cobalt

I'm back from a wonderful long relaxing weekend in snowy VT. The Macan handled the weather well but not quite as well as our Cayenne turbo did. I should have kept that one. My wife and I rented a house for several seasons back 30 years ago when we had the time and youth to ski for 30 days a season. I wish I purchased the house back then and surprisingly not only was it still standing but was nicely fixed up by the current owners. I no longer ski due to arthritis and other issues but we saw the sights and walked around after a healthy snowstorm Thursday night. I guess I take for granted that she actually said yes, I must have done something right. She is far smarter and talented than I am. I can't believe 30 years went by that quickly and I have now been married for half my life. Officially it is my anniversary at midnight since we were married on leap year day. I hope the next 30 are just as good as the first.

We ate far too much and found a wonderful restaurant which served some fantastic Manhattans and 5 star cuisine for reasonable money. Sadly most of the shops we enjoyed years ago have fallen prey to Covid/Amazon so not much shopping but we tried our best to support the local economy.


She is all set for her favorite pastime, Shopping. Snow won't slow her down.


We went to visit the Simon Pearce factory and stumbled across a diversion. I am a huge Whistle Pig fan and got to sample some of the bottles I have yet to open. The 18 year is amazing and I did not realize the glass stopper that comes with the bottle is made by Simon Pearce. Also stopped by a company called JK Adams. I cast parts for their custom machines decades ago that make their wine racks and surprisingly still going strong.


Enjoying a fantastic meal and a libation. She will kill me for posting this.


I like the 50's art deco style and atmosphere. Will be revisiting the Silver Fork again.


So back to the project. Ironic how I now have all my projects needing my attention at once. Months of free time keeping myself busy with the small stuff but need to divide my attention between multiple projects.

I hoped to have the C2 ready by this weekend but that won't happen. Still small delays but will be done soon.


The bumper is missing a small part to assemble but nearly there.


Starting to look like a car again


I do like the clean lines of the rear without the wiper. I can finish the interior now. Finally!! I have new speaker grills I will install. I have to admit for my first try the back shelf came out Ok.



Dash, Wipers and V1 wiring can be run.


I still have to cut in the visors and lighting. I waited till the windshield is in place as it actually stretches the headliner even more.


All in the details and getting closer.

dmaddox

What a great vacation! Thank you for sharing. Not sure why she'd kill you, you have a beautiful wife and I wish you both a great future. Anniversaries are bitter sweet sometimes, but this one really looked sweet. Funny you'd mentioned the decor, my wife has been collecting and purchasing vintage designer 1960's and 1970's Italian and other European furniture pieces as they come up on Craigslist, etc.. to have that "look". It was annoying at first, but admittedly I am now finding myself digging into the adventure and negotiation when we find a legit piece.

Your car looks amazing - I'm going to be doing a similar brake setup that I will be posting up soon. Keep up the great work - we (especially here in the US) have so much to be grateful for.

Thanks for posting!!

cobalt

Thank you for the kind words. How I got so lucky I have no idea. I wish I looked half as good as she does. Best yet is she puts up with me, only heaven knows why.

Greg Wolfe

Great update Anthony and congrats on your anniversary. I just took delivery of a '22 Macan GTS, but haven't had it in the snow. Love the car though...

Mr. Wolfe

cobalt

^^The GTS is a keeper and IMO the only Macan to buy. What color did you get? I like mine a lot. Although I hear they eliminated the sport plus button on the 22's. I never really use mine usually only sport is adequate. Drive it in good health. I can't believe they are switching these platforms over to EV and Porsche gas only by 2030. AT this rate I will be keeping all mine and never selling. I have seen my friend have to work on some Taycans with heating issues that can't be fixed and motors needing replacing what a nightmare.

So they say it is all in the details. No matter how many thousands of hours I spend working on these I am always learning something new. I had no idea there were two different sizes of grommets for the screws. People look at me crazy when I pick one up off the floor but these are getting harder to come by and the last ones I purchased years ago were no longer brass.

