Olsen Spec Projects

[olsenmotorsports]

That’s a crazy flaw Tim. Have you checked how elastic it is? I’d also split a bit of it along that line and see if they inside is fiberess (under cured) and not consistently vulcanized

TBH i didn't spend tons of time on that - We are pretty far upside down on that job to take it back apart for a freaking o ring - just swallow it and get it fixed and move on with life.

Its on the wall of shame - one of these days when it isn't so dead to me I will have a look lol

That looks like a manufacturing defect. Something went wrong in the curing process.

This is where i have my money - it completely delaminated

Age? Maybe just a crusty old stock seal? Guy next to my old shop had tons of NOS parts for 70s and 80s euro cars. Last time I was in there, many had decayed and returned to the earth in the factory packaging.

Maybe, but i doubt it. We see that a lot with the older electronics ets - they come in "new" but the white boards are all aged and yellow.

I honestly think it was a bad cure and just delaminated under pressure

 

[olsenmotorsports]

VW part in a Porsche bag?

LOL like that ever happens!

But it it says Porsche on the bag! Thats the 10x sticker

 

[olsenmotorsports]

First welcome back.
I think the 933 came out killer.
I agree with 36truck it looks like a manufacturing defect.
Durometer might shed more light, but you need the Porsche drawing/specifications of the ring if you wanted to look closer.
You would need to know how Porsche determines they have produced an o-ring that meets type / design.
I have never seen an o-ring separate like that.

Thank you and thank you! Glad you liked it!

Yeah not even worth the time or energy to run it up the food chain. Probably should though

 

[danski0224]

Yeah not even worth the time or energy to run it up the food chain.

Wrong.

If you bought it where you buy most of your parts, it certainly doesn't hurt to float something by someone.

 

[CGohring]

If this is one of your standard vendors, I would agree with @danski0224 for 2 reasons. 1) If you don't mention it at all, you won't know if that is something that they have seen before, and if they haven't then at least when the next guy has the same issue it is something they have seen before. - and 2), even if they don't offer to help with the enormous cost you have had to carry just to fix this, it might buy you some goodwill next time something is wrong.

 

[36truck]

If this is one of your standard vendors, I would agree with @danski0224 for 2 reasons. 1) If you don't mention it at all, you won't know if that is something that they have seen before, and if they haven't then at least when the next guy has the same issue it is something they have seen before. - and 2), even if they don't offer to help with the enormous cost you have had to carry just to fix this, it might buy you some goodwill next time something is wrong.

I agree with this. They at least need to know there is an issue.
I had a hydraulic valve block that didn't have a hole drilled to allow fluid to move between the 2 sides. Ordered 3 in total before it was figured out. Told the dealer to make sure the manf. to check all of them in stock as I believe all will have the same issue.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Update on the Targa

This one I am especially excited about. It is getting unveiled at the Milwaukee air and water show in early July.

Coming back from paint supposedly by friday of this week! I am not sure if you remember the metal work on this car in earlier pages in this thread.



This is from a few weeks ago, went there to lay out some stripes - base coat looks amazing and the darker colors really show off lines of the car.



Stripes are painted on - none of that decal BS!



Two weeks of wet sanding and buffing is an agonizing wait but part of the process for sure.

Really excited to get this one going. We have everything in stock to build the car just need to get it back and get the ball rolling!

 

[Xti04]

Nice choice of colors. I like the green 993 as well. Growing up, there was a guy whoI found eventually lived downcthe road from us that had a green 930 slant nose car. Cemented in my mind that green and Porsche just go together. Never got a chance to get up close with that car. Not sure if it was a real one or a body kit but was an awesome car nonetheless and I still remember it 25 years later.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Nice choice of colors. I like the green 993 as well. Growing up, there was a guy whoI found eventually lived downcthe road from us that had a green 930 slant nose car. Cemented in my mind that green and Porsche just go together. Never got a chance to get up close with that car. Not sure if it was a real one or a body kit but was an awesome car nonetheless and I still remember it 25 years later.

What a great story! The slant nose cars are super rare and very much a taste car.

