Kermit's Excellent Adventure

[larry47us]

With the help of many Pelicans, especially "nein14-6" aka Rob, I made it home in Kermit. For those of you who haven't had seen the history of this car and my adventure, I will post a few pictures of the start and progress.

This car was a 12 month project. Actually the 12 months were waiting. The actual work on the car began in February. Here is the car as it was purchased from Michael McGrath, who did the restoration.



It progressed to this point,



And then to the deLorean state,



To a full primer coat,



and finally to the full assembly, but I will show a picture of the completed car from my trip home.



Against the advice of some, and the chuckles of others, I decided to drive it home. With apologies to my friends on the early 911s board, I am going to duplicate my text from that post on my adventure.

I had promised a story of my most excellent adventure. Here it is. I shot a bunch of pictures along the way, and here are some of them. Unfortunately, I haven't yet figured out how to post multiple pictures in a single post, so there are going to be a bunch of entries here.

Flew into LaGuardia Sunday night, rented a car, and arrived in Norwalk, CT late. Cell phones are great - the hotel guided me into their parking lot. Next morning, we gave Mike some time to get his act together (and the car, if there was anything left to do), and got to his place about 10:30 am. He laughed, saying that he had expected me there about 7:00. Here's a picture of Mike and I just after I saw Kermit for the first time. He's a very excellent mechanic. The car is really pristine. The shop that did the final PPI said that he could easily sell the car - on his lot - for 25% more than I paid. True or not, I still am glad that I got it.



Spent some time going over the car with Mike and his co-worker. It was really funny. Everytime we opened or closed a door, hood or engine lid, his buddy was there with his sleeve wiping off the finger prints. Mike had just gotten married, so we took him, his wife and the buddy off to lunch. Got my first drive in the car. It ran great. Remember, this was my first drive in an early car. I was really pleased.

After lunch, we headed back to the "ranch" and I got a lesson in starting and driving the car. Mike took the car out with me as shotgun. We ran for about 1/2 hour, filled the tank, and the washer fluid bottle. Then I took over, and we put another 30 - 45 minutes on the car. I found the clutch much more user friendly than the 79 SC that I had driven earlier this month. Shifting was a bit awkward - it has a short shift kit - don't know how much that impacted.

Then we signed a few papers, and headed off into the sunset. I think that although Mike was sorry to see the car go, he was glad to be done with this deal. I can be a bit overbearing, and I think that he is glad to be done with the twice a day phone calls for the past 8 months. OK it's an exaggeration, but not by much!!!

Can't you see the smile on his face as he gets ready to say goodbye?



We took off to New Jersey to meet a friend for dinner. Original reservation was for 6:00 - I called to flip it to 7:00, by the time we got there it was 8:00. Not that traffic was that bad, but my normally great sense of direction was SHOT bigtime!! Judy said that I got lost more times in this car, so far, than I have in ALL of my other cars put together.

Then after dinner we were off to find a hotel. The schedule here was really fluid, as you will see, but that wasn't exactly a benefit for anyone!! Walter, my friend, suggested a hotel in Paramus. OK, but we couldn't find it, and ended up finding a place late at night in Stroud, PA. Ooops, missed New Jersey.

Spent the next day running through some small towns in PA, dropping in and out of Antique shops. Yes it was dangerous. Spent a bunch of money that was to be used for Gas on small things. I thought it was an advantage to have no room in a small car, but very small antiques are VERY EXPENSIVE!!! Yes I knew that ahead of time!!

Tuesday we spent hitting more stores and small towns. Nothing really exciting, but pretty quaint towns. Then we figured that we should hit the road, put on some miles, or we would never make it to meet the dragon. Needless to say, this was prophetic. We stopped for dinner in Frederick, MD, and then headed off for Roanoke, VA, or next night's stop. This was not to be. My alternator light went on, and stayed there. I called on Tom Bridger (Sithot) and he proved my angel in disguise during the trip. Here's the thread telling the whole story for those of you who don't know.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/show...20&pagenumber=1

Rob (nein 14-6) picked me up at the hotel at 9:15 am, loaned me an alternator, changed it out in my hotel parking lot in less than 45 minutes, gave me directions to a shop to rebuild my alternator, shook my hand, and we were off and running by 11:00 am. WOW!!

Now we needed to put some MILES on. Drove deep into the night, past Roanoke, and flopped dead tired for the night.

The next night it was on to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had planned on driving most of it - silly me. Some 465 miles at 35 - 40 miles an hour. That wasn't happening, not if we were going to see the Dragon the next day. We drove on it for about 4 hours. This was really the first time that I got to see how the car handled.



larry

[Beethoven]

Ok Larry, where's the rest of the pictures??

[HarryD]

Larry,

Most excellent. Glad you decided to drive home.

[PorscheGuy79]

Okay Larry, so whens the meet and greet for the Chicago guys?

[larry47us]

OK, so it's taking me a minute to post all this stuff. Here is more. . . . . . . .

