Looks to be the result of too much rear end output :D

Looks like great fun was had by all!!

Great racing today with the PCA at Willow Springs - known as the Fastest Track in the West!

Qualified 2nd and finished 2nd! :D

There are no asterisks in racing but to be honest, a couple of the faster guys stayed home so I was able to move up onto the podium.

In fairness to myself, I did do a great job holding off 3rd place for a few laps and then slowly built a gap until he wasn't within striking distance.

More racing tomorrow. Lots of video, just need to find some time to edit it!

Great job Tom.

I had to miss Willow, no tires!. I ordered some RE-71s and they won't be in until Monday :(

Well, good news and not so good news coming out of the PCA race at Willow Springs last weekend.

The Good News: I qualified 2nd and finished 2nd in Saturday's race! I did a good job defending against 3rd place for several laps and then slowly pulled away and created a nice gap. I was very pleased with my performance and had high hopes for Sunday.

The Not So Good News: Qualified 3rd for Sunday's race and the driver in P1 decided to start at the back and race his way through the group so I started P2 (in BSR/SPB).

Got a good start and moved up to P1. Then got held up by slower traffic and moved back to P2. Then the P1 driver finally caught up to us and passed us both so I was in P3.

Then I didn't hold the car down tight on the inside line in Turn 8 (125mph) and it pushed up into the marbles and off I went into the desert!

The car was mostly ok but the power steering low pressure return line was pulled loose and broken (nearly ripped off of the bottom of the car is another way to say it) so I came home on the tow truck.

Race - Repair - Repeat.

HD and sound is the best way to watch - its pretty crazy when I go off track!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xMV0lpozzQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Here is a pic before going off-roading;
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psdx2uq6r5.jpg


And after (while inspecting the broken power steering line);
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psikotsvgk.jpg

That's a bummer on the PS hose. I suppose it could have been a whole lot worse

In a spin, both feet in!!

Looks like overall it was a fun weekend

And if you are going to insist to do off road driving at the track, get yourself a Macan!

At the PCA Willow Springs races last weekend, I received a voucher for 5L of Millers Performance Racing Oil and 1L of racing brake fluid. Retail value about $100.

I want to say thanks to PCA, Racers Edge, and Millers Performance Oils! A free oil change and a brake flush is a nice way to recognize the huge effort that goes into Porsche club racing.

Millers Performance Racing Oils

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...pszsrtmsdj.jpg

Look what came in the mail today! (ok, to be honest it was UPS Freight)

Its a used 2.5L Boxster engine with only 75K miles. Paid $2850 including shipping. This will be my spare engine so I can swap it in quickly when my existing engine fails. It's a fully complete engine with intake and all accessories (some of which I will have to remove to put it into racing configuration). If I was still running a street car, it would be a straight swap.

After having two professionally rebuilt Boxster engines fail dramatically and losing big money on the investment, I am committed to running only used factory (salvage) engines.

DIY swap would only cost the price of a set of new plugs and an oil change. Even if I paid to have the engines swapped at a shop, I'd be back on the road for a little over $4K.

My existing used engine was bought with 92K miles and now has an additional 40 hours of racing on it. Hard to know how long it might last (still has original IMS bearing) but I'm starting to get that feeling in my gut that its time might be running out. And while it doesn't have any problems that I am aware, I'd like to be ahead of the curve when that time comes.

You can imagine the look on my wife's face when I mentioned that I wanted to buy a spare engine. I explained that every time that my engine fails, I re-evaluate my racing goals and if I was to do that now, I'd be very tempted/motivated to move up to racing a GT-4 class air-cooled 911.

When I told her what that might cost, she was immediately on board with spending less than $3K for a spare engine. :D

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...pszwp3ji9e.jpg

Very cool on the millers and I think.if you put their stickers on your car you qualify for a discounted rate on their products. They have a case study on their site about a 996 that was raced using tgeir 5W40 with favorable results.

Did I mention that the windshield got cracked AGAIN last weekend?

Thanks to Forum members Greg Holberg and rastta along with fellow Spec Boxster racer Branimir Kovac for great advice about going to a Lexan windshield with protective film. I just ordered both.

When I do the swap, I'll weigh them and post the weight savings.

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...pstujogcjv.jpg

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psvjmgqqa2.jpg

Race. Repair. Repeat.

