my low budget dream car build

[ryans65]

Hope you get some good weather, looked wet up there the last few days. That part of WV can be in the 40s/50s and rainy one day and 85 and sunny the next this time of year.

[chrisbalich]

We're pretty busy today, but here's a short my friend MD took of me dragging Jonny's CF underbody panel down an unpaved road this past weekend.

https://youtube.com/shorts/riEDvNQw9os?si=ZjQBOLQIy2yUNdHG

I'll get into more of an update when I have some time.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by ryans65

Hope you get some good weather, looked wet up there the last few days. That part of WV can be in the 40s/50s and rainy one day and 85 and sunny the next this time of year.

It rained a lot.
I bet I sopped a gallon of water from the car over the course of the weekend.
More on this later.

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

We're pretty busy today, but here's a short my friend MD took of me dragging Jonny's CF underbody panel down an unpaved road this past weekend.

https://youtube.com/shorts/riEDvNQw9os?si=ZjQBOLQIy2yUNdHG

I'll get into more of an update when I have some time.

Lol. Oh no! Sounds bad! Look forward to the update.

Think I might need to dust off that mold and start working on a warranty replacement!

[shoooo32]

Have you climbed under it to take a look? I'm interested to see how it held up.

Also, the unflattering Kelly photos are diabolical. Jessie would murder me if I posted anything remotely like that.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

Lol. Oh no! Sounds bad! Look forward to the update.

Think I might need to dust off that mold and start working on a warranty replacement!

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. The steel Xmember doesn't have the correct provisions for your plate and the plate I made. I'll see if I can get a pic when I address Tony's concern below.

Originally Posted by shoooo32

Have you climbed under it to take a look? I'm interested to see how it held up.

Also, the unflattering Kelly photos are diabolical. Jessie would murder me if I posted anything remotely like that.

I have not. It's in the garage with the doors and hood open and a box fan airing it out.
I will, get under there soon and do a full assessment of the state of things.
.
SK needs to learn to be a better copilot if she wants the pictures to stop. She slept nearly the whole way down and back. If I had a backseat, she'd sit back there. I told her we should get her a more comfortable seat (reclining) since she only ever sleeps in it instead of being awake and engaged. I find it infinitely more difficult to stay awake on long drives when my passenger is asleep than when I have no passenger at all. (she knows this)

[Craig_D]

Nice work Chris! With that front end crossmember sorted, I hope that some of the enjoyment you were hoping for comes back into the picture.

Cheers, Craig_D

[chrisbalich]

Let's try to catch up real quickly on my pre-departure work while I sort through photos and more photos trickle in every day.

I had never supported the ends of the bumpers & flares after installing the widebody and I know the roads get rough in WV, so something had to be done. I bought some aluminum tube at Home Depot and got out the torch. I started each piece by annealing the end of the tube so it would be malleable, then mashing it flat with a hammer, and then bending or drilling or both to make a suitable place to affix it to the tub.
Then I measured the distance I needed, cut the tube to length, annealed the other end, made it flat, poked a hole, and set it all in place. (Don't forget to let it cool before handling with bare hands. It looks cooler than it is despite aluminum's ability to transfer heat rapidly.)

Kelly's side


My side


For whatever reason, I did not photo the rear...where I made a strut at the joint as well as another at the bottom edge of the bumper. The flares and bumpers are markedly more solid and held up well to the abuse the car endured at Ruchlos 5.

Speaking of abuse and endurance, I made little shields for the fronts of the side skirts. I used thin aluminum as the FG is strong, but high-speed rocks can be hard on them. Once I had them installed, I carefully worked the edges with a body hammer to wrap slightly around the curve of the skirts. They're super subtle and worked really well.

Kelly's side


My side


With those done, the car was basically done. (or at least as far as I remember)
Back to Ruchlos photos in the next post.

[chrisbalich]

It appears being a grown-up has once again gotten in the way of LBDC thread updates.

I'm pretty sure I promised more Ruchlos pics when I last left off, so let's get that going.
Spruce Knob, WV with my friend MD.






(You can also see where we made some more friends at the summit of Spruce Knob.)

Lunch stop in VA with MD, Bryan, Jeff, Joe, and Matt.


End of the weekend.


Before leaving, we did some recon on driveways for next year's cabin.


And stopped for a Frosty and fries on the way home.


There are more pics filtering in every couple days. But a lot of them are high-res and the Bird won't host high-res photos. I'll see if I can pilfer some from IG and the internet at-large to show all the wet roads and fun we had.

[chrisbalich]

This weekend, I got into some more mischief.
Saturday, I went and drove a 2019 911 GTS.


Of course, it was in the pouring rain...because apparently that's just how I roll these days.


After returning the GTS to the dealership (to mull my options and the future of the LBDC) I went home and carefully removed the outer trim from my windscreen. I then filled the outermost channel with urethane to stop the bit of water-ingress I had experienced during Ruchlos. Test drive yesterday (Sunday) had inconclusive results as it was beautiful outside.

