Back in the garage

Well JZ Machtech are having her back for a while now. She needs the gearbox checking, and loads of new suspension parts.. The fuel pump replacing, new clutch, oil seals replaced, the list is never ending! After a stint at JZM, we'll drive her back up to Mark at RS911 to finish the conversion job off. He's going to fit the correct exhaust, the chrome around the windows, chrome door handles, and I'm having a steel bonnet (the fibre glass bonnet doesn't fit) with four spotlights fitted! I popped in the Steve Wong performance chip at the weekend, so I'll see what it's done to decrease my 0-60 at 7:30am on the North Circular tomorrow!

Vid at start line

This is a vid I took from the start line. The original Mustang next to the Lambo was probably the most valuable car there... Notice on the other side the SCREEM guys being served Champagne by a midget - class!

Long trip back through Germany

After all the hoo-ha about going through Germany, we decided to cut through there to quicken the journey back. Some people had been held up at the German and Italian borders (Rani got held up by gun point! Har har!!) even though it was a day or two since the end of the rally. We had no problems at all though (other than mechanical issues), and surprisingly the Germans loved it! They were taking pictures of it and giving us thumbs up all the way to France.

The Final Day..

The drive down to Croatia was good fun, even in a hire car. As Gary said to us on the phone "Don't go too fast Ash, you know how precious hire cars are" - ho ho ho!! We managed to get south in no time at all, even beating an Aston Martin from the border to the finish line! The finish line and final party were great fun, and we made it through to 6:30am the next morning. I decided it might be a good time to hit the sack when Helen started inviting the Cannonball crowd up to our room to raid the mini bar. We had a lovely big lunch the next day with a bunch of the guys - really nice food, drink and fabulous company. I know it's a cliché, but it's the people that make the Cannonball 8000 what it is.

Second Day

Germany had told the Cannonball crew that they would impound any Cannonball car coming through their fine country. The Cannonball team only told us this after we'd been drinking, so standing up and leaving there and then at 11pm was out of the question. Instead we went to bed and got up at 2:30am to drive 1000 miles round the long way.. Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic! It was all a bit too much for the old girl and we suffered alternator problems in Austria - a shame really as we'd come so far. We wave off Gary and Ian who we'd been following for 500 odd miles and started making frantic phone calls to arrange a garage and a hire car.

Steves Viper

I love Steve and Sarahs Dodge Viper. Across the top of the windscreen it says 'Don't mention the war!' - class.

First day is great fun, then POW!

We got off to a good start, leaving Earls Court straight into the traffic and heading slowly down to the south coast. As we were burning round the M25, we saw the Ferrari girls waving like mad (they are mad) at us and driving off at silly speed in the wrong direction on the M25. We also saw a couple of cars being nicked for speeding - two Porsches caught by a police Volvo.. Ho ho!! We got to Brussels OK and Helen got interviewed. 20 mins later we were in the bar getting drunk. 3 hours later Conrad dropped the bombshell - we couldn't drive through Germany!

We're at the start line..

Near the front, but squashed between a Range Rover and a big Corona truck. There's an orange lambo next to us that's attracting more wasps than our car. Wasps are so fickle. The Spearmint Rhino girls keep jumping on peoples bonnets.. If they do it to our car, they'll fall straight through the fibre glass bonnet onto our luggage, so I'm keeping guard.

Woohoo! Last minute fix!

We got the train back to Chiswick and started prepping helens Boxster to take when we got a call from the Porsche garage - they'd got the car working again!! It was the short shift gear kit after all (nice one Mr AA guy). We dived into the rush hour M25 traffic and picked it up about 6pm. Excellent, so now we've just got to get home, put the stickers on, install the stereo, pack our clothes etc etc. Don't think we'll make it to the launch party tonight.. :(

Not the best start...

Well that didn't go quite as planned.. After visiting the garage in the morning to sort out the clonking noise coming from the engine bay, we drove to Pinner to pick up a new stereo. Everything was going well and then, pow, the gearbox is stuck in reverse. The AA guy spent ages on it and said the gearbox was knackered. We got it on the back of a truck (hours later) and got it back to the garage. I know what you're thinking: "how could anyone have this much bad luck?"... Well when it comes to cars, to us it comes naturally!

Half stickered up

I picked Lula up from JZ Machtech on Friday. She feels much tighter now she's been lowered and the sport shocks installed. It wasn't cheap though, and right now it just feels like we're pouring money we don't have into a car that's over 20 years old and could blow up in Kent for all we know! Only half the stickers have come through so far, which is really annoying because we wanted to get them all on there during the weekend . Also, there's a 'clonking' noise coming from the rear which is very worrying. I've got to take her back to JZM on Thursday to have them check it. We're off on the 2007 Cannonball 8000 rally this Friday, so we don't have any time for mechanical problems!

