Questions

[porschefan]

1) when I bought my car, the rings around the headlight were painted white along with the car. I would like to get chrome rings again. Can I buy just this part? I have H4s

2) What happened to Redline the mechanic shop in santa monica, ca?

3) I have a rock chip in my windshield. I want to find a replacement. I heard of companies that can heat the chip and somehow make it disappear. Anyone know if this is true?

4) I am interested in getting a strut brace, what would you recommend

5) to the right of the driver's seat, there is a lever for idle level. I usually have to pull this lever about 1/3 of the way up so that it doesnt die at idle. Is this normal? Sometimes it sticks and I need to raise it to 3/4 way up , then when idle increases, I will reduce it to 1/3 again. Any suggestions or recommendations? Also what is the lever next to it? I dont think mine works.

6) I have a GHL exhaust on my car. It a 1973 and thats how I got it. It sounds raspy at certain rpms but it does seem to backfire as well. Not sure if this is the norm or is something wrong. I have MFI.


7) I am thinking of getting the front oil cooler. I want it to look as original as possible. What recommendations do you have for the oil cooler, lines, price etc..

Thanks for all your help

[JackOlsen]

I'll sound in on a few of these.

1) I've never seen the chrome parts sold separately. It might be a good swap meet item. You can buy primered ring covers that go over the chrome and the lenses separately.

2) Redline was owned for years by Peter Zimmerman, author of 'The Used 911 Story.' As I understand it, he retired to Bakersfield and sold the shop -- I believe to his mechanics. The quality of work may have dropped off now that he's no longer in charge. I've heard this, but to me it's just heresay. It used to be that the waiting list was pretty long to get your car in there.

Zimmerman is a frequent poster on the Rennlist 911 Tech BBS.

3) The method for repairing the windshield involves heat and a Superglue-like substance that is drawn into the crack by the heat and eliminates the reflective edges of the star. There is still some distortion, but it isn't as obvious as an untreated star-type fracture. Most repair places will not fix chips that are in the driver's line of sight and the road, although most auto parts stores will carry the repair kits.

A new aftermarket windshield can be had for as little as $120 installed. Factory glass and a dealer install can cost more than 10x that amount.

4) Rennline and Elephant Racing make good strut braces. This is one of those suspension fine tuning pieces that new users often attribute dramatic improvements to. I personally believe that there's a lot of 'Placebo Effect' involved.

5) The smaller lever is supposed to be used for cold starts, like a choke. The heater lever is next to it. It opens the valves on the heater boxes, allowing hot air from the heat exchangers to come through the heat or defrost vents. The valves in the heater boxes often rust in one position.

6) Aging MFI can be a pain in the neck. Rebuilding the pump and other components is expensive. Still, there's nothing quite like an MFI motor when it's in tune.

7) Especially if your car is modified for additional power, the Carrera cooler is the way to go. Behind its protective shield, no one will be able to see what type of cooler you have.

Hopefully, other guys will fill in the blank spaces in my answers.

[porschefan]

thank you for answering my questions. I really appreciate your input.

[Fritz A. Ficke]

On #6, check for exhaust leaks many times that is the cause of backfires with MFI and carb cars since fuel is not shut off with these fuel systoms on decleration, and it will ignite in the exhaust if there are leaks.
5 tells me you need your MFI worked on, read Jacks line on that.
Have fun

[Paul Schooley]

Ya, I'd have to agree that the strut brace doesn't do much for a street driven car unless you're really pounding thru the curves (to the point of lifting the inside front tire). I've tried both ways and can't say with confidence I notice any difference with or without. It's gotta be more of an item tied into a full racing/autocross suspension package. They do, however, look pretty cool in there.