| Welcome to our 911 Technical Articles section. We've gathered a vast collection of useful articles to help you perform many repairs and upgrades on your Porsche 911. Save money by doing your own work and perform the repairs using the information we've provided here. Can't find what you're looking for? Try our Search Engine at the top of the page, or hop over to our Technical Bulletin Board. Click here for 993 and 996 technical articles. If you'd like to support the site and submit your own Technical Article, contact us here! |
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| Engine & Clutch |
| Time To Rebuild? - Part I & II| Wayne Dempsey outlays the tests and evaluations that you should perform on your engine before deciding it's time for a rebuild. |
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| Review: Bruce Anderson / Jerry Woods Engine Overhaul Class| Wayne Dempsey took this class at the tail end of doing research for his latest book. Find out what he thought about the class and its content. |
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| Engine Rebuild Overview| Leland Pate basically shows us his 'notepad' that he wrote in while rebuilding his 911 engine. Hints and tips not included in the factory manuals. |
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| Extracting Power from a CIS Rebuild| Noah Pollak gives us some hints and tips on how to extract the most power when performing a CIS engine rebuild. |
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| 911 Valve Adjustment Made Easy| This is the one everyone has been waiting for. Check this out for a step-by-step procedure on how to adjust your valves on your 911 motor. |
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| 911 Valve Adjustment - The Backside Method| Could it be? An easier way to adjust your adjust your 911's valves? Learn more about the "backside" method that uses no special tools and could save you hours of headache. |
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| 911 Engine Drop Made Easy| This is an article for anyone who wants to drop their 911 engine. A must for clutch work and for fixing oil leaks. |
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| 911 Clutch Replacement| One of our most requested, here is the low-down on how to replace your own clutch in your 901 or 915 equipped 911. |
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| 911 G50 Clutch Replacement| Carreras with G50 transmissions need their clutches maintained too! Learn how in this step-by-step article by Jim Smolka. |
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| Carrera Chain Tensioner Upgrade| One of the most important upgrades you can perform on your 911 is the upgrade to the hydraulic chain tensioners. This article details the steps involved with plenty of photos. |
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| 911 Timing Chain Replacement| Kurt Williams gives us his procedure for replacing the timing chains without having to split the case. |
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| 911 Clutch Cable and Helper Spring Replacement| You should always replace your clutch cable and helper spring prior to performing a clutch job, as the cable often wears out, and could be causing some of your clutch problems. Also covers clutch adjustment. |
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| Fan Belt and Pulley Replacement| Here's a short tech article about a very important element of the 911 and 356 motors, the fan belt. Improper installation can lead to failure and engine overheating. |
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| Engine Cooling Tin Modification| Gill Paszek offers us up the factory upgrade for the late 1980s cars that allows your 911 motor to run cooler. This modification can be made in a matter of minutes when the engine is apart. |
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| 911 Turbo Valve Covers Upgrade| Tired of breathing smoking oil when you start your car? Install this common upgrade and fix one of the most common 911 oil leaks. |
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| Engine Compartment Detailing| This six-part series by Tom Sharpes on detailing your engine is super-detailed, and an excellent source of ideas for cleaning up your own engine compartment. |
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| 911 Oil Leak Fixes| Mark Jo shows us how he fixed leaks in his oil breather cover, engine thermostat, and oil cooler. |
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| 911 Oil Cooler Upgrade| Upgrade your external oil cooler with the newer Carrera finned type, complete with a cooling fan. |
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| Porsche 911 Oil Coolers| Martin Schacht offers up a completely comprehensive tech article on upgrading your oil coolers, including the popular Carrera Oil cooler upgrade. |
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| 911 Oil, Fuel, and Electrical System Upgrades| Originally published in Porsche 911 Performance, Mitch Rossi details the steps he went through in enhancing the oil cooling, fuel, and electrical systems of his race-ready 911S. |
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| Oil Cooler Fan Wiring| For 911s without the electric fan, Bob Tindel offers up a procedure for wiring the fan with a thermostat. |
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| Setting 911 Distributor Static Timing| Have you removed your distributor lately, and need to reset the timing to start your engine? This article gives a bunch of tips to get you running again. |