Today was a Repair day!

Threw the car up on the lift and inspected the underside. Found that the high pressure power steering line was broken in two in the middle of the lower hard line. Originally, I thought that the low pressure line was the damaged hose but the low pressure line was only pulled loose and slightly scraped up but looked ok.

Removed the top, upper engine cover, racing seat, and front engine panel to get as much access as possible to the power steering pump.

To get to the power steering high pressure line, I also had to remove the serpentine belt and the power steering pump pulley.

The high pressure line connection is right up front as indicated by #1 in the photo. There is also a bracket on the side of the engine holding the line in place that needs to be removed (right under the #2 in the photo). Then it simply took a little bit of jiggling and jostling to get it out the bottom.

The job was made much easier since the A/C unit was already removed creating a big empty area next to the power steering pump (#2). For reference, the low pressure return line (#3) connects to the PS pump in the rear of the unit. This hose might be a bit harder to get to the connection on the rear of the pump so I was glad that I didn't have to replace it.

The remaining portion of the high pressure hard line was under the car still connected to the line that runs to the front of the car.

The high pressure hose runs about $125. I'll order it today along with a liter of CH-11S power steering fluid and install next weekend.

Onward!

Everything removed;
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psyuekyj5t.jpg

Front engine view of power steering pump, high pressure line (#1), space where A/C compressor was removed (#2), and low pressure line (#3);
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psmx4pfl8q.jpg

High pressure line removed;
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...pslcuwcnyg.jpg

Remaining portion of high pressure line under car;
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...pswg3pwdfq.jpg

I'll give you the set up to go to an electric pump in the frunk...
just add your pump of choice.http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1463345925.jpg

with a set of new seals too (it never leaked, It was just preventative maint.) http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1463346044.jpg

how and where I routed it...
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1463346092.jpg

I'm in SJ

Very interesting. Heard about this type of install but never actually seen one. Thanks for the post!

Would that be legal in SPB? By removing that pump from the belt driven by the engine, would you net more power to the wheels?

Unknown as far as I know. It is not specifically mentioned in the rules (that I could find) and thus, would seem to be technically illegal. However, there are a lot of things not in the rules that are in a lot of SPB cars.

If I were to seriously contemplate this mod, I'd request a ruling from the scruts to be sure that it would be allowed when I showed up to the track. However, I have seen so much cheating in SPB that I wouldn't be surprised at all if some cars already had this mod regardless of what the rules might say/imply or what the scruts might think or how they might rule on it.


Yes, by eliminating the power loss from the power steering pump the car should see an increase power to the rear wheels (by a small amount). Similar in function to removing A/C and/or installing an under drive pulley at the crank.

I haven't seen anyone using an electric power steering pump. I can't imagine that mod hasn't been brought up already and deemed illegal.

Btw I went full manual rack.
 

It's a but of work sometimes but worth it for the "feel".
Probabally not recommend for a track car, but I've never driven it on track so what do I know?

Are you having to cut your own, or is their a supplier out there providing pre-cut ones? If you know a supplier, can you provide?

Thanks!

Ian

Porsche Boxster Windshields: Five Star Race Car Bodies

I thought I had found another as well - but can't seem to find the link.

Awesome!! Thanks!

Lexan windshield arrived today!

This is the 1/4" model from Five Star. I also plan to use two layers of protective film.

Lexan weight is 15lbs. I'll weigh the glass windshield when its replaced.

It was shipped folded to save shipping costs. Be careful when you cut the tape holding it in the folded position - there is quite a bit of energy stored!

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psgwaxyfsl.jpg

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psktduawcp.jpg

I would love to hear some of the stories sometime, I bet they are classic.

very entertaining videos Tom! i watched some of the others too, that looks like so much fun! glad to see you were ok after that big spin out, pretty scary stuff! :eek:

keep them coming!

Boo Hiss -- Go Air-cooled -- you can buy mine as a GT2 - then down grade the engine :-)

Mike

Why would you want a lawn mower engine ?

It's a lot sexier looking!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1463527981.jpg

Porsche porn. :)

So I ordered a replacement power steering hose online from Byer Porsche in Ohio as they had a pretty good price.

They sent me an email order confirmation.
Then they sent me a ready to ship confirmation.
Then they emailed saying that they actually don't have that part.

