Pelican Board - Please Forgive My Past Sins and Accept my Penance!!!

[peppy]

WOW!! My wife pays the rent ($75) I wonder if I can talk her into a car like that?

Wayne back in the late eighties I read somewhere that not only the emissions would not pass in the U.S., but also the headlights would not meet U.S. DOT laws. Is there any truth to this?

Great car!

Peppy

[JP911]

Congrats! You deserve it, Wayne.

When I saw you post about the kevlar body I instantly thought of all the idiot drivers on the road in So Cal. BE CAREFUL with that gem!

[BReyes]

More smiles!

[tcar]

Originally Posted by peppy

Wayne back in the late eighties I read somewhere that not only the emissions would not pass in the U.S., but also the headlights would not meet U.S. DOT laws. Is there any truth to this?
Peppy

Paul Allen and Bill Gates each bought one and were instrumental in getting the stuff changed, except emissions, which they still had to meet. I think a cat and a chip fixed that.

[shbop]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

It all started about four years ago when my wife made a suggestion to me that finally sunk in. She said "why don't you just sell all of those cars that don't work and just buy one that does." She was indeed, referring to the 911SC, the 356, the 944, and the 914 that were not running (or not running well) at the time, and the Vegas over/under on them getting back on the road anytime soon was poor. So, I sold off a bunch of cars and started looking for an early 911 hotrod to buy.

Well, right after I took her suggestion, she became pregnant. So, I quickly realized that the funds raised from the sale of my "junkers" might go from "car fund" to "college fund". I panicked, big time - since I couldn't find an early 911 worth buying, I went and bought the first nice car I found, offered to me by a friend in Orange County - the Ferrari 308. While I would stop short of calling that purchase a mistake, I would say that over the long run, I was quite disappointed in the car. My wife's current Honda minivan was way faster than that car. When the car was cold, you couldn't make left turns on the road because it had absolutely no low-end torque, and if you didn't rev it high, it would stall, and you would be killed by oncoming traffic. Still, it was indeed one of the best looking cars around, but that really was what it was - all looks and no performance. I had mistakenly assumed that because it was a Ferrari and it was red, that it was also fast and handled well. It literally felt like it handled like a truck. Very stylish, but a very stylish truck.

I found myself not driving it too much. It wasn't terribly enjoyable, and I also felt that it was difficult to get parts for it efficiently and correctly. For some reason, I didn't like working on it. It wasn't too exciting and the car itself was pretty simple. I committed another "sin" on top of the original purchase - I let the car sit for months at a time without driving it.

I did find my 1972 Carrera RS clone at the German Autofest about two years after the purchase of the 308. This indeed, was the car that I was looking for, but couldn't find when I got the 308. I bought it on the spot - the price was very reasonable. This car has had a bunch of little problems, but has been a ton of fun.

Still, I feel I lost a lot of "street cred" with my core passion - the air-cooled Porsches. So, in an attempt to regain my lost credibility with loyal Pelicanites, I would like to humbly introduce the latest member of the Pelican family:



This is a 1987 Porsche 959 that I have "rescued" from an owner who has had it parked for more than 4 years with no significant driving or running. It's in very nice condition, but it is best described as a "project car" - there are many little electrical and computer problems with the car that will need to be worked on. In typical Pelican fashion, I will take many, many pictures and post them here for all to see. I will be working closely with the folks at Callas Rennsport here in Los Angeles, on the restoration and repair of this 959. Callas Rennsport has a bunch of 959 customers, and they have the tools, computers, and manuals needed to wade through the complicated electronics of this car.

I've been working on a deal to acquire this car from the previous owner for more than a year now. Selling off a bunch of other cars, and old parts I didn't need anymore, combined with the sacrifice of my left kidney, and child #1's college fund made it possible. The current computer issues with the car offer some interesting challenges, but also turned away many potential buyers over the past several years, resulting in a significant price break for an adventurous soul who would be willing to tackle them. I may be eating ramin and noddles for the next 10 years, but opportunities like this come along only once in a lifetime.

The 959 indeed is one of Porsche's most mysterious cars - not too many exist on the road, and even fewer currently exist in the US. There's a fellow in our Engine Rebuild Forum that inspired me by posting pictures of his 962 engine removal and teardown. I personally was fascinated by that, as my exposure to the water-cooled / air-cooled race cars is limited. It is my goal to share the photos, stories, and trials of working on this beast (and I may also need the help of the resident electrical experts here when I come up against roadblocks) with the members of the board. Many shops here in the US modify the car significantly - it will be my goal to restore it and maintain it in as "stock condition" as possible.

So, in the next few days, I will be posting the photos of the car from the PPI that Tony Callas and Grant from Callas Rennsport performed on the car. I'm still learning about the car, and I can't wait to share the experience with the rest of you. Someone 3 years ago mentioned something about "101 Projects for your 959" - not quite, but a neat ongoing blog / summary detailing the restoration of this Porsche legend is definitely in order and coming soon!

So, I respectfully ask for forgiveness for my past transgressions away from the Porsche marque, and welcome fellow Pelicanites to share in the restoration of this fine Porsche legend!