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| 911 Carrera Chain Tensioner Install Checklist| Need to upgrade your 911 motor with the newer style Carrera chain tensioners? In lieu of the upcoming Pelican Technical Article, check out this checklist on the installation process. |
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| 911 Engine Oil Cooler Replacement| Steven Stomski offers a brief procedure on the replacement of the internal oil cooler and it's associated seals, which often leak on the older cars. |
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| 911 Oil Cooler Scoop| Need some extra air to your oil cooler? Check out this neat little device that funnels air where it's needed. |
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| 911 Partial Engine Drop| Need to get at your oil pressure sensor, but can't reach it without removing the fuel injection? Use this little technique to drop the engine down enough to gain access. |
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| 964/993 Oil Cooler Fan Operation & Troubleshooting| Got some problems with your oil cooler fan, and can't figure out why it's not working? Check out the advice in this article. |
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| Installing a New Starter| Need a new starter in your 911? Try installing a new higher power starter in your car with this tech article by Bob Tindel. |
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| Distributor & Ignition Woes| Having trouble with your distributor, or your ignition system. Lee Rice offers some tips on rebuilding and troubleshooting. |
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| Transmission, Shift Linkage, and Pedals |
| Installing a Dead Pedal| Greg Gulik details the relatively easy installation of the dead pedal, or 'foot rest' into his 911. |
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| Transmission Gear Ratios| Figure out the exact ratios that you need to figure out for your Porsche with Andrew Warren's 901 & 915 spreadsheets. |
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| Repairing 1st Gear on the 901 Transmission| It's almost typical to have a 901 that crunches or is difficult to get into first gear. The repair is relatively easy, if you have all the right parts. |
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| 911 Factory Short Shift Kit Install| Bob Tindel offers his usual-excellent approach to installing the factory short-shift kit into your car. |
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| 911 Alternator and Fan Replacement & Upgrade| Is your alternator fickle? Need to replace it or the brushes inside? Got a 5-blade fan that is making your 911 motor 'hot under the collar?' This tech article is for you! |
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| Repairing the Fuel Tank Sending Unit| Fuel gauge stuck at half-empty? Maybe your sending unit needs some tender loving care. Terry Steer gives us some ideas. |
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| 911 Shifting Improvements| Tired of sloppy shifting in your 911? Try a few of these small suggestions for improving your shift linkage setup. |
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| Pedal Cluster Rebuild| Is your pedal cluster binding up on you? Time to get rid of that squeak? Rebuild it with new bronze bushings with this tech article. |
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| Full-On 901 Synchro Change!| Rebuilding your transmission might be easier that you think! In this article, Red-Beard goes through a complete, step-by-step teardown of a 901 transmission. |
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| 911 Transmission Upgrades| Originally published in Porsche 911 Performance, Mitch Rossi provides an overview of the various ways Porsche transmissions can be upgraded for racing. |
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| Exhaust, Heating, and Air Conditioning |
| Air Conditioning System Recharge| Marco Moran gives us some tips for recharging and maintaining your A/C system. |
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| Nippondenso A/C Compressor Rebuild| Rod Walter shows us how he rebuilt his compressor using only a small set of inexpensive parts. |
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| 964 Blower Motor Replacement| Tom Sharpes explains the tricks associated with upgrading your 964 blower motor to the later-style 993 one. |
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| 964 Heater Blower Motor Replacement| Ben Staples offers his advice when replacing the heater blower motor on a 964. |
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| Heat Exchanger Retrofit| Get some more power from your 1975-89 911 by retrofitting it with the early-style heat exchangers. Mark Jo shows how... |
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| C2/C4 Primary Muffler Bypass Pipe| Get some more horsepower and a better sounding exhaust by swapping out your primary muffler. |
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| Exhaust System Upgrades| Bob Tindel offers his review of the new GHL stainless steel mufflers offered by Pelican. |
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| Extra Engine Cooling Boost| Bob Tindel offers up a way to get a little more cooling using a technique employed by the factory on late-model 911s. |
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| Heater Flapper Box Replacement| Tom Sharpes offers up some painful experience for others to avoid while replacing their heater system flapper boxes. |
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| Upgrading to SSI Heat Exchangers| Bill Gregory offers up a quick and easy way to upgrade your late-model 911 to the early style SSI heat exchangers. |