I haven't really told you how I felt about driving the car. First of all, this was the culmination of maybe 45 years of dreams, one year of anticipation, and 6 months of total obsession!!! And I had never driven one before. I found the car really small. Smaller than I had anticipated. Not uncomfortable, just a good tight fit, like a really comfortable chair - the car hugged me. It is really responsive - I hit the gas, and it just jumped. The clutch was easy, the gearshift a PITA. It cornered well, but I didn't know how well until we started hitting the twisties on the blue ridge parkway.

Hitting the road, I found the trees had just turned to the Max color potential. We travel a lot, driving vacations. Spent lots of falls in upper Wisconsin, and the NorthEast, so colors aren't new to me, but these were just Fantastic!!! Here I fell in behind a couple of motorcycles, and we just cruised from overlook to overlook. The roads were pretty clear, and though the Limit was 35, we were hitting 40/50/60 on the road. I found that when the signs said "twisties ahead - slow to 30 MPH" I could easily hit the turns at 55 - 60 without worrying myself, or raising Judy's blood pressure.

The seats are really comfortable. I have to give Autos Intl LOTS of credit. They turned a set of 30 year old cores into some brand new seats. Judy said that they were the most comfortable seats she has ever ridden in, including the seats in my Lexus, or her Volvo. High praise!!! They hug you tightly. The houndstooth inserts keep your butt from sliding. So the car sticks to the road like it is on GLUE, and the seats keep your butt from sliding, and the belts keep your body in place. You just ride the turns like you are on a roller coaster!



My favorite Kermit shot. It's now my new desktop for the office computer. Yes, I know that I posted it already, but it's my fave.



Following the bikers



More Scenery



Resting in the leaves



larry

[larry47us]

This was the dilemma. Unless I wasn't going to care - that wasn't going to happen, or unless I was going to get crazed - Didn't want that to happen, I needed to figure out how to park Kermit so that I didn't have to worry too much.

After all, it's a big bad world out there!!! So I discovered that if I parked next to a curb, and was all the way over, then there was a LOT of space for the big bad SUV's to come in to rest. But I didn't worry.

This night, I pulled in with an empty space between me and the Mustang on the other side. In the morning, I found a big bad SUV in the middle. But look at the space between us!!!! I had an epiphany. This was my mode of parking from now on!!!



The Cherohala Skyway

This day it was off to the Tail of the Dragon. There were a bunch of small roads and mismarked signs. No signs saying "Tail of the Dragon is this way ==>" Kinda had to find your way. It was rainy. The leaves were on the ground. Not exactly the best combination for a run at the Dragon at any great speed - especially in an unfamiliar car!!! The Cherohala Skyway is really a road that climbs up to the level where the Dragon waits. It is a beautiful road in its own right. And as we drove through it, we enjoyed the view, some of the turns, but were very ho-hum about the risk, or thrill of it all. But it made for pretty pictures.



Is this Heaven??

Had to stop in the rain to grab this picture.



There were really several distinct sections to the road we took. The Cherohala Skyway was really well paved. Seemed to be new asphalt. So, you go from Hwy 28 to 143. that is the start of it all. Here's a pic of the Cherohala Skyway.



larry

[larry47us]

And, Yes, I was taking the pictures while I was driving. In those sections where I was taking pictures, I was going about 25 - 30 mph. The road was clear, and I felt that I wasn't being risky here. When the roads got really pushy, I put the camera on the floor. That is why there aren't any of the really good sections on film here. I will say that driving this road was an absolute thrill. This picture shows the start of some of the real twisties coming up. The turns just keep coming, one after another.



Here's the best pic of twisties that I have. But the bestest twisties weren't on film. The road was really pretty empty for us. I came across traffic coming the other way, but nothing was in front of me. That doesn't mean clear sailing, because the road is narrow, and there is a tendency to want to cross the center line. But the area just beyond you is blind!!! You dasn't cross that center line!!!!

But it is kinda funny. You are trying to chronicle the voyage, and as you pass a set of turns, you are thinking with your "photo" mind, and are saying to yourself, "Geez, I should have taken a picture of THAT!!!"



When we hit Deal's Gap, I thought that we had run the dragon, "boy, that was NOTHIN'!!! We have driven rougher roads than this in Northern Wisconsin!!" But don't be fooled, the best/worst is yet to come.

Deals Gap is kind of a stopping off place. Motorcycles reign here. There are more MC repair shops and places paying homage to HD than anyplace I have seen outside of Milwaukee Wisconsin!!! I took a picture of Kermit and me as we stood victorious after taming the dragon!!!

Didn't realize that we hadn't even met him yet!!!!



There is a small bit of road after Deal's gap that seems to be kind of an orphan. It is poorly maintained, and . . . . well, it just seems unkempt. Then you pass the Tennessee Border - WATCH OUT - SH**T HERE"S THE DRAGON!!

