L AL E U Q R TO ISSUE 108
ARY 2015 U N A J / 4 1 0 C E M BE R 2
DE
“It’s not a car to take to the shops.” Chris Goodwin’s lightweight 935 has monster horsepower, a titanium fixed spool rear axle, slicks and a flat floor …
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THE PURELY PORSCHE MAGAZINE
Join us behind the wheel of the world’s greatest Porsches 25%
discount for all TIPEC members
All TIPEC members will receive a 25% discount on the price of a 12 month subscription to GT Purely Porsche. To claim your discount contact our subscriptions department at gtporschesubscriptions@unity-media.com or call 01732 748084 and quote your TIPEC membership number. GT Purely Porsche is published on the second Thursday of the month preceding the cover date. Should have any difficulties finding a copy of GT Purely Porsche in the shops, please contact: Seymour Distribution Ltd on 0207 386 8000 or email: csu@seymour.co.uk
Chairman’s Chat TIPEC (0845 602 0052) www.tipec.net All Torque is published bi-monthly by TIPEC (The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts Club) Text & images are © their authors/photographers. Front cover image: Chris Goodwin’s restored 935. All Torque is based entirely on submissions from TIPEC members. This is your magazine! Submissions for issue 109 (February/March) must be in before Monday 5th January 2014. Editor & designer: Tony Blow tony@typescape.com All Torque, 6/2, 308 Old Rutherglen Road, Glasgow G5 0UN. Subeditor: Sara Thomas lirazelf@gmail.com Printed by: The Lavenham Press Ltd, Suffolk (01787 247 436) Advertising in All Torque is managed by: TIPEC club office, Walnut Tree Farm, Grain Road, Lower Stoke, Rochester ME3 9RE (0845 602 0052) Website: www.tipec.net Twitter: @Porsche_TIPEC Search for us on Facebook TIPEC Membership: Lavenham Group (01787 249 295) membership@tipec.lpl-uk.com TIPEC Chairman: Sean Smallman (07500 332 790) sean.smallman@tipec.net Vice Chairman: Jim Hearnden (07930 353 232) tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk Treasurer: Paul Bird (01922 428 409) paulpsb928@yahoo.co.uk PR & Advertising Director: Andrew Smith (07974 256 694) marketing@tipec.net Internal Communications Director: Sue Simmons (07530 312 700) sue.simmons@tipec.net All Torque & TIPEC are entirely independent of Dr. Ing. H.c.F. Porsche AG, Porsche Cars GB Ltd and its dealers. All registered Trade Marks owned by Dr. Ing. H.c.F. Porsche AG, including the word ‘Porsche’, the Porsche Crest and Porsche Script are acknowledged as such and are their property. Whilst all due care is taken in the production of All Torque; neither TIPEC, its officers or the editor can accept responsibility for the advice, information or opinions expressed herein. Opinions contained in any article published herein are of the author or editor and do not reflect the official position of TIPEC, its management or membership, unless clearly stated by a club official.
I am writing this month’s chat from our fabulous display of Porsches at the NEC Classic Car Show. We did not look out of place in the same hall as some of the country's biggest car clubs and motoring businesses. Paul Bird and the team showcased the Club, with immaculately turned out cars and a friendly welcome. Our club is defined by the people not the cars. I had a great couple of days chatting with members and the public. A big thank you to everyone that displayed cars and helped out over the three days. Welcome to the fifty new members that joined the club at the show, I look forward to seeing you at a local meet or at one of the many events taking place next year. We have completed move to Lavenham Group for our membership services and the details are inside the front cover and in the news section of this issue. We will look to appoint someone to manage the relationship and the link between LG and the club in the New Year. In the news section there is a note about an upcoming trackday at Blyton Park (Gainsborough) next May. Last time we organised a trackday there were quite a few people that regretted not booking a place. You do not have to be fast to enjoy a trackday, go at your own pace and I assure you that there will be no hounding or bullying on the track. We are all precious about our cars, everyone will be given the utmost respect and room to manoeuvre safely. There is strictly no overtaking on corners, anyone breaking the rules will be black flagged and not allowed back on track. We have had two track days and several sprint days that have been lots of fun. Blyton is a great venue for novices, a wide track with plenty of run off, no gravel traps and nothing to hit. Thank you to all those that answered the plea and have submitted articles for All Torque. This helps Tony vary the content in each issue which helps to make our magazine a good read. There are lots of positive comments about the magazine especially when you are at shows like the NEC. Please keep the articles coming so that we can continue to fill forty pages each issue. This is your magazine and we enjoy reading about your Porsches and what you been doing with and in them. If you have an idea or want to discuss an article please contact Tony or myself. This year has been challenging, the website and membership have taken a lot of effort to sort out. The website is much better but there is more to do, to maximise its potential. We all need to use it regularly, I receive many emails asking for information. The answers are usually already out there, in the magazine or on the website. The issues around membership have now been resolved, Lavenham will give us a professional, faster, service and continuity. Our finances are in good shape and for the fourth year in a row we have made significant changes to improve the club whilst maintaining a healthy bank balance. We will discuss the accounts in detail at the AGM next April, date and venue will be confirmed on the website and the next issue of AT. Have a great Christmas and I wish you and your loved ones a Happy New Year.
All Torque 107 page 3
Club news Changes to important club membership details, stickers for the frontrunners amongst us, a tale of tax discs from times gone by, and a new classic car show for London to bring in the new year.
Taxing times
Membership management
Tax discs have gone the way of the dodo. Derek Flanagan unearths an alternative There are changes afoot. for classic car owners. Fresh contact details for any Tax discs have been required for all motorised vehicles in the UK for over 90 club membership queries. years. However, since October, these iconic pieces of coloured paper have started to disappear as they’re being phased out.
If you own a classic car, bike or commercial vehicle a customised tax disc could be just what you need to give it that final touch of authenticity. When it comes to selling your vehicle a replica disc will enhance its image in the eyes of the buyer. Enthusiasts and competition judges are equally impressed with the effect. If you don’t have the original tax disc for your car and don’t want to pay exorbitant prices for one from a tax disc collector, it’s possible to buy replica tax discs that cover virtually the whole of the British range from 1921, when vehicle registration was first introduced, right up to the present day. The disc’s style, colour, date and issuing stamp can all be modified to match the one that would have been issued when your vehicle was first registered. However, you are not limited to this. You’re able to specify all the elements of the disc, so you can colour coordinate a disc to match a specific vehicle, or even nominate the town you want to appear on the issuing stamp. There have been seven different styles of tax disc since 1921, as well as two temporary discs issued during World War Two. A complete history of tax discs can be viewed at www.creativetaxdiscs.co.uk, where you can also order two tax discs for only £4.99 or £9.99 with the issuing stamp.
For those who don’t wish to go the retro route, what do you do? Remove your tax disc holder, or find something nicer to fill it with? TIPEC plan to provide an option there, with a club member’s disc to broadcast your allegiance. Keep an eye out!
Front-engined stickers We have designed a front-engined version of the club window sticker. If you would like one, instead of the usual 911 version, please send a stamped addressed envelope to: Walnut Tree Farm Grain Road Lower Stoke Rochester ME3 9RE
We now have a dedicated membership management agent. The contact details for and TIPEC membership renewals, changes of address, queries, etc. is now as below. Please make sure you mention that you are contacting them about TIPEC: Phone: Email:
01787 249 295 membership@tipec.lpl-uk.com
By post: TIPEC Membership Arbons House 47 Water Street Lavenham CO10 9RN Online: www.tipec.net membership renewals tab Password: tipecmember
The London Classic Car Show January 8–11th at ExCeL, in London’s Docklands The London Classic Car Show will gather some of the world’s finest classic cars under one roof and bring them to life. One of the show’s unique features will be the Grand Avenue, a motoring runway that will allow the star cars to be fired up and driven around the show. It will bring a dynamic aspect to an indoor classic car event. Instead of just being able to look, visitors will be able to see, hear and, yes, even smell the cars For information see www.thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk TIPEC have arranged a buy one, get one free deal on tickets. To book, please visit http://lccs.seetickets.com and use the booking code LCCSIP15. IMPORTANT: Only buy one ticket! To redeem your free guest ticket you will receive a unique link on your booking confirmation email. *Offer is available for adult standard tickets from Friday– Sunday only. Offer valid until 31 December.
TIPEC trackday at Blyton Park May 23rd (Saturday) Following the success of the 2013 event, we have booked Blyton Park for the day, with our friends from the Marcos Owners Club. Blyton is situated in rural Lincolnshire, just east of Gainsborough, and easily accessible from the North via the M180 and the South via the A1. Cost for the full day is £165 and we have limited the number of cars to maximise track time. The noise limit for the day will be 95dB ‘drive by’ at 20m. To book: www.mazdaontrack.co.uk click on ‘Track Days’ for our link.
All Torque needs you
Goodwood FoS 2015 Theme for next year’s event revealed.
The next submissions deadline is January 5th. Why not join in and have something published? All Torque is entirely made by us, the TIPEC members. It’s easy to get involved – you can write about a club event in your region, about your own Porsche(s), about a DIY project you’ve done lately … anything at all that your fellow Porsche enthusiasts might enjoy reading. You do not need to be a professional writer, just run it through a spellcheck and we’ll worry about the rest! You can email photos to accompany your writing, or pop them on a disc and send them in the post. If there’s anything you wish there was more of in the magazine –why not have a go at writing it yourself? Email:
Goodwood is delighted to announce that the theme for the 2015 Festival of Speed will be ‘Flat-out and Fearless: Racing on the Edge’. ‘Flat-out and Fearless’ typifies some of the most spectacular drivers and moments from motorsport’s past and present. Who could forget the wheel-bumping final-lap battle between Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari and Rene Arnoux’s Renault at the 1979 French Grand Prix, or the sight of the legendary Colin McRae hurling his Subaru over the Bunnings jumps on Rally Australia in 1997? Juan Manuel Fangio’s decision to race “at 100 per cent for the only time in my life” to overhaul the Ferraris to win the 1957 German GP, and the legendary duel between Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts at Silverstone in 1979 provide further examples of how racing on the edge has captured the imagination of motorsport fans across the globe. The Festival of Speed, which celebrates the very best from the past and present of motoring and motor sport, will be held on 25-28 June, 2015*. The event will open with many of the world’s largest motor manufacturers showcasing their latest models at the Moving Motor Show on Thursday, 25 June*. Tickets and hospitality packages for the Goodwood Revival Meeting, which will take place on 11–13 September* 2015, are now available, while a limited number of tickets for the 73rd Members’ Meeting – set for March 21–22, are also now on sale.
tony@typescape.com *All dates remain provisional until further notice.
By post: All Torque 6/2 308 Old Rutherglen Road Glasgow G5 0UN
Ticket information is available from www.goodwood.com or via the Goodwood Ticket Office on 01243 755055.
Book review The Porsche 924 Carrera Evolution To Excellence By Roy P. Smith Veloce Publishing, £75 ISBN 978-1-845846-45-9
It’s high time there was a lavish, scholarly and thorough book on the 924 Carrera, and Roy P. Smith has delivered in style. This is an entertaining, but informative, run through the development and history of one of Porsche’s most focussed race-bred cars. A little background on the Carrera name is given, then the design and testing of the early racegoing 924s, culminating in their impressive debut at Le Mans. The book misses nothing, covering the 924 Carrera Gt ans GTS’s circuit races, rallying, and even its eventual (and unexpected) launch into American endurance racing, closing with the ongoing development that saw the car morph into the first 944 Turbos. This is a beautiful book, with an enormous collection of period photography sitting alongside excellently researched, but still enjoyably readable, text. It’s a solid addition to any Porsche bookshelf, but if you’re a fan or owner of a 924 Carrera then it’s a must-have. There’s no better history of the model available.