I spent most of the day installing the seat belts and back pad, getting it as perfect as I could. I really wanted to do this long ago before I installed the front seats but needed to wait to get the rear windows in first. I just don't squeeze into the back of these like I used to and the back shelf pad is a job for a contortionist if you can't climb in.



I save all the small stuff you never know when you need it.



Two different sizes



Brass and newer version



Cleaned and refinished for install.



I replaced the speaker grills but even the good ones crack a little. I have another set buried in the attic that are perfect but I will get to that later.

Greg Wolfe

My GTS is Chalk on Bordeaux. They did not eliminate the Sport + button, I use it often. This is supposed to be the last iteration of ICE before going full EV. I think this is a mistake on their part. They need to at least test the market before going all EV like they state with the Macan. When learning that, I knew I needed to order a 22. I know there is a place for EV's in the market, but they are literally everything I hate about vehicles in one package. When I am buying a car, the most important aspects to me are lightweight, sound, feel, handling, aesthetics, rawness, & feedback. Overall acceleration is very low on my list of priorities which is why EV's do absolutely nothing for me. Okay, end rant... lol <sorry Anthony, didn't realize these pics were so big. Just yell and I will remove them. I don't want to muddy up your thread>





Mr. Wolfe

cobalt

No worries, That is a gorgeous GTS. You do have good taste. I especially like the interior and blacked out steering wheel. I have not seen that before. I like chalk my friend has a GT3RS weissach in that color. They didn't offer it in 18 when I purchased mine. All the best with it.

My son works at a Porsche dealership and they were told that Porsche will continue to offer ICE versions along with the 911 but using a special formula gas that Porsche will be selling. Details not released at this time but it sounds a bit ludicrous to me.

I wish someone made clear or tinted corners for these. They do for every other Porsche but I haven't seen them for the Macan yet.

Greg Wolfe

Thank you - SO happy with it! Put about 750 miles on it so far. Haven't really pushed it too hard yet. Agree, loving the "911" black steering (GT Steering wheel). I guess we will all wait and see what happens with the Macan. I have a plan on my side markers...

Mr. Wolfe

cobalt

I used tint film but it didn't last on the side markers. I need to redo mine. We just broke 24k miles this last weekend but will be getting more time on the road now that the Mrs is going back to the office 3 days a week. It will be weird not having her around 24/7 she left her desk exactly 2 years to the day this coming Tuesday. We flew home from Amelia Werks she went in Monday boxed up all her files and hasn't been back. I guess she is happy some of her favorite shoes were there. LOL.

Wow I can't believe how long it took to complete the interior. Making sure everything fits perfectly takes time. No doubt there is always something forgotten and this was a dusie. Somehow we never ran the wiring for the drivers side light. It is part of the harness that goes up the passenger side and then back around the back of the roof powers the sunroof and then around the back to the drivers side. First off cutting into the headliner to mount the visors is nerve racking enough now I had to cut the light openings. Being very careful to cut the drivers side I could feel a wire only to find just the ground wire which is a short piece attached to the roof. I nervously searched around and nothing. Went to the passenger side and I can feel the wires and made the cut. Out comes the entire harness. How we missed that I have no idea. If this still had the sunroof the zipper would allow me access but since this is a single piece I had few options. I could live without the light. NO! I could remove the rear windows and pull down the headliner and start over. NO!!!! So I used option 3 which was a B!T@). I had to fit my fat hand into the small opening for the light being careful not to rip the headliner and snake the wires through a small opening that would allow me to snake the wire across. There is a layer of nylon material with foam backing we installed for sound deadening and it keeps the support bars in place. It took 3 hours to get the harness through the small opening everything I tried failed and I had to get my fat hands on both sides of the roof support at the same time to do so without tearing the fabric. Once i finally got the spade connectors through I was just half way there. Nothing I had would feed easily across the roof without snagging the padding or headliner. I love when I save things that have no purpose for that one day when I need it. I remembered I had a carbon fiber rod about .100" dia. and just about 4.5 feet long from a dragon kite my son had when he was 10. I located the rods dusted off 13 years of dust and it worked perfectly slid across the padding without snagging and was the perfect length and flexibility. Used cloth wire harness tape. The stuff is amazingly strong to secure the harness to the CF rod and it came across with ease. Thankfully all resolved. No signs of any trauma and I am not sure how I did it without ruining the headliner but I did. Interior is all done and I am grateful for that. I used to be able to fit and contort my body to do this type of work but those days are coming to a close. Lesson learned always double check everything 3 or 4 times.