For me it was the 90's Benz's, Specifically the 500e and the 190 cars. I remember when R Kelly used to roll through the hood in his Benz and I fell in love with that car. It is on my short list for sure!

 

[Wiz02]

IMHO, While the green 993 is an attention getting color, that blue is amazing, not too dark and not too light, just right. I can’t wait to see the finished result.

I must admit that I am partial to blue vehicles.

 

[Xti04]

The Porsche dealer I worked at in 02 had a red 930 slant in the showroom forever. I remember thinking how sleek it looked and what an awesome car it was. Those cars forever made me want an air cooled 911. One day!

 

[jake28]

@olsenmotorsports
A turn to the everyday: do you have a recommended fix for leaking valve covers on your more run-of-the mill aircooled 911? I’m hoping to capitalize (selfishly) on your o-ring debacle.

Knowing you have preferences that verge on fetishism for sealants, German manufacturers, and torque specs, I’m hoping you could shed some light on how I might keep tablespoons of oil of my garage floor. I’ll take “Olsen-recommended” if I can’t get Olsen-spec.

The car is a 75 SC, with a later model 3.0, Weber 46s, a fair share of dings and scratches, and it’s a happy care-free driver.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

@olsenmotorsports
A turn to the everyday: do you have a recommended fix for leaking valve covers on your more run-of-the mill aircooled 911? I’m hoping to capitalize (selfishly) on your o-ring debacle.

Knowing you have preferences that verge on fetishism for sealants, German manufacturers, and torque specs, I’m hoping you could shed some light on how I might keep tablespoons of oil of my garage floor. I’ll take “Olsen-recommended” if I can’t get Olsen-spec.

The car is a 75 SC, with a later model 3.0, Weber 46s, a fair share of dings and scratches, and it’s a happy care-free driver.

Usually because of one of two things (or both).

Warped covers - I use a granite flat plate with 120 grit paper on it and sand them flat Be amazed how warped those things are

Second is crush washers on the studs being too thin - you need the thick OEM ones as the torque tends to distort the washers that some of the kits come with.

If both of these still cause leaks replace them! LN engineering has a great set of re creations.

Rennlne also sells them but they cheapened out on their machining for the spark plug holes, the radius is too sharp and it cuts the boots.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

IMHO, While the green 993 is an attention getting color, that blue is amazing, not too dark and not too light, just right. I can’t wait to see the finished result.

I must admit that I am partial to blue vehicles.

I can’t wait to see it next week! This is a blue angels themed car - owner is a huge fan - I was able to get my hands on some panels donated by the blue angles for a sizeable donation and color match the blue and yellow!

The Porsche dealer I worked at in 02 had a red 930 slant in the showroom forever. I remember thinking how sleek it looked and what an awesome car it was. Those cars forever made me want an air cooled 911. One day!

Let’s get you in one! The 911 SC market is still somewhat affordable and a great place to start!

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Lockers showed up unannounced last week. Took me by suprise. I ordered them in late February and they showed up already!

I need to get two more lockers but I think I will wait till the fall. If you notice in the picture the right bank of the main box I moved the bottom drawer up a few places. Turned it into a power drawer (should make a post on that)



I was able to get the lights installed in the left locker as I had some free time on Friday night (wife is at the FL house for a few weeks) I ran out of material for the right locker so that will have to be later.

The left locker is tooling for engines and other daily grab - the right locker is Strickly set up as a second diag storage



For example this is fuel - OEM Porsche tooling from the 80’s and 90’s. This is as complete a kit I believe as you can get - years of collecting and gettting the proper fittings together etc. Just a small part of my OEM tooling aresenal.
Pretty proud of all of this stuff as I own the entire special tools catalog from the 80’s and 90’s - even down to the electrical stuff



I also took the drawers out of the top of the left bank. This setup has been bugging me as sockets only fit in the top drawer - but it is too hard to identify in a hurry. I wanted to move the top drawer down - and put the wrench drawer in position one. It is easier to identify wrenches looking accross them instead of down, and sockets looking down instead of accross.



