FRUNKenstein's 1973 Porsche 914 2.0 Bahia Red

[FRUNKenstein]

Did ceramic coating on it back in early September because it was going into the classic/exotic display at the Greater Kansas City Auto Dealers' new car show. I tried to get rid of swirl marks before I applied the ceramic coating, but it was the first time I used a power random orbit polisher, and I wimped out thinking I'd damage the paint. So, my swirl marks are now protected by ceramic coating!

[FRUNKenstein]

It won the "Red 914/924/928/944/968" class at the All German Car Show on October 1st, for the second year in a row.

[FRUNKenstein]

Then Saturday, October 8th, I was a corner worker at the KCRPCA Autocross. I managed to sneak in a lap in the 914. I took the X1/9 to last month's autocross, and like the X1/9, the 914 acquitted itself very well against the modern Porsches. I only got one timed lap and didn't get any practice laps, so I was kind of feeling my way through. But, my time was right in the middle of the pack after everyone else had got practices and 3 timed laps. I felt pretty good about that. The low-end power is definitely better in the 914 than the X1/9. The X1/9 is lighter on its feet, but the 914 just felt more substantial, better connected to the concrete and ready to be pushed harder if I had gotten a couple of more laps. I felt the car rotating on 2 occasions, and it was a much different sensation than with my old 964. With the 964, the back end would whip around. With the 914, it felt like somebody was balancing the car on a giant pin and then flicking one end to get it to spin on an axis. Someday, I'm going to find a big empty parking lot and set up my own autocross course so that I can run it a bunch of times in a row instead of waiting an hour between laps.

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[32wildbilly]

Then Saturday, October 8th, I was a corner worker at the KCRPCA Autocross. I managed to sneak in a lap in the 914. I took the X1/9 to last month's autocross, and like the X1/9, the 914 acquitted itself very well against the modern Porsches. I only got one timed lap and didn't get any practice laps, so I was kind of feeling my way through. But, my time was right in the middle of the pack after everyone else had got practices and 3 timed laps. I felt pretty good about that. The low-end power is definitely better in the 914 than the X1/9. The X1/9 is lighter on its feet, but the 914 just felt more substantial, better connected to the concrete and ready to be pushed harder if I had gotten a couple of more laps. I felt the car rotating on 2 occasions, and it was a much different sensation than with my old 964. With the 964, the back end would whip around. With the 914, it felt like somebody was balancing the car on a giant pin and then flicking one end to get it to spin on an axis. Someday, I'm going to find a big empty parking lot and set up my own autocross course so that I can run it a bunch of times in a row instead of waiting an hour between laps.


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NICE!! You need to get someone else to be a corner marshall and go drive that thing!

Your club ever think about running two flights? Each flight doing three or four back to back laps per session. With the non-driving flight people doing the corner marshalling? Maybe you guys get too many cars but it works well if you can get the deadbeat "sit in the pits" guys off their asses and on the track working.

[32wildbilly]

Did ceramic coating on it back in early September because it was going into the classic/exotic display at the Greater Kansas City Auto Dealers' new car show. I tried to get rid of swirl marks before I applied the ceramic coating, but it was the first time I used a power random orbit polisher, and I wimped out thinking I'd damage the paint. So, my swirl marks are now protected by ceramic coating!


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Swirls who cares! I don't see any swirls. I see beauty!

I see why it won the All German show mentioned below.

[FRUNKenstein]

NICE!! You need to get someone else to be a corner marshall and go drive that thing!

Your club ever think about running two flights? Each flight doing three or four back to back laps per session. With the non-driving flight people doing the corner marshalling? Maybe you guys get too many cars but it works well if you can get the deadbeat "sit in the pits" guys off their asses and on the track working.

That's not a bad idea. Our autocross chairman does a really nice job. We normally have about 30 drivers, and he gets them about 4 timed runs. So, that's a lot of laps for 1/2 day, combined with the safety meeting and practice laps. But, I've always felt like there could be some other activity going on between timed laps. I know the drivers get bored waiting, so putting them to work isn't a bad idea.

Normally, the volunteers will get a couple of laps, too. Last month, I got a practice lap and 2 timed laps. I could have easily done another timed lap Saturday, but was just lazy.

[FRUNKenstein]

Changed the oil and filter yesterday at 174,500 miles, plus cleaned out the sump screen and replaced the gaskets on the sump plate.

[FRUNKenstein]

We have a new Porsche shop in town that specializes in older Porsches, especially lawnmower models. The shop owner is the son of my first Porsche mechanic (who died a few years ago). He resurrected the name of his father's shop. He is a graduate of the McPherson College automotive restoration program, which is a very well respected program. But, it's a new shop, so I was a little concerned. In the end, it was a great experience. He did a great job and charged reasonable fees. Being a young guy, he also sent me several photos and a couple of videos via a messenging app to show his progress and key issues.

He ended up doing 6 different tasks:
-Fixed an oil leak from the sump (gasket was misaligned)
-Installed new rubber weatherstripping from 914Rubber.com on targa top and adjusted the windows to eliminate gaps (huge PITA)
-Adjusted the valves and installed new valve cover gaskets
-Removed an aftermarket alarm system installed by the previous owner
-Tracked down gasoline smell from engine that we thought was a fuel injector leaking (it was disconnected vacuum lines)
-Fixed a sticky exterior door latch on passenger door

The total for parts (minimal), labor, shop supplies and tax was $1,343. Overall, I'm very happy. Mileage was 174,900.

There are still a couple of minor projects (paint correction for swirls, install seat adjuster handle and install glove box), but for the most part, the 914 is running well, not leaking oil and pretty squared away.