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| Porsche Air Conditioning Frequently Asked Questions| Here is some expert advice and information on the early Air Conditioning systems installed in Porsches, as well as some history of the aftermarket units. |
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| AC Upgrade from to Seiko Rotary Compressor| Bob Tindel shows us his upgrade to the newer style rotary compressors that are smaller and more efficient. |
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| AC Upgrade from York to Sanden Compressor| Greg Salchow gives us a neat procedure on upgrading your A/C from the York to the improved Sanden compressor. |
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| 1984 911 AC Upgrade - Rennaire ProCooler| Mitch Leland details his experiences dealing with his 911's tricky evaporator housing, and also his Rennaire ProCooler installation. |
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| Gauges, Headlamps, and Electrical |
| Third Brake Light Installation| Ted Stringer shows us how to easily install the standard 3rd brake light on early 911s, and improve the chances of NOT getting rear-ended! |
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| Gauge Face Replacement| Tom Sharpes leads you through the tricky process of adding colored gauge faces to your car. |
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| 964 Gauge Face Replacement| Tom Sharpes shows you how to pull the gauges on the 964. |
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| Solving 912 Electrical Problems| Patrick Von Asbroeck offers some useful comments and feedback on finding 912 electrical gremlins. |
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| Brighter Instrument Lights| Pelican Parts tech staffer Bob Tindel offers up some tips and tricks for getting more visibility out of your bulbs in your dash. |
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| Adding a Third Brake Light| Here's a useful article by John Nelson about adding a third brake light to cars that didn't have one installed at the factory. |
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| Alternator Replacement / Fan Upgrade| Here's a Pelican Technical Article that details the removal and replacement of both the alternator and the fan on a 911 engine. |
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| Alternator & Voltage Regulator Removal and Replacement| Wil Ferch offers a procedure and some tips on removing your alternator. Complements the previous article. |
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| Starter System Troubleshooting| Here's a great guest article by James K. Thorusen that describes in detail the problems and solutions for troubleshooting your starter system problems. |
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| Porsche Gauge Repair and Refurbishment| This is a Pelican Technical Article covering the replacement of gauge faces, odometer repair, calibration checking, and module replacement. |
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| An Easy and Inexpensive Ignition Cut-Off Switch| Here's a little trick that will disable the ignition system on your car, preventing your pride and joy from being stolen. |
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| Upgrading to Hella H4 Headlamps| Want some more power on your headlamps? Here's a step-by-step instruction kit on how to upgrade your car. |
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| VDO Clock Repair| Demick Boyden offers a neat little procedure for getting the tick back into your dashboard clock. |
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| VDO Clock Repair #2| If Demick's article on clock repair doesn't fix your clock, then you might want to try Mack Overman's tips and tricks... |
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| Electrical System Upgrades| Lee Rice offers some suggestions for upgrading the wiring in your car to accommodate the higher power components that people keep adding to their Porsches. |
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| Fuel Injection |
| 911 Motronic Chip Upgrade| Greg Gulik shows us how to upgrade your DME computer using a higher performance chip. |
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| C2/C4 Airbox Modification| The stock airbox for the C2/C4 doesn't allow enough air to get to the engine. This modification shows you how to safely eliminate this problem. |
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| Mechanical Fuel Injection| Basically, this is almost more than you would ever really want to know about the MFI system. The most comprehensive source available today. |
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| Rebuilding a Weber 40/44/48 IDF Carburetor| This handy article walks you around an incompatibility issue in Redlines rebuild kit for these carbs. |
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| CIS Troubleshooting Chart| Got a problem with your CIS 911? Check out this chart that may help you troubleshoot fuel injection problems on the 1973-1982 CIS cars. |
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| Additional Instructions for Testing Bosch CIS| Instructions for using the CIS tester to test cold control pressure, warm control pressure, primary pressure, and rest pressure. |
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| DME Troubleshooting Chart| Got a problem with your 1984-89 911 Motronic System? Check out this chart for problems, and component locations. |
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| Fuel Pump Replacement| Got a fuel leak near your pump? Replace the fittings and get rid of that gas smell. |
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| Adding a CIS Pop-off Valve| No 1973 1/2 thru 1983 911 should be without this very important addition. The CIS cars backfire all the time, don't blow up your air box, install a Pop-Off Valve. |
