Weight loss surprises

Neil Haughey · Mar 8, 2009

Guys I have been doing more stripping and weighing today on my S2.

Today I stripped of the sound deadening around the rear quarters. Just the stuff to cover each rear wheel arch weighs almost 2.5 Kg per side. Now the entire section of formed carpet that covers the arch and runs right round to the rear hatch only weighs 1 Kg per side. After pulling back the floor carpet I can see its the same story all over the floor of the later cars. The carpet really doesn't seem to weigh much its the 1 inch thick rubber and foam sound deadening everywhere.

Well what does this all mean then. Ultimately for me it means that if you want to loose weight but are not building a race car you might get away with putting the carpets back in after pulling out the sound deadening. I suspect this may look more then a tad baggy in places, the footwell for example in my S2 has the best part or 1.5" to 2" thick sound deadening under the carpet there. However this would save the need to thoroughly strip of every little bit of glue and sound deadening remnants whilst taking out the majority of the excess weight.

Anyways the reason I am saying all this is I have faced up to the reality in the last fortnight that I can't afford to convert and race this car in the immediate future [

]. However not far away now from getting her back on the road and out on some track days, seeing all those pics and vids of Oulton got me going and more then just a tad jealous, see you guys soon on track I hope [

].

Peter Empson · Mar 8, 2009

Sound good Neil, I found quite a bit or my felt damping was wet (no obivous leaks either), so it's nice to know its gone.

Have you removed the rubber padding from around the sunroof yet, those bits are stupidly heavy!

Neil Haughey · Mar 8, 2009

ORIGINAL: Peter Empson

Sound good Neil, I found quite a bit or my felt damping was wet (no obivous leaks either), so it's nice to know its gone.

Have you removed the rubber padding from around the sunroof yet, those bits are stupidly heavy!

Good shout Peter, that area is on my list but thanks to your tip I think I will do the sunroof area sooner rather then latter. I would also like to bin the entire sunroof mechanism and replace with good ole latching hand clips just like many cars used to have. Is this the arrangement the 924 had?

Like you some of my padding is wet and again no evidence of leaks or rusting. I guess it has just soaked up moisture in the air or something and since it has no chance to drain out it just stays in there until hot enough to evaporate.

Peter Empson · Mar 8, 2009

The manual clasps were mainly on the 924 in the UK. The US had lower spec 944's as standard so there's quite a few over there (they appear regularly on ebay). I may have a set for sale but it depends when I get back the boxes of stuff that's been removed from my car (which in all honesty may be a while as I suspect it wont be completed for another few weeks).

Btw, sorry to hear that you're not racing it straight away, but at least it means you can come and play on trackdays instead [

]

Neil Haughey · Mar 8, 2009

ORIGINAL: Peter Empson

The manual clasps were mainly on the 924 in the UK. The US had lower spec 944's as standard so there's quite a few over there (they appear regularly on ebay). I may have a set for sale but it depends when I get back the boxes of stuff that's been removed from my car (which in all honesty may be a while as I suspect it wont be completed for another few weeks).

Btw, sorry to hear that you're not racing it straight away, but at least it means you can come and play on trackdays instead []

Cheers Peter, looks like you will have a buyer when that box turns up.

The racing has been curtailed to some extent by my money pit 968, why oh why did I buy the thing. 4 months in I am 1300 quid down and in all honesty to get the car puka will cost another 2 grand. This will be the last time I buy an old car, and as for the 968 experience, well I think I can cross it off the list now I am bored of it already.

The other main reason why I can't as yet go racing is the start up costs. To lug the car around will require a tow vehicle and trailer or get someone else to do it. Both options will require selling the 968 + I have the problem at the moment that I don't have 1 car with bullet proof dependability to get me to work every day, so I really need to get the S2 on the road and use it as a road car. I still want to do it all but its all on hold till I see how work pans out later in the year when I will probably sell the 968 and get a Toyota Landcruiser (bullet proof unlike the 968 and perfect tow vehicle). One step at a time and all that.

The other thing is that track spec is much quicker and easier to get to then race or road legal near race. I can buy an SD half cage for 300 quid fit the GAZ suspension and race seat + harnesses in the next 2 months and use the car, the only extra outlay being the SD cage. Race prep will be another 3 grand at least on top of what I have already and would likely see the car of the road so long I will miss another season of track days. Can't do that again.

944 man · Mar 9, 2009

Quite a lot 'Y' and 'A' registered 944s came with a manual roof (the 924 interior cars). There arent many of these left though...

John Sims · Mar 9, 2009

Racing is very, very, very expensive. If you are having money issues now I wouldn't contemplate it. Racing a kit car - which was the cheapest racing I could find - was easily between £500 to £1000 per race and that was the best part of 10 years ago.

If you can't put £5K in a bucket, set it on fire and walk away without looking back, you are going to have big problems. However, the advantage of racing with Porsche Club is they are prestigious events so more likely than I ever was to gain sponsorship.

Diver944 · Mar 9, 2009

ORIGINAL: John Sims

Racing is very, very, very expensive. If you are having money issues now I wouldn't contemplate it.