All that masking worked out as I got no urethane on the paint or glass.

I also snugged the hood down to the cowl-end of the seal to stop the tiny bit of water ingress I had from there....and re-wired the oil level sender and fixed its intermittent readings.
I'm going to push through another few (mid-size) projects for the LBDC, but I really want a modern car more than I thought I would. Let's hope the next four projects I have planned change my mind about selling it.

[cooledrm911sc]

Where is your ducktail from?

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

It appears being a grown-up has once again gotten in the way of LBDC thread updates.

I'm pretty sure I promised more Ruchlos pics when I last left off, so let's get that going.
Spruce Knob, WV with my friend MD.






(You can also see where we made some more friends at the summit of Spruce Knob.)

Lunch stop in VA with MD, Bryan, Jeff, Joe, and Matt.


End of the weekend.


Before leaving, we did some recon on driveways for next year's cabin.


And stopped for a Frosty and fries on the way home.


There are more pics filtering in every couple days. But a lot of them are high-res and the Bird won't host high-res photos. I'll see if I can pilfer some from IG and the internet at-large to show all the wet roads and fun we had.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by cooledrm911sc

Where is your ducktail from?

I bought it from my friend Kevin, who bought it off Marketplace or some similar classifieds many years ago.
It was very rough, but is presentable these days after many hours of work.

[cooledrm911sc]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

I bought it from my friend Kevin, who bought it off Marketplace or some similar classifieds many years ago.
It was very rough, but is presentable these days after many hours of work.

It seems many or all fiberglass ducktails will need work. I may just get the one on eBay and make it fit nicely.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by cooledrm911sc

It seems many or all fiberglass ducktails will need work. I may just get the one on eBay and make it fit nicely.

Everything fiberglass needs significant work.

[cooledrm911sc]

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

Everything fiberglass needs significant work.

Yeah, from what everyone is saying. Doesn't matter what brand.

[fanaudical]

Great trip photos! Looking forward to reading about your 997 impressions...

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by fanaudical

Great trip photos! Looking forward to reading about your 997 impressions...

It was a 991.2 (2019), so it’s a bit more modern than a 997.
But the gist of my experience is that it’s pretty much everything I was afraid it would be.
Fast, agile, didn’t feel heavy, incredible turn-in and handling in real rain, comfortable, and refined.
A couple button-presses transformed it from a sport-luxury tourer to a proper sports car that wanted to play. It could stand a noisier exhaust, a 1” drop, and different wheels. But out of the box, it’s a winner.
I finally understand what people are talking about when they say a GT3 is too raw for the street. They’re comparing it to a ‘regular’ 911 that has manners until you switch them off. Where I’m comparing everything to the LBDC which is markedly less civilized…A true backroad bomber or canyon carver.

Will I give up the LBDC for a 991.2? Maybe. I’d rather have both.
But if I have to choose just one, I need some more time to think it over.

I will say this tho.
80mph on a 2-lane backroad in a very light, big tire, aircooled is a rush.
80mph on a 2-lane backroad in a 991.2 GTS is so easy it’s not noteworthy at all.

[ryans65]

I'm right there with you with the indecision. To me the aircooled porsche thing has totally run its course and I think these are perhaps the least bang for your buck car you could possibly own (assuming you buy in at today's market value). I've always been a BMW guy and I've been eyeing a Z3 M coupe or E39 M5. Although I live for old cars, having AC and daily drivability is a huge plus. Hmmm.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by ryans65

I'm right there with you with the indecision. To me the aircooled porsche thing has totally run its course and I think these are perhaps the least bang for your buck car you could possibly own (assuming you buy in at today's market value). I've always been a BMW guy and I've been eyeing a Z3 M coupe or E39 M5. Although I live for old cars, having AC and daily drivability is a huge plus. Hmmm.

I drove the LBDC to work today as we had very slight chances of rain in the forecast.
It's raining buckets right now and I'm about to walk out the door.
I'd much rather be getting into a modern car with AC and defrost that works so I don't have to drive home in a tiny, noisy sauna.
.
.
It's legit rained 8 of the last 9 times I've driven the damned thing. I'm starting to think Mother Nature is trying to guide my decision.

[ryans65]

I know the feeling. The morning drives in to work here in FL are pure bliss. The evenings, especially after we've had our afternoon rain, are a swampy sweaty mess!!

Originally Posted by chrisbalich

I drove the LBDC to work today as we had very slight chances of rain in the forecast.
It's raining buckets right now and I'm about to walk out the door.
I'd much rather be getting into a modern car with AC and defrost that works so I don't have to drive home in a tiny, noisy sauna.
.
.
It's legit rained 8 of the last 9 times I've driven the damned thing. I'm starting to think Mother Nature is trying to guide my decision.