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| Building an In-Dash Air-Mixture Monitor| Gabriel Pennella offers a great article on building a monitor that you can use while driving to fine-tune your performance. |
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| Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor Upgrade for 84-89 Carreras| Doug offers up this quick and easy upgrade for the 3.2 Motronic Fuel Injection. |
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| 911 Carrera Engine Starting Troubleshooting| Having trouble getting your 911 Carrera motor started? Check out this useful article for tips on how to get your engine started. |
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| Fuel Injector Replacement| Here's a brief Tech Procedure on replacing your fuel injectors from Pelican's own Bob Tindel. |
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| Adjusting Your Warm-Up Regulator| Bob Tindel shares this procedure on converting your warm-up regulator into an adjustable type. |
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| Suspension |
| Front A-Arm Bushing Replacement| Chuck Moreland gives us a few photos of the procedure required to replace your original factory bushings. |
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| 930 Rear Wheel Bearing Replacement| The 930 has a dual-bearing rear hub race, which makes the replacement procedure very different from the regular 911s, as Neil Walker found out. |
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| Monoball Suspension Installation| The monoball bushings offer much tighter rear bushings than the stock ones. Bruce Herrmann shows you how to install them quickly and easily. |
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| Suspension Bushing Replacement| Chuck Moreland shows us his weekend project for replacing the rear suspension bushings. Also covers Corner Balancing. |
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| Fikse Wheels & Suspension Upgrades| Greg Gulik shows us the improvements from his suspension upgrades, along with the install of a new set of Fikse wheels. |
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| 911 Strut Replacement| Chris Sherwood guides us through the process of removing and upgrading your struts to the later-style units. |
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| 930S Steering Wheel Installation| Greg Gulik shares his lessons in fitting the 930S to his late 80's Carrera. |
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| Home Toe-in and Camber Adjustment| John Rogers offers a neat article with specs on adjusting your toe-in and camber with homemade tools. |
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| 911 Camber Brace Install| Bob Tindel offers up a great technical article on the installation and setup of the front strut camber brace. |
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| 911 Steering Wheel Spoke Repair| Here you'll learn how to repair your steering wheel spokes. |
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| 911 Steering Bushing Replacement| Bob Tindel shows you firsthand how to replace this bushing, and secure that wobbly steering wheel. |
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| 911 Torsion Bar Replacement| Steve Jagernauth offers a procedure for replacement and tips for sizing your front and rear torsion bars. |
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| 911 Alignment Methods| Mike Piera offers a whole bunch of suggestions for aligning your car and doing the job correctly. Mike also offers some useful info on weight balancing. |
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| Installing a 914/911 Front Sway Bar| Most 914s did not come front or rear sway bars. Some early 911s didn't either. Sway bars are probably the most important suspension upgrade you can perform. A few hours of work is all it takes. |
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| 911 Front Suspension Spotter's Guide| Here's a quick reference for figuring out struts and calipers on your 911 front suspension. |
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| Exterior |
| 964 Rear Wing Installation| Tom Sharpes shows us the easy way to improve the looks of the rear of your 964 or earlier Porsche. |
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| Detailing your Porsche| Bob Tindel has spent many hours detailing his 911SC and his new Boxster. Here he shares his hints and tips. |
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| Concours Corner: Cleaning Your Engine, Part I| Need some tips on this seemingly daunting task? Bev Frohm teaches the dos and don'ts of cleaning your engine in part one of this series. |
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| Concours Corner: Cleaning Your Engine, Part II| Part II covers more of the procedure in getting your engine to shine. |
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| Concours Corner: All About Bras| Once again, Bev offers up some suggestions and tips learned from experience with her concours winning 911. |
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| Concours Corner: Washing Your Car| Bev Frohm gives us some tips and tricks for washing your car in this article which is the first in a series. |
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| Concours Corner: Rubber Strip Conditioning| Ever wonder what to use on your precious rubber stripping? Concours winner Bev Frohm gives us some suggestions for prolonging the life of your weatherstrip. |