Johns right. Overall Trackday costs are bad enough but to go racing is a whole different world of expense. My long term plan had always been to progress into club racing in a 944 but I've recently realised it's a complete pipedream at the moment.

However and this is where I go OT (sorry) I spent the weekend at a race meet with ex 944T owner Dave Malings who sold his car to Jon Suffolk944 last year and used the money to do this:

He now races motocross every other weekend and the cost differential is huge.

Brand new 450 race bike circa £4k (50bhp and 100kg = 500bhp per ton)
Used 2 year old race bike circa £2k
A days race fees are £18
Fuel costs £10
A set of tyres last a year £200
A set of brakes last a year £50

It is soooooooooo much fun [

] though you do get a bit mucky when it's wet [&o]

I hope to be doing my training in April [8D]

Neil Haughey · Mar 9, 2009

Well the problem John is that I am a bit risk adverse. If I get contract work for the next 2 years solid then no worries. If I sacrifice the 968 to get a landcruiser and trailer then I am sure I can make it work. Racing a car has been my dream ever since I was a lad so sacrifices have to be made and I am very lucky to have a wife to be that is a total petrol head and doesn't mind living like paupers to make it happen [

]

By the way putting 5 large in a bucket and setting fire to it, umm that sounds like buying a Porsche [

]

sawood12 · Mar 9, 2009

The problem with bike racing is that there is no roll cage to protect you. Everyone I've ever known personally who has ridden a bike, either on the road or off road, have had accidents. Luckily none have died, but they have all sustained pretty nasty and painful injuries, the after-effects of which they are still suffering and will suffer for the rest of their lives. Biking appeals to me also, but surviving appeals more!!

I looked into the Caterham race series two years ago. In theory for something like £20K you could buy your car in kit form, get some tuition and get your race license and race in your first series. All sounded great and too good to be true. And guess what - it was too good to be true. I simply havn't got the spare readies to burn for a boyhood fantasy of being a racing driver.

Having said that I remember a fully Porsche series race prepared 924 up for sale about 18 months ago for about £3500. That has got to be the way to go if you are looking to race on a limited buget.

pauljmcnulty · Mar 9, 2009

It is soooooooooo much fun though you do get a bit mucky when it's wet

I hope to be doing my training in April

My brother did grasstrack form the age of 6. Anyone who's ridden a motorbike in anger, over a period of time, has an awful lot of broken bones and enough metal in them to set the alrms off every time they try to board a flight. He was pretty lucky, junior races are less competitive than adults, but still broke a lot of bones.

Think about the mechanically-induced accident in Lil, and re-create that same situation on a bike. Factor in the reality that we heal less quickly as we get older, and we are self-employed! [8|]

I'm a real anti-bike crusader now, despite growing up with them all around me. My Dad was a regular at the Ace Cafe in the '50s on his Triumph, my brother was Cornish Grasstrack Champion several times. When my step-father had a car pull out in front of him, he had 9 months off work and both wrists and ankles pinned. Had he been in his car, it'd have been whiplash at worst.

If you want cheap racing buy a kart. If you want expensive racing buy a car. If you want to spend the rest of your life in pain race a bike.

Rant over!

Big Dave · Mar 9, 2009

ORIGINAL: Neil Haughey

ORIGINAL: Peter Empson

The manual clasps were mainly on the 924 in the UK. The US had lower spec 944's as standard so there's quite a few over there (they appear regularly on ebay). I may have a set for sale but it depends when I get back the boxes of stuff that's been removed from my car (which in all honesty may be a while as I suspect it wont be completed for another few weeks).

Btw, sorry to hear that you're not racing it straight away, but at least it means you can come and play on trackdays instead []

Click to expand...

Cheers Peter, looks like you will have a buyer when that box turns up.

The racing has been curtailed to some extent by my money pit 968, why oh why did I buy the thing. 4 months in I am 1300 quid down and in all honesty to get the car puka will cost another 2 grand. This will be the last time I buy an old car, and as for the 968 experience, well I think I can cross it off the list now I am bored of it already.

The other main reason why I can't as yet go racing is the start up costs. To lug the car around will require a tow vehicle and trailer or get someone else to do it. Both options will require selling the 968 + I have the problem at the moment that I don't have 1 car with bullet proof dependability to get me to work every day, so I really need to get the S2 on the road and use it as a road car. I still want to do it all but its all on hold till I see how work pans out later in the year when I will probably sell the 968 and get a Toyota Landcruiser (bullet proof unlike the 968 and perfect tow vehicle). One step at a time and all that.

The other thing is that track spec is much quicker and easier to get to then race or road legal near race. I can buy an SD half cage for 300 quid fit the GAZ suspension and race seat + harnesses in the next 2 months and use the car, the only extra outlay being the SD cage. Race prep will be another 3 grand at least on top of what I have already and would likely see the car of the road so long I will miss another season of track days. Can't do that again.

