Reutterwerk

Reutterwerk (https://reutterwerk.com/forums/index.php)
-   928 Forum (https://reutterwerk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=69)
-   -   A new car! (https://reutterwerk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32369)

GlenL 10-26-2011 05:31 PM

A new car!
 
1 Attachment(s)
New to me, of course.

I'll add more to the story in installments.

carlege 10-26-2011 06:01 PM

Looks like it needs a good buffing

GlenL 10-26-2011 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlege (Post 303380)
Looks like it needs a good buffing

Correct! That's a black car...officially.

Leon Speed 10-26-2011 06:35 PM

Nice! Looks like a s?

GlenL 10-26-2011 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon Speed (Post 303385)
Nice! Looks like a s?

Yeah!

An '80 Euro S just like my other car.

For all its flaws, the engine pulls strongly and just sings. Or wails. Or thunders! Depends on my mood.

GlenL 10-27-2011 09:58 AM

So I spot this '80 S 5-speed on eBay. I've got a search set up to find early 5-speeds that are cheap. And it is cheap. Opening price: $1500! Starts and moves. Lots of problems. Interior is a mess. Just what I want.

Except... It's near Centralia, Washington. Lemme see. 1700 miles to Minneapolis via Butte and Fargo. That's a haul and not such a pleasant one.

I emailed the seller to see if it'd suit my purposes. "Will it make it to Seattle without trailing fluids and on those tires?" I've got minimal standards. "Yes, it should" was the reply.

So far so good. Maybe I can take this up a notch in fun. I could use some help with pick-up and if there's trouble. I email my son, who's in Chicago, and ask if he'd go along. "Yes...Yes I would." was the reply.

A check of airfares showed some reasonable rates and a check with the spouse ("Go for it") and I was in.

Placed a first bid of $1700.

(More to follow)

carlege 10-27-2011 10:11 AM

Well done. what are the plans for the car? More pictures please.

Steve Geiger 10-27-2011 11:15 AM

No guts, no glory, they say. Good luck w/ the road trip part.

midlman 10-27-2011 12:06 PM

yea..we checked that one out there locally.....has the 4.5...and has US cams instead of the euro ones....really butchered... ..............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.


Just kidding :D :D :D.........

Sounds like you got a good one..for a great price. What were the issues you had on the way back...? Pretty brave to take it that distance :D

Leon Speed 10-27-2011 05:10 PM

I want one! Too bad prices here are higher than overseas. And I don't have an extra garage.

GlenL 10-27-2011 05:17 PM

The trip back was interesting. I'm going to add it in serial installment-style.

The Plan is to make it a track car and, hopefully, a full race car. That'll be gradual as time and $$$ allow. That's the only pic I've got now. I'll add a few as the work progresses.

My first 928 is too nice to gut and the track mods are making city driving harsh, although I like the power.

GlenL 10-28-2011 01:33 AM

(next...)

No one else bid so I won it at $1500. Traded a few emails with the owner and he was accommodating to when I could get out there.

As I was planning it my wife asked "What about your daughter?" She works so the youngest would be coming along. Three makes fun.

I settled on flying in on a Tuesday evening. The youngest had Wednesday through Friday off and that'd give good time. The plan was to get the car on Wednesday morning and start the trip back that afternoon. Looked like we could work in a good day in Yellowstone and some good time in the Tetons and Mt. Rushmore. Then arrive back Sunday evening after covering 2000+ miles.

Talking with the owner it sounded like the car needed some work but would make the drive back. In preparation I packed two boxes. One was my tool box and tools at 47 lbs and a second box of 45 lbs of parts. (50 lbs being a limit of the airline) The parts included various seals and fasteners, water pump, fuel pump, hood shocks, and other bits that might be handy.

The flights out went well and there we were in Seattle: me, my son and daughter, a Chevy Impala and 92 lbs of anticipation.

pcar928fan 10-30-2011 02:14 AM

Join the 928 Owners Club and post this over there! I'd love to follow this closely and that is my preferred forum...though I can follow it here if I HAVE TO! :)

GlenL 10-30-2011 09:51 PM

(next...)

On Wednesday morning we made our way to Chehalis, WA. Ken was waiting for us.

The car was in the garage and was very dusty. He said it had been indoors for a while and clearly it had been. Looked in over for a bit and got to work.

Ken had gotten a new battery for the car and that went in. It was great of Ken to handle the thing before we arrived.I had recently looked for batteries and every place spec'd a battery that was the right height and width but was too short. This was the same item. I considered trading it for the correct battery but it'd get us going.

