"Jacky", giving the jack stands a workout...

[Joesmallwood]

I've posted on a few occasions, but never really contemplated documenting my own projects. I'll give this a shot even though my motivation to document is much less than my motivation to do the work.

For the first installment, a few winter projects:

Tail lights: I've often been concerned with the anemic brake lights and signals in my car. I replaced the bulbs with LEDs some time ago and that helped, but it still didn't seem like enough. I'm not after the over-the-top-in-your-face-wake-up-the-dead approach, but something more than the stock brake lights would be nice.

I tried to add the ribbon LEDs above the rear windshield, but it just came up short for me so I took them out. Here is what I came up with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH3CRXxGR_4

GT3 Muffler: I have a 3.55 liter, twin plug, blah blah blah, that I took to a dyno a couple of months ago. With headers and Dansk Sport, the engine was still a bit anemic - from memory, 225 at the wheels. Removing the muffler and going straight pipes it made 270 at the wheels with no additional tuning. So, a new muffler was in order. I haven't been back to the dyno yet to finish the tuning (minimal time was spent actually tuning versus trying to figure out where the power was falling off), but I can say that it feels like a completely different engine now. Still some work to do on tuning, but now I have learned the importance of the exhaust on a balance engine setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqCsCOfzLkg

No, I'm not homeless, but from the looks of my pants and pullover, it would seem so.

AirCon: I've been working with the AC on my car for a couple of years and making some excellent headway. I'll share more on this later, but the latest project is to remove the rear condenser and install a Griffiths front belly condenser. I wasn't a fan of all the hoses routing everywhere and wanted to keep everything nice a tidy in the front of the car. I bought the condenser and a used condenser guard and mounted these. Then I found a SPAL blower with the highest CFM that I could find in a small enough form factor that I could fit it in the space next t othe battery. I will likely not use this fan on full power, but I like the idea of having the headroom when/if needed.

I worked on a mount and then an intake to get fresh air from the front of the car run through the condenser. It worked out great, it's wired and ready, and now I am on to the rest of the project.






Next up was a mount for the Element that has been floating around under my seat for two years.

Fire Ext Mount:

Designed, printed, mounted....easy peasy.





And one glamour shot for posterity...

[Cairo94507]

Nice looking car; what do you think of the sound on the GT3 muffler? Any real fitment issues? I currently have a Dansk Sport on my '95 3.6 in my '71 914-6 and I believe it is restricting performance of the engine- though it still runs great, there may be more to be had with a proper exhaust. I have a SS 2-in 1-out arriving today that I intend to try that is supposed to be less restrictive than the Dansk Sport- we shall see. I really like the GT3 muffler but fight with myself over having the GT3 exhaust pipes out the back as my car looks stock from the outside.

[ccallana]

Originally Posted by Joesmallwood

Next up was a mount for the Element that has been floating around under my seat for two years.

Fire Ext Mount:

Designed, printed, mounted....easy peasy.

Can you provide some details on the mount - what is it attached to? hard to tell here...

I've been trying to figure out where to mount mine - I'd like to use off the shelf hardware as I don't have a printer but don't want it to be in the way either - right now I have one just sitting in each door pocket...

[917_Langheck]

Originally Posted by Joesmallwood

AirCon: I've been working with the AC on my car for a couple of years and making some excellent headway. I'll share more on this later, but the latest project is to remove the rear condenser and install a Griffiths front belly condenser. I wasn't a fan of all the hoses routing everywhere and wanted to keep everything nice a tidy in the front of the car. I bought the condenser and a used condenser guard and mounted these. Then I found a SPAL blower with the highest CFM that I could find in a small enough form factor that I could fit it in the space next t othe battery. I will likely not use this fan on full power, but I like the idea of having the headroom when/if needed.

I worked on a mount and then an intake to get fresh air from the front of the car run through the condenser. It worked out great, it's wired and ready, and now I am on to the rest of the project.

Here's a money-making idea: the old abs plastic housings in our cars have warped and cracked, and the fire hazard hamster wheel is anemic at best. This would be a nice solution.

[David Inc.]

Yeah I'd probably buy that today if I could. Or steal the .stp files haha

[GH85Carrera]

I mounted mine under the passenger seat. I can reach it easily while seated in the driver's seat. The extinguisher comes with the litte clip on mount, or at least mine did. The only "tricky" part was getting the screws into the mount.

I marked the spots that needed the screws holes and used a self tapping screw to make the hole and threads inn the seat mount slider. Then I backed them out, and put them through the clip, and I had to use a wrench to tighten them up. That part was tedious as I could only get a short turn. The screws I used were short, and the seat will still slide forward to the stops.

I thought it was a perfect place. Totally out of the way visually and for passengers, yet easily to get in short order. One of the things I hope to never need.

[TastyReuben]

nice blower setup. I'd buy one.

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by ccallana

Can you provide some details on the mount - what is it attached to? hard to tell here...