Oh the joys of owning 2 "old" Porsches.
I did that.. I now only have one....+ i feel a lot better off..££££££..[

][

]

Neil Haughey · Mar 9, 2009

ORIGINAL: sawood12

The problem with bike racing is that there is no roll cage to protect you. Everyone I've ever known personally who has ridden a bike, either on the road or off road, have had accidents. Luckily none have died, but they have all sustained pretty nasty and painful injuries, the after-effects of which they are still suffering and will suffer for the rest of their lives. Biking appeals to me also, but surviving appeals more!!

I looked into the Caterham race series two years ago. In theory for something like £20K you could buy your car in kit form, get some tuition and get your race license and race in your first series. All sounded great and too good to be true. And guess what - it was too good to be true. I simply havn't got the spare readies to burn for a boyhood fantasy of being a racing driver.

Having said that I remember a fully Porsche series race prepared 924 up for sale about 18 months ago for about £3500. That has got to be the way to go if you are looking to race on a limited buget.

IMHO I agree with everything you say here Scott. I used to know of a guy (son of a woman at work) who got very serious at motoX but had some really horrific accidents. It is also amazingly physical, the top guys are true atheletes. I think Paul is going to love riding a crosser though, I had a go on one many years ago and posted about it on a thread on PH about fast cars. Believe me when I say this but nothing can prepare you for the shock you get on one of those things. The acceleration is brutal and tries to rip your arms off, you go through a gear every 1.5 seconds or so and anything other then walking pace feels like 200 mph when your going across a bumpy field. Awesome, but alas not for me at all I love the feel and balance of a well set car in the corners.

924 looks like a great series and they have gone down the route of regulations to try and keep the costs down, they have just said that in the future they will be running a boxster series as well. If the boxster proves reliable that could be a fantastic series.

Kart racing is only cheap if you are a kid, adults in something like gearbox karts can and will burn through as much money as PCGB racing just talk to my brother, the guy he used to work for run his sons kart racing (Matt Pinney) in the 125 gearbox class. ISTR he came 2nd in the national championship and went onto drive Vectra cups and Fiesta cups. Its stuff like the costs of the tyres over a season and the mega trick engine rebuild you need to be competitive, my brother spent a good few years building karts and their engines its an unfortunate pitfall that ppl think kart racing is cheap. Its cheap if you don't mind coming last all the time.

Anyways I just got of the phone this evening and I have changed my mind back again, I know, I know, but the offer from someone close that I trust to put all the labour in to do a complete re-shell for free is waaayyy to good to turn down, watch this space!

Neil Haughey · Mar 9, 2009

Oh I forgot, a fellow contractor that I used to work with (note I said used to work with) raced a motorbike in his spare time. He had so much time off work that firstly he wasn't earning enough and secondly I think they got fed up with him being of work. Naturally like all bike racers he has a screw loose so almost being killed a couple of times a year only stopped him for a few weeks until he could get back on the bike again.

pauly · Mar 9, 2009

All the anti bike arguments make me smile, your destiny is largely in your own hands on a bike, if you don't like them fine I wouldn't try and convince you otherwise, but you are missing out on a far more involving experience than driving any 944.

333pg333 · Mar 10, 2009

BTW, how are you guys stripping the sound deadening stuff off? There seems to be a few different ways to do this, none of them particularly pleasurable. I am considering doing this on my car.

944 man · Mar 10, 2009

There are two ways. Old schook: blow torch and a scraper or more up to date: acid dip in Dudley*.

Simon

*substitute colonial city.

Peter Empson · Mar 10, 2009

For the under carpet felt I used a 3M adhesive remover and plastic scraper, you have to be careful as some of the alternatives sprays can attack the paint. A lot of patience and fresh air are needed! For the bitumous pads a heat gun was all that was needed.

sawood12 · Mar 10, 2009

ORIGINAL: pauly

All the anti bike arguments make me smile, your destiny is largely in your own hands on a bike, if you don't like them fine I wouldn't try and convince you otherwise, but you are missing out on a far more involving experience than driving any 944.

I don't agree with that. Whenever you climb on board anything mechanical and hit the road your destiny is never completely in your own hands - that is just the problem with bikes. How many times has someone pulled out on you at a junction? On a bike your stopping distances are lower than a modern car with fat tyres and ABS - especially in the wet and if you are unable to stop you are far better protected in a car. The stats speak for themselves.

I'm not anti bike by any stretch, its just for me the risk vs. thrill factor just doesn't balance. Yes they are a hoot, but not enough of a hoot or out-weigh the risks.

berg944 · Mar 10, 2009

It is soooooooooo much fun [] though you do get a bit mucky when it's wet

I did the Enduro version (3-5 hour races) of MX for 15 years, you certainly got your monies worth.

15 mph through undergrowth weaving around trees seems a lot faster than 150 mph in a car.....I imagine[

]

I got my Porsche because I could not race due to injury and kept borrowing the wifes until one day she said..........get your own!!!!!

Not as much fun as an MX bike but as I can hardly walk some days I will settle for the Porsche ..........and be grateful for living to tell the tale.

Still have two road bikes, Ducati 916 and a Norton Commando.

Picture of when I could fly.

Mike[:'(]