BTW I forgot how much a PITA it is to install the rear view mirror on these.

Interior done. Front bumper parts should be in and I can finish the brake duct kit and install adjust lights and then finish the engine and trans fluids and🤞.


Some small touching up here and there but that can be done at anytime.


Needs a cleaning but all done. I ran the V1 wiring so I can mount the unit under the rear view mirror from above. No stupid issues with the odd sized cigarette lighter anymore.


Sliverknit already crushing under the weight of the seats when folded down.


Just realized I still need to mount the third brake light. Another PITA job but will be done today.


Looking more and more like a car everyday.

cobalt

So we started the year off this past weekend. My wife and I are the social chairs for NNJR-PCA. Sunday was the 65th day of NNJR"s 65th year. So on top of everything else we had an event to plan. Porsche of Englewood was kind enough to host and they opened their maintenance dept for us. It was a very nice turnout despite the rain we figured between 150-200 people showed up. Numerous nice Porsche's and everyone had a great time talking, gawking and eating.


A small portion of the many friends and new members all having fun.


One of many unique and interesting toys brought by local members.




On the C2 front nothing but delays and issues.

I finally got the bumper parts I needed only to find that he fog lights are modified even more than I had imagined. The tech art brake duct fog lights are nothing more than a special housing with VW fog lights from the 90's. The set I picked up were used and I purchased new lights for them. I had to cut off tabs and finally upon installation I found that the weather tight caps on the back including the special VW 2 pin plug will not fit. That is why they have this odd rubber cover that replaces it. The covers are not available AFAIK and require a specially modified H3 bulb. Again I wasn't going to let this deter me so I went rummaging through my bins. I came up with some ball joint boots that fit perfectly. Cut off the connector on the lights and silicon glued it to the boot after some modification. This made for a tight seal and fit and allowed me to use a regular H3 bulb. Once they set for 24 hours I was able to mount the bumper and then adjust the lights. What a PITA. I have these on my turbo and i recal lspending time adjusting them 15 years ago. It took about 4 hours to adjust the fogs and the H1's. A rather tedious job again. But another step towards completion.


Glad i had several foam pads for the inside of the bumper. This one is about a year old in a sealed bag and was already disintegrating. The others were oK so this could be a QC thing.


Bumper installed


Adjustment of the lights. The fogs need to be adjusted with the lower valance covers removed. Very difficult to do and they get hot. I had to use a small tool and my fingertips with many expletives.


Original Tech Art splitters i purchased 15 years ago. Repainted but not perfect. I figure they will just get banged up again soon enough.


All new hardware as I go.


Might not be new like a singer but as close as you can get without a full strip down.


New wheel liners installed.


Splitter and new clear corners installed.


Bumper done for now. Pelican has sent me three sets of left hand side clear corners and each set comes with right side flat light so waiting on replacement.



Onto the rest

dmaddox

This is just awesome - thank you for sharing. Provides some inspiration to get off my butt and get work done.

Greg Wolfe

Great progress and pictures!

Mr. Wolfe

Paolo1

Am curious about the floor in your garage. Is that painted concrete? Older epoxy? Glad to see the progress

cobalt

Thanks Everyone. So close but still a lot to do. The small stuff takes so much time.

