-06-2012, 09:07 PM
#100
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Bearings are good. Links are fine. It's a chaser...I think it might be in the steering rack from having been run as a manual rack for too long. Dunno. Car runs like a scalded biatch now though.
10-10-2012, 10:35 AM
#101
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Watkins Glen HPDE Track Days - October 8 & 9, 2012
Holy cow what an amazing experience! Track Day 1: 165 cars started the day, divided into 4 run classes. Each class runs one at a time on the track, about 40 cars per. I was in the novice class. My instructor looked exactly like Santa Claus. He's probably 300+ lbs (later learned from him he's actually "pushing 400"). I had to remove my center console to get him into the car. Seriously. During my first run, our "communicator" wasn't working, so when he yelled "brake" 3 times, I didn't hear him. Got a nice talking to, aka got yelled at. He was pretty pissed, as I would be if I was putting my life in a noob's hands who wasn't listening to my instructions. I nearly switched instructors, though, because this guy was ruining the experience with his attitude. Second run was an interesting "passing exercise", where I was paired with a very fast Carrera 4S for 3 laps, and we took turns passing each other. I was able to figure out the track much better, and on the third session really picked up a lot of speed. Plus my instructor finally decided to be nice to me. Bonus. Fourth session was the best, and I hit 120+ mph on the front and back stretches. I was also able to make several passes, but got smoked by a very smoothly-driven modified Crossfire. Fortunately I was able to recover and hang with him. But that car is crazy fast, and the driver is very talented. Fifth session got a little interesting, as I think folks got a little tired. Lots of passing, but also lots of just bad driving. Made a lot of new friends, and hung out in a classic Watkins Glen bar afterwards. By the way, the "expert" class had 6 wrecks the first day. Novices only had 1 mechanical failure, and on the last run of the day. I had a failure of my own... video camera fail. Only got 1 decent video.
Totally different weather to start Day 2, which then turned into a mixed bag for the first run session (the reds, aka the wreckers! ). Chilly, but not nearly as cold as day 1, and everyone was expecting sun and 60 degree temps. Around 8 AM, a patch of very light rain rolled in. Fortunately it rolled out during the run group right before mine, and the track was dry by the time I was on it.
I felt incredibly confident from the get-go day 2; totally unlike day 1! My instructor was far more quiet on day 2, mostly saying things like "attaboy" and "perfect." I was not timing myself (though the videos, once processed, will reveal some times! I've only watched a couple of them, as the files are enormous and killing my computer; will post some tomorrow). But I definitely felt faster; the fastest lap I've watched of myself so far was a 2:39. Not superstar fast, but respectable. I also thoroughly enjoyed not lifting at all through the esses, enabling me to carry crazy speed into the backstraight.
Unfortunately, the increase in ambient temps revealed that my stock thermostat can't handle the increased demand of HPDE driving. I'd been meaning to swap in a lower temp one anyway; this seals it. I also developed a very minor oil leak during the second day, likely a valve cover gasket leak.
As suggested above, driving with my instructor was a joy on day 2. After one particularly good session, he pulled me aside and taught me about "vector steering," and prefaced that by saying he normally wouldn't even bother mentioning it to most white run group students, let alone a greenie like me. Anyway, he briefed me on it, and without him suggesting it, I tried it out in the toe of the boot, and nailed it! That likely sealed the deal for being offered a solo run. I'm assuming that doesn't get offered to newbies at their first DE very often!
On the solo run, minus the 400+ lb instructor (he's pictured below in his 911 cabrio), the car really came alive. I was well over 120 mph on the backstraight. And this, I think is what caused me to earn the meatball. The car was running warm but not overheating. But I think some coolant blew out, and hit the exhaust in hard turns, causing some white smoke to puff from the car. I was meatballed for "tire rub," which made zero sense given the car's recent weight loss. By the time I could explain what I thought it was, the checkered flag was out, and the weekend was over. Not the best finish, but far from the worst. And I'm eager to get back out for another one. One of the best parts: drove the car home without issue, despite pounding on it on the track over two days!
To those even contemplating trying a DE, just do it. There were old ladies in putter putt putt 944s out there (holding us up, but still, they were out there). Our cars are built for this; especially for Watkins Glen.
Videos, hopefully, to follow (You Tube is exceptionally slow this morning).
