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MPC Helps Out a Veteran on His Cross Country Trip

MPC Helps out Andy on his cross-country trip
MPC Helps out Andy on his cross-country trip

MPC is thrilled to have been able to help out Andy on his cross-country trip from New York to Oregon. Andy is a veteran of the Marine Corps and served in Desert Storm. He has led a fascinating life and is full of amazing stories. Andy worked as a military contractor after his service and later went on to be a test-rider for Ducati motorcycles.

A first-time Porsche buyer, Andy flew to New York and purchased his first Porsche, a 1983 911SC Coupe – a great Porsche, whether your first or last. He then proceeded to drive his newly acquired 32 year old baby across the country home to Oregon. This is the kind of wonderful, gutsy car adventure that was common years ago, but most people just do not try any longer. However, with Andy’s background it is easy to see why he was up for the challenge.

Andy posted updates of his journey on a Pelican Parts blog and thus picked up a lot of support from fellow Porschephiles across the country. In NW Indiana his 911 suddenly died at speed and would not re-start. He posted a request for a recommendation to a Porsche shop in Chicago and we are thrilled that someone suggested Midwest Performance Cars. Andy had the car flatbedded here and we were able to quickly and affordably remedy his issue and get him back on the road.

While he was here, we got to know Andy and hear some of his great stories. We were also struck by how calm and relaxed he was despite the major hiccup in his plans – he was having fun the whole time!

Check out Andy’s blog at:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/847376-journey-begins-3.html

Andy – thank you for your service and please come visit your friends at Midwest Performance Cars the next time you are in Chicago!

One-of-a-kind Porsche 912 Engine Rebuild

Seeing the finish line on an extensive engine rebuild job, along with a laundry list of other issues on this one-of-a-kind 1969 Porsche 912!

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This car rolled into Midwest Performance Cars with a Frankenstein-like engine. Sourced with many aftermarket parts – very little stock – all of the internal tolerances were one-offs. As beautiful as it looked, the engine had never run correctly and could not build oil pressure, and we were charged with figuring out what the heck was going on. After performing a complete tear-down, deleting a second, added oil cooler and the oil lines running to it, we sent the crank out for polishing, and replaced the camshaft with a new piece from Webcams.

Replacement of nearly all internal fasteners with factory-spec Porsche and other high quality hardware was necessary, as the suspect, previous engine rebuilder had used inferior hardware. Finally, after replacing a non-spec, broken oil cooler valve, reassembly followed.

Once the 912 had been buttoned up, it went through extended road testing and fine tuning, as it also has a programmable fuel-air mixture and engine timing black box that requires quite a bit of fiddling to get just so. But tune it we did, and the result is a 912 that is just a blast to drive! Here are a few pictures of it at our friend’s detailing “lab”, Simon’s Shine Shop in Lincoln Park. They hand-washed it and performed a thorough cosmetic inspection, recommending a minor paint correction procedure that would have this car ready for even the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance!

Final Cosmetic Inspection on the Porsche 912
Final Cosmetic Inspection on the Porsche 912
Inspecting for Scratches on the Finish
Inspecting for Scratches on the Finish
Porsche 912 Detailing at Simon’s Shine Shop
Porsche 912 Detailing at Simon’s Shine Shop
Inspecting for Swirls on the 912
Inspecting for Swirls on the 912