Not quite a Civic... but still fun

such is life it seems with this car, always something needing attention and money

it goes back to paint monday so the mechanic is getting to get under it tomorrow and have parts on hand for when it comes back
 
Very true, and this time i know what is causing the problem so the diagnostic time should be much shorter
 
Car went back to paint to fix the dent and other issues last tuesday. Just spoke with the shop where the manager previously said we would have the car back today no problems. Slight problem, the car wasnt actually in paint on tuesday like they said, their compressors went down wednesday night so they really only painted the car today, and still havnt done any wet sanding.

its going to be over 2-3 weeks to pull/push a dent, repaint the hood and quarter panel and do some wet sanding.

Their excuse "we only have a limited number of employees and so we cant work on all of the cars we have at one time"
Response "well what was the point of making an appointment for the car so you guys could sit and do nothing on it for a week then?"
*silence*

When we finally get it back the paint on the car better be flawless, or else im going to either send it back again or make this shop pay for another shop to finally do it right. We paid for a show car quality paint job, and we didnt get it.
 
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Thanks, i dont think i have any interior shots, aside from what you see of the inside in the videos on the previous page.

unfortunately with this paint shop fiasco i wont get to drive or even see the car again till thanksgiving or christmas
 
Thanks, i dont think i have any interior shots, aside from what you see of the inside in the videos on the previous page.

unfortunately with this paint shop fiasco i wont get to drive or even see the car again till thanksgiving or christmas

Wow..that stinks. And just in time for the winter months. My sister lives in Herndon. With the way traffic is up there, I'd be scared to drive a nice car like yours up there.
 
Ethlar- I know you've got some pretty decent detailing skills but, have you guys considered taking the car to a pro to have it really really perfectly detailed and protected? I'd recommend looking into some of those semi-permanent coatings like opti-coat, 22ple, G tecniq, or something similar. Since I've seen you a do a real nice job on a couple cars Im sure you could maintain it and keep it looking perfect.

The body shop can usually get it pretty good but that's not their business. A real pro detailer doing a full 2 or 3 step paint correction even right out of the shop can make a big difference. I dunno.... just something I was thinking of for you guys.

I bet you could do a better job yourself than that body shop if you have the time. Maybe consult rasky for ideas on some really good protection so maintenance is a breeze and the paint lasts.
 
I have a tentative appointment with a detailer in herndon, ive already arranged with him he gets the car for a weekend and pretty much can do whatever treatments he feels are necessary to really protect the car and make it look its best


Wow..that stinks. And just in time for the winter months. My sister lives in Herndon. With the way traffic is up there, I'd be scared to drive a nice car like yours up there.

I grew up driving in the area, so its not too horrible, ive taken it all around both the baltimore and dc beltways, played in tail ends of rush hour traffic. For an air cooled engine in traffic it does surprisingly well standing still, oil temps come up to about 210F but dont go any higher, normal driving is around 190-200F. The biggest annoyance is the lack of a passenger side view mirror when dealing with a right lane change from stopped into moving traffic. Its about a 50/50 split for people who see the car and the historic plates and back off vs those who see the car and will get on my *** no matter what lane im in or speed im doing.

Most likely it will be back in the shop come thanksgiving or christmas, now that the car is running its time to have some fun with it. So its getting tie rod ends from a 930 turbo, adjusting the torsion bars down to take the ride height back to european spec which is 1-2 inches lower, the lack of passenger side mirror is being corrected, and whatever other projects our mechanic can come up with. Im pulling for upgraded sway bars and still pondering that carrera 2 cam that can give a decent power bump and new struts in the front with a higher damping rate. Right now with 20 gallons of gas between the front wheels the car is fine, but as you drop below half a tank you start to notice how bouncy the front likes to get.
 
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good stuff man. Drop me or rasky a line and keep us up to date on what the detailer is charging/recommending.

I love the character the car has. Changing attitude based on how much gas is in it. The upgrades available sound like this car is going to be a super fun project that you can keep improving and tweaking. Air cooled is where it's at for Porsche purists. Something raw and authentic about it.
 
i never thought of myself as much of a porsche purist, till i started noticing the modern ones on the road, the engine notes on the water cooled ones just arent the same and dont sound right to my ear after this car.
 
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Got home yesterday and chatted with my dad a little bit, then went for a joy ride. Unfortunately there are vacuum leaks in the intake/fuel metering system again so the car is running rough, drivable but 25-45mph speed limits are not happy (oh darn :flame:) the car wants to be revved high and driven fast.

I think tomorrow evening im taking it back to the mechanic for the winter and turning him loose for the suspension and other mods before spring/summer and so he can track down these vacuum leaks and seal up the intake system.

Body shop did a decent job on the repaint, but buffing the orange peel theres holograms in the paint from their poor buffing technique. Im not going back to them though. Just gonna turn Dave loose on it for a weekend.
 
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For these...

3B9112BF-444D-490C-84E0-572CE86DBA13_zpseqpdkhbt.jpg
 
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