All Torque 107 page 5
Member’s cars Rob Clarke’s shopping list of potentail cars ranged from Caterhams to Maseratis … but after driving a selection, he decided on a 911 – despite the worrying lack of cup holders!
I picked up the keys to a sub £10,000 1999 Zenith Blue 996 Carrera 4 back in February. It had been a rollercoaster of a journey! I’ve spent many years talking about getting a sports car, but most of that talk was around buying a Caterham Seven. After years of procrastination I finally went on a track day, driving an Elise, Scooby, 360 and a GT3. The highlight of the day was the GT3, at which point the car hunt went up a gear and I added a 911 to the list. I set a budget, and created a shortlist. I wanted some form of practicality and an auto box, as I had decided that the car would be for my daily commute, and not just for weekends. Having something that made the journey more relaxing was a priority. The shortlist consisted of the Nissan 350Z, Maserati Cambiocorsa, DB7, Boxster, 911, and the XK8. After a few test drives, eliminations due to budget, and discussions with people who were more knowledgeable about older sports cars than me, I chose a 911. Soon after collection, the faults started to roll in. This nearly resulted in me getting rid of it, but the reality is that any 15 year old car will have its ups and downs. You just need to make sure that the ups are better and longer than the downs! The downs have resulted in the car going back to the independent dealer to fix a multitude of faults, most of which I am glad to say were under warranty. Thus far I have replaced the MAF sensor, gearbox selector module, gear linkage adjustment, RMS, and gaskets. There’s also been a new engine heat shield and set of coil packs, IMS upgrade, brake fluid change and a full service. My share of this work cost £1,800, but I think the dealer probably spent a similar amount! Bristol OPC suggested that I join TIPEC, as the Bristol region area was active and they had agreed some discounted rates. I met some of the members at Castle Combe, and Mick told me about the free health check at Bristol OPC. I went to my local OPC – Dick Lovett Bristol – and I was expecting a few items, but not 21! The technician was
very thorough. Many of the items, such as corroded wheel nuts, did not worry me. However, the big ticket items started rolling in: front diff leak, gearbox leak, air conditioning pipes damaged, sump leak, suspension arms worn, front top mounts worn, and track rod issues. I admit that I’m a bit of a car hypochondriac, so any rattles, knocks or whines trigger that worry mechanism of impending failure. In the last few weeks I had noticed a creaking from the front suspension so combined with the health check, my paranoia snowballed! The prices were far higher than expected, and I was faced with a dilemma: do I get the items fixed or wait? Do I get it done at the local OPC, independent specialist, the garage down the road, or DIY? Seeing as time was in short supply I decided to get the view of my local garage. They agreed with all the big issues, but relieved my paranoia as many of the issues weren’t as critical as I had thought. I have now joined the ranks of owners who contribute to Total 911 Magazine at www.total911.com and have a regular column of my experience with the Carrera 4 in their ‘Living the Legend’ section. I admit my car does have three annoying features: a creaky passenger seat, a 12v socket which won’t hold a charger, and no cup holders. What were Porsche thinking, no cup holders!
Scotland’s largest gathering of Porsches TIPEC and PCGB member Brian Wood yet again pulled off a superb day out at Calderglen Country Park, with Scotland’s largest gathering of Porsches ever on display.
Back in the spring of 2012 I got a phone call out of the blue from Steven Farqhar at Calderglen Country Park in East Kilbride, wondering if we could host a few Porsches on their main lawn area in order to give the visiting public a twist to their day out at the Park. I explained that we had already set out the diary of events for the season, but we could maybe draft a dozen or so along. I went home that evening wondering what to do, after all it was not my neck of the woods and I wasn’t really familiar with Calderglen Country Park. I decided to call Brian Wood, a very enthusiastic TIPEC member who lives two minutes from Calderglen, for his input. As you would expect from Brian, the next thing I know he’s up there like a shot, and a date was set: the 2nd of September 2012. Brian is a member in both camps of the Porsche world: TIPEC and PCGB. He decided to get both clubs involved, and maybe a few of the Pistonheads guys too. Any show, not just this one, is always weather dependent, and when the day in question arrived it reminded me of a typical monsoon. As the cars were very slow to drift in I looked at Brian through my very wet and steamed up glasses, and just wondered how bad it was all going to be. Then as luck would have it the skies cleared, and soon after the Porkers came in one by one then two by two, a bit like Noah’s ark but with Porsches. That very first year at Calderglen saw 56 Porsches on display and small sigh of relief from Brian and myself. The feedback was very positive, and that got Brian thinking about 2013.
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The day was a great success with a staggering 93 cars, from a 924 to the latest GT3. Without a shadow of a doubt Scotland’s largest gathering of Porsches ever. This was an event which was growing in stature and you really wondered what 2014 would bring. Well, 2014 came around and it was all systems go, with the date this year of the 31st August. Brian had Porsche Centre Glasgow yet again, this time with their Martini 911, as pictured. The Wheel Specialist Company also came on board again. Nelson’s car care products would provide advice and supply all the products to keep your car looking bling. The Performance Body Shop and Colin McNair would also attend again, and show off their skills in the art of restoration. For something a little greener, the SCL Environmental Green Energy division agreed to bring two electric cars to show us the way of the future. And finally, Park’s of Hamilton would bring the latest I-35. Prizes were supplied by Porsche Centre Glasgow, Neilson’s car care products and of course Brian and myself added a few bits and bobs for the visitor’s choice competition. Calderglen once more gave free entry to the zoos, all the facilities within the grounds were made available to all the exhibitors, there was live entertainment in the courtyard, and a generous discount given for the Courtyard Cafe.
This started with an off the cuff phone call, and has turned into a national event up here in Scotland.
In 2013 Brian was again eager to take up the challenge, could we get more Porkers this year? The date was set for Sunday 1st of September. Brian approached Porsche Centre Glasgow at Braehead and asked if they would bring a car or two along. Porsche are never keen to turn up to any old car show, but Brian’s charisma and his having bought cars from the dealership in the past was a combination that could not fail. Next was another keen member, Matt Yates. He’s a 944 owner and the co-owner of the ever popular Angelwax car care products based here in Glasgow. After that, Brian got the East Kilbride branch of The Wheel Specialist Company on board, as well as the Chapelhall Performance Body Shop, Colin McNair, and Police Scotland in the form of Chris Wilson in a patrol car and telling us all not to be naughty on the roads! There would be a bouncy castle for the kids, and of course two zoos, nice walks, a discount for the food court and free entrance to everything within the park courtesy of Calderglen Country Park. Prizes for the visitors’ choice were supplied by Porsche Centre Glasgow, Angelwax and a few bits and bobs from Brian and myself.
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We wanted to break the 100 barrier, and the day did not disappoint. 123 Porkers, from Cumbria to the north of Scotland, came to Calderglen. A a huge turnout, many thanks to all who made it along. For me, this year was very relaxed and had a real family feel to it. The public were treated to a huge array of Porsches, and the weather blessed us with sunshine. This is an event which started with an off the cuff phone call, and has turned into a national event up here in Scotland. I get the feeling that Brian is already planning the 2015 event … and in fact he has just emailed me with a provisional date for next year. There is a short video of the day, taken early on as cars were still coming in: www.tartantarmac.com/biggest-evergathering-porsche-cars-scotland – Thanks to John Steele from Tartan Tarmac for that.
I want to take the time to thank a few people who’ve helped with this event. First and foremost Brian Wood for putting the last three years together, Calderglen Country Park for supplying such a fantastic venue, Porsche Centre Glasgow for their formal contribution, The Wheel Specialist Company, Angelwax and Nelson’s car care products and advice, Performance Body Shop, SCL Environmental Division, Police Scotland, Park’s of Hamilton, and all the individuals who helped on the day. A big thanks also to Steven Farquhar, John Whale and Courtyard Cafe owner Allan Evens. Text & photography by Neil Fraser All Torque 108 page 9
How clean is clean? In the second of his car detailing series, Richard March takes us through the next stage of cleaning. After the wash we talked you through last issue, you have a lovely clean-looking car, but is it really clean? There are many myths surrounding the next steps of preparation, and I hope to dispel some of them. Once again, have a good look at your paintwork. Has your wash left any spots on the car? It is important to remove these before you apply your chosen wax or sealant, and also to identify them in order that they can be removed correctly.
Tar Spots and Bug Splats
Fall-out and brake dust
No matter how careful you are around roadworks and freshly resurfaced roads, you will always pick up some tar spots, and we all know how sticky flies and insects can be when they impact your bonnet. I’m sure I don’t need to describe dead bug remains, but tar spots appear as small black or dark brown specks and dots and will be especially prevalent on the lower portions of your car.
This is made up of microscopic particles, produced when any two metallic surfaces come together: train wheels on the track, or even your own brakes. All cars will have some fall-out contamination, the key is to identify how much there is to be sure you use the right treatment to remove it. With the back of your hand, or even with your hand in a plastic bag, gently feel the surface of your car. Is it smooth, or grainy? My money is on it feeling almost gritty. Are the bits close together creating a sandpaper-like surface – you will be able to see it if it is – or further apart, more akin to woodchip wallpaper?
The correct way to remove them is with a proprietary tar and glue remover. Soak a cloth with your chemical of choice – gloves are recommended to protect your skin – and hold it onto the spot until it turns brown and begins to run. It is vital that you wait until the tar has dissolved, so that you can wipe it away gently instead of rubbing. Just think of how many sharp, gritty particles are stuck to it, ready to scratch your nice clean paintwork!
If it’s like sandpaper, you should resort to a specialist fall-out remover. These are even harsher than tar and glue products, and I would recommend researching these yourself, as each product will have its own requirements. I have generally only seen cars like this in heavy industrial areas, or next to railway lines. Hopefully it will be more like woodchip, and the contamination spread out across the surface. If so, go to clay.
How does it work? Clay is sticky. In basic terms, it adheres to the bonded contaminants and pulls them out of the pores in your paint. It is always worth bearing in mind that clay presents a flat surface, and as such it will mar your paintwork as the contaminants are pulled out of the paint. In my day job I will not use clay unless there will be at least a single-stage polish carried out to remove the damage. However, for the hobbyist, it may not even be noticeable, so don’t get scared!
Detailing Clay and Claying
OK – how do I use it then?
The single most misunderstood and misused item in your detailing armoury is detailing clay, so first and foremost, let’s dispel some myths.
Carefully! You will need your chosen claybar, and also a lubricant. As there are so many clays to choose from I would recommend following the manufacturer’s recommendations, but here are some general instructions based on my experience:
To begin with, it isn’t even clay! It is a mineral-based putty compound which like polishes, comes in varying levels of aggressiveness depending on the level of contamination. For the hobby detailer there should never be any need to go beyond a mild or soft claybar. Let’s go right back to the beginning and look at your paintwork. Regardless of how flat and perfect your paint appears, it is not solid. If you were to look at it under a microscope you would see thousands of tiny holes – I normally refer to them as pores – across the surface, and it is these that cause us problems. Microscopic contaminants, like the above fallout and sticky tree sap grab onto these pores and cling on for dear life making them impossible to remove with a simple wash. It is these bonded contaminants that clay is designed to remove, leaving as near-perfect a surface as possible for your next step, be it polishing, glazing or sealing. Standard washing cannot remove this type of contamination and when you are preparing your car for the season, it is important that you get rid of it all before you continue the process. Otherwise, these particles will either be polished into the surface causing harm to the car, or sealed in by your sealant or wax, making them even more difficult to remove the next time. I have been asked many questions about clay. It is not absorbent, so it will not soak-up oil stains. It will not remove or disguise scratches, in fact it will inflict marring, and it should certainly not be used regularly, only once or twice a year and even then only if necessary.