My son took on some interior issues. The right door panel and inside release were off. He got the release on but couldn't get the lock mechanism to fit. The panel was off to access the latch as it doesn't open from the outside. The window is also in-operative. Looks like some work there. The door panel had been on-off and laying around for a while and wouldn't cooperate. The handle mounting was also broken. We did what we could and it fairly hung there.

I had brought new hood shocks and those were needed. (Came in handy later on, too.) With the hood nicely open, I pulled the T-belt cover to take a look. The belt looked clean and fresh and tracked right in the middle. It was tensioned to the top of the slot on a Kempf too. I decided to not change the belt. Had brought the tools and spares for that operation but it'd take a half day or more with the chance for further problems.

We were talking about if the differential was LSD or plain so jacked the car. The showed a problem that would stay through the trip: the right-rear caliper was dragging. Time to dig in. I got the caliper off and the caliper seemed OK. The sliders were free and the piston moved back. Not sure what the issue is but it's getting a new caliper. I had suspected a dragging parking brake but it turned easily with the caliper off.

With the car in the air we could try to get the right-rear shock fixed. Ken included two rear shocks with the car but I chose to not attack that at the time. It was mentioned in the eBay ad but it was only clear to me when seeing it: the right-rear shock had broken off at the top. I was surprised that there was nothing in the cap" in the hatch area. There were some threads left on the rod so we worked that up through the mount and worked on a nut. That held for the trip back but the two rear shocks were completely shot. It'd bounce for a good while after hitting a bump.

With the door panel hung, the shock attached and the caliper "freed" (not!) it was time to start it up. Turning the key turned the engine over but it wouldn't start. Applying some starting fluid got it to fire so we looked at fuel supply. There was no sound from the pump so I spun all the fuses and re-plugged the relay. Then we got a hum from the rear and after a few cranks it fired.

The car ran fairly smoothly. It was really loud in a pleasant way. Trying out the controls it became apparent there were a lot of electrical issues. The tach, alternator, oil pressure and temperature gauges worked. After that the whole electrical system was out. No speedo. No gas gauge. No blower motor (although later on it'd come on with Defrost setting.) No radio. No interior lights. No cruise control. No dash lights. No turn signals. I'm suspicious of the aftermarket alarm. That's going to be completely removed.

With the car running and moveable, we packed up the tools and parts and headed out on the traveling part of our adventure. The first problem was about five miles down the road.

WyattsRide 11-01-2011 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenL (Post 303836)
....With the car running and moveable, we packed up the tools and parts and headed out on the traveling part of our adventure. The first problem was about five miles down the road.

I can't wait for the next installment. I'm on the edge of my seat. :corn:

GlenL 11-01-2011 08:04 PM

I was driving the 928 with my kids following in the rental car. A right, a left and a left and we should be approaching the town. Doesn't look familiar, though. I stop and ask my son. "This is the way" he assures me. We do it again and then find ourselves in a road work backup. No I'm worried.

Ken had drained the gas tank. That was welcome news to me. We had added some gas in the garage. Maybe a half gallon. Ken had, graciously, offered to fill it more and I had, mistakenly, refused. It's quick to town and I might have wanted to swap the pump so no need for more. Right?. Now we're driving uphill...and it should be down...when the car sputters and comes to a halt. Looks like trouble.

First option is more gas so we head back down the wrong-way road and find the town where it should have been. The nice, small-town clerk loaned me a gas can (no deposit) and offers to drive me back. Nope. I'm good. Back at the car I put in a few gallons of high-test fuel and it fires right up. At least I didn't get too much further towrds the Pacific.

After being escorted to the station I sent the kids off to explore Washington. I had plans to work on the car a bit and get fluids changed. They could have some fun.

Made it fine to Centralia and the horrible road manners were becoming clear. On the gas it'll go right and on the brakes it'll dart left. Worse, if it hits a hole of joint at speed it'll lurch left. Yikes. Gets less jumpy on the highway after not using the brakes for a while. In town it's tough.

I hit a parts store to get some supplies. New wiper blades, a long ground strap and an assortment of fasteners. The blades go on quick and work fine. No delay mode but it'll clear the windscreen.

Next up is Earnies Oil Change. Nice guys. I get a fill of 5w40 synthetic in front and 80w90 synth in back. He finds the oil drain nearly loose and the threads shot. It's the original style plug (23mm?) and he says a plug from a Dodge Durango will just work. It drips a bit still, but not much coming off the stick.

