The Mishap and the FIX.

I wish I had taken pictures of the recent work I did on the front air dam... I did two things...

The MISHAP: I spun-out (180 deg) in the rain a few months ago, and dinged up the front left corner of the air scoop... It broke the fiberglass a bit, and tweaked the oil cooler. Totally drivable, and purely cosmetic damage.

Fix # 1: I had to twist back the oil cooler - it was rotated (twisted slightly up and under on the left side - drivers side) on the far end from the connectors. (again pictures would have been smart) luckily it was not damaged. None of the fins really were even touched. The force was caused by one of those soft curbs... and it was the fiberglass that took most of the force)

Basically it looked like I had nailed one of those parking curb things.

I had to figure out how to grab the thing, and twist it back. I had one large pipe wrench, a flat piece of aluminum, about 1/2 thick by 4" x 10", and two or three large c-clamps. I basically clamped the plate to the connector end so I could put my foot against it, and wrenched it back to straight with the pipe wrench. (carefully) It's now hard to tell that ever got bumped. Works perfectly.

The other fix was more involved:

Fix # 2: first thing was to remove the air dam so I could get it sorted out. There are really only two 13mm nuts and two 10mm bolts that hold it in place. Taking it off was fairly easy... but putting it back on was a royal pain.

The area near the left front of the air scoop (right, lower corner when looking at it from the front of the car) was crunched a bit. Not too bad. I simply washed it off to get rid of some dirt that had been in there. (remember it was rainy, muddy and so forth) Then I had to sand off some loose fiberglass that had been broken up. It was fairly localized, and not too extensive. a quick hit with a belt sander (inside) and it was prepped for new glass.

From there... I took some carbon fiber I have and had laid some pieces to fill in the area, which when set made the structure super solid again. I did two layers of that. For the exterior, I added some resin, and got it close. Then I finished it off with Bondo, sanded it smooth and matched the shape from the opposite side. I then sprayed it with a touch up can of the color I had for the car.

Fix # 3: This final Fix was for something that had bothered me about the final fit and finish on the car. It was never quite PERFECTLY straight on the top portion of the bumper cover.  It was wavy. (see before photo below)

To fix this I took a piece of aluminum channel and cut it to about 30 inches in length. The channel was about 1/2" deep and wide and the material is about 3/16". I then drilled 3/8" holes about 1.5" on center throughout the length of the channel. The purpose was to help it integrate into the existing fiberglass - allowing the resin to flow around the aluminum - thereby holding it firmly from then on.

Step 1: I laid two strips of carbon fiber about 2" wide and 33" long on the top inside of the bumper area. (underside of the top of the bumper shape)

Step2: Before the resin began to cure, I placed the aluminum reinforcing channel atop the new carbon fiber, and clamped it into place - forcing the resin to flow in the holes and around it. I then poured more resin in the channel and around it to secure it further.

After letting it cure for a couple hours, the clamps were removed, and the result is a beautifully flat bumper.

BEFORE & AFTER PHOTOS:

(Before: notice a dip slightly left and above the left front signal indicator
After: the dip is gone, and the top of the bumper is more solid and aligned with the hood)

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New Site: The Next Drive!

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4th of July Drive...

More about this drive: 115 Mi, 3hrs 32 minutes. Lots of cool areas to see. Including: 49, 193, Georgetown, Rock Creek Road, Mosquito Road (switchbacks and one lane bridge), Placerville, Cedar Ravine Road (TOTALLY COOL), and back to Folsom via Salmon Falls to Green Valley.

Not the shortest drive, but lots of squiggly lines and technical driving.

Update: these pictures were captured in the cool canyon where American River meets Mosquito Road: it's a neat gulch and if you're in the area, worth see and hearing.

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TGIF: Going Scouting in the Sierra Foothills:

One of the best roads I have ever driven: Start in Placerville, CA
Hwy 50 > Mosquito Road > Rock Creek Road > Hwy 193 > Hwy 49

COOLEST DRIVE EVER: CLICK TO EXPAND MAP:

CHECK OUT THE WAY TO ROCK CREEK ROAD VIA MOSQUITO ROAD:
SCRUB TO 6:54 to SEE THE ONE LANE BRIDGE

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More Video will be posted shortly, plus some cool photos, and tips on this drive.
34 Miles, 1 Hour according to Google. We'll see. Check it out on this site before you go.

ROUGHING IT A BIT ON SAND RIDGE ROAD: QUITE A FANTASTIC DRIVE TODAY,
except for that gravel stretch. Definitely not for the garage queen!

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Stay tuned: Returning on Wednesday - More videos and photos coming shortly. Tahoe is just looking incredible this year - still plenty of snow on the mountains, and a perfect 78 degrees or less in the full sun. We're having a great vacation up there.

CHASED BY TWO CHOPPERS on HWY 89!

At 1:35 you hear the chase motorcycle scraping it's hull on the road to keep up (that's not my car making that noise) - too bad I didn't have a chase cam setup, on the first switchback at 2:48 you hear the chopper noise behind. at 7:56 I finally have a chance to get by the Subaru and let the two choppers by. Then it's 5 minutes of fun till they quit a couple miles ahead.

Good sounds, sights. 3 camera angles add to the fun.

FROM AUBURN... TO FOLSOM and BACK

A Few good Porsches!

We attend a charity event , 'Make A Wish Foundation'

DRIVE TO ENJOY - IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, FUEL & WEATHER ALL LINED UP:

View Directions to Mines Road Drive in a larger map

DYNO PERFORMED SEPTEMBER 12, 2010 - Thunder Hill Raceway - CA


THE ABOVE RUNS SHOW MAX HP: 178.99 (+17% Driveline loss)
HP at FLYWHEEL: 179 / .83 = 215.66 HP @ 6200 RPM  (torque: 163.83 / .83 = 197.39 ft-lbs @ 5400RPM)

RUN 1 - 2		RUN 3 - 4

THE ABOVE RUNS SHOW 178.99 (+17% Driveline loss) HP at FLYWHEEL: 179 / .83 = 215.66 HP

DEAD PEDAL FABRICATED & INSTALLED: FACTORY SHORT SHIFT ALSO INSTALLED.

Interior brought to life: (Interior lighting getting installed - Trunk, Cabin, Rear Decklid)

February 27, 2010 Event:

Want to see your car in a similar photo? Photography Services Available: (916) 222-5721

DRIVE TO COLUSA CASINO and then HOME (Buttes in the background along HWY 20)

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A NEAT DAY IN SACRAMENTO TO TAKE PICTURES. NEVER MIND THE PORSCHE.... CHECK OUT THOSE CLOUDS!

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MORE PHOTOS?  See more Cloudy Day Pictures Here