• You have washed your car, dried it, removed any insect remains and tar spots and are left with just the bonded contaminants to remove before you can apply your polish, glaze, sealant or wax. • Dust will have settled on the car so it’s worth giving each panel a spray with a quick detailer and gently wiping before you begin the claying process. As with everything else, the orange principle applies: start at the top and work gradually around and down the car as though you were peeling an orange. • Break off a piece of clay. Experience will teach you how much to use, but for a Scimitar GTE-sized car about a third to a half of the bar should be sufficient. Now knead it and roll it into a ball, then into a sausage and then flatten it. It is vital to keep the clay warm otherwise it can become brittle. • Staring with the roof, and working a two foot square area, spray your lubricant onto the surface, just enough to make it wet all over. Spray the clay and then gently – using just enough pressure to hold the clay onto the surface – work the clay back and forth until the resistance subsides and it glides smoothly over the surface. • Knead the clay to keep it malleable and fold it to present a fresh, clean face before moving on to the next area. • Never clay dry paint and if you feel the resistance increase under the clay, spray on more lubricant. • Always apply a wax or sealant after you have clayed the car. Most claybars will remove any residual wax other than the most hard-wearing glass or ceramicbased sealants. Once you have been all around your paintwork, you could continue to clay your glass and then your wheels, in that order, always ensuring you present a clean face to each new section. Next time, I’ll talk about polishing and glazing, the next steps in the process. If you’d like any advice or product recommendations, or if you would like to book Richard for detailing work or a Noggin Detailing Day, he can be contacted through www.classic-details.co.uk Text & photography by Richard March at www.classic-details.co.uk All Torque 107 page 11
Project
931
Many fans of the marque will know that during 2014 Porsche celebrated 40 years of ‘Turbo’. All Torque sent its Northern Correspondent to Porsche Centre Bolton to see how the staff there had been involved …
It’s a slightly surreal feeling, walking into the high-tech, brightly lit showroom of Porsche Centre Bolton with its usual display of new and lightly used 991s, Boxsters, Cayennes and suchlike (and even a 918 hypercar on the day of my visit) to find an immaculate 924 Turbo to the left of the impressive reception area. What’s a new-looking, 32 year old car doing here? To find out more I spoke to Adam Calvert, parts team supervisor at Bolton, who has been closely involved with ‘Project 931’. “Porsche Cars GB hoped that many of its Centres would opt in to a turbocharged Porsche restoration competition to help celebrate 40 years since the launch of the first turbo assisted Porsche 911, the famous, perhaps infamous, 930. The obvious choice would have been a 911 but we decided to go for something a little more challenging and a little more rare. The transaxle car, not being the most popular car in the past, soon became our choice. Here at Bolton we thought that a 924 Turbo would be a good choice of car, and, knowing funding was available, we went looking for a suitable project.” explained Adam enthusiastically. “It took four months to find this car. We viewed nine or 10 others and found this one in Hemel Hempstead via eBay. We paid £1,500 for it, with tax and MOT and it was actually sourced and driven back to Bolton by John Bradshaw who owns and runs Road and Race Restorations, our local Porsche Approved bodyshop and partner in this project. “We discovered that our Turbo had been supplied new in 1982 to a Major serving in the British Army in Germany and was built to ‘Hong Kong’ specification – it has manual windows rather than the electric windows you’d expect to find in one of these cars. The gentleman we bought it from had used the car regularly over the years and had taken it to the Le Mans 24hr race many times. It was originally Ocean Green metallic but has spent part of its life - and came to us - with a two-tone colour scheme after a previous owner’s shed collapsed on it and damaged the paint!” Adam went on to say: “The car arrived in April but due to business, work schedules and increased levels of workload, the two technicians who were tasked with the stripping, Wayne Minogue and Rob Latham, had to grab odd moments and evenings whenever they could. Once stripped of its full engine and running gear, wiring and interior we got the shell to Road and Race for them to work their magic. John Bradshaw found that the shell was in really good shape; apart from the floor on the driver’s side being slightly corroded, the front wings needing some repair and the sub-frame mounts needing some, err, assistance! From the start the project had always been about restoring the Turbo to its original specification so when it was time for paint the only option was single colour, Ocean Green. Whilst the shell was away I was busy tracking down and ordering the parts we needed prior to re-assembly. The workshop guys were busy too: cleaning, stripping, blasting and re-finishing all the mechanicals. The engine was stripped and inspected and found to be in really good condition, needing little more than seals and gaskets upon reassembly.
“The car came to us with invoices relating to an earlier rebuild of the dog-leg gearbox so because of the extensive road test opportunity (driving the car back from Hemel Hempstead) and a further test by Lee Wibberley, Workshop Controller, we were comfortable with the condition of the ’box.” Having already seen some of the pictures of the 924 that were taken as it arrived in Bolton, I noticed that the interior was in poor condition. Adam again: “Yep, the interior was pretty much destroyed and unfortunately Porsche no longer supply all of the interior trim pieces we needed. We decided to bite the bullet and find a donor car with a good, or at least salvageable, interior. £300 later we had another 924 to sacrifice for the cause, ha-ha. Although useful, it didn’t provide all we needed. The ‘pièce de résistance’ was ultimately to replace the seat coverings and interior trim with new, which we did thanks to Southbound. “Porsche Cars GB had stated that the deadline for the restoration competition would be the 21st of September, the date of the Festival of Porsche at Brands Hatch. We got the shell back from Road and Race just two weeks before the Festival. Of course, it looked lovely, but the mechanical rebuild team of Rob Latham, Dan Bennett and Lee Wibberley didn’t have long to get the car back together! The interior trim and seats that we’d sent down to Southbound came back to us with two days to spare. “But we did get the car back together and it was displayed at Brands Hatch and secured enough concours points to reach fourth place, which we were all pleased with considering we hadn’t felt the car to be totally finished – there are still a few details that need finishing and tidying, if you know where to look.” I wondered what was planned for this pristine Turbo, now that the project was nigh-on finished. Adam stated: “At the moment the car will remain on display at Porsche Centre Bolton, whilst we finish the small details. In the spring it will get a new MOT certificate and road tax and will be driven to local classic car shows around the North West. The sales team have already received three offers from customers to buy the car, but at the moment she’s staying here as part of the family!” There was a real sense of enthusiasm for the 924 Turbo during my visit, with many showroom customers peering into the interior and also admiring the fresh paintwork. The team at Bolton have done a fine job of their restoration task and have left this writer suitably impressed – I can’t wait to see which classic Porsche is next to received their treatment. I’ll leave the last words to Adam: “Everyone involved in this project has put a little bit of their heart into the car. As Porsche enthusiasts, we’re as excited about a 931 as we are about a 918. And no, it’s not for sale!” Text by our Northern Correspondent & photography from Porsche Centre Bolton All Torque 108 page 13
The Scottish region’s round-up of the year
Gathering for the TIPEC hog roast in the New Forest
Stewart Gordon in standard ‘cleaning’ pose at the regional BBQ & concours
Well, it’s officially winter. The clocks are back and it’s getting dark at just a tad after 4pm. The Scottish region will be no different from any other up and down the country: cold, wet, and I would imagine a little down on activity. It’s a time to reflect on the season gone by. It all starts in January. We have a protocol of traditional procedures which work well for the region and lay the foundations for the season to come. At our January meet we always have the nominations for the RO and ARO positions. Members get to vote on whether they are happy with the current team, and if someone else wants to stand for RO or ARO then it’s put to the vote. If you can’t be present at the meet, the voting paper is sent via a group email so everyone has the chance to have their say. This season was my third at the helm, and we had a new ARO in the shape of Elaine Whitelaw, the region’s first ever female ARO. Elaine is a breath of fresh air for the region, so thank you Elaine, and the Christmas bash you have arranged looks awesome! At the February meet we look at all the suggestions in detail. Then we take the most popular suggestions and go about making them happen. The members plant the seeds and James, Elaine and I do our best to put it together. The March meet confirms the season format ahead.
everyone enjoys. In May, and for the first time ever, we visited the Grampian Motor Museum classic car event. It was most enjoyable, apart from Tony Kopsch’s unfortunate wee bump on the rear nearside quarter of his 944 Turbo! Also in May we attended the ever popular Bridge of Allan classic car show and again a wee bump, a tank decided to run in to the back of Pete Weston's 944 cabby. It must have been national hit-a-944-year I think … In June we had the ever popular Thirlstaine Classic Extravaganza, a show with over 1,500 vehicles from pushbikes to supercars, and all the 944s escaped injury! We were also invited to Bill Dalgetty's Classic Restoration premises and were treated to a few tricks of the trade and some insight on how lead loading and other skills are performed. June the eighth was the Errol classic car show with the classic Sunday market.
At the tail end of 2013, Brian Wood and I decided that we would visit what is reputed to be the largest classic car show in Europe in Essen, Germany. I have to say that I would totally recommend it. It takes at least two full days to get round and I’ve never seen so many Porsches in one place. It makes the NEC look like a matchbox. Well worth a visit and a must for any car buff. The 2014 season started on Saturday 5th of April, with a rolling road day hosted by Matt Collins and his team at Ecosse Automotive in Boness. We invited some of the PCGB clan along to share the day with us and kickstart the season. We provided rolls, snacks, tea and coffee, and I have to say Matt and the team did us proud letting us look round and use the workshop facilities as well as the rolling road. At the end of April, James McLauchlan, ARO, took the team to Portpatrick in Dumfries and Galloway for a fabulous spring weekend. James always puts together an action packed weekend which
Margaret’s 911 on the rollers of truth
Margaret at ful chat on the Bo’Ness Hill Climb
Next on the region’s list was the fantastic trip to Beaulieu, a real fantastic weekend from start to finish. Both the Hog Roast run in the New Forest on the Saturday and the venue for the show on the Sunday were totally perfect. It might have been a 1,000 mile round trip, but it was worth it. On June the 29th we visited the Moffat classic car show which had a great autojumble. In July we visited Glamis Castle, a real gem of a show with superb grounds and the most autojumble I have ever seen in one place. The 20th July saw the old firm favorite on the diary of events: the Annual Trophy and BBQ event. It was well attended as always and I didn't poison anyone with my cooking. August is a quiet month as many of our members are away on holiday, however that didn’t stop us having Scotland’s largest gathering of Porsches event at Calderglen Country Park! September saw us at the Bo’Ness Hill Climb event, and again this year Margaret Adey entered, with her trusted 1969 911. Well done Margaret, you looked like a real racy chick in those overalls! September the 21st took us to the Selkirk classic car show. For once it didn’t rain, the ground was even and didn’t destroy the front valance on the 911s – now there’s a bonus! By October the shows are over but not the activity. We had our annual quiz night at the Bo’Ness Motor Museum, and our ten pin bowling evening will take place in November. November also sees a few members going to the ever popular NEC classic car show, where the club stand will be present. For those going down, have a safe trip and enjoy your weekend.
