jeremy@matrix

WOW, brrrr!!
Eager to hear how you all hold up. Enjoy the miles!

tmckenna

How many times did you say youve done the Alcan? Looks like a lot of fun. Cold, but still a lot of fun haha. I see Vaughn Gittin Jr is doing it in a Ford Ranger, definitely cool stuff

RS-America

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This will be our second winter ALCAN.
The event is run every two years since 1984 - alternating between summer & winter. The next ALCAN will be in the summer of 2022. The event attracts entries from around the world, when we ran in 2016 there was an entry from South Africa and another from New Zealand. Registration for 2022, which fills up quickly, should open soon after this years event ends on March 6th. Look at the entry list, all kinds and manner of street legal vehicles have entered. A Porsche 991 ran the 2018 summer ALCAN which also has a class for dual sport motorcycles in addition to cars/trucks. Here is the main ALCAN web page - https://www.alcan5000.com/
Even though we have run it before it takes ~ one year of prep and planning to run successfully. We belong to the Rainier Auto Sports Club that puts the ALCAN and other events on. RASC puts on many one day and multiple day TSD rally events. For RASC see https://www.rainierautosports.com/
Photo below is of Otis and a Group B Audi Quattro on the 2016 ALCAN. Two 944s were also entered in 2016. This year two Cayenne's and a Macan GTS have entered. Wish the P-Cars luck!

jeremy@matrix

Good luck Otis and crew!!

RS-America

With help from Jeff Lebesch and Euan Pollock the Porsche Club of America just posted this as the lead piece in PCA News.
It is also their lead article in PCA PerFourmance News that is dedicated to SUVs and four door cars.
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MJHanna

Can you show me some close up pictures of the front guard where it goes in to the body. via the tow hook openings. I still trying to understand how you did it with the tow hook as they screw into the frame for towing.
Thanks
Mark

jeremy@matrix

Directors Mortgage MJH?

RS-America

Mark, Thanks for pointing out that I have not posted good photos of the front.
Will take some when we get some Seattle sun and post. If you are local could also show you in person.

MJHanna

Thank you
Also when I look at my factory tow hook its a cast part that would not lend to getting good welds, did they just use bar stock and thread it to use the factory tow hook female fitting?

RS-America

Have not been able to get hold of our fabricator yet to see how they used the factory tow hooks. I do know they procured two to attach the bar.
The bar was initially designed to accept a JOST World - Rockinger Variobloc -- see Youtube video. JOST makes the large platens 18 wheel trucks use to attach trailers and other heavy equipment. After we were well into the process found it difficult to procure Variobloc's in North America. Changed course and fitted a 2" receiver up front which worked out better. We are not limited to Variobloc branded accessories.

All photos are of Otis' skid plates and bush bar. Note this was fabricated eight years and 107,000 miles of off-roading ago. We are in the process of refreshing everything for paint and attaching hardware. This set up has worked well for us both with the winch attached and using recovery straps for helping others and getting a tug ourselves. Have not noticed any deflection of the bush bar when put to use. It is nice to be able to stab the winch both front and back, to attach recovery straps front and back. Having a structural point to do this is critical. We did leave the black plastic engine undercover on for its intended purposes and esthetics.
It is nice to have the front parking sensors functional - they were relocated and are integral to the bush bar.
If there are any other angles or things you would like a photo of please let us know!


Fitting skid plates


While no deep gouges thanks to ground clearance and good spotting, glad we have them


Front of plate secured to bush bar and structure


Skid Plate front secured to tabs on bush bar




Parking sensor relocated and integral to bar


Note we left the black plastic under cover on for its intended purposes


Tried to get a photo to reveal how the tow hooks were used but they are set too far back

Blagave

The easiest way to use the tow hook mounts for the front bumper is to buy a couple used tow hooks off ebay, cut the hook off and weld a nut on the end of the threaded rod.
The thread pitch on the hook isn't one I could identify and couldn't find anything similar off the shelf and didn't want to have machined, so this was by far the easiest and most cost effective.

RS-America

Y'all put a lot of nice, well thought out work into yours!
Agree - still trying to verify how our fabricator adapted the hooks and what type of welding they used. Will have to take a photo if we ever have to remove them. Here is a photo of the whole car - we wanted our bar to give full frontal coverage for treks through the forest. Our Xpel self healing wrap is still working after eight years - pin striping would be an issue with out it. The rock sliders have come in handy especially as they do not protrude beyond the cars width. The skid plates can also be seen in the photo, in the Arctic chunks of ice were more of a consideration. Also like being able to mount our winch in front or behind. Storing it inside out of the elements is especially important up north where ice found its way into every opening. Lucky we did not need to use it in the cold as only a tow strap tug was required for recovery.
Looking to refresh paint, powder coat, and hardware on ours. All have served us well these eight years and 107,000 miles principally off-road. The Cayenne has and still is preforming well on and off-road with no major issues. Not to say there were not issues, other vehicles with us in -30F temps had batteries act up like our TPMS sensors did giving readings that would pin ball from one pressure to another.

Blagave

Thanks Ottis.....If not for you and the others that have shared the pros and cons with there builds, it would be much harder for the rest of us.

I have already been asked about welding to the tow hook. The nuts were tig welded on and there was no issues with welding. I would imagine the tow hook castings are made from a quality steel and not pot metal, otherwise they would brake with any kind of side load.

I like all the mods you have done and we are currently designing my front to back skid plates. Unfortunately the design is for the 955 / 957, but it looks like you already have a nice setup.

tmckenna

​​​​​​Not a ton to add to the post, as I havent gotten around to making myself a brush guard or anything metal for the front end. But in case anyone was wondering, I believe the thread pitch on our factory tow hooks is 5/8-11. Got that from suncoast or rennline or one of those porsche oriented websites.

RS-America

Expedition Portal published an article today that has our Cayenne 'Otis' in the lead photo.
The 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally was our second winter Alcan rally. Mercedes Lilienthal and her husband Andy competed with us this winter and wrote "Arctic Adventures: Rallying the 2020 Alcan 5000 Rally" The Alcan rally series has become so popular that the summer 2022 event is fully subscribed with even the wait list closed. There is still some room for dual sport bikes. If you have not tried rally it is a fun sport we do with our Cayenne in addition to our off-road adventures.
If you have not checked out Expedition Portal, it is the online presence for the magazine Overland Journal: "The publication for environmentally responsible, worldwide vehicle-supported expedition and adventure travel". Their forum post where are the Porsche Cayenne expo builds? has 59 pages of posts.
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Article link:
https://expeditionportal.com/arctic-...an-5000-rally/