914R build thread revisited, Latest transformation has commenced Options

[brant]

Can't wait to hear about the school
It's addictive!

[campbellcj]

I just found this thread and spent some time going through it. Congratulations on a great project. I love the 914R concept! Just out of curiosity, how easy/difficult is it to install the muffler so you can drive it on the street?

Thanks! Re. swapping mufflers, "it depends". With the setup I am using now, either open megaphones or an M&K 2in/2out, the hardware is pretty well exposed and accessible so it's just a few minute job but easy to bang knuckles and also you have to change out the gaskets every few times as they get trashed and then the header-muffler connection leaks. But I do find it worthwhile per my "butt dyno" removing the muffler for the track and it sounds killer. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

[Dave_Darling]

Ask the shop if they can run a borescope under the fan shroud to look for anything the rats may have left behind. Nesting material, in particular, makes terrific insulation, and will keep your heads and cylinders toasty warm!

...Or is that "melty warm"?

--DD

[campbellcj]

I'm back and it was incredible. There was some car carnage including several dumped engines/trans and some contact during the weekend, unfortunately, but my weekend was clean and flawless. Here's a story I just wrote that POC may be publishing shortly in their blog or magazine:

---

My first Racer's Clinic experience was long overdue, as I'd had every intention of progressing thru the POC Cup Race licensing process a couple of years ago. After driving autocross, HPDE and TA/TT events for over 15 years, and having built an extensively-modified car with all the safety gear and durability required for racing, I was ready and itching to ratchet things up a notch or two. But, life happens, and I just kept missing not only the clinics but many other events as well. Finally earlier this summer, as I was fighting-off terrible withdrawals for some track action and feeling depressed every time I walked past my dormant race car, the stars aligned. Not only could I make it to a clinic weekend, it was at a new track I'd been wanting to try (Spring Mountain), and as an added bonus was being guest instructed by none other than renowned driver, author and coach Ross Bentley!

Later in a class segment, Ross would emphasize the importance of preparation on all levels - physical, mental, and gear - and I completely agree. Over the years, I have refined an event prep and packing checklist and of course compiled all the stuff to support what's on that list. Tasks like loading the trailer or swapping sets of wheels/tires are second nature for me, so no problems there. Still, any 3-4 day journey across state lines entails plenty of crucial details, from booking lodging to confirming that yes the trailer IS still at the storage place and intact, and checking/inflating no fewer than 18 tires. My car also needed minor servicing and brake pads - thanks to Marco and the crew at TLG I tried a new Pagid compound plus a new cooling duct setup.

Getting to the track entailed a nearly 7-hour tow out of LA where Waze fortuitously routed me through Death Valley at sunset. Spectacular, jaw-dropping scenery with nobody around for miles. Although I've lived in SoCal my whole life, I had actually never been to Death Valley so this was pretty cool, although isn't it a bit nerve-racking to have no cell signal for 100 miles? Ultimately I rolled-into my Parumph hotel plenty early to inhale some secondhand smoke from the oxygen-tank slot machine contingent, and ingest some of Parumph's finest buffet fare (according to the hotel's sign), before passing out.

Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch. Wow. Dorothy, we aren't at Willow Springs anymore. How many tracks have hot water and showers, and were those granite countertops in the bathrooms? Air conditioning in the classroom that actually makes everybody cold? As for the track itself, we ran the Mansell D configuration which is 3.4 miles long, technical with like 19 turns depending how you count 'em and a total blast to drive. In my car with short gears I approached top speed in two sections but also used 2nd and 3rd heavily in the twisty bits. It's almost as if one connected Big Willow and Streets together into one giant Frankentrack. Thus it was a very good thing that my brake setup changes worked. It's a very nice facility and well-designed track I hope to visit again.

Ross Bentley brought a wealth of knowledge to our clinic lectures. He is an articulate and approachable guy, able to make his points clearly and keep the audience engaged without relying on slide decks or props. He really personalizes the material with his own real-world stories and sharing other people's. We had some great interactive dialog in each session, as Ross encouraged our questions and did not seem to mind what seemed like some extended tangents, as long as we reeled-in the schedule to make it to grid on time. I just bought one of Ross's recent books to delve deeper. Of course Dwain, Dave, Jim and other long-time POCers contributed massively as co-instructors with their own racing experiences plus their deep knowledge of POC rules and culture.

On track in our 4 sessions per day, we ran through a number of drills in succession, each targeting a building-block skill required to successfully finish a race. For example, first passing on a straight after corner exit, then passing within a corner, and next passing under braking into a corner. Passing on the left. Passing on the right. How race starts work. It was surprisingly fun running these drills, I thought, and was a great opportunity to get to know other drivers as we were working in pairs or teams for most of this. My main partner was Steve Town and we hit it off well, running comparable lap times despite our wildly different cars and rapidly developing that vital on-track trust and rapport. Traffic was challenging at times, as our class I'm sure had drivers of varying skill levels, but also there were a handful of cars significantly faster than the plentiful spec Boxsters and Caymans. As Ross and Dwain would continuously remind us...that's racing! We all got plenty of valuable chances to practice passing and being passed, for sure. Saturday night many of us convened at the lakeside BBQ up the road, which I also really enjoyed as I got to catch up with people I hadn't seen in ages, like Will Marcy, and meet a number of others including Ron Palmer.