Holy cow what an amazing experience! Track Day 1: 165 cars started the day, divided into 4 run classes. Each class runs one at a time on the track, about 40 cars per. I was in the novice class. My instructor looked exactly like Santa Claus. He's probably 300+ lbs (later learned from him he's actually "pushing 400"). I had to remove my center console to get him into the car. Seriously. During my first run, our "communicator" wasn't working, so when he yelled "brake" 3 times, I didn't hear him. Got a nice talking to, aka got yelled at. He was pretty pissed, as I would be if I was putting my life in a noob's hands who wasn't listening to my instructions. I nearly switched instructors, though, because this guy was ruining the experience with his attitude. Second run was an interesting "passing exercise", where I was paired with a very fast Carrera 4S for 3 laps, and we took turns passing each other. I was able to figure out the track much better, and on the third session really picked up a lot of speed. Plus my instructor finally decided to be nice to me. Bonus. Fourth session was the best, and I hit 120+ mph on the front and back stretches. I was also able to make several passes, but got smoked by a very smoothly-driven modified Crossfire. Fortunately I was able to recover and hang with him. But that car is crazy fast, and the driver is very talented. Fifth session got a little interesting, as I think folks got a little tired. Lots of passing, but also lots of just bad driving. Made a lot of new friends, and hung out in a classic Watkins Glen bar afterwards. By the way, the "expert" class had 6 wrecks the first day. Novices only had 1 mechanical failure, and on the last run of the day. I had a failure of my own... video camera fail. Only got 1 decent video.
Totally different weather to start Day 2, which then turned into a mixed bag for the first run session (the reds, aka the wreckers! ). Chilly, but not nearly as cold as day 1, and everyone was expecting sun and 60 degree temps. Around 8 AM, a patch of very light rain rolled in. Fortunately it rolled out during the run group right before mine, and the track was dry by the time I was on it.
I felt incredibly confident from the get-go day 2; totally unlike day 1! My instructor was far more quiet on day 2, mostly saying things like "attaboy" and "perfect." I was not timing myself (though the videos, once processed, will reveal some times! I've only watched a couple of them, as the files are enormous and killing my computer; will post some tomorrow). But I definitely felt faster; the fastest lap I've watched of myself so far was a 2:39. Not superstar fast, but respectable. I also thoroughly enjoyed not lifting at all through the esses, enabling me to carry crazy speed into the backstraight.
Unfortunately, the increase in ambient temps revealed that my stock thermostat can't handle the increased demand of HPDE driving. I'd been meaning to swap in a lower temp one anyway; this seals it. I also developed a very minor oil leak during the second day, likely a valve cover gasket leak.
As suggested above, driving with my instructor was a joy on day 2. After one particularly good session, he pulled me aside and taught me about "vector steering," and prefaced that by saying he normally wouldn't even bother mentioning it to most white run group students, let alone a greenie like me. Anyway, he briefed me on it, and without him suggesting it, I tried it out in the toe of the boot, and nailed it! That likely sealed the deal for being offered a solo run. I'm assuming that doesn't get offered to newbies at their first DE very often!
On the solo run, minus the 400+ lb instructor (he's pictured below in his 911 cabrio), the car really came alive. I was well over 120 mph on the backstraight. And this, I think is what caused me to earn the meatball. The car was running warm but not overheating. But I think some coolant blew out, and hit the exhaust in hard turns, causing some white smoke to puff from the car. I was meatballed for "tire rub," which made zero sense given the car's recent weight loss. By the time I could explain what I thought it was, the checkered flag was out, and the weekend was over. Not the best finish, but far from the worst. And I'm eager to get back out for another one. One of the best parts: drove the car home without issue, despite pounding on it on the track over two days!
To those even contemplating trying a DE, just do it. There were old ladies in putter putt putt 944s out there (holding us up, but still, they were out there). Our cars are built for this; especially for Watkins Glen.
Videos, hopefully, to follow (You Tube is exceptionally slow this morning).
10-10-2012, 06:54 PM
#102
Rennlist Member
Looks like a fun time! Lived 18 miles from the Glen for 18 years, lots of good memories, like doing in a bottle of Glenmorangie with a Tyrell tech in one of the team trailers (these were the 6-wheel days), and watching a lot of good racing. Always wanted to race there on 2 wheels, but missed that period. It really sounds like you had a great weekend, really, the kind of weekend you go out there for: burn and learn...
10-10-2012, 07:02 PM
#103
Race Car
Looks like a fun time! Lived 18 miles from the Glen for 18 years, lots of good memories, like doing in a bottle of Glenmorangie with a Tyrell tech in one of the team trailers (these were the 6-wheel days), and watching a lot of good racing. Always wanted to race there on 2 wheels, but missed that period. It really sounds like you had a great weekend, really, the kind of weekend you go out there for: burn and learn...
