Call me lazy or cheap!

[StephenD]

My C4's alloy lug nuts were flaking and looked terrible. I just happened to have a wide permanent black "magic marker" with me when I was mounting the summer wheels and thought I'd give the lug nuts a swipe. It worked great! Nice and black and with almost no prep. Will work great until I find an extra $100 for new ones! Anyone else care to confess a cheap fix?

[Planter91C2]

my c2 alloy lugs were darkened and a little beat up and i sprayed them with some chrome spraypaint i had and the color matches the c2 wheels perfectly. so far it lasted 1.5 years.

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Daryl 964 Targa

[josh912]

I call that smart! I spray paint my wheels (NOT Fuchs so no hate letters). That is until I get the money to A buy Fuchs or B get my current wheels powder coated. Until then spray can restoration rules (notice the SC domination)

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Joshua Harrison
1968 912 Coupe
www.geocities.com/jkh912

[Jdub]

How about using a bottled shoe polish in black with the foam applicator for removing the fades on the Targa side fabric seals? Now it's starting wear off for the second time!

Cheap, but blissful,
Jw

[FRED/LI]

Spray can of barbecue black paint pretty much matches Targa roll bar finish.

Ganging up a pair of worn hood or lid shocks to replace the single failed one is a sure cure. Simply make a mount from machine screws to 'sister' them together.

[Clark Griswald]

Pull up your tired looking carpet. I'm talking all of it, not just the floor mates. Toss into an oversized front load washing machine at the local laudromat.

Use fabric dye to restore color if sun faded. Put back in.

It's a little tough on the fiber backing of the floor mats, otherwise works great.

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Chuck Moreland - '86 Cab, '77 Targa, Family Truckster

[albroon]

You're lazy and cheap!

Seriously I painted my center caps with Halfords own brand (UK based auto accessory shop) satin black spray paint last weekend - they came up great and have completely transformed the appearence of the wheels.



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Alan Brown
86 Carrera 3.2

[Jack Olsen]

I seem to head to the Home Depot for parts as often as anyplace else. Metal for ducting. The screen for my new vents (I think it was designed to keep rabbits out of your garden).

If it gets the job done, I'll use it.

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Jack Olsen
My Rennlist home page • My Pelican Gallery page • My Porsche Owners Gallery page

[ClayMcguill]

How about using the expanded metal sold for installing under the eaves of a house to duplicate the grill screen on the engine decklid? It's nearly a PERFECT match (once I hit it with a little semi-flat Krylon).

Rubber caps sold for furniture legs make perfect front A-arm torsion bar hole caps.

How about a sandblasting cabinet made out of the huge cardboard box a dryer comes in, some 4" diameter dryer vent tubing, some heavy-duty rubber gloves, and a glass door from the front of an old entertainment center? (It lasted for months, and I blasted nearly every suspension part off my '66 912).

A full set of Lexan windows for under $30! (Got a few big sheets from a home improvement store that was going out of business, and used the original glass as templates).

A 4'x6' work table (with folding legs!) built for free, using wood from a neighbors' fence that was being torn down.

A coil-over shock (old gas struts from a business machine, springs from the hardware store) suspended, 12v battery (from an old lawn tractor) operated, all-terrain tired (lawn tractor again) Bigfoot riding toy for my 5 yr-old.

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Clay McGuill '66 912, '97 Jeep Cherokee www.geocities.com/the912guy

[StephenD]

Clay,

I think that you are the KING! Have you considered putting a team together for the Scrap yard competition on the Discovery Channel. (I know that you have devised some way to receive that!)

Steve

93 C4 Stuttgart

[joehahn]

This is a fantastic thread!

I am a big advocate of duck tape! Currently that, and a few zip ties, are holding an "in dash" Blaupunkt c.d. player underneath my dash out of sight. I like to keep the top off all day and didn't want to worry about theft so it is out of sight. Works great and lets the 33 year old Blau. remain in the dash for aesthetics.

How about this one...I am trying to develop (and then patent and retire!!!) some sort of little tray like contraption that would hang underneath the lowest point of the engine that would catch/gauge oil drips and loss. I am not really concerned about my consistent drip (local dealer mechanic said don't worry just monitor) but I am annoyed when departing a friend's, neighbor's, etc and there is that little spot! Would like to hang something but it would get too turbulent I suppose.

Joe '68L targa sporto with freshly rebuilt Webers!!!! Never knew I could go over 65MPH!!!!

[Jack Olsen]

Joe, I think the key to your invention would be to not think of it as a saucer you're catching fluid in, but more like a diaper -- if there's no tray for the fluid to slosh around in, it won't go anywhere, and you'll be able to see very precisely where the leak is coming from. Of course, the downside to attaching Pampers to your valve covers is that they will melt, and also trap heat. But with my remote cooler lines, I've used gauze, wrapped like a bandage, to determine which joints were not completely sealed. It's a lot easier than feeling around for oil droplets on hot lines.

If an under-engine tray could simultaneously help with cooling (by directing airflow better) while also having a lining like those collapsed sponges that only reach full size when they're wet, or even just utilizing a flat cotton liner adhered to the metal, you could trace (and absorb) tiny oil leaks and leave your acquaintances' driveways spotless.

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Jack Olsen
My Rennlist home page • My Pelican Gallery page • My Porsche Owners Gallery page

[This message has been edited by JackOlsen (edited 06-13-2001).]

[Planter91C2]

while your at it can you invent a bird daiper, my wifes cockateil craps on me at least once a day.

[Dantilla]

I used to own a 1948 Chevy pickup that leaked oil from the rear main seal. We called it "Lucille" (Loose seal... Ha Ha). I tied up a 9 x 12 cake pan under the rear main with bailing wire. Clean driveway.

[Mike Feinstein]

Afraid you might not retire with that invention. The drip tray from my 964 is in a large plastic bag leaning against the wall of my garage. Bruce Anderson says ditch-em' and keep your baby cooler.

[This message has been edited by Mike Feinstein (edited 06-14-2001).]

[Jerry Madderra]

I fabricated a alum collar with set screws around the outside and installed it on my deck strut for my 911 {no cost}, found a spring at local hardware store { $3.95} mounted it between the collar and a large washer , wa-la "coil over strut" to hold up the deck, works just fine and never will i have to get that "just the right length stick" again . I found a black vinyl cap that fits perfectly over alloy lut nuts {very hard to find} , never have to paint, touch up or buy new nuts again. buy the way the caps are available from me for $24.00 a set {thats 20 pcs.}

[911pcars]

Joe writes:
How about this one...I am trying to develop (and then patent and retire!!!) some sort of little tray like contraption that would hang underneath the lowest point of the engine that would catch/gauge oil drips and loss. I am not really concerned about my consistent drip (local dealer mechanic said don't worry just monitor) but I am annoyed when departing a friend's, neighbor's, etc and there is that little spot! Would like to hang something but it would get too turbulent I suppose.

I've tried that route and I haven't retired just yet. HeetSheets, besides blocking heat from the heat exchangers, have also shown to be adequate "gutters" to catch oil drips from the valve cover area. With these installed, no longer does oil dribble randomly along the heat exchangers; instead, oil collects in the fold, then dumps its capacity at either end onto a specific location on the exhaust pipe. Just one more interesting product FAQ.

Regards,
Sherwood Lee
http://www.seinesystems.com

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

Porsche allready made this invention in the early 70´s. All japanese cars came with such a item. And als swiss cars have them since 1984. ( keeping the swiss streets clean )

The 928 and 931 came stock with it.

http://boards.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/911/911_archive.pl?read=13789

Grüsse