OK Glennfield, right you are.
In the summer of 2017 our younger son got a job at an old-time family summer camp on South Hero Island on Lake Champlain, Vermont. He didn't have his own set of wheels yet so I drove him up there, 270 miles from home. It was peak season, so no extra beds were available in the musty-smelling tents, and hotels rooms were too spendy for this tightwad, so I figured I'd do it as a day trip.
We left around 8am, having first jammed a whole lot more into a 911 than I'd thought possible. My car is in nice shape, but not pristine ... I think of it as perfectly imperfect, in that I can still use it like a real car. Meaning, I wasn't freaking out as we stuffed his bags, lawn chair and other young-guy detritus into the cabin and frunk.
From the Greater Hartford, Connecticut area, Vermont is reached by jumping on Interstate 91 and heading due north, along the Connecticut River Valley until you hit White River Junction, where you jump onto I-89 and head northwest. The boy napped for a good part of the time on I-91, until we stopped around Greenfield, MA for for gas, coffee and road/junk food. This was in June, so all the millions and millions of trees en route were all at maximum green, the air sweet.
By late morning we were past Burlington and crossing the causeway onto South Hero Island. The weather was pristine, people were doing summer-stuff everywhere and it was just an awesome day to a) live in these United States, b) drive through Vermont, c) in a black 911.
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Was this the coolest car at camp that day? Uhhh, yes.
Getting ready to head home; I had another 270 miles yet to go.
At a gas station somewhere off I-89, maybe near Montpelier, VT's capital. Super unleaded, Gatorade and Peanut M&M's.
That drive home was even better because I was loose and very much in the groove. The car was my ally and I felt totally at one with it. Closer to home I hit traffic in Springfield, MA; in my first year of driving the car (having done that engine rebuild and other work), it had run hot, so in the spring of 2017 I'd switched out the trombone cooler for a Carrera item ehich solved the problem, but in this traffic jam the temp was climbing again. The next week I scored a used SPAL fan from the Pelican Classifieds and quickly got it installed.
The cooler came from the always helpful Tom's Rennshop; the seal came from Porsche, a bit spendy at ca. $100, but well worth it.
Bracket I made to locate the bottom the cooler.
The SPAL fan and a simple bracket to mount it.
I added a relay for the fan, and having already added other relays for the headlights and a subwoofer, decided to congreate them on a separate subpanel, if you will.
So how was a 540 mile day in an SC? Fantastic; as I pulled into the driveway, I felt fresh as a daisy ... and that's a from a guy with a gimp back. What did the day teach me? That an air-cooled 911 is a magnficient tool for long drives. The secret, however, is to not bugger them up by trying too hard in the hot-rodding department. More on that, soon.
cheers,
John