First Foray

[Captaintremendous]

Gents
I've just joined the forum. I'm the proud owner of a 1969 911 T which I will be using for Tarmac rallying over here in France. When I got the car it was set up for the track, so a lot work is going in to converting it for rally use, mainly suspension set up and geometry and of course the "office" for the navigator as it was a single seater. The Webers have also needed a fair bit of fiddling to get them to perform at mid to low range as once again it was tuned for the track, not for negotiating uphill Alpine hairpins.
It's my first foray into the world of classic air cooled Porshe. My other rally car is a 1961 Austin Healey 3000, and the two could not be more different. Considering they are both from the same decade, the engineering on the Porsche is light years ahead of the Healey. To start with I was a little cool towards the German as I didn't feel it had the same character as the Brit, but the more I've driven it and become involved with it's evolution into the car I want, the more I've grown to like it. Don't get me wrong, I have a very soft spot for the venerable "big Healey", but the Porsche shows a level of sophistication that makes it look positively crude by comparison. They make a wonderful contrast as they are both tools for the same job and are both rally legends, albeit from different eras.
One thing that is a drawback with the Porsche is the fact that the heat exchangers and all the heating related hoses were removed by the previous owner to save weight. All well and good on a hot circuit in the height of Summer, not so much fun on a winter event in the mountains, especially for the navigator. It can get very cold in the car making it difficult to concentrate for the nav, with the potential for disaster. Also windscreen demisting is an issue in icy conditions. Any suggestions for alternative heating that doesn't involve reinstating heat exchangers etc, as I want to keep the weight down. I am also on the look out for a ZF LSD. Can anyone help out with either
Regards
Russ

[Nick Moss]

Welcome to DDK. You will be stunned by the traction of the 911 in difficult conditions, especially the snow. For rallying in the winter a heater is a must, so you will need a set of heat exchangers, they are incredibly efficient, giving you heat and demist within seconds of starting the motor and will add very little weight in comparison to bare headers. A heated front screen is a must as well, available from many sources.

There are other options to the ZF LSD, which can be very difficult to find these days, I use Kaaz diffs on my cars.

[Bootsy]

Welcome

[Captaintremendous]

Hi Nick
Duly noted on the heated screen. It was something I already had in mind. Any opinions on Webasto petrol heaters? All sounds horrifyingly "bomb like" to me!
Kaaz LSD is a definite second choice, but I would like to hang out for a ZF although they are very thin on the ground.

[neilbardsley]

Welcome. Two nice cars