Huh?
Then why is it on your website?
Why did your system confirm the order?
Why did your system say that it was ready to ship?

Amazing how they offered a great price for a part they never had!

Have you tried Gaudin Porsche in Las Vegas?
They have some great pricing

Sonnen, SunCoast,Sunset are my goto's if I'm going oem.

You might consider local hydraulic hose shop.

Mike

When I need a Porsche part quickly, Pelican often has it in stock where others have a multi-day wait before the part ships.

Thanks for the suggestions - I went with a nice looking used hose from eBay for $50.

Temptation comes in many forms.

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that IF I was to think about where to go next in racing, I posted that I might consider moving to an air cooled 911 race car. To me, the air cooled cars are the epitome of Porsche amateur racing and they require a certain skill to race competently - something that I would love to learn to do well.

Then last week, I was contacted by someone who wanted to know if I want to buy the car pictured below. This is like someone asking if you want to marry Alessandra Ambrosio. Click though and see what I mean, but I'm sure that you get the point.

I went and inspected the car on Sunday and took it for a test drive. It was everything that it was supposed to be and maybe a little more. The price was within my budget. I'll admit, I was more than a little bit smitten with the car.

But this would mean having to sell the Spec Boxster.

To make a long story short - after a lot of back and forth in my mind along with consulting my good friend and last year's Spec Boxster Champion Alex Bermudez, I decided to take my own advice - don't upgrade the car until you can out drive it.

The cold, hard truth is that I am still not a better race driver than the Spec Boxster is a race car. I am still 1-1.5 seconds behind the best drivers in the class and I do not consistently place in the Top 3. To me, that says that I still have things to learn in Spec Boxster and they would only be harder to learn by moving to a car with more power and a completely different driving characteristic.

But if I was to buy the 911 anyway, I would look really, really, really good while learning those lessons!

So, the bottom line is that I'm staying with the Boxster.

But oh, oh, oh, the temptation.

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...pslzrdbz0e.jpg

I know what I would choose. But I have a street box with far less invested, I'm sure.

Yesterday, I installed the replacement power steering high pressure hose (#9 from power steering pump to disconnect under car) and found that the front hose (#1 from steering rack to disconnect under car) was leaking where the hard line enters the disconnect fitting). Since #9 was split in half, I wasn't able to tell if #1 would leak or not until I replaced #9.

For reference, hoses #9 and #1 are the high pressure lines and #2, #5, #7 are the low pressure return lines.

The installation of #9 wasn't too hard but it took a bit of fiddling (aka patience!) to get the hose in the proper position since it has several awkward bends and it fits fairly tightly up against the engine and there isn't a ton of room to maneuver around when working through the front engine access panel. Again, this was made MUCH easier by the absence of the a/c compressor.

Looks like the #1 hose shouldn't be too hard to replace since the connection to the steering rack is visible with the left front tire removed. New #1 hoses were over $300 so I bought a nice looking used hose for $150 from eBay.

Since the car was already up on the lift, I went ahead and replaced the brake pads/rotors along with an oil/filter change. I've done these two tasks so many times now that I could pretty much do it with my eyes closed. :)

Power steering parts diagram
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psbwxppyph.jpg

Location of leak in #1 front high pressure hose
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7syqjv72.jpg

#1 hose connection to the steering rack
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psoyyel0at.jpg

Used replacement hose
http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9bs81ipw.jpg

Here is a video from the PCA race where I started 2nd and finished 2nd!

Not nearly as much action as the video where I went off track but a much better ending!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/A2QSKM7BTw4?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Tom.... your race videos and closed captions are outstanding. First thing in the morning on a big screen with a cup of coffee.....great way to start the day.

I am tempted to set up a Go Fund Me Account so we can all pitch in and get you a high dollar video set up. Speed, RPSs, place on track G-force and so on. It's not for you, if for our viewing pleasure! :)

He might have that data but keeping it a secret so his competitors don't steal his tricks.... :)

I wish that I had tricks that were worth protecting! :D

With that being said, I do have all of the data but I have not yet mastered the software that let's me merge it with video and create the overlays. Maybe I'll try it once since it might be be as hard or time consuming as I imagine.

Tom-
Did you get a chance to weigh your glass windshield?
I'm very curious how much weight the lexan saves.

thanks