356 at the Bo’Ness Hill Climb
December the 20th will be the region’s Christmas bash, organised this year by our breath of fresh air ARO Elaine Whitelaw. A huge thank you to James McLauchlan and Elaine Whitelaw for ensuring the region runs on all six cylinders all year round, I couldn’t do it on my own! A special mention also goes to Brian Wood who is always in the thick of it. The final thank you goes out to you the members for making the region what it is. It has been a great season up here in the North and I look forward to seeing and being involved with you all in 2015. I hope you all have a great Christmas and a happy New Year! Text by Neil Fraser & Photography by Scottish Region members All Torque 108 page 15
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Flanders: 100 Years On At the start of the year, a group of us in the Bristol region began planning a trip to Ypres, also known as Ieper, to get involved in a World War I Battlefields Tour to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Great War in 1914. As usual we used Scenic & Continental as our travel partner, and we were delighted that Kieran from S&C met up with us for a drink the night before we crossed the English Channel. Early on Friday morning at the ferry terminal, our five Porsches, one MX-5 and one Audi joined forces with other tour participants. After a smooth crossing we made our way to our base for the tour: the Novotel in Ypres. The hotel was ideally located, very close to the city centre, and just around the corner from the famous Menin Gate. Every evening since 1928, at exactly eight o’clock, a very solemn ceremony called ‘The Last Post’ has taken place beneath the stunning grand arches of the Menin Gate. Styled as a Roman triumphal arch, this memorial lists the names of almost 55,000 soldiers of the British Empire who were declared missing in action in the Ypres region between the start of the war and august 1917. On our first evening in the city this was a must-do, and the attending crowds paid their respects. Saturday was a day with a plan: to travel a pre-planned route visiting museums, cemeteries, memorials, woods and trenches. As the day unfolded we got an astonishing feel for the sheer scale of death, destruction, and hardships endured by soldiers on both sides of the trenches. It was a day for silent reflection and thought provoking discussion. Sunday was a chance for everyone to do their own thing. Mick and I had been waiting for this day ever since our family history research had revealed the locations of two of our own ancestors. So off we set, in search of Mick’s great grandfather William Simmons and my great uncle William Joseph Gudgeon. Our journey took us back across the border into France, away from the Ypres battlefields and south to the area of the Battle of the Somme. At Le Touret we found the memorial to Mick’s great grandfather. We were able to read about the battle in which he served with the Bedfordshire Regiment and where he died, just three weeks after signing up. We then drove further to Thiepval, and the view of the monument high on its hill seen from almost five miles away made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There are complete registers at all these cemeteries, and you can find the exact location of a memorial. The work done by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the hundreds of sites is superb. We were glad to be able to pay our respects as the only family members to have visited these sites. You would be right to think that unusually for a TIPEC trip, it wasn’t at all about cars. What made it special were our members, who have become closer and closer friends. Our four nights out together proved to be great fun. I for one can’t wait till our next trip!
Text & photography by Sue Simmons All Torque 108 page 17
It was way back in late February, when I decided to have a bit of a clear out of some of my old Porsche parts. As we all probably do, I seemed to have accumulated masses of parts I will never use. So I thought eBay here I come! One item in particular, a very rare Porsche 930 LED electronic turbo boost gauge (which I did want a good price for) had sparked a lot of interest. One of the enquires was about further details of the correct switch sender for the unit I was selling. Unbeknown to me at the time, the chap enquiring turned out to be David Lee, an engineer and Porsche guru! Lets just say that what David doesn’t know about Porsches really isn’t worth knowing! After a few emails, and exchange of phone numbers, I managed to chat to David. It turns out he wanted details of the switch/ sender for a rare Porsche 935 race car. This was music to my ears! I’ve always had a very strong passion for the Porsche 930 flat nose SE, LE and the 935 cars ever since my student days. I used to pop along to my local AFN garage in Guildford during lunch breaks and study periods to drool over the stunning 930 Turbo and Turbo SEs they regularly had there. So to finally get a chance to talk to someone in depth about the racing 935 was too good to miss. I recollected a video I’d seen on YouTube a few months prior of a red Coca-Cola Porsche 935 at Porsche Centre Silverstone, and drooled at the thought of ever seeing such a stunning beast. It turns out that David Lee lovingly restored this very car with the owner, Chris Goodwin. I’d never made the link until the phone call. I couldn’t believe my luck! David Lee’s mechanical career started out leaving school after A-levels and taking a gap year (with the intention of going to university to study mechanical engineering). He started doing two days a week work experience at Machtech Tuning, specialising in Bosch fuel injection and Porsche cars. A little way into his gap year, they offered him a full time job with Bosch systems training, and so he became employed. David had been at Machtech for about seven years, before going to work at another Porsche Specialist for two years. He was involved in restoring early 911s, mainly S and RS models. When Machtech Tuning became JZ Machtech (which is now JZM), David took a step back and returned to his old employer and got to concentrate solely on Porsche cars. He was there for a further seven years. He hoped to make a career move to classic aviation, but that job fell through at the last moment. So, he started helping Chris out with bits and pieces, and the work just seemed to carry on. Before long, it grew into helping Chris restore some more exotic cars. He’s been with him now for about another seven years.
The
935
James Garrard interviews David Lee and Chris Goodwin on their racing Porsche 935
Photography from Chris Goodwin All Torque 108 page 19
History and evolution of the 935 (as sourced via the Internet) The Porsche 935 was introduced in 1976, as the factory-racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo. It was an evolution of the Porsche Carrera RSR 2.1 Turbo prototype, the second place overall finisher in the 1974 24 Hours of Le Mans. Initially, Porsche ran the 935 with the 911’s original fender-mounted headlights, in two different guises: a sprint version with a wider version of its wheel arches, and a high-speed version with modified aerodynamics. The sprint setup was rarely used. However, after carefully studying the rulebooks, Porsche engineers, namely Norbert Singer, discovered a loophole regarding the modifications of fenders that gave them the liberty to remove the headlights to reduce drag and create more downforce, to which the venting slits contribute. This ‘flat nose’ (also known as the ‘slant nose’) with headlights in the front spoiler, became the distinguishing feature of the 935 and was later offered on the road going 930 as the flachbau, or ‘flatnose’, part of Porsche’s Sonderwunsch, or ‘special wish’ programme. Also, the 935 now had extended ‘long tail’ rear fenders, similar to the low drag setup seen years earlier on the Carrera RS. These fenders also offered more space for engine periphery and efficient cooling.
Through to 1984 the 935 won over 150 races worldwide, including more than 20 class wins. It scored outright wins in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, and won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring six times each. It was also undefeated in the German DRM between 1977 and 1979, posted victories in the IMSA GTX class, and won many races on the famous Nürburgring, including three 1,000Km Nürburgring. The 935 also took Porsche to victory in the FIA World Championship for Makes each year from 1976 to ’79, ’80 and ’81. In 1982 Alan Jones, the 1980 Formula One World Champion, drove a 935 to victory in the 1982 Australian GT Championship. Jones was unbeaten for the whole season and battles in the championship with the Bob Jane owned Chevrolet Monza driven by touring car star Peter Brock are remembered as some of the best racing seen in Australia. The 1983 Australian GT Championship was won by the same 935, which Jones drove to the 1982 title, this time in the hands of touring car driver Rusty French. As a reward for his win in the 1983 championship, French was given a drive with Kremer Racing at the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished 9th outright with Tiff Needell and David Sutherland in a Porsche 956. French also drove for Kremer at the 1984 Sandown 1,000 in Australia where he finished fifth outright with Manfred Winkelhock.
The engine of the 1978 factory 935, Moby Dick, was the basis for a four camshaft semi-water-cooled 2.65 litre engine intended for the Indy 500, but rulemakers there, remembering the dominance of the Porsche 917/10 Turbo and 935, limited its boost so it would not be competitive against domestic machinery. Instead, the engine was used in the 1981 Le Mans winning 936/81, and in the 956 and 962C (later versions becoming fully water-cooled), which would dominate the mid 1980s. Since 1999, this engine concept forms the basis of the successful GT3 models. After Group 5 was discontinued by FIA after 1982, the 935 continued to race in IMSA’s GTP category, usually entered by smaller privateer names. The Porsche 962 was introduced to the US market in 1984, fitted with the 935’s air-cooled single-turbo engines. With the appearance of GTP cars in 1981, the 935 was still competitive through 1983. By 1985 the days of the 935 were mostly over, as it could hardly be modified to a ground effect design even with tube frame chassis, with the rearmounted flat-six prohibiting a diffuser – an issue which also affects modern 911 race cars. Only a handful of 935’s remained, and the car was no longer competitive with the already developed GTP cars. The last major victory for the 935 was in the 1984 12 Hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTP class against purpose built prototypes. The 935 was seen in two races in the 1986 season. The 935 can still be seen on the track throughout North America and Europe in historic racing and hill climbs.
Photography from the Porsche Press Archive (left page) & Chris Goodwin (this page) All Torque 108 page 21
James sent off some prepared questions, which Chris very kindly answered.
During its racing period who was the sponsor? Meguiar’s initially sponsored it. Do you ever race it in main events or is it just a show car now? I have not raced since the early 1980s. Now I’m just happy restoring the cars. Once the cars are restored and any dyno work and setting up has been done we like to do a track test. For a couple of the cars, including this one, Porsche showed an interest and filmed the cars at their facility at Silverstone. For those of you who would like to see the Video the link is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5yr3UdovjA What is the specification and racing category/ class of the car? The 935 was originally developed for Group 5 racing by Porsche, but has obviously been entered in various race series over the following years.
Chris, Briefly can you explain your relationship with cars, how you came to know David, and how you started working together? I got to know Dave when he serviced Porsche road cars for me. After buying an old Porsche race car things escalated and we are now several projects down the line. So why Porsche and in particular the legendary 935 race car? The main attraction to Porsches of this era is the quality of engineering, both with the road and race cars. The 935 fits nicely into that slot! So why this stunning red 935? What captivated you to buy it? We have a saying for cars that we feel are ‘a suitable case for treatment’. This car was one of those. It was basically complete, with largely correct components, but was tired and untidy. How long did it take to find? And how long have you been the proud owner of such a rare car? It was offered to me via a contact that knew we restore Porsche race cars. I have had the car for about six years. What is the brief history of this car, has it ever been raced or just a museum piece from someone’s collection? Sheppards in Australia built the car to Kremer K3 specification, for a well-known race driver John Pollard. It was successfully campaigned in Australian GT races in the early 1990s.
What needed to be done with the car once you had bought it, was it a simple case of a service or a full nut and bolt restoration? And if so, how long did it take? This car was subject to a full bare shell restoration, along with full engine and transmission rebuilds. It took about nine months alongside other projects. As with some older cars these days spare parts can be hard to find. Do you have trouble finding spares for it or are they readily available from a specific supplier? Spare parts are becoming increasingly hard to find, and much more expensive. There is no one particular source, as parts crop up all over the world. There are companies now who are reproducing certain components for these cars, but we try to use original parts wherever possible. Do you remake spares like for like if you can’t obtain them, and if so, does this effect the original manufacture weight of the car? Some parts we do have to manufacture from scratch, but these are modelled as closely as possible to the original item. What is the engine make up? eg. Flat-six, etc, and what litre size is it? The engine is a 3.2 litre air-cooled flatsix. It has twin turbos, with intercooler. It has a horizontal (flat) fan, and this engine is updated to run a modern engine management system. It produces 760 bhp at 1.4 bar boost pressure.
Having owned and driven a few 911s myself, what is it like to drive? The car is a ‘bit of an animal’. The people who drove them in the day are probably best placed to describe it, but with lightweight, monster horsepower, titanium fixed spool rear axle, slicks and a flat floor etc, it’s hard to describe without trying it! I’d love to … just tell me where and when! The shape of the car is stunning, but the flat nose and spoilers are there for a reason, how does the aerodynamics of the body shape affect the car’s handling? Is it planted and held in place on the track, or like with so many other road going 911’s with power, a bit tail-end happy? It’s not a car to take to the shops, but no-one can argue with the fact that it did exactly what it was designed to do on track, so it's probably not fair to try and draw any comparison with a road car! How does it handle and what does it feel like on the track? The best answer to that is to watch the video! Is it like the normal road going 911 Turbo? Foot down and wait for the turbo lag to kick in, or is the power instant or progressive? Off the line there is obviously a period of lag before the boost pressure arrives, but of course the trick then is to keep the revs/ boost pressure up so that the power is available all the time. The bi-turbo engine is very impressive, what type of turbos does it use? The turbos are KKK K27s. What is the braking system used and its configuration? As this car was built in the early ’90s it uses Brembo four-pot callipers all round, with a twin master cylinder set-up and remote bias adjustment. What is it like under braking? Is it responsive like a modern car or do you have to stamp on the pedal before a sharp corner? As with most performance brakes you need to generate temperature to get them working. Obviously you need to apply quite high pedal pressures, but as the car is relatively light the brakes are very effective.