I've been trying to figure out where to mount mine - I'd like to use off the shelf hardware as I don't have a printer but don't want it to be in the way either - right now I have one just sitting in each door pocket...

There is a couple of stock brackets under the passenger seat where the stock ECU/lambda (can't remember what was there). I have my EMU Black mounted there using a small aluminum plate. I just used a longer M5 (or M6) to mount it to the plate using this stock bracket location.

Originally Posted by 917_Langheck

Here's a money-making idea: the old abs plastic housings in our cars have warped and cracked, and the fire hazard hamster wheel is anemic at best. This would be a nice solution.

I'd be happy to supply the files...or I could print/sell a set to you, if you wanted.

Originally Posted by David Inc.

Yeah I'd probably buy that today if I could. Or steal the .stp files haha

Same. Send me your contact info and I'd be happy to send the .STL file.

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I mounted mine under the passenger seat. I can reach it easily while seated in the driver's seat. The extinguisher comes with the litte clip on mount, or at least mine did. The only "tricky" part was getting the screws into the mount.

I marked the spots that needed the screws holes and used a self tapping screw to make the hole and threads inn the seat mount slider. Then I backed them out, and put them through the clip, and I had to use a wrench to tighten them up. That part was tedious as I could only get a short turn. The screws I used were short, and the seat will still slide forward to the stops.

I thought it was a perfect place. Totally out of the way visually and for passengers, yet easily to get in short order. One of the things I hope to never need.

It may not be apparent, but this is mounted under the passenger seat just ahead of the EMU Black ECU. I wanted it longitudinal so that I could pull it out easier without the risk of pulling the cap off or braking it. The orientation allows it to come right out without any fancy footwork.

Originally Posted by TastyReuben

nice blower setup. I'd buy one.

Send me a PM, if your interested.

Originally Posted by Cairo94507

Nice looking car; what do you think of the sound on the GT3 muffler? Any real fitment issues? I currently have a Dansk Sport on my '95 3.6 in my '71 914-6 and I believe it is restricting performance of the engine- though it still runs great, there may be more to be had with a proper exhaust. I have a SS 2-in 1-out arriving today that I intend to try that is supposed to be less restrictive than the Dansk Sport- we shall see. I really like the GT3 muffler but fight with myself over having the GT3 exhaust pipes out the back as my car looks stock from the outside.

I have always loved the sound of the GT3, but it's always been a concern that it would be too loud for me AND I just love the look of the stock 2 in 1 out setup. That said, when I found out it was robbing so much power, I changed my thinking. The quiet mode, as far as I can tell so far, it as quiet as the Dansk Sport I had on there with zero drone. The rowdy side is NOT quiet, but it has a proper Porsche tone that is just music. Brian, at RarlyL8, added some extra baffling to the exhaust tips and some additional baffling to the quiet side inlet. He did a nice job fabbing these on a schedule that I needed. Very thankful and it turned out great!

[shoooo32]

A factory GT3 box on an aircooled car is too loud for me, even when routed through the "quiet" side. I'd love to hear yours now that you've added baffling. I'm lazy and my welds are garbage - that's why I went with Bryan's bolt on GTK solution.

On a different note - Julian mentioned you installed an electric vacuum pump for your brake booster. Any details you can share? I don't like the way Pablo's brake pedal feel changes with vacuum generated by the engine - also, it's ripe for difficult to chase vacuum leaks.

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by shoooo32

A factory GT3 box on an aircooled car is too loud for me, even when routed through the "quiet" side. I'd love to hear yours now that you've added baffling. I'm lazy and my welds are garbage - that's why I went with Bryan's bolt on GTK solution.

On a different note - Julian mentioned you installed an electric vacuum pump for your brake booster. Any details you can share? I don't like the way Pablo's brake pedal feel changes with vacuum generated by the engine - also, it's ripe for difficult to chase vacuum leaks.

That's exactly what I was worried about - being too loud. But with Brian's mods, it is, seemingly, about the same as my Dansk in quiet mode. I have only driven it a couple of hours since the install, but I haven't noticed any drone at all - zero. Love it. I can't say the same for the loud side. It's still not terrible, but it's loud, for sure.

I added the electric vacuum for the same reason. I was chasing vacuum variation and just decided to remove the variable. It works great for me. I thought about adding a reservoir, but for my style driving, it doesn't need one. I can see an argument that if you were going to track the car a reservoir might help with the duty cycle of the pump, but I really don't think it would change the braking characteristics. The booster acts as the reservoir and I've had zero issues with the brake pedal not feeling great.

Details: just a UP28 vacuum pump. I bought a secondary pressure switch to activate it (Amazon) and designed/printed a bracket to attach it local to the booster. I used some standoffs on the back of the booster bolt studs and attached it to them. Works great.

[shoooo32]

Perfect! Thanks for sharing that, Joe.

[ToySnakePMC]

Joe --- This is a great update on a car that I drooled over the first time I laid eyes on it. Your HP gains were quite staggering with dropping that muffler. Were you shocked that 45HP was hiding out somewhere with that one change? And that condenser blower fan looks custom made for that spot. Nicely done.