This is one heavy *** drawer! Used my lift table to get it out of the box so I could move the sliders around



Drawers out and sliders moved around.

Super happy except how I have to remember I switched the drawer config! Im taking bets, but I would say it’s going to take 507 trips to the box and opening the wrong drawer to set in

 

[SilverJimmy]

I really want to congratulate you on actually being able remove, reconfigure, and then reinstall your fully loaded drawers, you’re a better man than I and I did stuff like that for over 30 years! I always unloaded a drawer before trying any kind of removal scenario, and never with a load of tools like those! I showed the pictures to my wife (she was a Snap-On Dealer for 14 years) and she was also impressed! When ever a customer told me he was going to move his box to another shop and was going to remove all the drawers to make the box lighter my standard response was “NOOOOO!!!!!” Can’t count how many of them screwed their box up and then wanted me to fix it! Rant over, great job, and wow, what a set of tools!

 

[Scuderia-F1]

Lockers showed up unannounced last week. Took me by suprise. I ordered them in late February and they showed up already!

I need to get two more lockers but I think I will wait till the fall. If you notice in the picture the right bank of the main box I moved the bottom drawer up a few places. Turned it into a power drawer (should make a post on that)



I was able to get the lights installed in the left locker as I had some free time on Friday night (wife is at the FL house for a few weeks) I ran out of material for the right locker so that will have to be later.

The left locker is tooling for engines and other daily grab - the right locker is Strickly set up as a second diag storage



For example this is fuel - OEM Porsche tooling from the 80’s and 90’s. This is as complete a kit I believe as you can get - years of collecting and gettting the proper fittings together etc. Just a small part of my OEM tooling aresenal.
Pretty proud of all of this stuff as I own the entire special tools catalog from the 80’s and 90’s - even down to the electrical stuff



I also took the drawers out of the top of the left bank. This setup has been bugging me as sockets only fit in the top drawer - but it is too hard to identify in a hurry. I wanted to move the top drawer down - and put the wrench drawer in position one. It is easier to identify wrenches looking accross them instead of down, and sockets looking down instead of accross.



This is one heavy *** drawer! Used my lift table to get it out of the box so I could move the sliders around



Drawers out and sliders moved around.

Super happy except how I have to remember I switched the drawer config! Im taking bets, but I would say it’s going to take 507 trips to the box and opening the wrong drawer to set in

The rig is starting to look awesome Tim, cant wait to see the other 2 lockers added, plus the mandatory liquid silver workbench. ;-)

 

[olsenmotorsports]

I really want to congratulate you on actually being able remove, reconfigure, and then reinstall your fully loaded drawers, you’re a better man than I and I did stuff like that for over 30 years! I always unloaded a drawer before trying any kind of removal scenario, and never with a load of tools like those! I showed the pictures to my wife (she was a Snap-On Dealer for 14 years) and she was also impressed! When ever a customer told me he was going to move his box to another shop and was going to remove all the drawers to make the box lighter my standard response was “NOOOOO!!!!!” Can’t count how many of them screwed their box up and then wanted me to fix it! Rant over, great job, and wow, what a set of tools!

Ha thanks! TBH unloading the drawers never even crossed my mind! I think maybe it is the tooling i have to do it? I've got three or 4 rolling lifting tables that i use for engines, gearboxes etc. that have lift heights of 4' or better. That makes it easier probably! If I didn't have those tables I probably wouldn't have done it and made my truck guy do it!

Thank you for your service to our industry on your truck!

 

[olsenmotorsports]

The rig is starting to look awesome Tim, cant wait to see the other 2 lockers added, plus the mandatory liquid silver workbench. ;-)

super frustrating bro they still won't make me one

 

[olsenmotorsports]

The 930 is finally headed to the dyno…. We had a few weeks delay on the car that put us at an all stop but we are finally able to pick back up on it



rear interior is in - this carpet really fought us hard. Need some help from the experts but it is so tough to conform that we were unable to get the wrinkles out. Normally we stretch with ease - but this after steaming - beating it on a tree to break up the backing and rolling it in tight balls and beating the heck out of it. Best we could do. Amazing material but what a Cu*# to work!