Is the transmission the standard Porsche configuration or has it a custom gearbox? The transmission is derived from the threelitre 911 Turbo units. It has an internal oil pump which pumps the oil through a cooler and then back into the gearbox via spray bars to direct the oil to the gears and final drive. It is also mounted upside down, which allows a lower centre of gravity for the powertrain, and easier access to change gear ratios. Are you continually fighting with the gears on a heavy clutch, or is the transmission smooth like on a normal car? The synchro mechanism is very similar to the 911 road cars of the time, so shifting is much the same. The linkage is rose jointed, so feels very precise. The car has a paddle clutch, so bites firmly, but is still very controllable. With a full tank of fuel, how many miles or hours will the car run and what is the capacity of the tank? The fuel tank is made up of a main tank and swirl pot. A scavenge pump pulls fuel from the main tank to the swirl pot so that there is always a consistent flow of fuel to the engine, regardless of the G-forces pushing the fuel around in the main tank. The main tank holds 120 litres of fuel. What future events, if any, do you have in mind for the car? Or what would you like to see happen with it in the future? I have no plans to use the car in competition, or to sell it at this stage. I personally am a huge fan of the road version of the 930 Turbo flatnoses, and have been lucky enough to drive one. I also hope one day to own one. Are there any other cars you favour or dream of owning one day and why? We have been fortunate enough to work our way through several rare Porsches, both road and race. Amongst others, 3.0RS, 2.7RS, 993RSR and other 935s. We have also carried out a light restoration of a March 84G that won the 1984 IMSA championship, and has a very interesting history, but to date that is the only non-Porsche we have dealt with. The current project is a Porsche 962C which will hopefully see a track sometime this year. So, there is not really any one model that I particularly wish to find, but we are always on the lookout for interesting Porsche projects.
As you can see from the YouTube video and the pictures kindly provided by David, this truly is an awesome machine. I can only imagine what it must be like to drive such a car. It not only performs well but also looks stunning. I take my hat off to David and Chris for their amazing job restoring it, re-building this car from the bare shell up. Special thanks to David Lee and Chris Goodwin for making this interview possible. I feel very humbled to have been able to write about this piece of Porsche history – The 935.
Text by James Garrard & photography from Chris Goodwin All Torque 108 page 23
Give your 928’s steering that ‘new car’ feel! In the quest for near perfect 50/50 weight distribution, replacing your original rack bushes goes a long way to restoring that tight, new car, feel to the steering. Aftermarket bushes not only save cash compared with Porsche parts, but won’t deteriorate over time. The newer technology material used is simply better suited to the application than the original rubber parts. Adrian Langford talks us through it.
condoms carry a warning not to use them with Vaseline or baby oil, or so I’m told! The resultant softening – we’re talking bushes again, not condoms – allows the rack to move from side to side instead of remaining firmly in place, giving a vague and sloppy feel at the steering wheel. Even if your car is bone dry underneath, the original rubber rack bushes will have deteriorated through age, so you will see a big improvement moving from old to new bushes.
The rack bushes to be replaced are rubber components with a hollow steel core, through which the ZF steering rack is bolted to the crossmember. They isolate the steering column from the worst bumps and thumps experienced by the road wheels, but their location is Piccadilly Circus for oil leaks! Any engine oil seeping from the sump gasket gathers here. The sump is directly above, and the gasket is old school cork, prone to harden and shrink with age.
Fitting new bushes of the original design will restore that factory feel, but they are still vulnerable to attack from oil and grease. Newer synthetic materials like Delrin are self-lubricating and chemically resistant to oil, so are literally fit once and forget. They are also harder than rubber. Not as hard as the aluminium bushes favoured by track day fans, but hard enough to give a superbly direct feel to the steering.
Oil leaks from elsewhere can be blown back to find a cosy home in the crossmember, together with any old or existing leaks of hydraulic oil for the power steering. The result is that the bushes can be soaked in a greasy bath of oil that turns the rubber to mush. That’s why latex 1
You’re going to be dropping the steering rack to replace the bushes so need as much room as possible under the car. Unless you have access to a lift, the first task is to get the car as high as you safely can on axle stands, and remove the undertrays.
2
3
Start removing the rack plate
Counterhold bolts above crossmember
Disconnect power steering lines at rack
A reinforcement plate protects the steering rack. It’s held on by four 10mm nuts in the centre, and four 17mm nuts at the corners threaded onto the bolts through the bushes. Not visible in this photo are two 17mm bolts attaching the side arms of the plate to the crossmember. 928s older than S4 models have only one side arm attached by a single 17mm bolt, but this is the only model-specific note in this procedure which otherwise applies to all models and all years.
Porsche made things a little difficult here. The 10mm nuts just spin off, since they thread onto T-headed bolts that sit captive in the channel at the edge of the crossmember. The 17mm M10 bolts that go through the bushes are conventional hex bolts with heads sitting above the crossmember. If you try to undo the 17mm nuts without counterholding, the bolts will just spin uselessly. However they are too close to the edge of the crossmember for access with a spanner, and there is very little headroom above to allow a socket to fit! I found there was just enough space for a 3/8” 17mm socket on a short handle. If none of your sockets or ratchets fit then you can just wedge a 5mm Allen key or screwdriver blade against the flats of the bolt head. Hold it so that the bolt head is jammed against the crossmember when you undo the nut, using a 17mm socket and ratchet from below. The 17mm bolts holding the side arms into the crossmember are easy to access.
There’s nothing to stop you pulling the rack down and free of the crossmember at this point, but there’s so little slack in the power steering lines that the job is easier if you disconnect them using a 22mm socket. The anti-roll bar blocks access to one of the banjo bolts, so just remove the 17mm bolts holding the anti-roll bar bushes to the frame, and loosen the 19mm bolt where the bar attaches to the suspension drop link. Now you can swing the bar down and out of the way and disconnect the rack banjo bolts. Look out for two copper crush washers per banjo bolt, but note they need to be replaced with new washers when it comes to reconnecting the lines. Don’t forget to have a bowl ready to catch the power steering fluid! You’ll replace it with new fluid when everything is buttoned up. The steering lines also attach to the left hand side of the engine bay under a plastic clamp, secured by a 10mm plastic bolt. Removing this clamp makes it easy to push the lines well out of the way when you’re working on the rack bushes.
3
4
5
Remove rubber inner part of bush
What’s left of the bush cores
Attack remains of the bushes in the rack
This is the fun part! I used a small blowtorch to set fire to the rubber of the rack bushes. The rubber burns merrily away, and the bush centre will drop out or can be pushed out easily once the rubber has burnt off. You are using heat around the rack, so be careful to keep the heat directed at the rack eye and not the main rack tube where the seals could be damaged. Do try to dodge the flaming, molten rubber and red-hot steel core when it drops out! If this technique sounds too risky, then another approach is to use a hole saw of a slightly smaller diameter than the bush, to chew up the rubber till it separates from the steel outer. A slower but equally effective method is to drill holes around the rubber till you can push it out.
These are the cores of the four bushes after their ordeal by fire. Note how much of the rubber has been burnt away, leaving just the steel core through which they are bolted to the rack.
The rubber core is bonded to a thin metal outer shell and that’s all that remains in the rack. The end of the shell is peened over to hold it firmly to the rack, so to remove these shells you need to distort this lip inwards so it can pass through the rack. If you have an air chisel it will take seconds, but I took a few minutes using a cold chisel and hammer on each shell. You just have to lift the metal ring away from the rack, and distort it till you can drift the metal shell out of the rack with a punch.
6
7
8
Old bushes are now out The new Delrin bushes Press new bush into Here are the shells of the old bushes. They Whereas the old bushes are a single piece one side of the rack put up a good fight against the chisel, but there was only going to be one winner. Repeat the removal process for each of the old bushes. The four rack eyes are now clear and ready for the new bushes to be installed.
passing through the rack, the new Delrin bushes press into each side of the rack, so they are supplied in a kit of eight identical bushes. I don’t know of any UK supplier, so mine came from 928 International in the USA. Their Delrin Steering Rack Bushing Kit was around £37, with VAT to pay on import, but any of the big 928 parts suppliers in the USA like Roger Tyson’s 928s-R-Us or 928 Specialists will stock them. If you went with the Porsche bushes it would cost you three times as much, and you would miss out on the advantages of Delrin.
The Delrin bushes are an interference fit into the rack. The eyes do vary slightly in size from rack to rack, so you may find you can push them in by hand, or just tap them in with a mallet. My rack made it a tighter fit but this is a worst case scenario. I made up a simple press using an M10 bolt with 17mm head, and a couple of matching M10 repair washers big enough to cover the rack eye. Using a ratchet, 17mm socket and a spanner to counterhold you can easily pull the bush into place till. The photo shows the bush before it’s been pressed in.
Text & photography by Adrian Langford All Torque 107 page 25
9
Final steps If you disconnected the power steering lines from the rack, then the banjo bolts need to be reattached at 30Nm using new copper crush washers on the fitting at the end of each line. You need four standard metric copper washers internal diameter 14mm, external 18mm or Porsche part 90012304220. Also attach the plastic clamp holding the lines to the left side of the engine bay. Now you can swing the anti-roll bar back into its normal position, insert and torque the 17mm bolts at the frame rails to 46Nm, and the drop link bolts to 85Nm. Remember they were just loosened, not removed earlier.
Repeat on the other side of the rack eye The photo shows a bush fully inserted in one side, and the same improvised press being used to push in the bush on the other side. 10
Don’t forget that the power steering system is empty, so you need to fill the reservoir before starting the engine or risk damaging the pump. The 928’s power steering uses auto transmission fluid, not power steering fluid, so any generic Dexron II or Dexron III spec ATF is fine. Fill the power steering reservoir, and briefly start the engine so it’s all sucked down into the pump. Fill the reservoir again and restart the engine. The level should be checked with engine idling, so just top up until you are at the dipstick mark. With the wheels still in the air bleeding the system is just a matter of turning the wheel slowly a few times to each end of the rack. With all the air expelled you shouldn’t see any foam in the reservoir. After lowering the car back to the ground the job’s done, and you’re ready to test drive the new bushes. There’s no need for any realignment, as you haven’t touched the track rods, so the toe will return to its original settings. Assuming other steering components – especially the track rods and track rod ends – are in good shape you will notice a smoother, more direct and more precise feel at the wheel. If you want to complement the new bushes with new track rods, we can cover that in another article!