I wish that I could have taken pictures of this, just so that you could see it. I don't think that the issue is how fast you can drive this - I mean how fast your car is driving down the road. The larger issue is how fast you can turn the steering wheel. Sometimes you are facing a race to go lock to lock before you run out of pavement. The turns are slightly banked, but are really SHORT!!! That makes it really interesting, because there is less concern about sliding off the road than making sure that your car is pointed at the exit of the turn. It was a heart thumping, adrenalin pumping ride!!! YEEEEHAAAAAH.

Funny, but Judy got more freaked with me driving down the Edens Expy in Chicago than doing 30 - 40 MPH through sections of the Dragon~~~!! But, honestly, there was only one or two turns when I felt any concern about making it though it. Like when I didn't get the wheel around fast enough and drove over a flat of wet leaves. Kermit didn't budge, he just stuck to the road, and pulled through it!! I wasn't trying to set any land speed records, just have some fun through it.

Then we round this one turn, and there is a Silver SUV coming around the turn in front of me - towards me. He is leaning out his window, shouting at me, and waving his arm. I couldn't roll down my window to hear him - he was past me that fast, but you don't just ignore that!! So I hit the brakes, and looked up to see a Semi coming towards me approaching the turn from the other side as I came at it from this side!!! Heart Attack Time!!!

I hit the corner very deep - wanted OUT OF THE WAY!!! and came to a stop. I mean, he was taking up both lanes of the road, and he wasn't going slow enough for my peace of mind!!! His tires on the outside of the turn (outside of me) were on the edge of the road edge at the drop-off. I thought he was going to flip it!! It was only the inside edge of his inside set of tires that were still on the road. And the cab ran across both lanes of traffic where I had just been driving and nearly hit the inside of the mountain!! You don't ponder what would have transpired if you had met him at 35 mph coming around the corner with no place to go, no time to stop, no place - NO.

There was a long line of cars behind him, along with a few motorcycles. I am sure, very pi$$ed that he was ruining their run. I was just glad that we didn't come any closer to meeting him!!

Then it was time to take a breather, looking out over the calm valley that we had just climbed out of!! Needed a breather!!

[larry47us]

Here's Kermit having a long drink - yes he was thirsty. At 12 mpg, he did a lot of drinking!!! Here he is guzzling my favorite brand!!



We stopped for a bunch of Antiquing on the way home. I mean, we do a lot of driving vacations, but this was really hard. It was nearly 2,000 miles of just driving, yep, just driving. Rather than driving to a destination, we just drove, and drove, and drove. Judy had more than her fill. I was just starting to enjoy it!!!!

We stopped on this road to visit a string of 6 or 7 shops. When I came out, here was Kermit with his Great, Great, Grandson parked behind him. Yep, just let me lead the way, you young whipper snapper!!! (couldn't resist taking this shot!!)



And that's my tale. I have dreamed about this for so long, and anticipated it with a frenzy for the past year. For the past week, I have been sneaking into the garage to say goodnight to Kermit. But this too may pass.

larry

[MotoSook]

EXCELLENT LARRY! Great write-up and great pictures....I can't wait to get Judy's version

[larry47us]

Souk:

It didn't happen as it was planned. The plan ==> 4 - 5 hours of driving a day, B&B every night, Antique Shopping along the way . . . the actual was 10 - 12 hour driving days, and nights in Best Westerns and Ramada Inns.

Now when I talk about taking Kermit out, her response is --- so how long a drive IS IT THIS TIME!!!

larry

[MotoSook]

LOL...we want a showing, and Judy must be home to play hostess...we're not going to let you get off w/o collecting some dirt

[cstreit]

Larry,

You finally got there! (and here) Congrats!

[larry47us]

I would be willing to host a small get-together - but I can't promise that Judy will be here. She has had enough Porsche to last her through the winter.

But I do a mean Hot Dog and Hamburger routine. If there is interest, I would do a morning/lunch PorscheMeet some Sunday (but not this one.)

I would also invite my non-Porsche friends, because they would be blown away by seeing a number of Porsches up and down the street (or is it Streit).

Gotta have a coming out party for Kermit!!!

larry

[MotoSook]

"Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah "

That's what your friends will hear

[Jay Auskin]

Looks cool Larry...now lets see those fancy seats of yours.

[larry47us]

Jay: Kermit comes back from the mechanic tomorrow afternoon. But here's a picture of the seats that Autos sent me before they shipped them to CT. They look lots better in the car.





larry

[Aussie]

Nice car, love the seats and the colour! My Favourite combo.

You really notice how big the 996 is next to yours.

[Beethoven]

Larry, count me in fo brunch on a Sunday!
Great car, great write-up, great pics!

[larry47us]

Guys: Thanks for the comments. I have to say I was really surprised how small the early 911's are. They just hug you. And regarding the Viper Green - Can't believe that I was wondering what other color to paint it!!!! Boy would that have been a mistake.

larry

[Doug&Julie]

Great stuff!!!