Mark demos the exhaust!

Picked her up at last! woohoo!!

We got up at 4:30am on Saturday morning to get a series of trains up to Wales to pick 'Lula' up. Mark has done us proud with a car that has people doing double takes in the street. Honestly, kids jump up and down pointing at it, blokes smile in appreciation, and women usually give us an almightily dirty look. If you could hear it you'd know why - it's exceptionally loud… Even when ticking over on idle it sounds like a spitfire! It's AWESOME!! We love it! We're certainly going to make an impression on the start line of the Cannonball 8000 rally! There are a few small bits that need to be sorted, the exhaust is one of them. It's a racing system at the moment that sounds like a dragster and spits out fire! As brilliant as it is, it's not really suitable for London so we'll get a new one at some point. Anyway, here are the pics!

Cannonball 8000 2007 - Germans don't see the funny side!

We've had an email off the Cannonball 8000 team saying that talks have broken down with Germany, and their Police are going to consider the Cannonball 8000 2007 rally 'illegal'!! They suggest we should peel off ALL of our car stickers before entering Germany and driving incognito.. In this car?! It's hardly under cover! They then suggest we should re-sticker our car as soon as we exit Germany. I'm having two sets of sponsor stickers made up just in case. Donner und blitzen!

One week to go..

The lightweight carpet is now in, Mark has borrowed a roll cage off a friend and we're almost ready to roll. As long as nothing goes wrong (ie engine exploding etc) she will be ready to pick up next Saturday. Mark's going to ride her around for a bit to check it's all OK then install my Steve Wong performance chip. After picking her up and driving home, I've booked her into to JZM for the wheel bearings and shocks to be replaced along with the ride height lowered and geometry checked. I really hope our luck holds up and nothing goes wrong mechanically. Honestly, I think I'd cry!

Decals are on

Day by day we get closer.. The Carrera Decals are now in place, but we're still missing the roll cage and light carpet set. We're sending the new (silver on black) registration plates and my Steve Wong performance chip up to him to install. The Cannonball 8000 2007 is only 25 days to go now. As far as I'm aware, we're the only entrants in the rally who had a car built specifically for it! Woo hoo!

Wow, only a couple of weeks to go..

Wow, Mark sent over the latest pictures and it looks stunning.. Absolutely stunning. He said they're having trouble locating the exhaust headers, so I'm borrowing an exhaust off Andy until after the Cannonball 8000 rally. The interior is still stripped out, so there's still a load of work to do. Apparently the guy who put the stereo in left a load of bare wires behind the dash which shorted and burnt out a load of wiring - so that's all got to be replaced. I've decided I'm just going to get the wheel bearings and geometry done after picking her up and before the rally. There's no point tempting fate by replacing the clutch and shocks. Look at it… Look at it!!!!!

One month to go.. Car Still in pieces!

Well, there's only a month to go before the rally starts. Thank so much to everyone who's sponsored us.. We're up to around £1,400 now which is amazing. Mark is back off holiday and is completing the final assembly of the car now. It's going to be very tight indeedy. We may have to forego some of the mechanical work that needs doing, and just hope the car lasts the trip! Next week we're going to meet with Rani and Flembo for a drink to discuss preparation for the rally. These guys are doing it in a frankly awesome Ferrari 360CS… It's a stripped out racer (though it's still got air-con. Damn). You can go to their web site here: http://www.team79.co.uk/

Post pickup work required

I need to speak to Jaz and JZ Machtech about the further mechanical work I'll need doing on the car when we pick it up from Mark. Ideally I'd like to replace the clutch, replace all the shocks, install poly bushes and turbo tie rods, lower the ride height, oh and change all the wheel bearings.. I'm worried that the bearings might not be strong enough to cope with the new big wheels.

First coat of paint is on!

While I was away on holiday, Mark and Angela sent some pictures through of the latest progress on the conversion. They sent the pictures at 11:30pm, so Mark truly is working night and day to get her ready on time for the Cannonball 8000 rally. As you can see from the pics, a huge amount of progress has been made in the last week. All of the wings and bumpers are lined up, the primer is down, and now also the first coat of orange. All of the rusty sections have been removed and replaced with new parts, the underside has been waxed and sealed up. Putting all of the parts back together can take much longer that you might think Mark warned me though. Andy has quoted me on the last few parts I need to source - exhaust, chrome wing mirrors, and door cards. It's all coming together!