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| Concours Corner: Targa Top Reconditioning| Targa top looking a little old? Bev once again offers some interesting procedures for restoring and protecting your top against the elements. |
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| 911 Targa Top Reconditioning| Bob Tindel offers some steps for rebuilding and reconditioning your Targa top back to new! |
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| 911 Targa Top Recovering| Tom Sharpes offers up a neat, inexpensive procedure for recovering your Targa Top. |
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| Replacing your Window Regulator| Here's a brief Tech Procedure on replacing your regulator from Pelican's own Bob Tindel. |
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| Making Your Window Molding Look New| Here's a neat guest article detailing a really good procedure for improving the look of your weather-beaten aluminum window trim. |
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| Concours Corner: Polishing Alloy Wheels| Bev Frohm offers up some tips and tricks for polishing and maintaining your Fuchs alloy wheels to a mirror finish. |
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| Fuchs Polishing 101| Jon Watkins gives some great pointers on polishing alloy wheels to a mirror finish. |
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| Cookie Cutter Paint Removal| Tim Strayer shows us how to effectively remove the paint from your Fuchs cookie cutter wheels. |
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| Refinishing Fuchs Wheels| Demick Boyden offers up his own personal formula for polishing your Fuchs alloys. |
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| Alloy Wheel Painting| Lawrence Bonkowski shows us some steps and tricks for getting a great looking alloy wheel paint job. |
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| The Undercoating Nightmare| Originally published in Porsche 911 Performance, Mitch Rossi reflects on his worst experience with his 911S - removing the chassis undercoating. |
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| Interior |
| Complete Interior Refurbishment| Tom Sharpes offers up a great series on refinishing your old, tired and worn out interior for pennies on the dollar. |
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| Removing 911 Door Panels| Here's a brief Tech Procedure on removing your door panels from Pelican's own Bob Tindel. |
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| Sound Padding and Carpet Installation| Sound pad missing or falling off? Need some carpet reglued? Not sure what to use? Here's what we recommend. |
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| Steering Wheel Removal and Installation| Removing the steering wheels off of older Porsches can prove to be a taxing manner. Here are some tips for easy removal. |
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| For Tall 911 Drivers| A few minor modifications to the seat can actually improve the amount of legroom that taller guys (or gals) will surely appreciate. |
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| Brakes |
| Painting your Calipers| Once you detail your calipers, no one will be able to tell the difference between your stock ones and the lobster claws of the big reds. |
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| Brake Cooling Kit Installation| Jim Smolka (Smoke-Daddy) guides us through the process of installing the brake rotor cooling kit. |
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| E-Brake Adjustment| Here's a quick tutorial on how to properly set your emergency/parking brake. |
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| 911 Master Cylinder Replacement| Veteran Porsche writer Bob Tindel offers up a good procedure for replacing your master cylinder. |
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| 911 Brake Pad Replacement| Bob Tindel offers up a great, detailed procedure for replacing your pads on your 911. |
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| 911 Caliper Rebuild| Calipers sticking or feeling worn? Bob Tindel shows how to dismantle, clean, and then reassemble your calipers. |
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| Upgrading to a 19mm Master Cylinder| The 914 and early 911s were delivered with a 17mm cylinder standard. Install the 19mm 911 master cylinder and improve your braking. |
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| Bleeding Porsche Brakes| Another tricky process. Here's a couple of hints and tips gathered from some good and bad experiences in brake bleeding. |
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| 911 Brake System Overhaul| Originally published in Porsche 911 Performance, Mitch Rossi details the entire overhaul process, including suggested modifications for race preparation. |
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| Miscellaneous |
| Affordable Porsches| Originally published in GrassRoots Motorsports magazine, this article chronicles the affordable Porsche options available for you to acquire. |
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| Tire Size Calculator| Ever wondered what the exact dimensions of tires are for your car? Plug in the confusing tire size (ex. 215/60/16), and it will give you physical dimensions. |
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| Porsche 911: A Performance Legacy is Born| Originally published in Porsche 911 Performance, Mitch Rossi guides us through an condensed history of the Porsche 911. |
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| The Racing Bug| Originally published in Porsche 911 Performance, Mitch Rossi recounts his experiences about how he slid down the slippery slope of Porsche racing. |