It's tough for the tech to get the tranny drain plugs out. I encourage him to get them out and he does but one's wrecked. He's surprised I've got one.

By now the kids are back from visiting the ocean. We link up and I proceed to screw down the door panel while they find an WiFi spot to look for hotel rooms. We're running a bit behind and will stay in Seattle instead of heading for Wyoming (Or Idaho) (Or Spokane) that night.

Meanwhile, I get the door panel tamed. At least it doesn't flop and the handle stays attached when closing. Reattached that panel below the pod, too.

The ground strap goes in so the door on the battery will close. With the short battery the stock strap won't let it down and we need all the space for our luggage.

The only place with WiFi on a Wednesday night is the library. I get a room (Hotwire is the best) near the Space Needle. Off to Seattle we go.

I had reserved the rental car for 23.5 hours on the idea that we'd be back 6 hours earlier. Nope. Needed it all. Didn't help that the car had no lights so I couldn't read the map. Oh, well. I wanted to circle the airport. The disfunctional suspension was keeping me pretty busy as well.

About 9 we cruised into the Holiday Inn. Wandered about for a restaurant and had the best salmon I think I've ever enjoyed.

And Day 2 was done.

hilton 11-01-2011 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenL (Post 304083)
It's tough for the tech to get the tranny drain plugs out. I encourage him to get them out and he does but one's wrecked. He's surprised I've got one.

:roflmao:

Quite an adventure! Enjoying it vicariously. :corn:

carlege 11-01-2011 09:21 PM

I was never a fan of cliff hangers. atleast i dont have to wait a whole week to see the next segment.

GlenL 11-03-2011 12:01 AM

Seattle is a fun town.

My daughter wanted to see the Space Needle. I wanted to hit the road early.

The Space Needle was cool.

Since we had some time to kill before it opened, we took the fabulous monorail downtown and walked to Pike Place Market. (Don't all tourists go there?) it's an interesting place. We noticed some TV trucks and a crowd so we went to investigate. Turned out the Today show was broadcasting live from the market. Looking around, there she was. An object of my irrational interests...

Kathy Lee Gifford

She looked pretty good in person, guys and, yes, another one off the bucket list.

We packed up and loaded the car. In the parking garage I could see a flow of oil coming from under the car. It was on a little slope and looked worse than it was. A couple of tablespoons but I've got to drive it a long way. I elected to not test the remaining threads and watch the level instead. Also re-strung the power steering belt for the first of maybe 6 times.

We hit the road noon-ish and headed across Washington; hoping to get into Montana.

The driving was pretty good. I90 threads through the mountains nicely. The suspension was being difficult but I was figuring it out. After a while we get into the hinterlands (I'll bet Washingtonians have a better term) and the road straightens out.

I'm passing a few cars and keeping the speeds honest. I figure out that 2600 RPM is roughly 70 and that's 2.7 MPH per 100 RPM. (Time on my hands) I pass a few cars and see that sight that all P-car owners know:

Red and blue flashing lights on the front of an unmarked Chrysler.

The officer asks about my unsignalled lane changes. "I know, officer." I'm concerned he'll ask why I'm not using a seatbelt (Doesn't work) or why the fuel filter hangs like that or any other awkward topic. He sticks to the violation.

I receive my ticket and re-enter the highway using a clear hand signal. He leaves me alone at the time.

I'm signalling that way for a while and stop in a rest stop to effect a fix. I can't figure out what's wrong. Apparently no power to the relay when the stalk is moved. I fashion a jumper and route 12V to the relay output so the lights turn on when the stalk is up or down. 3 out of 4 corners work. So it goes.

We get into Missoula, MT about 9 and call it a night. It's surprising what hotels charge for walk-in guests. Well, not surprising. The only place that's serving food is an Irish restaurant with a really loud folk group. Eating is good, nonetheless.

At the end of the day, the car's moving, we're in Montana and I'm the proud recipient of a $124 ticket.

Steve Geiger 11-03-2011 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlenL (Post 304271)
We get into Missoula, MT about 9 and call it a night. It's surprising what hotels charge for walk-in guests. Well, not surprising. The only place that's serving food is an Irish restaurant with a really loud folk group. Eating is good, nonetheless.

Are they playing music? Maybe that was a "cover charge" otherwise known as free market capitalism. I gotta admire your cohones on this long distance trip. I've driven some similar equipment failures, but only short distances; this one I think I would have trailered, although I note you asked and he said he thought it would do the trip. And actually, so far it is; the cop should have cut you a break on this one, but it's his call.

