Hey, I got the same wheels on mine
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1586232673.jpg

I watched a 550 replica go for less than 25K on BaT the other day; I think something simple and fun like that could really recharge my batteries, but right now, the money I have is staying put. Plus, I have way too many unfinished projects.

Not a Beck, but it looks good in these pix

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1955-porsche-550a-12/?utm_source=transactionalemail&utm_medium=email&ut m_campaign=bat_watched_listing_ended

Manual shift Caymans can also add a GT-3 shifter. Holy Mackerel, it makes a huge difference !! Also changed of course to GT-3 uprights and control arms when I changed to the big brake rotors.

Oh, and I might add: Those bigger brakes are a LIFE SAVER when driving in town. People are idiots behind the wheel. This lady in a mini van wearing a burka almost took me out.

I can deal with the harsh ride but the alignment has to be corrected. Sound deadening isn't going to help. I have a damn elect. transmission oil cooler that makes a racket

Gaww Damn !!!! Look that is a gorgeous Cayman. I see what you like !! :)

That's because you guys aren't in tune. Porsche's aren't about wrenching and driving. It's about picking up the chicks man.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9gWtrnb4KjU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

mmm...Probably has way reduced castor angle too. Do the front wheel self-center on the freeway? It would be a fantastic car once sorted out. Stay with it.

Yeah I will accept the blame for declining values ;) but not declining appreciation for driving these cool cars. Took the 914-6 for a leisurely spin with my wife through the farm lands this afternoon but couldn’t resist taking a couple of corners at 8/10s and the car is just an absolute marvel. The red mist is not completely dead, but it now choses its moments. Besides, who wants to end up in the ER these days? :confused:

As soon as we got home, had to fix a loose shift knob. Can’t turn off anal.

I put more hours in the recliner than the Shed anymore....With 13 motorcycles, 3 old German cars and fleet of snowmobiles, Chores are never lacking....

Vash, what would you rather do with your time? I know, I know, we both have to work and spend time with family. With little time we have left in the month, I know there are better things to do then crawling under a car or pulling dusty interiors out to get it done correctly. I wonder if you had more time, would you have done more? Lets say if you had two months plus off like a school teacher with the same salary that equals your current, would you have gone through with the project.

Why the hell we do these project anyway? It used to be that it was a great deal. Buy a clean car for a few hundred or thousand and have enough parts hanging around or hunt for cheap parts at your local Pick-A-Part, come home spend the whole weekend crawling under there and still smile by Monday morning wishing the weekend was a 30 hour day.

Didn't someone start a thread about taking man-hormone supplements? As long as you're not the guy importing freeze dried elephant pecker, and you stick to FDA approved stuff, why don't you do that? Life should be pursued with vigor. You only go around once and then it's all over.

Got one more for yahttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1586233278.jpg

To keep my T up, I still scare the shiizzle out myself regularly mtn biking. It’s way too easy to get over my head on technical stuff with major pucker power. Now throw in bears just out of hibernation, three cougars in my back yard and a local pack of coyotes with no fear of humans, and it keeps the heart pumping. Just about ran into a male black bear last week. It didn’t spook.

Man, you got that right, but it can wait.

Tell you what, those coyotes look just like dogs. And they are EVERYWHERE. Don't let your dog run after them, because there will likely be a pack waiting to ambush him.

That's the problem, after so many years, it becomes a chore instead of stuffing food in my face just so I can get on to the next step. How many nights we spend with a light or flashlight even in the cold trying to work on the car. It wasn't needed, but we did. Now, somehow I just know when to pack up my crap and head for warmth after 4:30-5. There's always next week or month to chase after the dash connection. I think I am in trouble.

That happened yesterday about 2 miles away when a pack of 4 went after a male 4 YO Catahoula. They got a couple of puncture wounds in his flank, but he went after them and drove them off. Got sewed up and was good for another round.

My 67 lb doodle, not so much. In fact he would hide behind me.

Back to why wrenches don’t do it as much anymore.

I'm like McLovin....I had aspirational car goals, which I accomplished. I've restored cars from basket cases. First 911 before 25. Ferrari before 30. My first car I ever restored, I did in high school...I still have. And now I find myself coming full circle and wanting to redo bits of it. After selling the Ferrari, it's an odd feeling. I don't regret selling it, but in some ways, very few cars "do" anything for me anymore.

I still have a few Porsches and some of my buddies hound me why I don't drive the older ones. The thread about the collector with the barn full of cars speaks to me....I can totally see why somebody would do that. I like the idea of them sitting in the barn to look at. Having the time to drive them is another thing. But, I still like having them.

I spend more time collecting and reading books about cars. A few years ago, I gained a real interest in Brass-Era (or as some say...Edwardian) cars, especially because of the rich history of Indiana automakers. As I've gotten older, the simpler things appeal to me.

