cobalt

So I had the insane notion to enter my car in the local PCA Concours. I stopped driving the car for 2 weeks and spent every free moment cleaning. You can learn a lot about these cars by spending this much time to clean them instead of driving. I found out that the previous owner replaced the factory amp with a very nice Sapphire X1.4 280 watt amp and MB Quart speakers all around. The head unit still kills the sound but were on our way. I also found out that the previous owners never spent much time cleaning anything but the exterior.

So after all the cleaning the verdict is.

cobalt

Actually my son was proud but I only took second place in my devision. My score was 222 points out of 225. I learned a lot, like the difference between clean lock grease and dirty. I also found out that cleaning the inside of these Speedlines is more critical then you think. They nailed me on both but all in all they said I did great. Little did I know that this is not considered clean.

cobalt

Sorry, try this.

cobalt

It was a great day and I highly recommend doing this once if you never have thought about it. At least you will have a clean car in the end. Everyone was great and I met some rennlisters too.

JBH

You car looks great Anthony - congratulations. Did they use a little mirror to find the brake dust around those little bolts? Did that account for the 3 points you lost. Even so, three points from perfect is impressive.

You know they say once you start the cleaning, it becomes an obsession. So what's next Zone 1?

emilios

Congratulations Anthony, well done!

I bet your car was the best looking at the event. I believe the pics do it no justice!

Best regards

Emilios

38D

Vaino has x-ray vision

cobalt, congrats on the result...car looks awesome. My 914 will make it's concors debut at Porscherama in the Competition category .

cobalt

JBH,

They used there fingers and reached way down in and around the bolts. Came up as slight Brake dust -.5 points otherwise I got a Very Nice on the entire interior. The real killer was the dirty hinge and latch grease. I lost -.5 points twice for that. I had no idea that no grease or new grease was all that is allowed. Funny thing when they were done checking for it there was no grease left. The final killer was the storage compartment. After countless hours cleaning everything from the spare tire to the ABS pump and using a super small attachment to vacuum evey thing They found what they called a fair amount of loose dust and dirt on the shock towers. They were clean when I left the house but I guess dust form the underside of the carpet fell while driving the car to the event.

I spent all my time cleaning the oil off the front of my car that the Nissan unleashed at me on the drive up. You know the typical BS. I am doing 80 and an old Maxima comes flying up at over 100 on my right, cuts in front and lets off the gas. Next I know Oil everywhere.

Received endless compliments and encouragement from the judges. I believe the winner won by .5 points. I do admit I like having my car this clean, but I have to drive it and I guess I will be cleaning again in a month for the Sep 28 event.

There were 2 turbos there with 3.6 turbo engines form wrecked cars. That is 7 I know of so far. the more I talk to people the more I see these things are becoming a rarity.

Emilios,

Thanks, but all the cars there were gorgeous.

I need to get a new camera. This one does not capture the color. When I use film and my Lica the pictures are amazing but I can't post those.
Here are two pre show shots that may show up better.

Pesky,Your right they do have Xray vision. I hope to see you at the next event. Had a 2 min run in with Dr j before David said it was time to go. Hope to have time to chat again.

Sameer

I'm speechless, congrats Anthony. Your car is beautiful.

JBH

I just realized you must have remove and clean each wheel after you arrived. Do most people drive to these events or do they bring in the cars on trailers?
While were at it, I have a few more questions:
1. Do the judges look for swirl marks in the paint?
2. Do they deduct for paint imperfections (stone chips, orange peel, etc.)
3. What modifications to the car are acceptable (SS headers & Exhaust, replaced turbo, etc.)?
4. Did you enter a full concours or was this a top only?

This is a cool picture - it should be your avatar

RoadKill

Anthony,

I was there yesterday and the car looked terrific. If brake dust is a deduction, I'd start off with minus points. My "92" is a daily driver and while I can keep the outsides of the wheels preety clean, the insides look like a coal mine.

Given how great your car looked, who actually beat you out and won the event?

cobalt

I have to admit it was much different then I expected. This was a relatively easy event. It covered, exterior, interior and storage only. Under-carriage and engine will be a bit more work.

They appear to take many things into consideration. Age and mileage reflects on what they discount you for. The exterior consists of 25 points for Body condition,fit of panels, no rust, dents. 25 points for Condition and prep of paint, deduct for chips, wax build up on edges. 10 points for Wiper arms and blades, air grills, antenna (if you have one) 18 points for Front and rear bumpers, deduct for bugs, chips, damage 5 points for Condition of lenses, lamps 5 more points for Outer glass surface and last 12 points for Outer wheels and tires (brake dust, condition of wheels). I just realized they deducted me for inner wheel brake dust, they shouldn't have done that.

The Interior consists of: 20 points for Upholstery of front seats, jump seats, condition, cleanliness, 8 points for Door panels, side pockets, glove box, 7 points for Condition of headliner, visors, 18 points for floor covering: carpet, mat, tunnel cover, seat rails, 5 points for Hinges, door jambs, latch areas (ouch) 10 points for Interior glass and mirror and 7 points for Instrument panel, steering wheel, gauges.

The Storage area consists of 10 points for Underside of Lid, 5 points Upper and lower latches, 10 points Condition of Carpet liner, mat, etc. (depending on model) 12 points for overall condition of trunk, tire well, washer unit, fuse block, 5 points for Battery cables, clamps and 8 points for Tool kit, spare tires, jack.

All this is done on a timed schedule. But like Pesky said they have Xray vision and know just were to look.

Pretty comprehensive, I have to admit looking it over I did fair well with a number of very nice and very clean comments.

Darn that dirty grease.

I agree I think it is time for a new avitar. I have some others I will play with also.

Only one car a 356 speedster came in a trailer.(see pic)

I don't think they can deduct for orange peel since Porsche paints prior to 95 all came with Orange peel from the factory (so I am told)

Modifications and extras are allowed but it is very subjective. There was a car that won the early 911 class that was a 1975 with a complete update to look like an 85 Carrera. The car was totally immaculate and very nicely done, apparently the mods made no difference.

I don't think at this level of judging they can deduct for mods, I am sure Zone 1 would be a bit different.

Thaks for all the compliments.

emilios

Anthony,

what brand of cleaning/waxing products did you use for the event?

cobalt

Mike,

It was nice talking to you and your son yesterday. I went to look at your car but you had left by the time I made it up that way. I don't know who came in first. I was in shock when I found out I did so well.

I have to admit when I embarked on this the grime on the inside of the wheel wells and rims was tremendous. I spent about 5 hours per corner removing the cosmoline and tar off of everything. The Wurth Citrus degreaser is great stuff. Worked miracles on my car. If you would have seen my car 2 weeks ago you would not have recognized it.

cobalt

I used the Wurth Citrus degreaser to clean all the grime off the underside, wheel wells,inside rims and obvious spots, Blue Magic cleaner to remove ground in junk, bugs etc, and to polish the lugs, rims and any minor scratches.(both of these product are by far the best I have ever used) I tried the P21 polish and wax this time. I was not impressed with the polish at all. (I think the 3M polish is far superior) the wax was easy went on and came off easily with virtually no residue left in the cracks or other hard to clean areas. (only time will tell if it is any good, however it did not leave any residue or hazing that I have observed with many other products) I used Vinylex on the rubber and vinyl and most importantly I used the Wurth Zebra cleaner for on the spot cleaning at the show. This stuff works wonders in a pinch without water.

Oh yes and most importantly my right arm. I had to have my celebratory cocktail with my left arm last night my right arm is shot.