Sincerely,

Wayne

Ok, and for the next week, 50% off for everyone!!

[Daveinclarkston]

Congratulations! What more can one say! My favorite Porsche!

The ABS system on your car was developed by WABCO. The company I work for has a JV with WABCO for braking systems on commercial vehicles in North American. I have worked closely with the hydraulic group in Hannover and have discussed their involvement in the program. The Test Engineer that worked on the program with the Porsche Engineers now lives in Portland, OR and I am sure he would be happy to talk with you about the brake system development program if you were interested. Also, I know the Development Engineer that worked on the program (he lives in Hannover) and I am sure he would be open to discuss the system with you.

Both are great guys and their English is near perfect (conversational and technical). I think they would enjoy speaking with someone who is interested in understanding the system that they worked on so many years ago! Send me a PM if you want their contact information.

[maxnine11]

Welcome Black !!

[K-Jetronic]

Wow, congrats....

959 brochure

http://coochas.com/brochures/959.html

[azasadny]

Originally Posted by Daveinclarkston

Congratulations! What more can one say! My favorite Porsche!

The ABS system on your car was developed by WABCO. The company I work for has a JV with WABCO for braking systems on commercial vehicles in North American. I have worked closely with the hydraulic group in Hannover and have discussed their involvement in the program. The Test Engineer that worked on the program with the Porsche Engineers now lives in Portland, OR and I am sure he would be happy to talk with you about the brake system development program if you were interested. Also, I know the Development Engineer that worked on the program (he lives in Hannover) and I am sure he would be open to discuss the system with you.

Both are great guys and their English is near perfect (conversational and technical). I think they would enjoy speaking with someone who is interested in understanding the system that they worked on so many years ago! Send me a PM if you want their contact information.

Very cool!!

[Jubbie]

ZOWOWIE!

Very cool Wayne. Congrats on dumping the 3 liter V8 Fiat and double congrats on climbing one of the Porshce peaks.

I think it is so cool that a true dirty finger nail Porsche technophile has got one of these and has a forum to share all the details under the skin of this mystery car. That suspension is like nothing I have ever seen on a 911.

Is there anything in this car that Porsche went on to use in the 993, 996 or 997?

I wonder why Porsche kept with the aircooled cylinders in this (and I guess in the 956/962) when they went to water cooled heads. I get the water cooled heads due to 4 valves, but when you pay for the water pump, does the fan still trade.

It would be cool to post the owners manual to decribe how the AWD and variable suspension works.

Great stuff. Keep the details coming.

[84porsche]

Another congrats Wayne. Looks sweet.

[jwetering]

No doubt that's some serious commitment to the hobby Wayne. I too have a picture of a parking lot full of 959 taken during a trip to the factory in 1988. I'm going to try to photograph that picture and post up a digi shot here....

[ChrisBennet]

Way to go Wayne!
-Chris

[jwetering]

Here we are - a strange trip that was, for a bunch of reasons I won't go into. I was only 22 at the time..... I saw my first 959 a month earlier actually, while attending the Gran Prix in Monaco. No I wasn't rich, quite the oppposite, I slept on the beach and wore no socks (or underwear for that matter) for the entire four months I was in Europe. Yep - being young trumps being old!

Anyway - the 959 pic - congratulations Wayne:

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

Congratulations! That has to be the score of the year.

The year?? How 'bout a lifetime!

Wayne, congrats to the max. I guess the 914/6 is gone now?

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by tcar

Paul Allen and Bill Gates each bought one and were instrumental in getting the stuff changed, except emissions, which they still had to meet. I think a cat and a chip fixed that.

Not entirely accurate. Gate's car sat for a long time as it wasn't properly registered, if I know the story correctly. Allen's car was returned to Europe, again, if I'm correctly informed. Bruce Canepa did the initial federalizing work for the cars in the US and it is extensive for each car.

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by v8_ranch

You know for me, it has always been the wheels. I absolutely find the wheels they used for them (959's) completely unattractive. Car overall, nice! Wheels...


Dang, sorry, I feel like I am downing your new beauty. I just wish they had used something different from the factory. Maybe you can remedy that, that is, unless you like the wheels. Just my humble opinion which doesn't mean squat. Enjoy the car!

I actually agree. I'm currently looking for some 961 wheels to put on the car, I think they make it look better (961 was the LeMans racing version of the 959).

Here's a pic:



-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by lfot

Yeah, do you think it will be ready for Dave's New Year's Run?

It runs and drives right now, but has some issues. It could go out on the run right now, but it's down on power (probably like 300-350 from 450), so it's still FAST...

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by rs6er

Sticky this thing!!!!!

Oh, don't worry, there will be many more threads about it. I'm going to post a new one with the results of the PPI...

-Wayne

[Wayne 962]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

BTW, how many kitchen refurbs did this cost you?

For those who follow the Off Topic forum - they know there that I don't currently own my own house - we're renting. If I were to buy the house that we're currently renting, it would cost me $3000-$4000 more a month! (rent is $2950, carrying costs + prop taxes + insurance on the same house would be $6K-$7K). $4K a month adds up fast!

-Wayne