Delrin bushes installed This is one rack eye after the pair of bushes has been installed on each side. This part of the job goes very fast, but you need to repeat it for the four eyes of the rack ’till the rack is ready to reinstall. 11
Reinstall the rack You’re now just reversing the disassembly work. You need to push the new bushings onto the 17mm bolts hanging down from the crossmember. It’s a tight fit so you may have to gently tap it home, but it means it will happily sit there while you attach the rack reinforcement plate. Secure the plate with the four 10mm locknuts torqued to 12Nm, the four 17mm locknuts on the new bushes torqued to 46Nm, and the 17mm bolts at the end of each sidearm torqued to 46Nm. You’ll have to counterhold again above the crossmember for the four 17mm bolts that go through the new bushes. Text & photography by Adrian Langford All Torque 107 page 26
An original magazine advert for the 928 from the Porsche Press Archive
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Regional round up R2
Scotland
R8
Anglia & North Essex
R3
North East
R11
North London, Herts & South Essex
R4
Yorkshire
R12
South East London & North Kent
R5
North West
R13
Thames Valley
R18
Cheshire & Staffs
R9
South East
R6
South Yorkshire & North Notts
R21
Wessex
R19
East Midlands
R23
Southern
R7
Central
R22
Bristol, South West & South Wales
R20
South Central
R15
Cornwall & Devon
R2
R3
R4 R5 R18
R6 R19
R7 R22
R15
R20 R12 R13
R23
R8 R11 R9
R21
Scotland RO Neil Fraser 07946 616 782 (mobile) neil@fraser72.freeserve.co.uk ARO West Elaine Whitelaw elainewhitelaw6@msn.com ARO East James McLauchlan jjlin@blueyonder.co.uk Meetings are held first Wednesday of every month 8pm for an 8:30pm start in the 007 bar, upstairs at Bo’Ness Motor Museum, Bridgeness Road, Bo’Ness EH51 9JR. www.motor-museum.bo-ness.org.uk Well it’s officially winter. The clocks are back and it’s getting dark at just a tad over 4pm. I am not sure about you but I get up for work and it’s dark and I get home from work and it’s dark again. Yuk. The Scottish region will be no different from any other up and down the country; cold, wet, and a little down on activity. We only have our Christmas bash to come and by now should have enjoyed our ten pin bowling evening on November 27th. It has been an action packed season and I have compiled a separate article within this edition to reflect on the year gone by. I would like to think we have had a real mixture of events this year and all of those events were suggestions from you, the members, at the start of the season. I keep on saying this and I will say it again, a huge thanks to the two AROs, James McLauchlan and Elaine Whitelaw, for their dedicated attention to the region all year round. From start to finish you’re there, rallying round, putting things together. A real team effort, I have to say, and you make my life that bit easier along the way. Also thank you to Brian Wood, a very enthusiastic member who helps out all year round. A final thanks to you, the members, for taking part in the
Porsche Centre Glasgow’s demonstrator at Calderglen, for Scotland‘s largest gathering of Porsches
region's activities all year round and not just when the weather is favourable. It has been a great season up here in the North and I look forward to seeing and being involved with you all in the 2015 season. Everyone have a great Christmas and an even happier New Year. December 20th (Saturday) Christmas Dinner Dance at Barony Castle, Peebles If you’d like more information on any of the Region’s activities, please do not hesitate to contact James, Elaine or myself. We are only too happy to help.
Many, many Porsches at Calderglen Country Park
North East
North West
RO wanted! ARO Andy Blythe 01642 809 031 andy44s70@gmail.com
RO Andrew Lane 01772 740 625 07949 167 698 (mobile) caymanlane73@gmail.com ARO Simon Kendal 07540 525 841 (mobile) s.kendal@sky.com ARO Richard Sholl 07970 147 779 (mobile) rksholl@sky.com
Meetings are held first Sunday of every month 7:30pm at The Sporting Lodge, Low Lane, Stainton Village, Cleveland, TS17 9LW, just off the A19. In June and July we are meeting on the SECOND Sunday of the month. If you are in the North East Region, I urge you to come down to one of our regular club nights and have a chat with the regulars. The club nights are where we discuss what we’re up with our cars, share technical advice, discuss the best local garages and talk about what events we would like to attend as a club. Our monthly meetings will continue as normal during the winter months. Whether you use your Porsche all year round or cosset it away while the northern roads are salted, December’s meeting will be well worth a visit as we will have two local motor vehicle techs in attendance to discuss the best way to look after your cars. From battery conditioners to screen wash and antifreeze percentages, come and have a chat. The club would also like to discuss the date for the annual Christmas Curry. A number of members should have attended the Classic Car Show at the NEC and no doubt will be keen to share their photos of the event at the club night for those not lucky enough to attend. The North East Region covers a large area geographically, so if anyone would like an additional club night further North in the region, or possibly a bi-monthly club night elsewhere, please contact me with your suggestions. The same goes for any events you may want to attend. For suggestions, or for more information on the above events, email me on andy44s70@gmail.com
Yorkshire
March/April TBC Club visit to Ninemeister. Proprietor Colin Belton is planning a wheel alignment display April 6th (Monday) Club Night May 11th (Monday) Club Night May TBC Tatton Park Classic Car Show
Meetings are held first Monday of every month from 8pm at The Boatyard Inn, Bolton Road, Riley Green, Houghton, Preston PR5 0SP (01254 209841). When this falls on a Bank Holiday, we meet on the second Monday instead. Can you believe it’s that time of year again? No, neither can I. The back half of September and October have been a little on the quiet side and as we go to print the rest of the year’s activities are just taking place. So, suffice to say, the next edition will make up for a quiet one this time. Let me whet your appetite with what’s planned for the next edition. We were very kindly invited to Ninemeister’s new premises in Warrington in early Novemeber, and as predicted they had some lovely Porsche metal on display. Everyone got lots of pictures with some interesting stories to go with each car. We have a run out to meet up with the SYNNers at Tan Hill Inn on Sunday November 23rd. Our Christmas Lunch will have taken place at Mitton Hall on Sunday the 30th of November in the heart of the Ribble Valley, and the world famous annual quiz with prizes will be the focus of the December club night. Here are a few things we are putting together for next year. January 5th (Monday) Club Night
June 1st (Monday) Club Night June TBC Cleveleys Car Show July 6th (Monday) Club Night July TBC Annual Concours, either the club night or a weekend August 3rd (Monday) Club Night August TBC German Classic Car Show at Haigh Hall. Now a staple of the NW calendar. Always a great display. Be part of it! August Bank Holiday Oulton Park Gold Cup. The club will have a display. Sign up for it and you can get in free of charge for the whole weekend (car + driver) September 7th (Monday) Club Night
February 2nd (Monday) Club Night
RO & ARO wanted Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:30pm at The Arabian Horse, Main Street, Aberford, LS25 3AA (Tel 0113 281 3312). Just off the A1/A64. Gmund 16:49 Page 1 RO andqs ARO 30/6/08 required, to host monthly meetings and to attend/organise local events.
May 23rd (Saturday) Club trackday at Blyton Park. A few North Westerners have already signed up. Those who went last year said it was a cracking day out. See Richard Sholl’s update on our NW regional page at www.tipec.net
March 2nd (Monday) Club Night March/April TBC Get your racing gloves dusted off as we are off Karting again! Venue TBC
There will of course be chippy runs, other car shows and plenty of shenanigans afoot. Check the mag, Facebook, emails, website and forum for updates. We will endeavour to plan as much in the early part of 2015 as possible. That just leaves me to say, from all of us here in the North West, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
www.gmundcollection.com The internet's largest collection of Porsche memorabilia.
DVD’S & CD’S C’était un rendevous - £14.99 The new RUF DVD - £55.00 Best Motoring - The Porsche 996 Turbo - The King? - £19.99 Porsche model info CDs - £10.00 Scotland Region RO, Neil Fraser
PHONE FOR LATEST MODELS WORKSHOP MANUALS Original Porsche workshop manuals available for all models, most ex-stock
BOOKS
SALES BROCHURES Porsche Sales Brochures from the 1960’s/70’s/80’s to present day are now available. From £10
ORIGINAL DRIVERS HANDBOOKS These handbooks are what would have been supplied with every new car that left the dealership. They contain lots of very useful information - almost every model is still available with prices starting from £25.00
w w w.g m u n d co lle c t i o n .co m email: info@gmundcollection.com tel: 0870 20 20 911 fax: 0870 20 20 959 All Torque 108 page 29
Lovely 356 found outside the Ladybower Inn
If you are not receiving updates and want your email address added to our list, please send your email address details to me on watson_david@btinternet.com December 5th (Friday) Pub Grub Run (venue TBC)
Outside The Whipping Stocks ahead of the run to the Chapel-en-le-Frith, Glossop, and Ladybower Reservoir
December 16th (Tuesday) Club Night at the Whipping Stocks from 7pm (if eating Christmas Meal), 8pm otherwise. Election of Cheshire & Staffs Organising Committee. January 4th (Sunday) New Year’s run out and meal
South Yorkshire & North Notts.
Excellent food at the Ladybower Inn
At The Whipping Stocks before setting off for the Peaks
Cheshire & Staffs
lunch. General feedback was that this was a run we should do again next year.
RO Steve Taylor 07774 912 069 (mobile) steve.taylor@maquet.co.uk ARO Dave Watson 07889 804 598 (mobile) watson_david@btinternet.com Comms Dave Mercer davidmercer1972@o2.co.uk
Barry Stenhouse presented his guide to car electrics (part 2) at the October meeting. This caused some quite lively discussion and was very informative. Thank you Barry for preparing the talk. Several of us learnt things that moved us beyond the Dummies Guide to Electrics!
Meetings are held third Tuesday of every month 8pm at The Whipping Stocks, Stocks Lane, Over Peover, Knutsford, WA16 9EX. Our run into the Peak District National Park was a great success with an excellent turnout of cars and some favourable weather to match the great scenery. The group filled the car park at the Whipping Stocks bright and early and then headed out to Chapel-en-le-Frith prior to a back-road route up to Glossop and back down to the Ladybower Reservoir. It was good to see such a variety of cars out. The Dambusters Museum at the Derwent was closed, though the car park by the reservoir was packed and would not have been able to accommodate all 14 of us anyway! Despite losing a few members from the North West on route, we all met up again at the Ladybower Inn. A bonus was the lovely 356 parked outside the pub when we stopped for a rather nice
Next fixture, at time of writing, is the NEC Classic Car Show, where I will have been on the club stand with my 914. Hopefully any of you who happened to visit the show came to say hello. We then have our trip up to Garforth, Leeds for the Factory Tour round Ginetta Cars to finish off November. We have some 32 people registered for this.
RO Dave Warren 07952 065 543 (mobile) dave.warren1401gmail.com ARO Dean Lancashire 07860 198 627 (mobile) dean@tachart.com Meetings are held first Sunday of every month 5–5:30pm (meeting proper begins 7pm) at Ye Olde Bell Hotel, Barnby Moor, Retford, Notts, DN22 8QS The winter months are now upon us! We will be continuing with our fun, fun, fun, monthly meetings throughout the cold months and hopefully get one or two runs out too. We hope to resurrect our karting trips, which are always popular, a few meals out so we don’t forget each other, and there’s the Pistonheads show coming up in January. At the end of September we saw the annual Weekend of the Year, driving to Anglesey in North Wales (Boyo). Dean reports:
Final entry on the calendar currently is a run out on 4th January. Route and meal venue to be confirmed.
“The hotel was expertly chosen by our members Val and Nicola as a joint effort but I’m sure with a little help from Andy and Bob. The Carreg Bran in the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (Yes that’s correct, lets hear you ask for directions), very close to the Menai bridge – so just a hop across from the mainland. (Also makes things very interesting when putting your destination into the satnav.)
More frequent updates will be sent out to the region’s members by email. In addition to being more active on the TIPEC.NET forum, we also now have a Facebook page for the region at: www.facebook.com/groups/ TIPEC.CS Feel free to join this Facebook group.
“Friday night started off very interesting with a great meal and then two male voice choir clubs (totalling around 50 men) singing at the top of their voices in competition with each other and also supping all the real ales dry and much to me and GB’s disappointment.
The December club meeting will have the option of a Christmas meal at The Whipping Stocks. Those wanting a meal, please arrive for 7pm. Those not eating can join us as usual from 8pm. Agenda will be to discuss election of regional organizing committee for next year.
SYNNers at that place with the long name. You know the one.