Promise me a ride in this car at the upcoming Tapoco Classic. Hope you're booked. Patrick

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by shoooo32

Perfect! Thanks for sharing that, Joe.

Any time!!

Originally Posted by ToySnakePMC

Joe --- This is a great update on a car that I drooled over the first time I laid eyes on it. Your HP gains were quite staggering with dropping that muffler. Were you shocked that 45HP was hiding out somewhere with that one change? And that condenser blower fan looks custom made for that spot. Nicely done.

Promise me a ride in this car at the upcoming Tapoco Classic. Hope you're booked. Patrick

Thanks, Patrick. I suspect I'll be drooling over your new engine this year! Hahaha... It looks great!

Ian Carpenter stopped by a few months ago on his way to the east coast. We might have drag raced a bit and I might have been disappointed with the outcome so it was time to myth bust (I should have smoked him, but I didn't). The muffler wasn't the only problem. There was a choked down area in the S pipes between the headers and the Dansk where it went from 2.5" to less than 2" on each bank. This was a killer. I put an adapter on my header and hooked it to my external map sensor and logged a full throttle run. There was around 16 psi of backpressure at the O2 bung location. That was a problem. I took it to a Dyno in St Louis and after some Hodge Podge straight pipe fabrication the truth was known - I needed a new muffler setup. I haven't been back to the Dyno yet, but I can feel the result in my butt dyno now. It feels completely different.

And yes, I am registered and ready for Tapoco. Can't wait and I'm excited to get back out on the twisties. You're welcome to take it for a spin!!

More "stuff" today...

Rattles: I hate rattles. I found one in the glove box...






Sneak peak of some HVAC controls in process...



And, finally, a GoPro home that is low maintenance and out of the way - with power.



Next up is a refresh of the rear trailing arm bushings. I replace the stock rear spring plate bushings with Elephant Racing bushings a couple of years ago and regret that decision. I picked up some Tarett hardware that will go in over the next few weeks. The Elephant stuff squeaks like a dry wood/wood kitchen drawer rail (IYKYK) and this is a no go. And the Elephant finish looks like it's a hundred years old already. I'll try to clean them up and cerakote them in the process.

[Tom_in_NH]

Joe, which Elephant bushings did you use? I'm about to replace my spring plate and trailing arm bushings.

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by Tom_in_NH

Joe, which Elephant bushings did you use? I'm about to replace my spring plate and trailing arm bushings.

This is what I used. I haven't checked to see if they have settled, but my drivers side squeaks any time the temperature drops at all and/or I let the car sit for a week or so and has done this from day one. Recently, mid-summer, the passenger side has started to do the same thing. I know there may be tricks to the install, but I am typically a bit OCD about prep, install, workmanship, etc. I could have done something wrong, but I doubt it was my effort that causes this.

On top of that, I have started to periodically hear a clunk in my front end, too. It's a full ER install with Monoball camber hardware. This is on my list to take a look at after I finish the rear.

I bought these over the summer thinking that I would replace them this winter. I no longer need these, if you're interested. New in box from Pelican.

https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_Info/ERMP2290003.htm?pn=ERMP-2290003

I bought the Tarett rear sping plate kit. I've heard a lot of good things about this hardware. Time and miles will tell.

https://tarett.com/collections/monoballs-bushings-911/products/rear-spring-plate-bushing-set-rsrrbs

[Tom_in_NH]

So to be clear, your noisy bushings are the elephant rubber bushings?

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by Tom_in_NH

So to be clear, your noisy bushings are the elephant rubber bushings?

Correct.

[shoooo32]

I just pulled apart the rear spring plates after running the Rebel bushings (similar to the Tarett setup you bought). other than 60k miles worth of dirt and grime, everything looked great. I have no doubt this setup would last the life of a car.

[Joesmallwood]

Originally Posted by shoooo32

I just pulled apart the rear spring plates after running the Rebel bushings (similar to the Tarett setup you bought). other than 60k miles worth of dirt and grime, everything looked great. I have no doubt this setup would last the life of a car.

That's good to know. The snow/salt is officially here. I'll likely get started on this today or next weekend. I plan to change the real wheel bearings while I am in there. This is the only suspension component that hasn't been replaced.

[icarp]

Originally Posted by shoooo32

I just pulled apart the rear spring plates after running the Rebel bushings (similar to the Tarett setup you bought). other than 60k miles worth of dirt and grime, everything looked great. I have no doubt this setup would last the life of a car.

It is nice to hear you say that Tony, I have long admired Clint's work on this design.
It is my choice on all cars that need rear bushings .

I wonder if this change for Joe and Jacky will make for a faster car , oops a quicker car.
On the bright side , Kermit loved to meet Jacky and Joe even if I put a a little sand in their shorts . Next time we meet I'm shore I'll have my a s s handed to me , and I will be so proud of them.

Ian