Tim Leary's bus was named "Further" , fits here I think.

GlenL 11-03-2011 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Geiger (Post 304314)
Are they playing music?

Yep, amplified folk music. Not poorly played but I'd have preferred silence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Geiger (Post 304314)
I've driven some similar equipment failures, but only short distances; this one I think I would have trailered, although I note you asked and he said he thought it would do the trip.

To be fair, the owner said it'd make it to Seattle which is about 100 miles away. It was my irrational exuberance that turned that into a cross-country jaunt.

gbgastowers 11-03-2011 10:43 PM

Was the power steering pump pulley running at an angle instead of parallel to the engine front? Is that why the belt was coming off? Gunar

GlenL 11-03-2011 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbgastowers (Post 304423)
Was the power steering pump pulley running at an angle instead of parallel to the engine front? Is that why the belt was coming off? Gunar

The belt was old and had stretched. I couldn't get it tight enough or it kept stretching.

midlman 11-04-2011 11:33 AM

I'm guessing you got your ticket around Ritzville, WA.... It's a known police trap area....

Too bad you didn't post up more advance notice of your arrival....I'm sure we could have helped you out...(I've got a shop in Tacoma)..and there are PacNW listers all across the State :D..

Anyway..keep on posting.....looking forward to the next installment.

Shane 11-04-2011 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by midlman (Post 304503)
Too bad you didn't post up more advance notice of your arrival....I'm sure we could have helped you out...(I've got a shop in Tacoma)..and there are PacNW listers all across the State :D..

Yep and I'm just 12 miles from Centralia, you could have brought it to my place and done all those things on the lift here.

Glad things worked out for you though, and congrats on the new 928!!

GlenL 11-04-2011 01:41 PM

Thanks, Guys. I know there's a contingent of active 928 owners in the area. I was thinking to call for help if something really bad happened.

I got the ticket in Kittitas county.

midlman 11-04-2011 02:09 PM

Ahh...CleElum and Ellensburg..Seen a few troopers around those parts when we head over..but nothing as bad as Ritzville (always there giving out tickets).

GlenL 11-04-2011 08:13 PM

We got going from Missoula fairly early. We stopped at a parts store to get some oil. The drip from the drain plug was totaling maybe a half quart a day. Not too bad. Also got a brake light bulb.

After topping off the oil I checked the coolant. It was a bit low. They had topped it up some at the oil change place so I was concerned. Back inside to get some antifreeze. I filled it to the top and we were on the road.

When I started the car I had a real surprise: no warning lights. No need to press the "genius" button. While there were a lot of things that didn't work the warning lights all did. At times.

We blasted (blasted!) down I90 towards Yellowstone. We're in the neighborhood, right? The engine is really running nicely at this point. Suspiciously nicely, I'd think. No matter. We were moving along well.

One thing that concerned me was the gas situation. No gauge and no mileage. I resorted to figuring out the use like an airplane; in gallons per hour. Looking at the fill-ups and the time on the road it was something like 3 1/2 per hour. Since we were moving along at 70 or so it was getting about 20 MPG. Suspicious! Can't be that good. Still hard to keep track of. At the last station before Yellowstone it takes 21.5 gallons. We'd have never made it to the next station.

None of us had been to Yellowstone before. It's pretty cool. All the geysers and hot springs and such. We did some hiking and looking and made it to Old Faithful just before an eruption. "Hey! That's cool!"

It's getting late in the day but it'll still be light for the next one so we go for a hike in the area. We're a ways off the boardwalk, minding our own business when my son, in the front, says "Look! Buffalo!" And, sure enough, there are two on either side of the trail. Maybe 10 to 15 feet off the trail. "The Boy" calmly walks between them. The bison (Yes, we know better) don't move a muscle. Pretty tired of us bipedal interlopers. I had picked the tree I'd run behind. And the one I'd climb.

We see another eruption. It's smaller than before and obscured a bit by all the steam. Still very cool. Then it's time to hit the road.

I go to start the car and... click. click. click. The battery is too weak to crank the car. Looking under the hood I can see the alternator belt is hanging pretty slackly.

I've packed jumper cables and get a jump start. The car fires, runs a bit and dies. The park is pretty empty and is emptying out fairly quickly. I wanted to start it and then tighten the belt with it running. (Hey! We can all do that. Right?) Another jump ends the same. I did get it backed up a bit so decide to tighten the belt there.