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| Track Day| Originally published in Porsche 911 Performance, Mitch Rossi describes his two and a half year payoff, after rebuilding his 911S from the ground up. |
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| Hotlap Under Dash Install| Greg Gulik shows us how he installed his Hotlap computer underneath the dash of his 911. |
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| 911 Racing Seat Installation| Greg Gulik shows off the installation of his Recarro racing seats into his 911 Carrera. |
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| 911 Racing Harness Installation| Greg Gulik shows us how to equip your 911 with a Sabelt racing harness. |
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| 911 Roll Cage Installation| Not sure if it will fit? Greg Gulik shares his excitement, disappointment, and then excitement again with the install. |
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| Hot Rodding Your Floor Jack| What can we say, Tom Sharpes has way too much time on his hands... |
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| Sunroof Repair| From the 101 Projects series, this tech article will guide you through the mysterious sunroof mechanism. |
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| Washer System Troubleshooting| Bob Tindel shows you how to unclog your nozzles, and get your windshield clean. |
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| Hood Strut Replacement| Pelican Parts Tech guru Bob Tindel shows us the easy task of replacing your weak 911 hood struts with new ones. |
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| Porsche 911 Cup Holder Install| Bob Tindel shows us the easy install for the Pelican Parts all-metal aluminum anodized cup holder. |
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| Porsche Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI)| Paul Lighthill offers a very comprehensive guide to the pre-purchase inspection of your new Porsche. |
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| Reversing your Wiper Motors| Getting a little tired of your wipers being parked on the driver's side. Move them permanently to the right side with this neat procedure by Tom Sharpes. |
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| The Physics of Racing Series| Brian Beckman offers one of the best explanations of the physics of racing and what you need to do to achieve better performance in this 12-part series. |
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| Preparation of 911 for Speed| Martin Schacht offers a very lengthy, intensive article on the modifications and setup of your 911 for speed on the track. |
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| Project 911: Chapter One| Join us as we restore a 1973 1/2 Targa not to stock, but with many upgrades. Chapter One takes a look at our rust-free chassis with more than 50 photos. |
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| Street Dyno!| Recording the ignition spark pulses into a wave file and processing it using the software can give a pretty accurate HP/Torque rating for your engine. |
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| All About Gasoline| Here's a document that explains everything that you may have ever wanted to know about gasoline. This covers everything from formulations, to smog tests, to octane ratings. |
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| All About Motor Oils| Ever wondered about the formulations of motor oils? This document explains the differences, and the formulations, and why which one is best for your car. |
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| Making Sense of Synthetic Lubricants| Don Stevens offers some insight on the facts, myths, and trials of synthetic oil in automobiles. |
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| Transmission Final Drive Computer| Here is a little program John Rogers wrote to do some speed vs RPM calculations after he did a rally a couple of months ago. It's pretty fun to play around with. |
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| 911 Frequently Asked Questions| Wade Guthrie offers what appears to be the most comprehensive list of changes and information on the entire 911 lineup. An excellent guide for first time buyers too. |
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| MIG Welder Maladies & Bodywork Book Review| Kyle Ehler offers some advice on MIG Welders, and some opinions on some bodywork books. |
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| Replacing a Porsche Key Head| The lighted key head on these old Porsche keys are great... when they work. Shed some light on the problem by learning how easy it is to replace this important little gadget here. |
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| Rekeying Porsche Locks| Have two or more keys on your key chain for your Porsche? Missing a key to one of your locks? Rekey your locks with our tech article, and carry a lighter load on your keychain. |
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| Welding Primer & Review| Many thanks to Mike Cooley and John Dunkle for writing this primer on welding. Check it out if you're interested in learning more about 'the black art of welding.' |
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| Rice's Ramblings, Part I| Lee Rices offers tech tips and suggestions on spark plugs, CATs, installing later-style gauges in early cars, and buying new tires. |
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| Rice's Ramblings, Part II| Lee Rices offers tech tips and suggestions on emergency breakdown kits, replacing the 911 fan belt, and stopping squealing disc brakes. |
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