That is a touchy subject. 11 years ago when I built the garage I was torn on what to do. I should have spent the extra to have the floor acid washed but I had spent far too much having the concrete walls covered in stucco for a cleaner look. I did my research and I ended up using Benjamin Moore industrial floor coating. A two part epoxy I had custom blended. At $125 a gallon and assurance it would not peel I said what the heck. Well it was a mistake. Apparently we learned that the paint does not work with the radiant floor heating. When I parked wet tires on the floor when the heater was running the paint stuck to the tires and lifted. I went back to them and they refunded my money but was left with a floor that is far from what i wanted. I was going to redo the floor one day but one project after another and far too much crap pilling up I never got to it. In order to redo the floor is a monumental and messy undertaking now and I have not been very careful with it making it look even worse.

I think on the one the right side where i park the cars I will install industrial carpet squares this summer to dress it up. I don't like the plastic flooring squares. Without much feeling in my left hand I drop too many small parts and I know where that would lead. I am very particular about my cars it would be nice if the garage was nicer but it is essentially just storage and workspace. I will get around to it one day but for now the cars need to get finished and track season is quickly approaching. So long as the heat is set to 60 it is incredibly comfortable in there and I am happy.

cobalt

So I ordered a set of speedlines for my turbo yesterday. I want to keep my originals intact and use these for shows etc. Prices are up $900 since I was quoted in December. I think that is because Meatal Guru beat me to the last set in the US. LOL

I am still waiting on some help to bleed my clutch and have yet to start the engine. i will be getting to that soon. Spring is playing its games and winter won't let go. 70 degrees one day and snowing and 28 the next. So I decided to swap out the front uprights with the parts left over from my track build. Nothing special just aluminum vs the heavy cast iron and a ball joint tie rod vs the rubber of the 964. I had pinned the 993 style tie rod end so it is stiffer than stock but not GT2 stiff.

I have a lot of parts including the wheel hubs from the C4 which is now the Blue Meanie. It got full GT2 uprights and bits. I took apart the old C4 uprights and used the hubs. As usual there is something I forgot. My mind is just not clear since the covid/ booster combo hit me. I guess I have some long covid issues or just old age. In any case I had forgotten that the C4 front hubs are similar to the 993 front hubs vs the 964 C2 front hubs. So the washer that holds the ABS gear in place is different from C4/993 to C2. The C2 washer uses the bearing to hold the washer centered as the C4/993 uses the hub itself and is a different fit. Luckily I have several washers from each so I was able to press the ABS ring from the 993 off and press the ABS ring from the 964 onto it. Of course they couldn't leave well enough alone and the ABS pickup is in a different orientation than the 964 so another $400 later I have new ABS sensors.

I will assemble both sides and then swap them out for the C2's front upright assembly. This way if I have any change of heart it is an easy enough swap back. It also leaves me parts for future projects. I don't know what gains this will get me other than some unsprung weight savings and lack of need of caliper adapters. But what the heck. I also had to buy new 993TT rotors to work with this setup so even more $$ spent. It seems like just yesterday it was far cheaper to do this. Although the **** Box needs new front rotors and it uses 94 turbo rotors so I now have that covered. Never realized owning multiple 964's would save me so much money. LOL

Anyhow I have been tackling a lot of little things like hardwiring the rest of the V1 and countless things needing to be addressed. I only post the big stuff as if I added all the little tedious projects this thread will be ridiculously long. Although I believe I can now say everything is working properly as it should which is rare when it comes to these.


993 washer sitting on the table awaiting me to press off the ABS ring and press on the 964 ring.



Yet more hardware I had redone in Yellow cad. Unfortunately I did not realize until too late that the 8mm bolts that hold the bearing in place are longer than the 964 parts so the new bolts never made it out for plating and will remain clear zinc as the factory supplies parts now. I was just playing with numbers and started counting all the parts i have had replated over the years and in stock . It seems to be a stupid number between 30k and 50k pieces. Lots of small nuts, washers etc but I have 20 HF bins full of parts. Ironically I still come across something I don't have in stock. Believe it or not this baggie held over 700 pieces. Usually I send out more each time but I use as many as I send out lately.