I've updated the main Porsche 911 RSR web site

I've updated my main landing website http://www.myrsr.com/ check it out! There is more information on the RSR replica project, and details on our efforts to raise some money for Cancer Research UK by driving our Porsche 911 RSR accross Europe in the Cannonball 8000 rally.

Latest trip to Wales to check on progress

We went up to see Mark at RS-911 at the weekend to check on the progress of my rsr. We're really against the clock now, as the Cannonball 8000 rally is only 60 days away. Mark has made a huge amount of progress on the car, with all the interior stripped out, all of the rotten pieces replaced, and all but one wing welded in place. He's sourced an original RS rear deck with duck tail spoiler, and it looks awesome! I've now got to get a suitable exhaust, chrome wing mirrors, door handles, and the inner door cards - luckily for me, Marks friend Andy (Lightweight 911 on DDK) was there to offer his assistance with finding these.

It's coming together..

I just talked to Mark, and it seems like things are coming together.. I've got the seats ordered (picture on the left), Marks sourced a replica RSR half roll cage - he's stripped out the interior and he's fitting the rear bumper on today before moving onto the WEVO short shifter kit I bought. We're going up to see him at the weekend to take measurements for all of the stickers we're having made up for the race. I'll get a load of pictures of the conversion off him for the web site then. It should be all primed up and ready for painting in a couple of weeks - woohoo! At least the Boxster is all sorted now - new gearbox, flywheel and clutch. Bit of a nightmare really but it's behind us now. The garage we bought it from helped us out with the final bill in the end.

Progress!

Mark sent me an email yesterday with an update on the project. The front end is pretty well sorted, with the wing and wheel arch on the driver side in place, and the passenger side going on tomorrow. The front and rear bumpers will come over from Sweden soon. He'll sent me some update photos in the next couple of weeks. I'm starting to panic a bit about the schedule as the Cannonball 8000 is rapidly approaching and I know Mark's got a lot to do still. The whole project was held up for months because it was so hard to get the wheels sorted.

The track day pics came through

We weren't out for too long on the track but we got a few good pics. This is one of me and Helen - you can just see the look of horror on her face! We've got the boxster back now after 3 weeks at Jaz Porsche in Wembley. The garage we bought it from (911 Virgin in Uxbridge) are shrugging off any responsibility for the gearbox because we'd taken it on a track day. Of course there is no way a few laps round mallory park caused massive failure of the gearbox, dual mass flywheel, and clutch - the argument continues!!

Oh dear.. Gearbox disaster

The track day was great fun, but we only managed to get out onto the track a couple of times before some odd rattling / clanking noises from the rear made us decide to stop. It had been making a few funny noises since we bought it, and these noises got worse as the day progressed so we retired after lunch. I didn't even drive it hard, so it must have had something wrong with it originally that the driving antagonised. We drove around in the afternoon OK other than some dodgy noises coming from the rear, but when we started it the next morning the rear wheels had completely seized up unless you dipped the clutch. We phoned the AA and got them to transport us back to London the next day :(

Cannonball 8000 Track day on Friday!

Can't wait for Friday! We're doing a Cannonball 8000 Track Day at Malory park. Unfortunately we'll have to do it in Helens Boxster, but it's accomplished track day car. I'll be getting the car graphics delivered tomorrow.. Nothing fancy, just our cars number and a 'http://www.myrsr.com/' logo.

Sold the Targa - boo hoo!

We decided to sell our beautiful 911 Targa. Helen uses it every day, and even though she loves it, it's just not really that practical for the constant sub-mile commute. We found a nice, Boxster at '911 Virgin' in Uxbridge to trade it for. As always with these things, I did my shirt on the deal, but it's done now and Helen's really happy with her new car! The guys at 911 Virgin said the Boxster is in tip top condition - just been serviced etc. Here's the old darling... I hope to get another Targa one day - maybe a pre-impact bumper. I know a lot of people don't like them, but there's nothing better on a hot, sunny day.

Tyres… What to do about tyres. I've heard the Michelin TB15's are good for this kind of conversion, and I've seen some great pics. They cost £220+VAT for the fronts and about £240+VAT for the rears. I've got a bit of an issue though - the sizes don't seem right on the rear. The rears come in two sizes, 295/40VR15 and 335/40VR15 - the first is a little bit too narrow for the rims, and the second is too wide. After discussing this with Mark and his friend Andy, I've decided to go for the Yokohamas that were originally on the RSR. These are only made in small batches once a year, but luckily Mark knows someone I can buy a set off - some luck at last!

