Brisk Morning Drive
Took the 911 out for its first true outing since taking on the project in March 2020. So great to get it out and see the fruits of all the effort and frustration. Overall impressions; very solid chassis, no electrical or mechanical major oddities. Our destination was STATES COFFEE in Martinez. Long enough get the car up to temp, close enough to limp it home if necessary (it wasn’t necessary).
Flashback to March 2020
Life was good, the pandemic wasn’t a thing yet, Porsche in my driveway. The beginning of its journey back to roadworthy.
Letting it warm up before we depart!
Out to the wild!
Pictures before it leaves the driveway. Roads are a bit cold, meaning cold R888s and likely slippery which I found out about 1000 ft away from the house. A bit too much throttle (25%) and boost decided to spin the rears. All good, just a wake up that this car wants to run and tires must be warm.
Quick photo op near the refinery. Cool tunnel. Thanks Colleen!
More investigation necessary. Doesn’t sound catastrophic, but isn’t good either.
Overall I consider it a success. Noted a few items to address, but no leaks and good temperatures.
Driving temperatures:
Intake = 9-17 °C (48-63 °F)
Coolant = ~72 °C (162 °F)
Mysterious metallic crunching sound from rear axles (video above)
Light clunk in front end at low speed (everything is tight, curious if worn ball joint somewhere)
Partial throttle response is very abrupt, makes driving around town difficult
0-25% seems chunky with respect to rpm the engine wants
Boost builds absurdly fast, making throttle roll in for lower gears a bit challenging (cold tires don’t help)
Highway cruising is nice; 2500 rpm at 72 mph in fifth gear
Needs an alignment, drivable and tracks straight enough for now
Front end is quite light, nice feel but darts about. In corners it felt great with smooth feedback.
Driver’s door mechanism does not lock, tumbler appears stuck
Faint coolant smell from frunk. Could not locate leak, may just be from past coolant lingering on hoses.
Engine return to idle once warm needs tuning. Engine stalls when pushing in the clutch, ECU doesn’t seem to pick up throttle to maintain soon enough. Idles fine once restarted.
Starts and restarts are good, could use mild work. Not really a concern.
Quite comfortable once the shocks had some miles on them after sitting.
Road noise should be decent after interior is installed
Needs some rubber bumpers on trunk lid to stop rattling (adding later today)
Maiden voyage went well. I’ll track down the few issues before handing off for upholstery in two weeks.
Great to get a car back on the road after sitting over a decade. The blow off noises will bring a smile to anyone nearby.