Only takes a few minutes laying in the wet parking lot to get it tightened. My son and I push it a bit and I can jump in and get it to fire. Success! All the warning lights come on and refuse to go off. The gauge shows good voltage so we're set for a drive to Jackson, WY. That's the former Jackson Hole. Those Chamber types can't have fun, I suppose.

We're cruising through Yellowstone as darkness falls. It's first pretty and then pretty scary. A lot of corners and waves that upset the car. Plus the specter of large mammals that may wander out on the road. The speeds are low so we wander out of the park when it's pitch black. No moon that night. No stars, either.

We're talking about getting to Jackson Hole and my son's plans to see a good college friend of his when I notice that something is wrong. The gloriously lit-up dash seems different. Dimmer. Crap. The headlights, too. In a couple of minutes the car starts to stumble and then stops running at all. I coast it off the road and we go to check the situation.

With The Boy holding his laptop over the engine it's clear the belt is completely missing. Fortunately, Ken had given us some parts and in there was an alternator belt. We get down to business.

Seeing a classic Porsche on the shoulder attracts some attention. And Wyomingans are nice people. The first group to stop offers a flashlight. Gratefully accepted! Another guy volunteers to check on us in a half hour. It takes about that long to get the belt on and get it push started. Again. The lights blazed on full and we were off.

Arrival in Jackson Hols was a bit behind schedule. The decent restaurants were closing and we were directed to a pizza place. It's a haven for the distracted youth of the town who have droopy eyes and sport very cool skate board clothes. A DJ sets up in a corner and starts playing music. It is Friday, after all. Actually was a good time.

Took a while to find the lodge from Sky King ski area (Hotwire rules!) especially since the desk clerk didn't know East from West.

All-in-all, a good day.

Lizard 11-04-2011 09:01 PM

Sounds to me as if the exciter circuit is not working on the alternator.....

GlenL 11-04-2011 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lizard (Post 304612)
Sounds to me as if the exciter circuit is not working on the alternator.....

You're good, Colin.

The voltage doesn't rise until after I rev it the first time. That's a strong exciter problem indication and I didn't mention it.

Lizard 11-05-2011 12:15 AM

Did you find the problem yet?
Bad regulator,
wiring problem,
missing/burnt out light in the cluster,
bad resistor on the back of the cluster???

GlenL 11-05-2011 08:58 AM

Hi Colin,

Nope. Haven't looked at that at all. I'm happy, for now, that it charges most of the time. I've done a few things to the car and am going to address suspension and brakes first.

GlenL 11-06-2011 09:31 AM

Wyoming is awfully pretty. The kids were really impressed with The Tetons. The previous night we'd driven past the range but it was pitch dark. We stopped in the park to do a hike. We really needed the exercise with all the sitting in the car we'd been doing. Three hours up to Inspiration Point and back. (How many of those are there?) No potential animal attacks.

I'd like to stay longer and contemplate a return someday. I'd like to backpack into the mountains again as I did when a youth.

As we drive out of the park, towards Casper, something flashes over the windshield. A flicker of gold. I recognize it from previous experiences. It's the hood ornament. We turn back to look but it has bounced too far off the rod to be found. A real Porsche hood ornament is $100+ but an aftermarket is $40. No worries.

Heading East we encounter road construction, mountain style. They're repaving long stretches and doing bridge work. There's no realistic detour and people live and work along the road so the road isn't closed. At each segment we have to wait for our turn to follow the pilot vehicle through the construction. Really slow going. The car doesn't bottom or get stuck but it's close a number of times.

And we are...as usual...falling further off schedule.

Central Wyoming is surprisingly beautiful and empty. All the painted mesas and mountains. Makes driving seem to go quickly. That's good because the spaces are wide open.

We clear Casper and head towards our target destination of Newcastle. It's getting dark and I'ev had enough. Don't need another lonely road breakdown. About 9 I figure we'll call it a night. Midwest, WY looks as big a dot as any on the map. We cruise the town but there only open business is a gas station. I ask for a hotel and a young kid offers that there a motel in Edgerton, just up the road. The clerk says "They might have room. They're letting the hunters stay there. It's a man camp, mostly." And off we go.

The motel is just what you might expect. Two story drive-up classic motel. The note on the door says to call mary if no one is there so I do. The guy who answers sounds sleepy and Mary sounds moreso. She says she'll be there in 5 minutes so we wait. As promised she arrives, still in her pick PJs, and checks us in. She's 25-ish and calls me "hun" a lot. We get a serviceable room for $64 including the $10 special service fee. It's a fair deal.

