A Clean Car Is a Happy Car Sep 9, 2009
The Porsche got its bath this weekend, and we did a bit more than simply hose off the dirt. The car needed a deeper clean.
After doing a basic wash, we went over the entire car with a Griot's Garage Paint Cleaning Clay. The clay grabs those little particles of snot that roughen up the surface. A squirt of their Speed Shine gives the clay some lubricity. The clay didn't look too dirty after the job, but the surface did feel much smoother. (By comparison, we have seen more visible dirt when using the clay on our daily drivers.)
Next we polished the paint, and we stuck with Griot's products. We applied their Machine Polish 3 with the company's own 6" Random Orbital. After polishing a section of the body, we wiped away the polish with a clean microfiber towel.
Today's buffers are pretty foolproof to use: Apply the product to the pad and then buff away. You'll never buff by hand again, and there are some helpful how-to videos on the Griot's site.
Finally, we topped off the paint with Griot's Best of Show Wax. Again, we applied the product with their buffer before using a microfiber towel to wipe away the excess.
Our car has a lot of black rubber trim, and it also needed some attention. Judging by the amount of dirt seen on our rags, Griot's Rubber Cleaner did its job. For the tight areas, we used some S100 detailing swabs. (We found these at our local Harley-Davidson dealer.)
Once clean, we treated the trim with Wurth Rubber Care--a gift from our friend Randy. Our rubber trim, some of which was starting to look a bit white and crusty, now looks new. We ran out of the rubber conditioner during the job, so looks like we'll be ordering some more, too.
Even though we still have some work to do, the result is a clean, shiny car that's also protected from the elements.
Oil, Drive, Crash Sep 29, 2009
We just wrapped up a busy week with the Porsche, as we took it on the Coker Tire Challenge Sept. 18-20. This TSD rally wrapped around Chattanooga. Even though it was geared toward vintage cars--meaning prewar machines--we were welcomed with open arms.
Before heading off, we changed the engine oil and transmission lube: 20W50 Valvoline VR-1 Racing Oil for the engine and Red Line 75W90 in the gearbox. (When we have time for some better before-and-after testing, we'll try some Red Line in the engine.)
The VR-1 oil claims to have the proper amount of zinc for these older engines, while the Red Line transmission oil should help our somewhat primitive 915 box. Yes, we used a Mahle filter.
Having the car on the lift also gave us a good chance to inspect everything below. Wow, the car is clean. We couldn't find any evidence of leaks, while the car has obviously never been hit. It even still has a factory muffler. We do have a bad CV boot, so we'll replace that axle soon.
Despite some drenching rain, the 500-mile drive up to Chattanooga went very smoothly. The event also went well. The Cokers know how to throw a party, and we saw some amazing machines: lots of prewar Fords plus other neat vehicles. The scenery was also terrific.
After more than 500 miles of TSD rallying--some of it at a walking pace--we ended up fourth in the rookie class and 33rd overall. Not bad. We never got lost, but somehow we were really late on two stages. Those two bad scores wound up hurting us.
The drive home went well until a slight road rage incident unfolded on I-75. The car we were following was moving a bit slowly, and someone took offense--and showed that displeasure buy doing a brake-check maneuver.
We slowed down in time, but the Nissan SUV behind us didn't. We got a love tap while decelerating.
Even though it was dark, the roadside inspection showed that the 5 mph bumpers did their job. The next day we did a better inspection. The smudged dirt shows how the bumper was pressed into the body and then resumed its normal position. There isn't a scratch anywhere to be found. Thanks, Porsche, for building such good cars.
Oh, and a P.S.: We never had to add any oil.
Loop-da-Loop Oct 29, 2009
No, it's not British, but we snuck the Porsche into a Saturday afternoon drive hosted by the All British Car Club of Volusia County, Florida. We strolled north through one of Ormond Beach's more picturesque drives, a route simply known as The Loop. (In fact, our upcoming Orange Blossom Tour will run through some of these same roads.)
Cars, Friends and a Nosh Nov 1, 2009
Okay, so our Porsche hasn't been leading the most exciting life, but it's still getting out there on a regular basis. This past Saturday we took it to the Orlando Automobile Club's monthly Cars & Café gathering. They meet at the Route 46 Entertainment District, a group of automotive-themed restaurants and bars located in Sanford, Fla., just off I-4.
The event attracted about 150 cars covering a wide range of makes, models and budgets. While the six-figure Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Porsches took up the center stage, the site’s parking lots were filled with a neat mix of machines, from a Sunbeam Tiger and BMW M coupe to several Mazda RX-8s, Z-cars, Porsches and BMWs.
It's a neat, low-key affair that's worth a visit. It's also a good opportunity to chat with some like-minded gearheads in a quiet, relaxed setting.
Practical Porsche Motors Along Feb 12, 2010
Time for a quickie Porsche update.
Probably the biggest news is that we finally got our new Pirellis mounted. Initial review: nice. We've only put a few miles on them, but so far we're in love. They offer very good grip and no weirdness--no noise, no wandering and no bad manners. We hate to be slaves to fashion, but they look good, too.
Other than that, we put gas in it and go.
Coming up soon: We have a torn axle boot that needs attention, and our new Cocoa Mats just arrived. Yes, we're hardcore.