I work in the middle of the night, and often have down time where I can look at car stuff online. (That's what I'm doing, as I type this). Last night, I spent about 3 hours trying to think of what my next car would be. I DD an '83 Mercedes 240d with 300K miles on it. I maintain it like crazy, and *knock on wood* has been completely reliable and will continue to be.

Right now, there is not a new car that speaks to me. Even still, from a driving point of view, not too much appeals to me...new or old. If I won the lottery and had unlimited funds, there are some cars I would like to have has eye candy with an occasional drive.

Last year I started getting into using a wheeling machine, taking classes with some of the heavy hitters in the industry (no...not Runge). I have a pipe dream of coachbuilding my own car, based on a spare triumph chassis that I have. For me, the artistry and technical ability of creating something from raw aluminum really appeals to me. Is that still being a car guy? who knows.

The 50's home built specials were cool....backyard engineering built by enthusiasts. That's the kind of stuff that appeals to me now, not PDK hyper cars.

What a weird place OT is - a thread on a car forum about how the OP is no longer a car guy and a bunch of other members of the same car forum hugging-it-out about how they aren't car guys either (and with a bit of "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa new technology sucks so bad - only caveman shiit for me!" thrown in for good measure) . . . biggly yuuugggeeeely entertaining for sure. :D

The E Queen is calling you. :D

Well yeah. Team Gruppe Hug, the anti-dick swingers.

It’s amazing how many of us who are total strangers share the same car guy life experiences.
I do still have my 38 year old 2,400 pound BMW hotrod that is, of the dozens of cars I’ve owned, the only one that is everything I want in a car (and none of the things I don’t want). It’s the one fun car I haven’t sold and probably never will, because it would be practically impossible to replicate it today (it would take a ton of time, and more money than I’d want to spend, and it still couldn’t be replicated exactly)..
I do still tinker with it, but it’s completely done mechanically and cosmetically, I drive it maybe 200 miles a year, so it just needs oil changes.
I also still do all maintenance and repairs on my dailies, but most years that’s just oil changes. We drive very few miles per year. Our cars can sit for a week without moving. So it isn’t much work needed.
I think part of my loss of interest is the changed car market. Cars have pretty much become uniform and commoditized. Back in our day, there was a huge difference between a Mercedes and a Honda. In construction and design and philosophy. The Mercedes or BMW was a stern driving machine made to last 30+ years. You’d save for many years to buy one, and then keep it for a long time. The Honda was a light cheap crushed velour economy car. The lowest priced Mercedes was still a completely different car than the highest priced Honda. But they each had their character.
Now they’re all the same. They look the same. They’re built the same. A top end Honda is a much better car than a bottom end Mercedes. None are made to last. They are all just leased disposable appliances stamped out in astronomical numbers. Even a $100,000 BMW or Mercedes is basically a disposable car.
Completely uninteresting to me.
BMW, with their (non M) line being all turbos and no manuals are of zero interest. Mostly moving towards electric there’s little hope.
The loss of my passion makes me a little sad because it was such a huge part of my life, and it does make me feel a bit “old.”

Raw knees excluded, who has admirably managed to keep the flame alive.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1586238854.jpg

Very profound point indeed about the top Honda vs. the bottom Mercedes and the sameness of cars. Are we saying that the sports car is dead?

E-powered cars or our mutual, Louisiana gal-pal?!?! :)

Pic can't be me as I do not wear necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches or any sort of pooftery as that. A man must not wear jewelry - that goes for former men who have lost their motoring balls to the aging process, too!

I can’t wait to get my 2-post in place. Spent the winter crawling around on cold concrete under the Speedster. Oh my achin’ back!

42 years of professional wrenching, 8 hours a day, 5 day a week has taken its toll on me. Add to that all the personal cars bought, fixed and sold and I'm tired. When I retired I said I wasn't going to touch another car except for the steering wheel and the gas cap. Now at 73 years old, I still do maintain my wife's Honda and mine but still "think about" how cool it would be to have another oval window sunroof beetle. Thinking about it is fortunately as far as it has gotten.

I am glad to still be a car guy. Just bought this '85 Cabriolet to "restore" for summer drives up to the coast of Maine with my girlfriend. Looking for seats and engines and wheels and deciding what color to paint it, will a GTI headlights, grille and fenders look better, will a tan top work with the original graphite and so on is terribly addictive. The feeling of accomplishment after getting it done even more so. Driving it around, a little more.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1586257141.jpg

Those VW Cabs are cool little cars on a warm summer day. When I was in high school only girls drove those but I remember later reading Danny Sullivan kept one at his home in Europe to tool around southern France.

Talking about Cayman upgrades, the Numeric shifter is amazing. I’ve had about every variety of 9X6 and 9X7 shifter, Numeric is worth the premium.

