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Suncoast Region PCA Profile Database
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» Driver's Seat |
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Jul 19, 2009 - 9:33 AM - by Dave Herndon
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Hello Everyone!
Welcome to late summer in Florida. Yes, it’s hot, but that’s not going to slow us down. Suncoast Region has places to go, people to see and fun things to do. See the calendar inside these pages for dates and locations.
Over the last several months, the plastic rear window on the Boxster finally began to wear out. Most every day, the top was lowered and put back up. Sometimes this would happen 3 to 4 times a day. Basically, if Laura was in the car, the top was down, even if the trip was between the parking lot and the softball field. I promised her that I would never be unhappy about wearing out the top, as my sincere hope was that she would thoroughly enjoy the open air driving as much as I do. My father said the same thing to me at her age. She may enjoy it even more, and that’s hard to do.
The time came to do something about the top and the plastic rear window. The window had a few big cracks in it, on either side about half way between the top and bottom. I looked new tops, at a wide range of installed prices. The choices narrowed down to original equipment (OE) German canvas, knock-off American canvas, and relatively inexpensive replacement tops.
This article was almost a documentary about ol’ Dave doing the installation job himself. Yes, I was going to do it right in my garage over a weekend (or two!!). A top vendor in California was kind enough to send me step by step instructions, complete with detailed photos of the known trouble areas. After checking this over a few times, I decided to give it a go. I was growing very tired of looking at the make-do temporary fix of clear box sealing tape covering the cracks while I investigated my options. It’s not a nice look on a really pretty car.
While I was in the midst of all of this checking around and deciding what to do, we had a DE at Sebring. I brought the Boxster to drive in the event. On the way to the track, I kept thinking to myself “Hmmm…. 125 down the back straight, windows down, lots of air pressure on a plastic rear window held together by clear box sealing tape. Going to lose the window. Will probably hit Bassett on his windshield, and I’ll never hear the end of it.” I was just hoping for no rain. At the track, I decided to put another layer on the inside also, just to make me feel better. It actually worked. Absolutely nothing happened to that window. A full weekend of running with the instructors, and it was intact. I digress.
One of our Suncoast members, Sean Epperson, saw my problem as he walked through the paddock. He indicated that he had just had his plastic rear window replaced, and it turned out very well. It saved him an outrageous amount of money, as the new window was only $200. + tax, installed. The top on my car was still in fine condition, and it didn’t take much thought about which way to go. Sean called me a few days later with the name and phone number of the convertible top shop. Sure enough, I set the appointment to drop it off in the morning, and the job was done, ready to pick up by 4:30 the same day. What a deal.
The top shop removed the entire top from the car, double stitched in a new plastic window, reinstalled the top without a single wrinkle, all for a couple hundred dollars. The more I think about it, that top might still be off the car in my garage if I actually did it at home. The main criteria we used to save or replace the top involved the condition of the top and textured rubber lining fused to the inside of the factory canvas. If it was soft and pliable, without cracking or checking in the visible wear areas, then it would be fine to just replace the window. That decision became very easy. I was perfectly willing to tackle the job, but good sense prevailed.
It would have made a pretty funny article about the trials and tribulations of learning a complicated new service procedure, buying any needed special tools, just to do the job only once. Ever. Anyone else experienced this kind of fun at home? I’ll bet you’ve been there too. Let me know if you would like the contact info for the top shop Sean and I used, or the top replacement instructions if you’ve got the nerve to try it at home. If so, you get to write the article about your experience.
I’ll see you in the Driver’s Seat.
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» From the Driver’s Seat |
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Aug 17, 2008 - 12:36 PM - by Dave Herndon
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Hello Suncoasters!
As you may have noticed with the July issue, the Porsche PROFILE has undergone some major changes and updates recently. We have changed to a new production and printing company to improve the look and feel of our monthly newsletter. Our new editor, Alicia Nordquist and her technical advisor, Melissa Schneider, are doing a great job with the transformation and rebuilding of the PROFILE. As they seem to be running a mile a minute, my challenge is to try to keep up with them. Thanks, Alicia and Melissa!
Parade 2008 in Charlotte, N.C. was a big success for PCA and the Carolinas region. Suncoast region was well represented at the event by thirty-three members, including Tom and Linda Bragaw, Tom and Cindy Briest, Gerry Curts and Beth Bosserman, Cliff and Janice Davis, Richard and Marcia DeGennaro, Kevin and Candyce Denton, Steve and Janie Gaglione, Maury and Sue Hamill, Mark and Michelle Krekorian, Michael and Kristin Krekorian, Doug and Sara Monaco, Bill and Ellen Riley, Barrie and Lynn Romkey, Danny and Sharron Shields, Peter Sontag, Caroline Spencer and Joli Laughlin, Rob and Robin Watson. Thanks to each of them for attending this important National event, and in several instances, bringing home trophies won during the competitive events.
Planning for the 2009 48 Hours at Sebring PCA Club Race event is already underway. The Committee is looking for members to serve as volunteers in various locations during the upcoming race. The scheduled date is February 5-8, 2009 at Sebring. Email our 48 Hours volunteer coordinator, Tom Heironimus at lehigh@tampabay.rr.com for more information and to add your name to the volunteer roster. It’s not too soon to volunteer. This event is more fun than you can imagine!
Our Webmaster, Eric Tillotson, has launched the new Suncoast region website, along with a new web address: www.suncoastpca.org. Please take a few minutes and look around the new site. Eric has put a tremendous amount of work into building an exciting new Suncoast Region website for us. It is very intuitive and easy to navigate through. There are discussion boards, places for members to upload photos, and great content relating to our PCA region. Member registration is voluntary, but strongly encouraged. Eric will be adding new features over time. Thanks, Eric, for an outstanding job!
The Board is busy preparing an exciting fall calendar for our members.
There are a few upcoming PCA events to mention. The next Suncoast Region D.E. is September 20th, at Sebring, with a Gold Coast Region D.E. at Sebring the next day, September 21st. This two-day combined event creates an opportunity for a substantial amount of track time. Register well in advance, as it will fill up quickly. Remember, PCA members enjoy full reciprocity with every other PCA region, and can participate in events hosted by other regions. All you need to do is contact the event chairman and register.
Another upcoming event of note is the Great Smokey Mountains road trip, October 19-24, 2008, hosted by our own Carl and Diane Bohall. For more info, call Carl at 941-916-4152, or Diane at 941-258-4151, or email at cdbohall@yahoo.com . This will be a great experience, driving your Porsche through the beautiful mountains at the right time of the year, with a delightful group of people.
Our Social chair, Sharron Shields, has scheduled the August PCA Date Night at Mimi's Restaurant 11702 Dale Mabry Hwy N., Tampa at7 p.m. August 21st, 2008. Please RSVP to Sharron Shields at GolfSharro@AOL.com, or call 813-601-6597 or 813 681-5378.
The Board is always looking for exciting events to host for our PCA members. If you have an idea for a fun event, please let Sharron and the Board hear about it. It might become a favorite annual event on the calendar!
Again, I give a big round of thanks to everyone in Suncoast Region that volunteers their time to help make our region one of the strongest and best organized PCA regions in the country. If you know of a member that should be recognized in this column for their dedication to Suncoast region and PCA, email the details to me at dherndon@ix.netcom.com.
I’ll see you in the driver’s seat.
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