Rear deck is in with the speakers and custom grill’s - there are 4 JL Audio c7’s in there. Going to sound amazing



Another shot with the rear seats folded down - overall I am pretty happy with the fit and finish of everything The team as always did an amazing job
‘

Front seat is fitted so we can start test driving this week - will be good to get 10-15 miles on this one before we go to the dyno



Engine area is all buttoned up as well. AC is charged and passed leak check



A popular thing for us to paint the rear rubber wing with flexible paint It really makes the cars flow IMHO



Rear profile! All that is left here is mount the license plate, and make the rear screen on the tail

Thanks for looking and critiquing!

 

[Scuderia-F1]

super frustrating bro they still won't make me one

My guy ordered 2 liquid silver ones at the same time as he ordered mine. Here in Europe the liquid silver ones comes at a €500 upcharge tho for being a clearcoat color. Your guy needs to up his game, because he’s acting on bad intel.

 

[zmotorsports]

Love the car overall. The color goes well with the lines, but that interior.... over the top gorgeous Tim.

 

[Nolift911]

Everything is stunning per usual...great work.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Love the car overall. The color goes well with the lines, but that interior.... over the top gorgeous Tim.

Everything is stunning per usual...great work.

You guys are too kind!! None of this is me though, all credit goes to the team!

 

[Boosted1]

The Blue and Yellow is to match Blue Angels as I recall? Paint looks great. Anxious to see it come together in finally assembly.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

The Blue and Yellow is to match Blue Angels as I recall? Paint looks great. Anxious to see it come together in finally assembly.

Yeah bro. It is being unveiled at the Milwaukee air and water show Mid July - going to be a display along with the tribute bike at Navy tent. Pretty stoked about that.

 

[930dreamer]

Saw a vintage 911 while driving today, put a smile on my face.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Went in this morning to get a car buttoned up and into QC that has to go this week. Top end engine rebuild on a 92 Turbo. This one didn’t get our restoration package, just a good old cleaning and much needed valve job.




I have been stuck at a desk for 8 weeks so it felt good to put the tools to use and my new locker! This one I have set up for overflow diag (I.E. Blow molded case lol)




My bottom drawer in locker 2 has some of the A/c stuff. For my manifold gauges I don’t use those really any more, most often times just grab the Snap On Polar Tek Plus in manual mode. However on test drives it is handy to have gauges on the old car’s when there isn’t any live data to look at. The manifolds are fitted with 6’ hoses currently but in that drawer I have my 9 foot hoses I use on test drives. Mostly for looking at expansion valve and drier’s.



Did a quick little 10 minute vacuum and 10 minute leak test which passed. This is a r12 car so you got to remember to do the conversion for charge LBS to 134a!


This has been a pretty good machine for us. This one is about 8 years old, I have another one I bought last year that does dual duty on 1234 and 134, but this has been a great machine.



Hard to beat that! Anything in the lower 40’s is a great temp in a 90’s car!

Next up time to set some CO! Old skool!

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Time to get this engine running well!

Seen a lot of people make a mess out of Tuning CIS - or they get it but it takes all freaking day. It is actually the simplest and easiest of all the cars to “get right” in my humble opinion. You only need three tools!



Usually I use a scope for RPM (just because it is faster) but today I was feeling nostalgic so I busted out my Mac ET920. Piece of history that thing is lol. But it is reliable and I like using it every now and then.

Rarely are these tachs spot on, and unless you have an ear for RPM it is better to just verify. Most of the drive ability issues I see are from idle set speed vs mixture adjustment. Remember this thing has a ramp in it so the zero point (or idle speed) is super crucial.





Well to my shock and awe it was dead nuts on! Still easier to keep the tools at the back rather then keep having to run to the instrument cluster to check on it.



Mega rich - Enough Hydrocarbons there to make the EPA show up tomorrow! Here is the key to these adjustments. Small and I mean small adjustments. Like an 1/8th turn. I have been doing this so long that I kind of know by reading the gauge how much I need to turn the screw



When you start making these adjustments I always wrap the throttle to clean things out in between readings. Probably doesn’t do anything at all except make me feel good! Who doesn’t love revving an engine up lol!