I can sympathize with those who say most modern cars don’t do it for them. I’ve been looking for a new fun car and nothing ignites the fire under me. I thought a Civic Type R might do it, but didn’t like the driving experience. Drove a WRX, GTI, Stinger, and G70, oddly enough the G70 was my favorite but I don’t want to spend over $40k on one. Drove a C5 Z06 over the weekend and it felt too big and wooden. My last Boxster did nothing for me, and I’m talking to a guy about a Cayman S in Texas but will probably end up passing because it’s really not getting me excited. I thought about an E46 M3 but keep reminding myself why I don’t buy modern BMWs anymore. I would definitely buy another air cooled 911 but don’t want to spend the current crazy asking prices, and would consider a 968 or 928 if the right car popped up. For new stuff, I’d probably go test drive a new Mustang but really have a hard time coming up with anything else that even halfway excites me. Maybe a Miata RF with the aero and Recaro package but that’s a $40k car. I somewhat identify with Embraer, I’ve had enough cool stuff in the past that most cars just don’t excite me anymore.

It's mostly a surprise present for my gf but it's growing on me. One day I'll just show up with it for our weekend road trips. She didn't like how a Miata looks when I was asking her what she liked but did like these little Cabrios.

Wrenching less and less..............
 

Don't get me wrong, I still am a "car" guy, but as I get older I seem to find more reasons to not get under a leaking or squeaking old car! The other day (3-4 months ago) I decided it was time to do an oil and filter change in the Porsche. Finally, last week, I got around to putting the car up on the lift, drained the oil, removed and replaced the filter and put in 11 qts of new 20w50 for the coming summer months. It took a couple of days for the ole bod to get over the aches and pains! I'm just glad that I built the 3.3SS engine 7 years ago! Now, the Pcar just gets to go out for short jaunts around where I live with the occasional Italian tune up (redline in every gear!) and some swoopy curves. I know that the day I put it up for sale will be fewer years than I have owned it and that is already starting to make me sad. In February of 2021 I will have owned this car for 20 years! That is much longer than I have kept any other car! Time marches on!

OWP, based on your recommendation alone, I feel that I must look into the Numeric shifter now.

Fred, your engine drop pics inspired a whole generation of PP 911 guys to copy you, including me.

I still work on a lot of equipment, I just have no time for working on a weekend car, especially a sports car. I thought I would, but I don't. If that means I am no longer a car guy, buenos días, Rustpickers.

This is a small sample. The two smaller tractors are 18 years old and have seen a lot of use. Both are still in the mix:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1586266288.jpg

What has changed is that I really like working on the 1996 Land Cruiser I bought from a friend of mine last year.

It is my DD and I don't think I have enjoyed a vehicle more, quirks and all. I have done the brakes, replaced hoses and wiring and will do shocks later in the summer. The exhaust needs replacing but I plan on jobbing that. I like working on it because it is my local DD and I plan on keeping it that way for as long as possible.

My Tundra is in great shape and I want to keep the miles off it - the thought of buying another truck makes me ill:D

Picture of both my two new "vehicles":

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1586266663.jpg

Although my 911 is a work of art for me to look at, it's been a project for far too long. I'm within spitting distance of having it complete. However I keep having the vision of driving a good quality 366 replica convertible on sunny days around here. Could very well happen.

what is your real world MPG on that land cruiser. ? that is what i SHOULD have bought.

LOL! Reminds me of a years ago conversation with a shop owner/wrench. We having the old "if I won a lottery" fantasies. I mentioned a dream garage with a complete set of snap-on tools. He said if he ever won, he'd give me all his snap-on tools, because he'd never wrench on a car again...

Part of it is an aging thing. Pretty natural, I'd think. Anybody in their 70's who thinks they are 17 just might have a screw loose here & there.

Yep, I still like looking at old cars. I like looking at attractive young women too. But then reality bites when I think of the hassles that would be accompanying either one.

I've been a "car guy" since I was around 2 or 3 and the expression of this love has changed over the years but even if I'm living a life without a car at some point in the future, or fill in some other scenario, they've always been the thing that geeks me out more than anything else. Or, as my partner might put it, nothing else makes my face light up as much. So I still do my own maintenance and enjoy it (for example), even if I'm less interested in it now at 45 than when I was 30. But that slice of my identity doesn't really depend on a particular activity. I'm a bit less car-focused than I was at, say, 15 or 20, but this is only because as I got older I discovered new things in the world that interested me.

Once I finally get the 67 done, my next project will be a helicopter.

I love complex things. The 67 has been a full teardown, but that itch has been scratched. Even with the extra touches like centerlocks on an SWB.

Thought about doing my own car build from scratch, but would rather do 3 dimensions instead. Wanted to do flying things for a long long time. Aint getting any younger, nows the time.

Have more than a few acres so a helicopter would be a use from home thing while a plane is having to go to the airport. See too many buddies fall out after a few years cause going to the airport for a spin becomes a chore.

Print this ^. Place it in an envelope to be opened in 25 years, see what you think then.