2017 Spring Classic

With the 2017 racing season just about halfway through, PTH has been busy not updating our website and prepping and running race cars. Starting at the inaugural Spring Classic, the new vintage event run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. We ran four cars, including three different flavors of Porsche 911 GTU racers! Tom O'Callaghan in his 1972 911ST, Nelson Calle in his ex-Bruce Jennings 911S, and PTH owner Michael Sweeney in his 1997 993 RSR. Just to show we are an inclusive kind of shop, we also ran Mark Nettesheim in his 1970 Datsun 510 B Sedan. 

Calle showed really good speed early in the weekend setting laptimes that would have had him fighting in the top three for the 2.5 liter Trans Am group (despite being the only car on period correct Goodyear Blue Streak tires!). Unfortunately, an issue with the crankshaft on his brand new engine meant that the crank pulley refused to stay put, sidelining him on Saturday afternoon for the remainder of the weekend. That left O'Callaghan to represent the Porsches in the Trans Am group. He did an admirable job, and the silver 911 ran and looked terrific all weekend.

Nettesheim had an eventful weekend in the 510. With coaching and setup from Pacific Throttle House, he gained speed all weekend, ending up as the third fastest out of 12 (!) 510s in that run group. It wasn't without drama though, as the left rear spring perch punched through the chassis into the backseat area on Saturday morning. The PTH crew got to work, stripping the subframe, hammering back the sheet metal, making a reinforcing plate and welding it all back together. Mark only missed one session despite all this work, so he was pretty happy considering that kind of damage would end a normal race weekend.

Finally, Sweeney, Sr. was feeling under the weather and only ran the 993 RSR on Sunday. It was a strange group, and he ended up racing against a 1999 996 Cup car and two Lola Can Am racers. It made for interesting closing speeds, as the 993 had by far the highest corner speed, while the 800 horsepower Can Am cars would blitz the straights. A nice move around the outside of turn 9 decided the battle in Sweeney's favor.

The 993 RSR being as good-looking as ever

With the Spring Classic in the books, Pacific Throttle House went to work prepping for the SVRA Sonoma Historics.

Things are happening! Check them out!

We've been busy over here at PTH, so here's a quick little update for those looking for new stuff to read. First off, we've had a personnel shake up. Old tech Phil was offered a job he really wanted and took off for a new opportunity. At first that was a big setback as we didn't have another guy lined up to take up the slack when Phil left, but after a REALLY busy month or so juggling shop work with interviewing potential employees, Pacific Throttle House is happy to announce that Ty Milner is our new lead technician and fabricator.

Ty comes to PTH with extensive experience fabricating running all sorts of race cars, from drag racing and road racing to drifting. He is a strong addition to the company, and his fabrication skills and engine building are opening PTH up to new types of even more extensive projects that we're lining up and can't wait to announce. We've been outfitting the shop with new machines and equipment to gear up for these projects, and the shop is starting to be a pretty darn productive place!

Never mind the Carrera GT, look at all that sweet fabrication equipment!

Another thing we're excited about around these parts is the fact that we managed to get a slot at the paint shop for the 911T restoration project we're working on. We're getting the car out the door today after spending some time yesterday getting the bare chassis off the jack stands and on to the painter's transport cart. This car is almost literally a real, living and breathing unicorn, as the only rust we've found is a dime sized spot on the inside of  passenger door. Crazy. We can't wait to see this car when it gets back with a fresh coat so we can start putting it back together, because this thing is going to look gooooood!

Out the door to paint!

Progress Report: 1970 Porsche 911T

Work has continued on this lovely 911T, and we are getting close to being done with the mechanical systems on the car. After removing all suspension components and giving them a much needed bath in the parts washer, we found most everything in good condition other than appearance. Dampers are being replaced along with bushings, while the rest is all off to the powder coater for a nice, durable coating.

Suspension covered in 43 years of road grime.

After cleaning and inspecting, these pieces are off to powdercoat. Evidence of a hasty repaint is shown with copious overspray.

We also were able to address the gearbox issues the owner had informed us of. Apparently the car was parked after shifting troubles and a very leaky gearbox. Our parts washer came in handy again here, because it was the front seal that was leaking, coating the entire drivetrain in half an inch of dirt and oil. After cleaning, Phil dove in and pulled the front cover off, then opened the 901 fully and removed the gear cluster for inspection. After being gone through, the 'box was put back together, including a full serving of new seals to keep the Motul gear oil where it belongs!

We also dove into the fuel system, rebuilding the carburettors that were clogged with bad fuel that turned to varnish while the car was in storage. This is a time consuming process that involves meticulous cleaning of all the little passages in the carb bodies and the jets. On the positive side, the carbs were in generally good order other than being internally dirty and covered in fuel that was turning back into crude oil. Other than the minor service items (breather lines, fuel filter, tune up, etc.), this brings us to a point where the drivetrain restoration is complete, and attention is now turning towards body and interior. This project is moving quickly, expect updates soon as it goes back together and gets back on the road!

Carb rebuild in process.