Kermit's New Wheel

[larry47us]

So, for my birthday, Judy bought me a Prototipo wheel for Kermit. It was tough to get her to buy something that was car-related, but she did. I was really excited, she was bored. Such is life.

Yesterday, my son-in-law and I installed it. Here's the picture of the before and after. The colored sheen on the Proto don't do it justice. The wheel is flawless. It was an interesting install, though. Never pulled a wheel before. Had to go to the store to get a 27 mm 1/2" drive socket and a 4" extension. Boy was it tight. Got the old wheel off, and then put the Proto on.

Hmmm, it flopped around a bit. Must have missed something. Looked at the Porsche wheel again, and saw that it had this spring on it. Ahhh, must be it. Pulled the wheel, and re-installed with the compression spring. Mucho better. The horn button works, but it is a bit intermittent. If I press on it it beeps, but then after a second, it stops, and I need to lift and press again. What do I do to fix that?

Anyway, here's the pic. The streets were getting clear, but it snowed again today. Spring can't come soon enough. But I do sit in Kermit, and enjoy the seats and the feel of the wheel. Yeowzers!!! I can now slide under it easily!!!

larry

[Paul Schooley]

LOL Larry. It sux being trapped by snow (same here...Buffalo, NY area). That wheel looks beauty and I wish I'd bought that one instead of my MOMO Competition, but I like it too. If you want to really add a touch of spice to that dash, try some Carcrafter guage billet bezels. The wife will drag you out of the car for dinner by the ear....lmao!

[Paul Schooley]

Oh ya, btw....go get yourself some Mothers Back to Black and start rubbing that interior. It ties everything together with a fresh black look. You'll thank me on your springtime maiden voyage. I find it also has an added benefit....it makes it easier to remove the moisture from sitting there making engine sounds with my lips.

[John Fusco]

Larry;

That new wheel is nice - That old one is nice too.
That also makes three of us chomping at the bit waiting for the last of the snow to melt and salt to wash away.

John

[HarryD]

Larry,

Very nice.

BTW, I feel your pain, but at least you can get into your car to make car noises. It is not the same in a Windstar . No snow here but my car is at Jeff Gamroth's getting the suspension tuned. Maybe next week......

[larry47us]

Fellows:

Thanks for the comments. Mother's Back to Black, huh? I'll have to try some. I was surprised at how nice the wheel felt in my hands. It will be nice to see how it feels when the car's driving around.

Spring is just around the corner. Seems like I have been spending a lot of time waiting for Kermit. At least this time, there isn't an open ended due date. Spring has to come sometime, and I know that it will be LOTS before November.

larry

[Paul Schooley]

Oh ya...don't put the Mother's on your wheel (I didn't either). I prefer the natural look and feel of the leather there. The Mother's dries up nicely and leaves a fresh black look. Works well on all the vinyl, rubber and plastic. I believe it was da mountain man....Jens.....that turned me onto that stuff.

[Jay911T]

Nice Larry. My wife bought me the silver Prototipo last year. I love the look. The only downside to the smaller diameter wheel is the speedo is a little harder to see, but hey, who cares about that

On a side note, did you refurbish any of your suspension?? Bernie redid his entire suspension this winter. Not too bad, but man what a project. I decided to take some baby steps on mine. I bought new shocks all around, and I'll see what sort of difference that makes. I just want to drive this summer...I'm sure you feel the same

[larry47us]

Jay:

Had I known, I would have crawled under Bernie's car with him to see how it was done. I didn't do ANYTHING this past winter. Just changed the oil, and put Kermit under a blanket in the garage. He needs an alignment really badly, and I am going to run over to Souk when the weather gets nice, and have him take a look. If it needs work, then I will probably let Souk do it. Mike said that the suspension looked pretty good to him, and that I should just align it and forget it.

Now is not the time to be spending needless money on Kermit. I'll just wait to see what the "doctor" says, and then we shall see.

What do you think to an early Beer Buzz before the snow thaws completely, or should we wait another month or two, and have a "show and tell?"

larry

[HarryD]

Jay:

Had I known, I would have crawled under Bernie's car with him to see how it was done. I didn't do ANYTHING this past winter. Just changed the oil, and put Kermit under a blanket in the garage. He needs an alignment really badly, and I am going to run over to Souk when the weather gets nice, and have him take a look. If it needs work, then I will probably let Souk do it. Mike said that the suspension looked pretty good to him, and that I should just align it and forget it.

Now is not the time to be spending needless money on Kermit. I'll just wait to see what the "doctor" says, and then we shall see.

What do you think to an early Beer Buzz before the snow thaws completely, or should we wait another month or two, and have a "show and tell?"

larry

Larry,

Good idea. Verify the alignment and drive it for the season. Then you can decide how you want to proceed. I have had Smokey for 3 years and for the first two, I knew my suspnesion needed work but wanted to work out my plan. This winter, the plan was executed. When I get it back from Jeff Gamroth, I'll see if I planned correctly.