This is as about dialed in as we need to get on this one. Should be nice and spicy.



This one has my favorite wheel in it. Full boost at 2800 RPM’s. Fun as all hell to drive.



Off to the QC area for the guys to dial in this week before we send it out!

Thanks for following along!

 

[olsenmotorsports]

On the dyno this afternoon with the blue 930 This thing in the sun just looks nuts. I cant wait for the customer to see this one in person (he hasn’t seen it as he lives down south)



Decided to bust off the rear bumper in case we needed to get at the Gate - turned out that was wise!




I noticed when we were setting up the Turbosmart wastegate that it felt a little funny on when I was sweeping it. Took a dump on the dyno as soon as we started to put the screws to it. FML. It was fully closed and took the command from Motec but didn’t move. Was getting control side power just wouldn’t move. Freaking electronics.

Luckily it is Motec so we built in an over boost failsafe.



Here is the safety kicking in at 15 PSI.



Now it is back to waiting on parts. Still going to be a badass little ride though. 200 hp and 300 Ft Lbs of torque at only 3400 rpms with a 7k redline! Going to be spicy as these car’s do not weigh much

 

[olsenmotorsports]

How many of you guys are headliner experts? this is an area I struggle with on a personal level - I can get them, but take me all day. I have a guy on staff 2 hours and he's done. What a weapon he is.

This is the easiest material to work. Porsche perforated headliner. Just enough stretch to make it easy to work. Alcantara is still ok but harder to work. The worst is any kind of pattern as it is impossible to keep straight.



Start by using lots of tape - and crash wrap to protect all the surfaces from flying glue



Start at the sunroof cutout so it is all squared off - get all the bows in and straight - key here is patience. Lucky the glue has a long working time. That landau stuff is pretty amazing -




Once the bows are good Start at the front middle and rear middle and get it tacked down



Then transition to the rear. Patience here is key to get the right stretch but not too much. If I am going to F up this is the part i go big or go home lol




Finished product. nicely tucked and trimmed.

I wish I could do it as good as Don but this guy gets 100% of the credit!

Headliners I think are the hardest to master.

How do you guys do it!

 

[senlow]

How many of you guys are headliner experts? this is an area I struggle with on a personal level - I can get them, but take me all day. I have a guy on staff 2 hours and he's done. What a weapon he is.

Headliners I think are the hardest to master.

How do you guys do it!

This is one of the few jobs where I cheat. I just throw dollars at it. I pay an expert to do most headliners.

 

[Wiz02]

When it comes to headliners with bows, I pay an expert too. A man has to know his limitations.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

This is one of the few jobs where I cheat. I just throw dollars at it. I pay an expert to do most headliners.

I tell ya what it isn’t a bad idea!

When it comes to headliners with bows, I pay an expert too. A man has to know his limitations.

I’ve got plenty of them! For me it is aluminum welding! My best welds are trash according to what my guys are capable of! Humbling!

 

[senlow]

I tell ya what it isn’t a bad idea!



I’ve got plenty of them! For me it is aluminum welding! My best welds are trash according to what my guys are capable of! Humbling!

Paying a pro to install headliners saves me a ton of frustration. Projects like headliners are the reason my wife required that my shop be 100' from the house!

Welding nonferrous metals can be very frustrating. One moment the material is solid, and the next moment it's flowing onto the floor. There's very little transition between solid and liquid. I got pretty good at welding aluminum and magnesium as I did it professionally for about 18 years.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Paying a pro to install headliners saves me a ton of frustration. Projects like headliners are the reason my wife required that my shop be 100' from the house!

Welding nonferrous metals can be very frustrating. One moment the material is solid, and the next moment it's flowing onto the floor. There's very little transition between solid and liquid. I got pretty good at welding aluminum and magnesium as I did it professionally for about 18 years.