The clinic culminated Sunday afternoon with a brief final lecture which was mainly a pep talk and final safe-and-sane adult behavior warning, and then we were sent off to run a 25-minute mixed-class practice race. No points or trophies were at stake here, but it was set up exactly the same as a real race. I was gridded 5th and ready to go out a solid 10 minutes before we'd go hot. Raindrops. Wait, aren't we in the desert during a historic drought? Yep, we are. More raindrops. Now, my car has hard old slicks, no windshield wipers, and I had previously driven it in the rain a total of maybe 4 minutes. More raindrops. Luckily for us, the rain tapered-off without depositing significant water on track and the cloudy sky meant no afternoon sun blasting our eyes. The race itself went well as far as I could tell, but I'm sure our starting formation was not as neat-and-tidy as ideal, and a Boxster dumped its engine along the way. Some yellow and black flags were thrown and I think these were a mix of real issues and tests for us. What I can say for sure is there were huge smiles and high-fives everywhere when we pulled into impound, each graduate having had his or her driver's log book signed-off by Dwain and having made memories and racing buddies that will last a lifetime!

The tow home was without question the roughest part of the weekend in my case: 6 1/2 hours through nighttime desert thunderstorms with some wind gusts mixed in. Oh joy! But I was on cloud nine the whole way and actually not too exhausted or anxious, as the preparation, focus and car control we cultivate during every POC event helps bring us home safely on the highway too. Now I can't wait for my next Racer's Clinic (two are required to be eligible for a race license). After so many years of chasing lap times and getting trophies for beating someone who might not even have been on track at the same time or even realize who I am, I have realized how profoundly different and more exhilarating it is to power-down at that thunderous rolling start, side-by-side, and race your fellow club members and friends to the finish line.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c3.staticflickr.com-21-1477461524.1.jpg)914R by Chris Campbell, on Flickr

[Cracker]

Fantastic read Chris...I've got to pick it again a little later - work beckons. Congratulations on finally taking and making this step happen. All the best.

PS: I am very impressed the lengths they go to make the experience authentic - dropping an engine on the course during your practive race is very thorough indeed! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Tony

[falcor75]

What a great read, thank you and congrats! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[campbellcj]

Here's some video. Mixed-class 20-minute practice race at the end of a Racer's Clinic (licensing school). Not terribly interesting as I was tip-toeing on bald old slicks in damp conditions, and the field was pretty small for this enormous 3.4 mile track. Basically the higher-powered aero cars ran away at the start, and I ran away from the pack of Boxsters, then just ran several clean laps without traffic.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU_eRPYaOjA

[914_teener]

Nice read Chris. Congrats

Looks like the car was breaking loose out of some of the corners....great driving.

[brant]

Awesome Chris!

[Maltese Falcon]

She's running clean and strong (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) Chris...love it !

[0396]

Chris,
A Big Congrats to you in ascending and being signed off by Dwain of Vision.

As I have mentioned, your-6 is one bad a-- of a ride.
Since your local to the SoCal, your - 6 is in the league of the late Topper Chasse's-6. Topper had 30k of total track miles on his -6. He used to run circles around others in POC.
Then, he had a bunch of spares- like 6 or more trans for all of the tracks that POC ran.

The other car that comes to mind is Roger Sheridan's -6.

Your one of those -6 owners who talk the talk and walk the walk vs simply crusing around in it.

Ps, you've come a long way since our paths cross at a Willow Springs Steets event 15 years ago.

Congrats (IMG:style_emoticons/default/pray.gif)

[campbellcj]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c2.staticflickr.com-21-1478241489.1.jpg)POC Racers Clinc at Spring Mountain by Chris Campbell, on Flickr

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c7.staticflickr.com-21-1478242517.1.jpg)914R at Spring Mountain by Chris Campbell, on Flickr

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/c1.staticflickr.com-21-1478242518.2.jpg)914R at Spring Mountain by Chris Campbell, on Flickr

Thanks Cali Photography for some great shots! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

[914forme]

And why hasn't this car ever made it to be a COTM winner, beyond me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Looks like your having a good time out there, the car in its natural elements is (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

[Cracker]

Sigh. You don't want the honest answer to that question...

Tony


quote name='914forme' date='Nov 4 2016, 09:36 AM' post='2419415']
And why hasn't this car ever made it to be a COTM winner, beyond me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Looks like your having a good time out there, the car in its natural elements is (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)
[/quote]

[JmuRiz]

Probably because only oldtimers remember when he got the car and have watched the transformation to it's current, well sorted, state.

[0396]

[quote name='Cracker' date='Nov 4 2016, 07:01 AM' post='2419427']
Sigh. You don't want the honest answer to that question...

Tony


Like minds think alike..+1 to your response above. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Cracker]

Regarding the pics - they look great Chris!

T

[campbellcj]

The VARA school is this weekend and still a go - it may rain which will suck but not stop me unless it's horrendously miserable or dangerous.

The only prep remaining is to pick-up the new tires (not using for this event, but I like having spares) and fixing some lights on my trailer.

This past weekend I knocked-out a few things:

- Cleaned and inspected the car all around
- Did a "10 foot" rattle-can touch-up of some old tire failure damage on the left rear fender
- Finally figured-out (I think) a better way to quiet-down the custom targa roof skin, which has always squeaked and rattled
- Ordered some new Hoosier slicks (!!!! and $$$$)
- Test drove around the neighborhood with open pipes

[campbellcj]

I have some updates, not all good. First though, somebody was looking for roof mounting ideas on another thread so I figured I would cross-post these.

Here is my "shadetree engineering". It has held up quite a few years now. You can see my attempts at noise/vibration control.

[campbellcj]