We've had a good day. Saw some beautiful country, only lost 1 car part and are 400 miles closer to home.

linderpat 11-06-2011 01:06 PM

Damn Glen - didn't know you were in town! I live in Bozeman, just up the road from YNP, a place I go to often. You probably drove right past where I live when going to the park. Glad you enjoyed this part of the trip. Would have liked to see your car.
Happy trails.

GlenL 11-08-2011 11:08 AM

It's a good, long drive from Edgerton, WY to Minneapolis, MN. We're going past Mount Rushmore as well so the day starts early.

Eastern Wyoming looks like a old Western backdrop with giant coal mines for a modern touch. At breakfast I put on the power steering belt. The prior occupant having come loose and dropped off somewhere the day before.

I can't get the pump to move back enough so illustrate "dumb guy style" for my son: get it partially on the pulley and crank the engine. Might cut the belt but works like a charm. Only a few minutes of work so a good, hearty coal field breakfast awaits.

The car eats up the flat landscape pretty quickly and we get to the Black Hills in good time. The roads get very twisty in the parklands there so the power assist is much appreciated.

Mount Rushmore is at once both impressive and disappointing. I've been before but the kids share my impression: it's big but should be bigger. It's the off-season so not much going on. We snap a few pics, wonder who else should be up there, take the "Walk of Presidents" and get on our way.

It looks like it on the map and, sure enough, South Dakota is a lot of wide open space. Fairly dry. Fairly flat. Sunflowers and row crops. Good for running quickly in the "Zombie car." The daughter has dubbed it that as it should be dead but won't really die. I'll be fully reanimating it soon enough. Perhaps it's the Frankenstein car then.

South Dakota turns into Minnesota and the scenery gets more full. You can tell that going East the soil improves and there is more rainfall. Wheat gives way to corn. Lots of corn. The richer soil allows for a denser population of farms.

We're cruising along and looking for the turn from I90 to I35 and the last leg home. I've told the wife we'll be in by 11. Sounds like the trip is closing well when a new sound suddenly comes into the cabin. A rumbling. I try the other lane and running off-line. Changes a bit but not enough. Same over a bridge. Better check the tires.

Can't see in the dark, but touching the tires shows the left-rear is flat. Running on the rim flat. Fortunately we're only a mile or so to an exit. I nurse the car along the shoulder and pump the emergency flasher when cars approach. Seems to work but I later see it doesn't do anything at all.

Fairmont, Minnesota is a pleasant town from what I could see. The businesses have stretched down the main road to the interstate as in so many small towns. I nurse the car into a gas station and go in for help.

The nice ladies give me two phone numbers. One for Wal-Mart and one for Goodyear emergency service. Wal-Mart is closed so I call the emergency service number. Yep. They can have someone come fix it. It'll cost an extra $180 for emergency road-side service but I figure it's worth it. I'm waiting for the truck to arrive but get another call instead. They don't have the right size tire after all. Instead of innovating with an alternate size, I choose to pack it in. We get another overpriced Holiday Inn room and call it a night.

In the morning light I can see that the tire had been worn to almost no tread and a stripe of belt had come off. Odd, and fatal. I call the Wal-Mart. Sure enough, they've got 225/50/16 tires in stock. It's just on the other side of I90 so I roll the car over there. Slowly. Matched the service there.

They point out that the other side is almost bald and I relent on two tires. The kids are at the pool and having a good time. not a problem to extend the trip by a half day.

The final cruse home takes 2 and a half hours. Almost made it the previous evening.

So there it was. Out Tuesday and back Monday with a new 928. A couple of belts, a couple of tires and a hood ornament lost along the way, but it drove onto the driveway under its own power. And, even better, we had a good time together on our expedition.

WyattsRide 11-08-2011 11:44 AM

Excellent read! Thanks for sharing!

An adventure that your kids will tell their kids and so on. By the time your Great Great Great Grandchildren hear the stories you will be battling mutant humans, robbing fuel hoarders and rescuing your children from an evil slave master along the way on your trip home. :thumbup:

Leon Speed 11-08-2011 05:21 PM

Great read, thanks for sharing.

:thumbup:

Lizard 11-08-2011 07:12 PM

Agreed, good read and glad it was fairly uneventful!

carlege 11-08-2011 07:51 PM

I cant wait to see the pictures of you fixing her up

GlenL 11-10-2011 01:04 PM

Thanks guys. I'm sure the story will become more post-apocalyptic with the tellings.

I'm working through the repairs now. I'll take some pics and update with those stories.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:37 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

DTO Garage vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.

Copyright © 2008 - 2024, Reutterwerk.com