[wildcat]

Yes well, its taken me awhile to sign into the 968 forum after going through the 944 and Parts departments of the likes of Pelican etc. But then I don't spend a lot of time on the internet. So "Hello" I'm John, and I've got a much abused but shaping up Black '93 968. I've done a flex plate change as part of the "restoration", which in a very loose sense is what I'm doing with the car, but mostly its a "driver's" car in which to have fun. I've repaired door locks, changed injector parts, taken out the power steering of which some would disapprove but those purists need not respond. I appreciate both approaches to car development FWIW but I'm into my own "thing".

I got the car with torn roof brackets; its a Cabriolet, and having a very modest budget had them re-welded and took out the motors and related cables.. its now a manual, which I don't have a problem with as years ago I had a TR-6 and a TR-4. I like the simplicity of those cars and on that philosophy I have also taken out the cruise control. The 968 has brought my attention to the "Porsche" mystique which has been a blessing and a curse. The car is a interesting conglomeration of style, engineering and functionality and I enjoy it. I have mixed feelings about the "mystique" which is positive and negative on both people's attitudes and the wallet.



Look forward to reading the threads and participating on the forum.

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[MLB]

Welcome wildcat,

How much weight was shed by removing the top motors, would you guess?

I also run my top in manual mode, as do many people on this forum, to minimize risk of breaking a bow. And I was just curious.

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[Bulti]

Welcome!



I have yet to find even the tiniest amound of 'simplicity' working on my car, but the opposite should take all the fun out of it, right?



Enjoy the car!

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[flash]

mlb - 5lbs by deleting the top motors. they are very small and pretty light. they are also very hard to get to, and would require replacing the plastic fasteners that hold down the back deck which covers them, which will break trying to remove the back deck. by the way, those fasteners are NLA.

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[Cloud9...68]

Welcome! Out of curiosity, why did you remove your power steering, especially in a Cab, which is heavier than a coupe? Mine wasn't working for awhile, and I found it to be quite a chore to drive, even with 200+ lb removed from my car, which I've converted to a mostly-track car - much happier to have it working again.

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[wildcat]

[quote name='Bulti' timestamp='1393188594' post='155441']

Welcome!



I have yet to find even the tiniest amound of 'simplicity' working on my car, but the opposite should take all the fun out of it, right?



Enjoy the car!

[/quote]



I found that comment most interesting of all, the beauty of the 968 IMHO is that most everything is quite easily accessible. I have a limited amount of tools and yet have taken off the valve cover to inspect the chain etc. changed the cam sensor, changed the speed sensor, installed a new alternator, not to mention the basics like plugs, rotor, and injector fittings. I suppose its what you're used to.



Thanks, I do.

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[wildcat]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1393191563' post='155445']

Welcome! Out of curiosity, why did you remove your power steering, especially in a Cab, which is heavier than a coupe? Mine wasn't working for awhile, and I found it to be quite a chore to drive, even with 200+ lb removed from my car, which I've converted to a mostly-track car - much happier to have it working again.

[/quote



Because when I'd punch it around a U-turn I'd get over-steer which has to do partly with the setup of the suspension but having had it aligned I thought I'd try it without. Its not that heavy a car, some may find it a little awkward in the shopping mall, but the car is much more tactile without it. My suspension is on the firm side, I like the feel of the road even though it can get a little rough over pot holes, at the same time I can breeze through speed bumps no problem. Its about preference. The power-steering can be disabled by taking off the belt. The steering is already rack and pinion and quite solid. Tires, I have come to realize, contribute much to the ride and feel of a car. Porsche has there recommended tires but things have changed in twenty years. I ran B.F. Goodrich Comp 2's, I thought they were good. The steering was a little stiff to begin with but the feeling of control is worth it and I don't notice it all. I changed the Comp 2's to Mirage and they're even better strangely enough. Steering is easier and the grip is forgiving. More than you wanted to know ... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

the problem with doing that, and without getting into the philosophical discussion of preference and such, is that the rack is not designed to run without the pump. eventually you will blow a seal, lose the fluid, and therefore its lubrication, and then you will wear out your rack. i would source a manual rack if you want manual steering.

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[Cloud9...68]

There are Youtube videos showing how to de-power racks on Miatas, and I'm sure other cars as well. You might want to take a look, just out of curiosity. I believe these instructions address the issue Flash mentions. Also, a manual rack has a slower steering ratio to help reduce the effort, but of course at some cost in steering quickness.

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[wildcat]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1393203674' post='155458']

the problem with doing that...

[/quote]





May readers take note. Your quite right.

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[flash]

no worries. coming from manual steering cars, i also like a heavier steering feel, and have done some things to achieve that. i only wanted to caution against damaging something. frankly, i haven't looked into the best solution for this, but since there was a 944 model that was manual steering, it seemed that the easiest way was to swap racks. simply removing the belt does immediately tell you if you like it or not though, which can then put you on the hunt for the parts to do it so it will last.



have fun

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[wildcat]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1393257713' post='155487']

no worries. coming from manual steering cars, i also like a heavier steering feel, and have done some things to achieve that. i only wanted to caution against damaging something. frankly, i haven't looked into the best solution for this, but since there was a 944 model that was manual steering, it seemed that the easiest way was to swap racks. simply removing the belt does immediately tell you if you like it or not though, which can then put you on the hunt for the parts to do it so it will last.



have fun

[/quote]



Right again, I'd forgotten that both the lines in and out of the power steering line had to be disconnected and capped, and that did make a significant difference in the handling. I'd thought a future modification would be to have "power assist" for parking but unassisted for rallying. That would have to be a factory option.



Thanks...

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