PHASE 1 EXECUTION:
Back at Otto’s with my “new to me” parts… I was given a corner to disassemble and clean everything I had bought, and to start stripping ‘1899’ – the suspension, brakes, and ‘dropping' the engine and gearbox for refreshing… John and the guys would keep watch over me, out of the corner of their eyes, and every time I looked perplexed or about to royally screw something up, would come and help me out… If it was John, it was usually accompanied by one of his many favourite phrases, like “that’s dumber than a football bat”… and sometimes followed with “time for you to get the f**k out of my shop”, and a laugh… I have to say, I learned so much and had a great time at Otto’s working on the race car and various other early 911s, and John, Tom and the guys were always really supportive… Again, I was firmly in camp 1 with regards to John…
So, with Tom ordering whatever new parts were needed, and me doing a lot of cleaning, we started the upgrades… The suspension stayed with torsion bars, but got larger ones (I can’t remember the sizes, as we changed them a couple of times), the used aluminum front cross member was cleaned up and installed, new Bilstein shocks all around, 3.2 Carrera brake callipers were rebuilt, and installed with new Carrera discs and circuit oriented brake pads (can’t remember which brand or compound), stainless steel brake hoses, new master cylinder, rebuilt pedal cluster, adjustable front and rear stabilizer bars, a bolt in shock tower brace, adjustable rear spring plates, and all the parts to install a ’72 front oil cooler, a fire extinguisher, and all new fuel lines, oil lines, wheel bearings, etc…
The gearbox and LSD were rebuilt, John had a lot of used gear sets for both 901 and 915 gearboxes, but I just can’t remember what ratios went in (I’ve got notes somewhere, but can’t seem to find them)… John was adamant that the right ratios for each circuit, was a must use weapon in the Porsche factory arsenal, and would give me an edge / opportunity to beat other (better) drivers even in more powerful cars… I ended up with 4 gearboxes with ratios for specific circuits I would race at (Holtville, Willow Springs, the Streets at Willow Springs, and Buttonwillow), so it was easier to get ready for each race without having to strip the main gearbox down each time, and they were about 500 bucks back then at Pomona… We started with 915s, but ended up going with 901s – with a 904 mainshaft, LSD, and circuit specific ratios… John had a preference for the 901, and they held up to all the punishment a racing season could throw at them… I never had a gearbox related failure, and that was racing in the heat of southern California… I also really like the shift pattern of the 901… Nothing wrong with a 915… I like them both…
Can’t remember which gearbox of all the ones I had this is of – I think it is the first 915 we did, because of the other photos it is with… In any case, these are the only photos I have of all the gearbox rebuilds at Otto’s… His shop always seemed a bit of a mess, but he seemed to know where everything was, and I never had a problem with anything John or the guys at Otto’s rebuilt, installed, etc… Never…