Insane Road trip, DC to Seattle in January in a '69 911

[porwolf]

Go for it! Been driving Porsches to ski places for over 30 years! First with a 356 on then legal studded tires. Nothing better! Great in snow and on any ice. Later in California on regular trips to Mammoth, 9000 feet, and sometimes over Donner pass in white-out blizzard conditions, with regular tires, sometimes, but rearly, with snow chains. Dug out a 72 Targa from under 6 feet of snow. Got a 68 911T pulled out after bottoming out in deep snow, and drove it once in another blizzard over Tioga pass across the Sierras in the night before they closed it down for the winter. Always used 10-30 oil in Winter, even in Southern California.

Just remember one thing: Fill up your windshield washer with anti freeze washing solution before you get to freezing zones! Otherwise your washer will be useless until you get to warmer zones! And you do need the washer a lot when you are driving behind other cars!

[C4 Pazzo]

create a way to mount a 901 with a 915 bar (want to use standard mounts)

WEVO's got a slick solution:
Welcome to Windrush Evolutions - WEVO - Porsche Products

[herman maire]

Bite the bullet and get new SSI heater boxes, exhaust fumes in the heater system aint cool. The originals have done more than there time if there rusty.

[daniel911T]

I just installed a good used set. My old ones had perfect heater boxes, but the pipes were all pitted, and several of the pits had become pinholes. They needed to go.

The new set i got (from Steve911T) has flawless pipes, but has a small rust through on the bottom of the heater box. They were installed on a forgotten motor that was sitting on the ground. The rusty spot was actually in contact with the ground for many years. The pipes inside are rust free. I'm going to give my old heat exchangers and the new ones to a muffler shop and have them do some welding magic and make me one good set.

SSIs, although amazing, cost as much as shipping the car!

Originally Posted by herman maire

Bite the bullet and get new SSI heater boxes, exhaust fumes in the heater system aint cool. The originals have done more than there time if there rusty.

[daniel911T]

Originally Posted by C4 Pazzo

WEVO's got a slick solution:
Welcome to Windrush Evolutions - WEVO - Porsche Products

I love the WEVO solution, but again, it's a bit spendy (although not too bad) and it does not use Porsche standard mounts. I love the fact that on most models the engine and transmission mounts are the same, and were unchanged for nearly the entire production run. I see affordable mounts, and good availability far, far into the future.

I also think an adapter plate should be a pretty simple piece. Approx 1/2" thick, 4 holes drilled. should be it. now I just need to find someone to make it.

-Dan

[daniel911T]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Go for it! Been driving Porsches to ski places for over 30 years! First with a 356 on then legal studded tires. Nothing better! Great in snow and on any ice. Later in California on regular trips to Mammoth, 9000 feet, and sometimes over Donner pass in white-out blizzard conditions, with regular tires, sometimes, but rearly, with snow chains. Dug out a 72 Targa from under 6 feet of snow. Got a 68 911T pulled out after bottoming out in deep snow, and drove it once in another blizzard over Tioga pass across the Sierras in the night before they closed it down for the winter. Always used 10-30 oil in Winter, even in Southern California.

Just remember one thing: Fill up your windshield washer with anti freeze washing solution before you get to freezing zones! Otherwise your washer will be useless until you get to warmer zones! And you do need the washer a lot when you are driving behind other cars!

I must admit to not being very scared of the drive. I learned to drive in CO in a bug. I drove that poor little bug in several blizzards, used to take it skiing, drove fearlessly in the mountains, and never had any serious problems. The little bug was a tank.

I expect the Porsche will be much the same, just a bit more comfortable and a bit more capable.

My only fear is mechanical breakdown, and even then, I'm more worried about aftermarket parts than anything else. I understand that an MSD can quit without warning... On the upside, most every FLAPS has an MSD for sale, so it's not like looking for a 3 pin CDI in North Dakota in the dead of winter.

It's going to be fun!

