2 weeks until the Great Race.

One of the main challenges with the Great Race, as far as I can tell, is keeping our 53-year old Porsche 912 running. And predicting what might go wrong seems like a daunting task. So how are we going to do that? I’m not sure.

Charlie, as we call our 912, has been pretty reliable. Since buying the car about a year and a half ago, we haven’t had to do anything to the old car, other than very routine maintenance. Change the oil. That’s it, over the approximately 3,500 miles we. have driven it. But, the great race will include about 4,400 miles. In two weeks.

For many months I tried to figure out the best approach. My instincts where to “replace everything I could” before the event. Electrical, fuel, mechanical, suspension, all would get attention. After all, wouldn’t that be the safe strategy? Yes, but, it isn’t the route I ended up going.

Instead, I decided to take a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. The car has been incredibly reliable so far. And randomly replacing parts would be very time consuming and expensive. Not to mention that, given that I am not a 912 expert by any stretch of the imagination, I was concerned that when I started taking things apart I might cause more problems. Or not be able to get it back together.

So I decided to identify some key maintenance items, and make sure that it got done. Then I figured that, inevitably something would break. So I focused on figuring out what parts were reasonably possible to fail on the trip, and buy them to take with us.

If it isn’t broke, don’t touch it. But, be very prepared when something brakes along the way.

Will it prove to be the right strategy? We will see in a few weeks.

In terms of maintenance here is my list of things I need to address before the rally:

  • Change the oil. These cars are “oil cooled.” When the oil gets over 3,000 miles, they run hot. So I will change it right before the event, and once while on the rally or at the conclusion right before we drive home.
  • Change fuel filter.
  • Adjust the valves.
  • Adjust the carbs to make sure they are synced correctly after adjusting the valves.
  • Adjust the generator belt. It is a little loose. Normally that means that there aren’t enough shims in the pulley or they are out of order.
  • Change the generator brushes
  • New brake pads all the way around. It doesn’t seem that the rotors are out of spec.
  • Check wheel bearings.
  • Repack half shaft CV joints.
  • Check gas tank and master cylinder fittings (both located under the front suspension cover plate).
  • Repack driver seat. The stuffing has broken down and needs to be replaced.
  • Fix passenger side window roller so the window will go up and down more smoothly.
  • Mount fancy rally speedometer, and install the signal pickup and magnets on a wheel.
  • Install the required stickers on the car – We are going to wait until we get to Warwick, RI to put them on.

That’s it. I am sure that as I do this maintenance I will find a few other things that need to be done.

While taking this approach will prevent me from replacing a lot of stuff that may not be necessary, it will require me to be prepared to deal with whatever might fail on the rally. That means parts and tools.

These are the spare parts I intend to take on the rally:

  • Gas cap – it’s a long story
  • Oil fill canister cap
  • Oil fill canister gasket
  • Fuel filter
  • Fuel pump
  • Oil filter
  • Oil sump gasket
  • Drain plug
  • Generator belts (2)
  • Generator brushes
  • Generator pulley, shims, and nut
  • Clutch cable, clevis, nuts, and assorted clutch cable parts
  • Brake pads
  • Brake fluid
  • Light bulbs
  • Fuses
  • Wire and assorted connectors
  • Voltage Regulator
  • Spark plugs
  • Distributor cap
  • Rotor
  • Points
  • Condenser
  • Coil, Pertronix Flame Thrower II
  • Pertronix Ignitor II
  • Rocker arms & push rods

This is My Tool List:

  • Full range of wrenches
  • Full range of sockets
  • 3/8 & 1/2 drive ratchets
  • 3/8 & 1/2 drive extensions and swivels
  • Full range of Allen wrenches
  • Flat head and Philips screw drivers
  • 37mm socket for generator pulley
  • Pliers
  • Needle nose pliers
  • Wire cutters
  • Adjustable wrench
  • Generator pulley wrench
  • Spark plug socket
  • Zip ties
  • Electrical tape
  • Duct tape
  • 2 Aluminum Scissor Jacks (from 1st gen. Boxster)
  • Lug wrench

The Great Race organizers require these items:

  • First aid kit
  • Flares
  • 16′ tow rope
  • Flashlight
  • 1 gallon of drinking water

Needed for the rally aspect of the trip:

  • Stop watch
  • Analog clock
  • Performance charts
  • Lap board – we are still deciding whether there is room in the car.
  • Paper
  • Pens

Missing anything?

How is all of this going to fit? We will see.