Ive heard horror stories about the mag stuff - cannot even imagine! I have a lot of respect for a welder with a steady hand and patience. Super tough career in harsh conditions. Good for you

 

[olsenmotorsports]

I got to spend some time with the Blue Angels car yesterday. Super happy with it so far. Team has been able to execute my vision perfectly. I am so amazed and humbled by them!



Im an older guy (45) so being a teenager in the 90’s I was more influenced by the hot wheels style stuff with the big flares etc. This comes off in my style today of being able to see the front edge of the tire at the bottom and the sharp angular edges. It isn’t being done right now in my space so it is a bit of a gamble that I am hoping pays off.



The rear wing got executed to perfection. Look at that metal flake in that paint! Unreal the color on this thing. Doesn’t have a name yet, just going to call it blue lol. No fancy names just let the work do the talking



Did the hoop in satin brushed chrome. Those two holes hold the Targa emblem - which is yellow - cant wait to see that come together actually








Here is the satin against the regular chrome door handles and trim. I like the contrast - chrome on the main hoop would have been too much. We did in fact smooth in the louvre’s. Was too 80’s for my taste.



Stripes are not going to be for everyone i am well aware. But we needed them for the theme. Painted, no decals. Small and conspicuous and off center.



I think the front bumper also turned out nice. Lots of people wont be a fan as it is not traditional. But I try and make angular work with rounded in a mix that brings modern flair to old stuff. It isn’t the easiest thing to do and as an artist sometimes the vision is hard to make in real life. But I think the team nailed mine down to a T!

Hope you guys like it…. Be nice now lol!

 

[danski0224]

I'd drive it, in the daytime, with the top down.

Carefully, because I know I can't afford it.

Maybe just sit in it and make vroom vroom noises...

 

[BORING HOP YARD]

It's kind of a tough call Judging the stripes based on just pictures, walking around the car would give a much better view at all the different angle and such. It is a tribute car and is looks outstanding. The stripes will help that car be recognized as Blue Angels Porsche in the future.
I have done 3 headliners 1959ghia, 73 Datsun 510, 69 Datsun 510 wagon.
I used the same binder clips that you show 3 of them holding the headliner but I keep install them until I run at of room to install them. I make sure I'm 100 percent good; it should look like an installed headliner tight and looking perfect "some opinions vary"
Then I remove one binder at a time then I glue it, let it flash off and stick the headliner down reapply the clip, mark the first clip and move on to the next binder until I get around the car. Takes me about 2-4 hours based on car size.
I also find this process stress free since you're not working with glue until everything is located and good to glue.
After my experiences I'm always amazed at the pros, they make it look easy.

Thank you for sharing

 

[zmotorsports]

The car turned out freakin' awesome Tim. I had too many trucks in the blue tones during the 80's and early 90's which kind of turned me off the color blue for quite a while. I bought wrecked trucks and rebuilt them to save money, and they all seemed to be blue for some reason. I guess beggers cant be choosers. Even the wife commented on one I purchased wrecked shortly after getting married and when I told her what I bought she asked "it isn't blue is it?" Unfortunately, it was. But nearly 4 decades later I'm starting to like the color a bit at a time. That car is gorgeous though, no arguing that....

As for the off-center stripes on that car, I like them. In my early years everything had to be symmetrical for it to look right in my eyes, however, when my son was about 8 or 9 years old and we were building his second snowmobile, we built a full 4130 chromoly chassis to cut weight and built up the engine as we did on all our stuff. Everything chassis wise was gloss black with the pipes being HPC coated high luster (think aluminum appearance) but when it came to the hood, we opted to try something unconventional for us, an asymmetrical paint job. The main color of the hood was painted in traditional Arctic Cat lime green, but then a furling checker flag across one side that intertwined some tribal style arcs and pattern on the other side kind of meeting in the middle of the hood. It was out of the norm for what we put out of our shop and when it hit the snow that winter we actually had several clients request similar designs.




The next year when I built our first "shop truck" for our speed shop, I painted it red and black with a candy purple stripe separating them. I did an asymmetrical design on the tailgate keeping with the theme as I really began to like it. This was back in the late 90's timeframe.