-Dan

[zotman72]

Dan when you get your travel dates firmed up, we Denver Pelicans will want to gather the flock (as Grady likes to call it) around you and your car at local eatery/brewery. If you need some Pcar support, we arrange that for you too. Girt was the last rendezvous catalyst. Let us know. Oh, and FWIW my 911s are down for the winter, it is Audi season now for some in Colorado. YMMV.

[G450X]

I doubt you will be too close to Kennewick while enroute to Seattle (SE WA), but I'll pm my info in case you have trouble W of the Rockies.

We are having a strange freezing fog temp inversion at the moment - you need a good defrost or the windscreen ices over....

[daniel911T]

Originally Posted by G450X

I doubt you will be too close to Kennewick while enroute to Seattle (SE WA), but I'll pm my info in case you have trouble W of the Rockies.

We are having a strange freezing fog temp inversion at the moment - you need a good defrost or the windscreen ices over....

The ventilation system was totally redone about a month ago. Even with the holes in the heater boxes the whole system produces an oven hot hurricane at 3-5k rpm. Way, way better then my old bug ever was, and I don't even want to think about the pathetic and useless defrosters in my air cooled bus and Vanagon!

There may be trouble if I get stuck going slow (5-15 mph) and won't push enough air, but traveling in those conditions is not in the plan.

Because this car is not exactly up to modern safety standards I'm planning on being a daylight only, fair weather driver. I have 10 days to make the trip, and even then, safety is a higher priority than getting there. I'm giving her a fighting chance, she's getting heated seats with headrests and 3pt seatbelts from a late 80's Carrera. Safety systems like brakes are getting refreshed, headlight relay and instrument light fuse are getting installed. The car already has H4 headlamps, and I'm considering red led replacement instrument lights.

She should be as safe as a 42 year old car can possibly be.

Dan

[1971 911T]

alright. i've done philly to seattle in a u-haul truck with my 8 year old westie. 3 1/2 days. northern routes which are likely to have closed mountain passes in the winter.

better to aim for something like sacramento and then turn north.

good luck and enjoy.

[Canada Kev]

You'll be fine. Just pack spares like for any other cross country trip in the summer, except it'll be, well, a bit colder.

Good luck, and post some damn pics, will you?

[daniel911T]

Originally Posted by syzygy

Good luck, and post some damn pics, will you?

I'll be sure to take lots! I think the need for rest stops will be somewhat greater in the 911 than my Jetta. It's a tiny bit louder in the Porsche.

So far the only interesting pics I have was a North Dakota sunset at 80mph, taken from my Jetta. The 911 drive will be mid Jan, and there will be (metric!) tonnes of pictures.

I started the thread a bit prematurely, but I'm making the drive right now, so it was on my mind....

I'll be in Bremerton, WA from about Monday the 12th to the 19th. I'll be conducting a face to face turnover with the existing network administrator and meeting some of my division, at those that aren't on leave. I'll be in Florida with the in-laws until the 26th when I return to VA. Then I have a week of half days, and another week of whole days to get the car in shape before my wife gets back on the 6th.

When the car is ready and the house is more or less ready for the movers to come, then I'm off. I expect it will be on or near the 12th of Jan.

I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to meeting some Pelicans on the way. (hopefully not for towing/repairs!)

Back to the road for me.... I just stopped for a bit of lunch in Billings, MT, tonight will be in Bozeman, about 300 miles up the road. It's warmed way up! MN was in the single digits the whole time I was there, here in MT it's like 45! The 30mph direct headwind is kind of cramping my style though... I can't get more than 35mpg out of my TDI. I'm used to getting 40+, and on the last road trip I was getting well over 50. I think cold and wind hurt the mileage, but I'm quite surprised how much!

Thanks for all the suggestions! You all are getting me really pumped about the trip!

-Dan

[1971 911T]

having driven my 71 911T cross country twice, and suffered one broken speedometer gear and no breakdown/stranded. if u have been driving the car and the car is well maintained, you are in a good place. i would recommend driving the car 300-500 miles, just to shakedown any cobwebs and new installation/maintenance wrinkles, before you are in some place too far gone.

then the car will look after you. heating, there is a 1971 thermostat for heating in my car: up lever for heat, down lever for no heat :-). That's all she'll take.