Well the good news is that Mark thinks the wheels are very good quality - if a little on the expensive side. The bad news is that we can't find the locking wheel nut to take the old wheels off - aaagh!! Looks like I won't be taking the old wheels back with me after all. I'm going to have to go back and search the house for it. Here she sits.. Desperate for attention!

Oh my god, oh my god, they're ready!!

Finally!! The wheels are ready - woohoo!! I'm going to take a day off work to pick them up from Northampton and drive them up to Mark in Wales. I've then got to take my old wheels and drive them back to Northampton (I'm part exchanging with the new wheels). I have to say, Biagio has done a great job - they look awesome.. If you need any Fuchs wheels for a project like this, or you wnat to resore your current wheels, this is the guy to talk to. Email him on: biagio911@btinternet.com

Wheels - taking forever!!

The wheels are taking ages to make.. I got a phone call saying they're going to be longer than expected. This is a real issue, as Mark can't progress on the bodywork until he gets the wheels in. The rear wheels are so wide, it's risky welding the arches into place until he's sure they'll line up with the wheels.

Taking form

Finally, a little progress. Mark has lined up the fibre glass 'duck tail' spoiler and the rear arches. The arches can't be welded however until the wheels come through!

Damn, that's rusty!!

Oh crikey... The rust is worse than I thought. In fact, it's so bad we fear the car would have split in two if it had had a hard lateral impact (quite possible with my wifes driving). Mark is having to replace the sills, kidney bowls, and B-pillars. Nightmare!!!

Finally - Fuchs are sorted

OK, great - I've found someone! His name is Biagio, and he specialises in wheel restorations - mainly Porsche wheels of all ages. We agreed on a price and a time frame, but it's still going to take a couple of months. Not what I was hoping, but I really don't have much choice at the moment. They're being fabricated in a TUV certified factory in Germany and so should be safe and well balanced. They're over budget and will delay the project by a month or so, but at least they'll look the business. I'm giving him the old wheels to offset the cost of the new ones (slightly). In the mean time, I'll keep on looking for the rare chrome window surrounds.

More sourcing headaches

It's never easy is it? I'm finding myself increasingly frustrated trying to source these wheels. I've emailed and called all sorts of companies but to no avail. This company in Germany can do them, and at a very good price, but not until at least May. This is a real problem for me because Mark needs the wheels as early as possible in the project to ensure that the rear flared arches line up OK. He gave me a month to get him the wheels before it started to impact the project schedule - I thought - 'ha! No problems'. It's now two weeks on, and I've got sod all. I'm also a bit pissed off with myself because Mark pointed me in the direction of some rear quarter windows with chrome surrounds (very rare) on ebay. The auction finished at around midnight and I bid on it…. then fell asleep and got outbid at the last minute by a fiver - AAAAGH!!! . Anyway, I'm going to dedicate this weekend to finding possible sources for the wheels.

Wheels don't come easy..

My main priority with the project at the moment is getting the wheels sorted out. The '73 RSR originally had 9Jx15 on the front and 11Jx15 on the rear - all four with the classic 'Fuchs' design. So, 9 inches wide and the front and 11 inches at the back - an awesome look. Getting original wheels is difficult and expensive though, at least £5K for a set, probably more. I've decided to go for a replica set (didn't take me long to decide) because I should be able to get all four for £2K - £3K. I can't seem to find anyone to do even the replica wheels though!!! This is an original 11" x 15" Fuchs wheel designed for the 1973 Porsche 911 RSR

Found a garage to do the project

I talked to a few people who said they could do it, but their interest faded rapidly when I talked about being on a budget. I was getting more and more frustrated, when I happened across an advert in one of the Porsche mags for a company called 'RS-911'. I gave them a call and got chatting to a friendly guy called Mark. Straight away, Mark was open and frank with me about the project - he seemed genuinely interested in doing the work, and my budget wasn’t a problem in the slightest. My wife (Helen) and I drove up to the RS-911 garage in the heart of Wales and got stuck into discussing the ins and outs of our requirements. Mark was astonished by some of the figures I'd been quoted down London way, as was I when he told me how much less I could source parts and get work done through him. We were given the tour round the garages and shown similar projects being worked on by RS-911 currently. Mark gave us some very good advice, and helped us through some decisions on the work we'd not pinned down. This is a pic of Mark and Helen. At first she was a bit horrified at the thought of leaving her precious car with someone for a few months to cut into pieces and reassemble. Marks calm confidence and professional looking operation soon had her relaxed though, and we both realised that finally the project could definitely go ahead.