10 Sep The Follies Of Youth
We had a bit of an unintentional stutter step over the weekend, but now things are moving full steam ahead.
We’ll start where we left off last week — the S65 that came in to have its power supplemented by our FMU exhaust setup. After the old exhaust was removed, we started bolting in our kit. First came the downpipes, then the midsection. You’ll notice a familiar piece connected to the jack holding the exhaust in place; not only is our custom Porsche engine holder good for holding Porsche motors, it also keeps exhausts in place very nicely.
The next job after the midsection install is to finish the rear section. Unlike the previous rear section that went to an east coast athlete, this setup was a bit different; the owner had requested that we utilize the OEM AMG exhaust tips. We gladly obliged, and proceeded to cut off the old tips in preparation for the transfer of the OEM tips.
And now is when the “follies of youth” title comes into play. After the tips were moved to the FMU exhaust and installed, we put it back on the dyno for a few fast runs before the owner came to pick it up. Sadly, somebody forgot to turn on the microphone during the dyno runs, so we checked out the video this morning — and we were met with some nicely framed dyno runs without a single peep of noise. Instead of just making our own exhaust noises and dubbing them over the silence (we’re not at that level of professional trolling), we decided to scrap the video. However, the gains looked good; the first run produced a gain of over 50 rwhp, but subsequent runs averaged around a 40 rwhp gain, which is definitely not bad. The owner’s already called us back to tell us he loves it, so hopefully he’ll be back for a bit more work so we can get some actual dyno footage. Fingers crossed!
That wasn’t our only fabrication feat as of late, though. We’re also working on an FMU Rear Section for a customer’s E39 540i M-sport, which we’re basing off our E39 M5 Rear Section design. The tips are in place, so now it’s just time to do more fitment work as we finalize the position of the arm that will connect the resonators to the existing piping. In the meantime, here are a couple welding shots from the tips. We’ve also received another order for an E39 M5 Rear Section, so stay tuned for a veritable glut of welding porn in the coming days.
Moving over to service, we’ve got another folly that bears mentioning. Locking yourself out of your car can be a harrowing event. If your window is open, then it’s just an easy reach over to the door handle to get yourself in. However, if your windows are closed, it can be a bit trickier. Our preferred method for our cars involves a wedge and inflatable pillow that allows the door to be opened just enough to access the power lock controls. We use this method for one reason; as cars get more and more technologically advanced, though, there are more and more pieces jammed between the door panel and the door skin, leading to a greater chance for things to get a little wacky. Such is the case with this Porsche Cayenne currently in our shop; the owner had locked himself out of the car, and the only piece available to him was a “slim jim,” which is a thin piece of metal meant to slip behind the door skin and actuate the lock mechanism. However, this particular slim jim, after being applied to the door, promptly stopped the door from functioning at all, even with the door unlocked. Uh-oh. And it’s not going to be easy to fix, either; basically the entire door will have to be taken apart (and just LOOK at how much space there is in there), all to find the single small cable that was severed by the slim jim. Advanced automotive engineering — good for innovation, bad for slim jims.
Finally, on the LS-swapped WRX, we’ve started working the fuel system into place. We’re running the neck of the fuel cell up to the OEM fuel filler door, so the owner will still be able to fill up his car without having to open the trunk and move stuff around. We’ve always wanted the trunk’s original purpose — storing stuff — to be retained, so we’re doing our best to make sure that’s going to happen.
In regards to the rest of the fuel system, we’re not to the point of running lines just yet, but we’re getting closer every day. The fuel pressure regulator has been mounted in an easily accessible and serviceable spot, and we’re currently fashioning mounts for the fuel filter and fuel pump, as well. Once those are in place, it’s time to start running the lines so that this LS motor can get some gasoline running through it.
Hope your weekend went well — we’ll see you tomorrow!
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