04-10-2007, 09:05 PM
Well, actually more like two and a half days if you count in the beer time, the dinners, the trip to the alignment shop ( which was all the way in a different county ), yada, yada..
So Bob spent the better part of his Wednesday afternoon/evening and most of Thursday as a contortionist under my car retrofitting and installing my new suspension components. I won't even talk about the run around and time he spent during days prior to the job, getting the parts to ship on time, tracking people down, etc. Friday morning and mid-day was dedicated to driving to, and in the alignment shop ( took separate cars, as I continued on elsewehere from there ) since Bob wanted to make sure the set up was not going to deviate in the least bit from perfection. I should mention that he did all the conversion and installation work by himself, mostly because I have two left hands <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> and would only hinder the process <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> . But I did get to drink lots of beer and admire the work from afar <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> .
The new 968 ingredients: front and rear M030 bars, front Koni coilovers conversion, KLA rear coilovers, and all the little thingamajiggies that go along with making this car handle like a dream come true.. which it does now. If you need technical details ask him, I can't possibly answer any such questions.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
As if doing this job wasn't enough; great hosts that he and Ayn are, I had a wonderful stay at their place for two days, ejoying some serious steaks, drinking wine, and sleeping off the hangovers in the new house's beautiful guest bedroom. Yes, for those that do not know the real Bob, this is a reflection of his character: he had nothing to gain from the experience but the satisfaction of realizing improvements to yet one more 968, and the appreciation of its owner. THANKS Bob !
But wait, there's more: not related to the suspension but certainly a part of this trip's experience: while at Bob's I got the stainless steel clutch hose and put in in the trunk to take home and save for a rainy day.
Astronomical odds of this happening, but that "rain" came the very next day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At a stop light
in Los Angeles, on my way to meeting some friends for dinner that night the clutch pedal suddenly sunk to the floor and remained there ! This is on a Friday late afternoon, Easter holiday weekend, 400 miles away from home where my wife and son are expecting me on Saturday and was told by AAA that sending a tow truck will take three to four hours. And then what ? Every place I could possibly tow it to would be closed until Monday. While deciding whether to look for an ammunition shop, buy a gun and shoot myself
( saving my wife the task when I eventually would have come home without the car ) less than half a block away I spot "A1 Performance" shop, walk over and notice they were working on a Mercedes, a BMW and a Boxster.. with a Volvo, a Lexus and some other cars waiting to be serviced. I tell the owner what just took place, the crisis I am facing and then inform him that I happen to have the new part in my car...just need someone to put it in. You can imagine the look I got relative to having a spare clutch hose readily available, just as the other hose busted practically in front of his shop. The " yeah, sure..." look was all over his face. But I must have done a good enough job of convincing and begging, that he helped me push the car in, and within one hour the hose was installed, the system bleeded ( albeit manually ) sufficiently enough to take me home the next day. Quite possibly this man may have saved the mental breakdown I would have undoubtedly had, and may be a very costly divorce, as well. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
The stars were aligned that day, and 'm not talking about the ones on Hollywood's walk of fame.
So Bob spent the better part of his Wednesday afternoon/evening and most of Thursday as a contortionist under my car retrofitting and installing my new suspension components. I won't even talk about the run around and time he spent during days prior to the job, getting the parts to ship on time, tracking people down, etc. Friday morning and mid-day was dedicated to driving to, and in the alignment shop ( took separate cars, as I continued on elsewehere from there ) since Bob wanted to make sure the set up was not going to deviate in the least bit from perfection. I should mention that he did all the conversion and installation work by himself, mostly because I have two left hands <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> and would only hinder the process <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> . But I did get to drink lots of beer and admire the work from afar <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> .
The new 968 ingredients: front and rear M030 bars, front Koni coilovers conversion, KLA rear coilovers, and all the little thingamajiggies that go along with making this car handle like a dream come true.. which it does now. If you need technical details ask him, I can't possibly answer any such questions.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
As if doing this job wasn't enough; great hosts that he and Ayn are, I had a wonderful stay at their place for two days, ejoying some serious steaks, drinking wine, and sleeping off the hangovers in the new house's beautiful guest bedroom. Yes, for those that do not know the real Bob, this is a reflection of his character: he had nothing to gain from the experience but the satisfaction of realizing improvements to yet one more 968, and the appreciation of its owner. THANKS Bob !
But wait, there's more: not related to the suspension but certainly a part of this trip's experience: while at Bob's I got the stainless steel clutch hose and put in in the trunk to take home and save for a rainy day.
Astronomical odds of this happening, but that "rain" came the very next day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At a stop light
in Los Angeles, on my way to meeting some friends for dinner that night the clutch pedal suddenly sunk to the floor and remained there ! This is on a Friday late afternoon, Easter holiday weekend, 400 miles away from home where my wife and son are expecting me on Saturday and was told by AAA that sending a tow truck will take three to four hours. And then what ? Every place I could possibly tow it to would be closed until Monday. While deciding whether to look for an ammunition shop, buy a gun and shoot myself
( saving my wife the task when I eventually would have come home without the car ) less than half a block away I spot "A1 Performance" shop, walk over and notice they were working on a Mercedes, a BMW and a Boxster.. with a Volvo, a Lexus and some other cars waiting to be serviced. I tell the owner what just took place, the crisis I am facing and then inform him that I happen to have the new part in my car...just need someone to put it in. You can imagine the look I got relative to having a spare clutch hose readily available, just as the other hose busted practically in front of his shop. The " yeah, sure..." look was all over his face. But I must have done a good enough job of convincing and begging, that he helped me push the car in, and within one hour the hose was installed, the system bleeded ( albeit manually ) sufficiently enough to take me home the next day. Quite possibly this man may have saved the mental breakdown I would have undoubtedly had, and may be a very costly divorce, as well. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />
The stars were aligned that day, and 'm not talking about the ones on Hollywood's walk of fame.