The view to Llandudno from the cable car
First place at the Pride of Ownership for Judith’s 944
Val & Andy Lenton took second place, just one point behind
Then we had a great run out to The Ring O’ Bells pub for a lovely meal. Great hosts and great food. Highly recommended to all. www.theringobells.com On the 23rd of November we have ‘the last blast’ up to Tan Hill, the highest Inn in the country for a meal and a scenic drive.
SYNN members’ cars on the Weekend of the Year to Anglesey
After a good hearty breakfast we took off the next morning in convoy back onto the mainland and headed over to Llandudno. What a great place. After a drive around looking for somewhere to park we decided to head up to the summit on the Orme with stunning views out to sea, a cable car system for the adventurous and a tram system for folk who like to keep their feet on the ground. I’d recommend the cable car as it’s the longest cable car system in Britain with some stunning views coming down into Llandudno over the town and the pier below. After a stroll around Llandudno, a coffee and a walk down the pier (oh, and time for Eric to have his 99 cornet stolen by a seagull) it was time to jump back in the cars and head over to Conwy to check out the Castle – and for Linda to get lost in Britain’s smallest house and for us all to enjoy a few refreshments on Conwy’s harbour front. The evening was finished off with another great meal and a few more refreshments at the bar. Luckily the male voice choir singers had gone home. “Sunday Morning broke to more great weather which gave us a chance to explore the coastline of Anglesey. First stop was the famous Anglesey Circuit where a driving school was running with a chance for the public to drive an Aston, Ferrari, Lotus, etc. A few of us were tempted to just jump on the track in our cars but no one had a helmet so we thought we might have stood out as we entered the circuit.
Next stop was the beach at Rhosneigr where we all parked up and had a walk along the white sandy beaches, watching the surfers. We then headed back towards the cars and sat on the veranda of a great restaurant in the sand dunes called The Oyster Catcher, a must if you’re ever in the area. The highlight of the day was the trip to South Stack Lighthouse and bird sanctuary, which is a great walk but bear in mind that you’ve got to be fit and be ready for plenty of uneven steps. The walk is well worth it when you get there, with a chance to go up the lighthouse and listen to the history of how it has changed over the years. “It was time then to say goodbye to some members who had to head back, but some of us we enjoyed another night at The Carag Bran. The next morning we had a lovely walk around Beaumaris before heading off home. A big thank you to all who came and, of course, Val and Nicola for organising one the best WotY’s. Anglesey, we’ll be back – and probably for a trackday in 2015!” October saw our annual ‘Pride of ownership’, in which we had a great turnout of some 20+ cars. The weather was kind, giving us a sunny day, so the polish was out in masses! A well deserved first place was, for the second time, Judith with her tip-top 944. A worthy winner with a cracking car. Well done Judith! Only just missing out, by one point, were Andy & Val Lenton. Bad luck but hey – there’s always next year!
Then, the highlight of the year, the SYNN region Christmas slideshow is on Sunday 7th December, with a round up of the highlights and lowlights of 2014. A funny evening is guaranteed, but if you are easily offended, please still come along – it makes it even funnier for us all! Finally, on the 13th December, it’s the Christmas party night at Ye Olde Bell, with fun, eating, drinking, and ‘Dad’ dancing on the cards. Merry Christmas to all SYNNers and Porsche enthusiasts alike. Check out our website for more: www.synd.org.uk Pop along to one of our funny, friendly meetings and see what we are about! We have our monthly quiz in which we try to win each other’s junk as prizes. All welcome. Regular emails, meeting notes and website updates will be prominent in 2015, so you have no excuse! We hope to see you soon.
East Midlands New RO & ARO wanted urgently! Meetings are held third Tuesday of every month 7pm for food (meeting proper begins 8:00pm) at The Field Head Hotel, Markfield Lane, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9PS.
All Torque 108 page 31
Central tipeccentral@outlook.com Joint RO Lindsay Brown 07768 442 050 (mobile) Joint RO Steve Jones 07775 581 044 (mobile) Joint RO Stuart Wakeman 07912 620 181 (mobile) Meetings are held second Monday of every month 7:30pm onwards at The Bull’s Head, Birmingham Rd, Shenstone, Litchfield WS14 0JR. www.vintageinn.co.uk/thebullsheadshenstone As 2014 draws to a close I reflect back on the warmest summer for a few years, but my memory is of wet weekends for the latter part of the season which resulted in poor or no turnouts to the shows. Let’s hope next year will bring drier weekends – fingers crossed. I write this with only the Classic and Sports Car Show at the NEC and our Christmas meal remaining this year. Hopefully you will have called in at the TIPEC stand to say hello, as it is always nice to put a name to a face, and a big thanks to Paul Bird for organising the stand at the NEC. It will be a nice end to the year to have our festive meal amongst friends.
Porsche in her prom dress in front of Peter’s 911 Cabriolet
North London, Herts & South Essex
We are in the process of arranging next year’s events and if anyone has any fresh or different ideas we are more than willing to hear them and add them to the 2015 agenda. We will carry on meeting on the second Monday of every month at The Bull’s Head at Shenstone as the new landlord has made us more than welcome. Again the weather held off for my personal highlight of the year, that being our second ‘Show and Shine’. This was very well attended with many families turning up. It just leaves me to say a big thank you to all of you who turned up to events during 2014. Hopefully we will see you again next year, and may we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2015. Regards Lindsay, Steve and Stuart December 10th (Wednesday) Christmas Meal at The Bull’s Head January 12th (Monday) Club night
South Central RO Matt Dawson 07743 791 815 (mobile) motorsportrugbystar@hotmail.com ARO Pete Garrett 07804 030 695 (mobile) garrett-peter@sky.com Meetings are held from 9:45 am on the first Sunday of every month at The Red Lion, Evenley, Nr Brackley, Northants NN13 5SH
Porsche in the Porsche!
Anglia & North Essex RO wanted ARO Colin Clarke 01284 706 247 colin.r.clarke@live.co.uk Meetings are held fourth Tuesday of each month from 7pm at The Bunbury Arms, Ixworth Road, Great Barton, Suffolk IP31 2NX. www.nextnorth.com/bunbury/findus.htm How lucky we’ve been with the weather this year, with all our events falling on great sunny days! Our member Peter Ashford, the proud owner of an immaculate 1986 911 Cabriolet kindly provided prom transportation during the summer for the young lady shown above, whose name happens to be Porsche, following a request to TIPEC from her father to get her to her party in style. Peter had to cross the rather precarious Reedham Ferry on the Norfolk Broads en route, not something to be done lightly if the weather is less than perfect! We have had excellent attendance at our monthly meetings recently, and are looking forward to our Christmas lunch at the Shepherd and Dog, Forward Green, Suffolk on Sunday 7th December.
RO Vince Dallimore 07798 630 649 (mobile) NLHSE@tipec.net ARO Peter Musk 07734 769 953 (mobile) NLHSE@tipec.net Informal meetings are held twice monthly: First Sunday of every month from 10:30am at The Goat Inn, Vicarage Causeway, Hertford Heath, Herts SG13 7RT and last Monday of the month from 18:00pm at Ace Café London, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD. On 4th October the annual 928 gathering at the Barley Mow, Tilford in Surrey went ahead despite rain setting in on the Way! 928 owners from our region gathered for breakfast at the ACE Café, the small convoy then moved off to meet another gathering just off the A3/ M25 where the heavens opened and all the hard work cleaning cars was wiped out! Despite the weather some 30 cars turned out on the day, shy of the booked 50, but many were deterred by the weather. On Sunday the 5th our meeting at the Goat was blessed with good weather following the downpour the day before and we welcomed a great mix of cars.
Annual 928 gathering at the Barley Mow, Tilford
September Fish & Chips Run Unfortunately I managed to double book myself for this, so many thanks for Martin & Kim Jackson for stepping into the breach. This is Martin’s report and the pictures are thanks to Stuart.
N. London, Herts & S. Essex members at Perfect Touch
Paul Lacey showing NORLON members a 928 engine block
It seems amazing that the next report will be in 2015, but a final flourish at the NEC for the Classic Car show will bookend 2014. December 7th (Sunday) Club meet at The Goat December 29th (Monday) Club meet at Ace Café
Spotless 928 engine bay
Saturday 11th saw a 928 DIY day organised by Steve Sydee. The group met at performance garage Perfect Touch in Hoddesdon Herts, where owner Gabs gave free use of a lift for the day and Paul Lacey of YouTube fame gave a number of 928 owners an in-depth review of the finer points of 928s, including brakes, suspension, gearbox and drive train, the infamous flex plate and the fuel and ignition systems. Paul brought along a 928 block in the process of rebuild, a head, camshaft and crankshaft; explaining the oil distribution and the impact of not relaxing the flex plate regularly! The session ran from 10am until 5pm and our host Gabs laid on lunch and tea/coffee throughout the day. Perfect Touch have a rolling road, so in 2015 we’ll be looking to have an open day where the NLHSE cars can be put through their paces. On Sunday 19th Graham Martin of the 928 Passion group had pre-booked a group tour of the Carding Shed and Oil Can Café at Hepworth (near Holmfirth of Last of the Summer Wine fame). 928 owners (including David Hemmings of the 928 Register) travelled from Edinburgh, London and the Midlands for breakfast, followed by a guided tour of the museum, car store and restoration projects by owner Ian Kellett. Interesting tales were told and a return visit is planned for Spring. On Sunday 2nd November the Goat was a washout with only three hardy 928 owners turning out in the early downpour. The weather cleared by lunchtime, but indicated a close to the showing season for all but the weatherproof Porsche owners!
Surrounded by other interesting cars at the Carding Shed
January 4th (Sunday) Club meet at The Goat January 26th (Monday) Club meet at Ace Café
South East London & North Kent RO Jim Hearnden 01634 869 658 07930 353 232 (mobile) tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk ARO Paul Greer 07799 412 870 (mobile) prgreer@blueyonder.co.uk Meetings are held first Friday of the month around 7:30pm at The Horseshoes, Dean Street, East Farleigh, Maidstone, ME15 0PR. 01622 741 683 www.thehorseshoeseastfarleigh.co.uk We now have a second ARO for the region, Martin (and Kim) has accepted the ARO position. This will give the advantage of another viewpoint and also a fresh perspective whilst Paul & I organise the 2015 Calendar. The new location is pretty easy to get to, about 15–20 minutes from J6 M20. The easiest way to enter is via the Tovil area of Maidstone continue down Dean Street. It has a massive car park as well as being large inside and the landlady has given us our own area both inside and in the car park. This one is a couple of miles closer to the motorway so even easier to get to. Partners are more than welcome and it is not all car chat. We now have 74 people on the SELNK list and a lot of these Paul & I have never met. It would be great to see some of you in the forthcoming few months. If you have an email address and do not see mails from me, then please send an email to tr7v8@phaetonconsulting.co.uk and I’ll add you to the list. That also applies to people in adjacent areas who would like a copy of our calendar. Please also ensure that you update address, car and email details when you renew your membership.