My car has a radio but it is unlistenable above 40mph. So i had 16 hour road days with no radio but the wind, and the air cooled flat six.

[steve911T]

Dan, sorry to hear you are leaving a year early. If you need to find a place to put some of your porsche stuff(parts, etc). I could take them and ship them to you at a later time. I am sure I can find the room. Enjoy the drive, if I had to do it, I would prefer the '89 3.2 than my 911T. Steve

[daniel911T]

Originally Posted by steve911T

Dan, sorry to hear you are leaving a year early. If you need to find a place to put some of your porsche stuff(parts, etc). I could take them and ship them to you at a later time. I am sure I can find the room. Enjoy the drive, if I had to do it, I would prefer the '89 3.2 than my 911T. Steve

I totally get it. I would love to have ABS.

Steve, thanks so much for the parts, the HE's have been super useful. I had no idea how bad my old ones were until I installed the ones you essentially gave me. The car became much quieter, and that alone was enough to cause it to stop popping on decel. Wow, those made tuning much easier!

You're far enough away from Woodbridge that driving out to your place will be a great shakedown for some of the work. Looking forward to seeing you again before I get out of town.

-Dan

[Craig_D]

Originally Posted by zotman72

Dan when you get your travel dates firmed up, we Denver Pelicans will want to gather the flock (as Grady likes to call it) around you and your car at local eatery/brewery. If you need some Pcar support, we arrange that for you too. Girt was the last rendezvous catalyst. Let us know.

+1 to that! Would be cool to put together a proper Porsche precession and have a meet up in the Denver area for some moral support!

Also regarding fatigue, as a veteran motorcycle rider/racer dealing with many loud trips, the foam 33DB ear plugs will greatly cut down on road noise mental fatigue. You'll forget that you're wearing them and wonder why you still feel fresh, hours after your normal fall off. Just an idea...

Cheers,

CraigD

[Daytona]

Just do it. You sound as if you have a lot of extreme element experience. I regret not doing a cross country trip while I had my 88. I am hoping for another chance someday. Keep us informed of your adventure as we will all be reading.
Thanks for service to our great country. Godspeed!

[wwest]

WA mountain passes in the wintertime in my '78 Targa often required FULL heat, enough to drive you out of the car absent lowering the windows slightly, in order to keep the windshield interior surface defogged. And IGNORE the fact that you have 1st gear.

My rear heater blower is modified to increase its efficiency, there is no engine flow bypass as in the factory design, that helps.

Oh, the last Cracker Barrell heading west is in Missoula, mile marker 102.

[carreradpt]

Dan, in Jan 2010, I towed my 911 with my 4x4 truck from Tacoma WA to FL. At the time CA was getting hit with tons of weather and the Northern Tier was bad and icy. So I decided instead of heading south on I-5 to I-40 or I-10 I decided to try to sneak thru between storms on 1-5 to I-84 to I-15 thru Utah and cutoff to New Mexico. I got caught in a snowstorm passing thru Utah. Bad stuff that was. I got to FL OK then flew home and 2 weeks later the wife and I drive her 2002 T-bird to FL. Same drill, mid Feb and storms all around. Decided to go the Northern route, plus she had always wanted to see Rushmore and the Arch in St Louis. Colder than hell, but we got lucky and nothing too bad and didn't need the chains. We just missed some terrible road icing from Omaha to just west of St Louis that happened the day before we got there.

Watch the weather closely my friend and carry some chains with you and a little survival kit just in case. Chose your route carefully. Good luck to you. I just love these adventures and this will be an adventure. Please post along the way so we can send the cavalry if need be.

DT

[cmcfaul]

Sounds like quite the adventure. Definitly a lot of major projects getting the car ready to go. the sooner you can get them done and allow for shake down the better.

Your car will go great in the snow as you will get lots of traction. However, there is no weight in the front so turning, steering and stopping become the issues in the snow. Be carefull.

Chris

73 911 E