“We all met at Maidstone services on a beautiful Sunday morning, sun shining ready for a jaunt through the Kent and East Sussex countryside. Eight cars left the services – a good mix of 996s and Boxsters, with Andy & Jean joining in with their Morgan. About halfway through the drive we met with the Chris and Graham party with another Boxster and a 911 Sportmatic, together with Chris’ son in his Mini. If you have never driven down in this part of the country you want to join in one day, the scenery is stunning, particularly on a bright sunny Sunday morning. “The drive through Headcorn, Tenterden, Rye and along the coast to Dungerness allows for nice sedate driving through some stunning little villages and some awesome twisty bits for a bit more of a spirited blast. Absolutely no problems at all apart from Kim & I getting a bit out of shape on a tight right hander, when a soft tyre (I discovered a self-tapping screw had hitched a lift in my NSF tyre) caught us out! Arrival at the Britannia pub on time, all parked up in line, Nigel arrived on his new BMW bike he had picked up earlier in the day for its virgin trip and Valerie arrived in Brian the 968 Cab, swelling the numbers to 11 Porsches, one Morgan, a Mini and a rather large sparkly BMW bike. “We enjoyed fish & chips and roast dinners aplenty. We set off for what is now the habitual SELNK walk along the beach with a couple of brave souls having a paddle in the English Channel. A good day was had by all and let's hope the weather is as good to us in late September next year.” October club meeting A great evening, we have been given a new area in the Horseshoes with more space. The turnout was fantastic, I can only assume Paul & I are doing something right, we’re now getting consistent turnouts of 30 plus for a club night. November club meeting Yet another great evening, a good turn out with quite a few new faces. Quite a few Porsches in the car park despite a dark and drizzly night. December 6th (Saturday) Christmas dinner at The Horseshoe 7:30 for 8pm, booking essential. Email Jim for details. February 6–7th (Friday–Saturday) After a brilliant Spa day earlier in the year Kim has organised another and has negotiated the same deal as 2014. The price is £150 for two people with one nights bed, breakfast, evening meal and entrance into the pool, spa etc. Beauty treatments and alcohol are all extras. Members will need to call and book directly, quoting ‘The Jackson Group’ to get the deal. www.londonbeach.com Please let Jim know if you’re booking. In terms of an itinerary, Martin is suggesting that people arrive from lunchtime onwards on the 6th and we all take advantage of the spa etc during the afternoon, then enjoy the evening meal and each other's company. On the Saturday they guys will go for a drive out whilst the ladies enjoy the pool and spa and we’ll return for lunch around 13:00.
All Torque 108 page 33
Thames Valley
South East
Joint RO Jason Gibson 07958 459 725 (mobile) tipec@blueyonder.co.uk Joint RO Paul Mabley flyingpig71@hotmail.com Joint RO Nick Ramsay tipec1@witzendcs.co.uk
RO Derek Flanagan 01342 717 754 07767 254 820 (mobile) derek.flanagan@btconnect.com ARO James Garrard 07837 701 011 (mobile) jamesgarrard@hotmail.co.uk
Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:00pm at The Novello, Bath Rd, Littlewick Green, Maidenhead, SL6 3RX.
Meetings are held second Wednesday of every month 8pm at The Bolney Stage, London Road, Bolney RH17 5RL, just off the A23, 10 miles south of Crawley.
Having had an excellent last six months of regional meetings, it was a bit of a comedown to experience our first meeting of the year in the dark. As most areas will know, winter meets can have a lower attendance, especially if the weather is rubbish. October's meet was at least dry but I knew we had three or four regulars who would be away and I thought we may only have 8–10 turn up. Well I was pleasantly surprised to have 15 (including three newbies). November came round quickly. I was hoping for more of the same until the day arrived and the heavens opened. The nearby M4, M40 and M25 were all gridlocked. It took me 1hr 45 mins to get there. I knew we had a few more regulars away, amazingly we still managed to get 19 – most in their Porsches. Another good meeting with plenty of banter and discussions on what work to get done over the winter, great company and good food. Winter meets may be different but it's still worthwhile coming along and joining in the fun. We’ve had a very good year with some excellent themed nights during the summer, a few great drives out and that never to be forgotten weekend in Wales. Oh, and a steady increase of new members, many of whom have made it along to the meetings. By the time you read this, we will have had our December meeting and our Christmas Party, so I will wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
For those of you who haven’t made it along to a monthly meet yet, we always welcome new and prospective members. Come and see if you like us, we’re a friendly bunch no matter what model of Porker you own or desire and you will be guaranteed to receive a hearty welcome and make some new friends. You also have the opportunity of winning our own regional lotto with all SE Region members going into the hat each month – but you have to be at the meeting to win if your name is drawn out. We held an quiz on car manufacturers’ slogans at our October club night, won by new member Jadwiga Kubit (Jaga) who has purchased John Wallin’s 924S. After over six years of restoration, Dan Engledow has finally finished his 911SC Targa which he brought along to our October club night. This car looked stunning painted Guards Red. It looked and smelled like a brand new car out of the showroom. What a fantastic job Dan has done. Now he will have the difficult choice of driving his 911SC or 356 Chesil Speedster to car shows in the Summer! The Chichester Ship Canal Trip On Sunday 7th September a group of 24 members hired a boat on the Chichester Navigation Canal. After the two hour trip, we made our way to Bosham harbour for lunch at The Anchor Bleu pub overlooking the harbour.
Open Day at Porsche Centre Mid Sussex A group of TIPEC members had a fantastic day on 20th September getting their cars up on the ramp at our local OPC, Porsche Centre Mid Sussex in Burgess Hill, where we had the opportunity of an hour with a Porsche Technician. In addition to a wide range of members’ cars, from 924s, 944s, a 968 Club Sport, a Boxster, a Cayman, a 996, a 997 and a number of 928s, there were also a couple of rare classic Porsches in the workshop including a 930 Turbo and a very rare, original and expensive, 911 Carrera RS ‘ducktail’ Lightweight. Members also had the opportunity of driving any of the new sales demo cars and the new Macan proved to be a very popular choice. By the time you read this, our SE Region 2015 calendar of members’ cars will have been published, featuring not only members’ cars but also local places of interest. One photo is shown here, if you want to see more you will have to buy the calendar. December 10th (Wednesday) Club Night and Christmasmas dinner at The Bolney Stage January 8–11th (Thursday–Sunday) London Classic Car Show at ExCel Centre January 14th (Wednesday) Club Night at the Bolney Stage
Wessex RO Pete Blackler 07779 203 278 (mobile) peter_blackler@sky.com Meetings are held third Thursday of every month from 8:15pm at The Bucks Head, Meonstoke, Hampshire SO32 3NA. www.thebuckshead.co.uk The Bucks Head is just off the A32. Meonstoke lies just North of Fareham, only 15 mins from the M3.
Chassis examinations at the PC Mid Sussex open day
South East region members by their boat on the Chichester Navigation Canal
A sample from the South east region calendar
Southern RO WANTED! ARO Jim Tarrant 0120 260 1886 jim.tarrant@consequia.com Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month from 7:30pm at The Angel, 188 Ringwood Rd, Longham, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9AP Please note meetings are back at The Angel – the car park wasn’t so good at the other venue. A few words from one of our members Lorne who attended a track day at Goodwood in his 944 S2: “The weather was a bit inconsistent. At one stage it was dry at the start/finish straight but bucketing with rain at the other end of the track which made it interesting. If the weather is dry, you can slowly improve and smooth your lines throughout the day but the weather was best in the middle of the day, having started out damp and slippery, and then deteriorated again towards the end. No matter, it was fun. In my old Triumph GT6 I could hit around 101–102 mph at the end of the Lavant straight and was getting close to 115 mph in the 944. They were giving demo runs in a couple of McLaren MP4s (I went as a passenger) which were hitting around 150 mph on the same straight! I need more neck muscles. Amazing car. There were some 911s there, too. An eclectic mixture of cars, as the pictures show. I was surprised how interested in the 944 a number of people were.” December 2nd (Tuesday) Please note, no Club Night due to Christmas dinner following soon. December 10th (Wednesday) Southern Region Christmas Dinner,
Lorne’s 944 S2 in the pitlane at Goodwood
Bentley’s Restaurant, Ferndown January 6th (Tuesday) Club Night, The Angel, Longham Please visit our website at www.tipec.net/region_southern.php as we are continuously updating our events page. Members will also receive email notifications of upcoming items.
Bristol, South West & South Wales RO Sue Simmons 07530 312 700 (mobile) sue.simmons1@gmail.com ARO Mick Simmons 07793 905 918 (mobile) mjs019@gmail.com Meetings are held first Tuesday of every month 7:45pm at The Plough, Pilning, Nr Bristol BS35 4JJ. www.theploughpilning.co.uk When Summer turns to Autumn it can mean there is less car related activity, but luckily we had a few plans up our sleeve for September and October that turned into some very interesting and fun events. Firstly, a small group of the TIPEC ladies enjoyed a Spa Day at Tortworth Court, and then while Mick and I were sunning ourselves on the beautiful island of Rhodes some of our gang headed to Tredegar House in South Wales for the Annual Classic Car event. At the start of October both Prescott Hill Climb and Castle Combe laid on their Autumn Classic shows. All of these were well attended by members from the region. In mid-October we did an event where I had paired up with Paul Hammond, our Asset Trust Insurance partner, and we organised a day out that was well supported. We started with a hearty breakfast at The Compass, a drive to the ‘hidden gem’ that is the AtwellWilson Vintage Car Museum near Calne in Wiltshire, and then a drive to Paul’s local, The Royal Oak, for lunch and a pint! A great time was had by all, so thanks to Paul for the collaboration. As detailed elsewhere in the magazine, 14 of us headed to Flanders at the end of October for a WWI Battlefields experience. We had an interesting and enjoyable weekend although we were left wondering at Tony Healey’s attempt to extend his holiday by locking his car keys in his totally inaccessible boot! Did poor Julie really have to get a lift from Ypres back to Clevedon to get spare keys, then drive back to Ypres?
Comfy chairs at the Castle Coombe Autumn Classic
Closer to home we had a complimentary clinic morning at Porsche Bristol, and were well looked after by everyone, including the newest addition to the team. John Piper has moved to Bristol from Bournemouth Porsche as Assistant Service Manager, although he is now covering the whole Service Manager role as Sean is poorly. Of course we all wish Sean and his family well. I was delighted when John came along to the regional meeting and I hope we will be seeing a lot of him at our events next year. Our region has gained many new members this year and I am so pleased to welcome you all on board – if anyone needs any information please get in touch, and we hope to see you at forthcoming meetings or events. As we approach the end of the year just one major event remains – my TIPEC Bristol, SW & S Wales ‘Grand Christmas Lunch’. At the time of writing, 58 people are coming along and I will be holding our Christmas Raffle after the meal. We have now nominated the Great Western Air Ambulance as our charity for the next 12 months, so hope to raise some funds for them. For those of you who aren’t coming along to the last meetings of the year, or the Christmas Lunch, let me take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and I hope to see you during 2015. The first meeting of 2015 will be at The Plough, Pilning on January 6th. January 6th (Tuesday) Club night at The Plough February 3rd (Tuesday) Club night and quiz at The Plough April (TBC) TIPEC AGM May 2nd–7th (Saturday–Thursday) TIPEC Bristol, SW & S Wales trip to The Isle of Man Summer (TBC) Simply Porsche at Beaulieu
Cornwall & Devon RO Chrissie Jenkins 07851 698 879 (mobile) tipecdandc@outlook.com www.facebook.com/groups/1451387631773105/ Meetings are held the first Thursday of every month from 7pm at the Post Inn, Exeter Rd, Whiddon Down, Oakhampton, Devon EX20 2QT www.thepostinnwhiddon.co.uk
A ‘comfort break’ for the McLaren at Goodwood!
Bristol, South West & South Wales ladies on their spa day
December 4th (Thursday) Club night at the Post Inn and Christmas cheer!
All Torque 108 page 35
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Arctic Silver Tiptronic Blue electric hood & Interior Leather upholstery Private number plate staying on car (S500 BXR) Around 35,500 miles (at 30th October) Fully Porsche serviced Porsche Warranty & MOT to July 2015 BOSE stereo system 18” Boxster S alloys Wind deflector
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www.TIPEC.net You can use the TIPEC website to register or renew your club membership, advertise cars and parts for free, download old issues of All Torque, and keep upto-date with events in your region. If you look to the top-left of the homepage, you will find a link to TIPEC’s online discussion forum. This is the place to trade banter with fellow club members on a day-to-day basis, ask questions and share knowledge, up and down the UK (and worldwide!)
All Torque 107 page 37
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