The Bahn Stormer Volume XXIV Issue IV -- May 2019 Photo by Stewart Free Photo by Stewart Free The Official Publication of the Rally Sport Region - Porsche Club of America The Bahn Stormer Contents For Information or submissions Contact Mike O’Rear The Official Page ......................................................3 [email protected] On the Grid ..............................................................5 (Please put Bahn Stormer in the subject line) Calendar of Events ...................................................7 Deadline: Normally by the end of the third Membership Page ....................................................9 week-end of the month. 944 Chronicles .......................................................11 Ramblings from A Life With Cars ............................13 Material from the The Bahn Stormer may be reprinted Time With Tim .......................................................15 (except for ads) provided proper credit is given to the It Can Happen to Anyone .......................................18 author and the source. If I Had My Rutters .................................................20 Around the Zone ....................................................24 For Commercial Ads Contact Mike O’Rear Meeting Minutes ...................................................31 [email protected] Classifieds ..............................................................32 From the Back Seat ................................................35 Advertising Rates (Per Year) Full Page: $650 Quarter Page: $225 PORSCHE®, The Porsche Crest®, Half Page: $375 Business Card: $100 CARRERA®, and TARGA® are trademarks of Porsche AG Copy is the responsibility of the advertiser. Advertisers ARESCO, Inc ............................................................. 12 AutoMark Collision Center ........................................ 8 Automotive Techniques ............................................ 4 BMW Motorcycles of Southeast Michigan .............. 10 Clem’s Garage for Storage ....................................... 33 Clear Auto Bra ......................................................... 12 Copyrite Printing ....................................................... 2 Finn’s J M & J Insurance .......................................... 10 Four 20 IT ................................................................ 31 Fred Lavery Porsche ................................................ 34 Editor’s Note: These are the folks who print our newsletter. JKD3 Consulting .......................................................... 2 Munk’s .................................................................... 22 Porsche of Ann Arbor .............................................. 16 Porsche of Farmington Hills .................................... 36 Rennstatt Racing (of ArborMotion) ........................... 6 Vintage Munk’s ....................................................... 26 Westgate Insurance ................................................ 26 www.sellyoursportscar.net ..................................... 19 Check out the latest news on our website rsp.pca.org Check out other PCA events at the Zone 4 website -- zone4.pca.org 2 The Official Page 2019 Rally Sport Region Officers President Tech Chairperson Events Chairpersons Tim Pott* Tim Pott* Matt, Dru & Zach Huber 734-548-5378 734-548-5378 810-225-8372 Ann Arbor 48104 Ann Arbor 48104 Brighton 48114 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Immediate Past President Track Registrar Der Cranky Webmeister Rick Mammel Tom Krueger Emmanuel Garcia 248-442-9008 313-570-2223 248-635-7655 Novi 48375 Shelby Twp. 48315 South Lyon, 48178 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vice President Track Chairperson Other Board Members Peter Grant* Christian Maloof* Jeremy Goddard* 734-604-1622 734 646-2746 248-770-1654 Ann Arbor 48104 Ann Arbor 48104 Rochester Hills 48306 [email protected] cmmaloof @gmailcom [email protected] Advertising Chairperson Insurance Chairperson Kevin Kral* Burghard Linn* Jim Dowty* 630-795-9924 810-227-1223 734-717-1060 Auburn Hills 48326 Brighton 48116 Ann Arbor 48108 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Dan Kantrow* Membership Chairperson Archivist / Historian 734-395-6603 Glenn Trapp Glenn Trapp Ann Arbor 48105 810-227-7854 810-227-7854 [email protected] Brighton 48114 Brighton 48114 [email protected] [email protected] William Rogers* 248-974-2455 Treasurer Bahn Stormer Editor South Lyon 48178 Burghard Linn* Mike O’Rear* [email protected] 810-227-1223 734-214-9993 Brighton 48116 Ann Arbor 48103 [email protected] [email protected] Zone 4 Rep Lori Schutz Secretary Social Media Coordinator Southeast Michigan Region Mary Ann Kantrow* Valerie Roedenbeck Maloof [email protected] 734-347-8544 312-342-8222 Ann Arbor 48105 Ann Arbor 48104 [email protected] [email protected] * Denotes Board Member 3 4 On the Grid By RSR President Tim Pott Auto repair shops are loaded with forward motion instantly resulting in its rider tumbling ass fun stuff to play with. Compressed over teakettle into some very hard, immovable object such air, hydraulic presses, floor jacks, as a hoist or tire changing machine. A thorough sweeping creepers and other equipment can all of the racing surface and donning protective gear is always be repurposed for lots of fun activities. recommended for this activity, but is rarely done. We are only limited by our infertile imaginations. Usage of any equipment Hot Stuff for anything other than its original, Acetylene gas is highly flammable and stored in special intended function always lends itself to a certain level of tanks under pressure for safety reasons. It is typically mixed risk. Shooting projectiles, such as a toothpick, from the with pure oxygen to create an intense, super-hot flame end of a blow gun can easily wind up in your co-workers used to heat, weld and cut various metals. I would have forehead. It is with the utmost sincerity that I urge anyone no way of knowing this information on a first hand basis reading this to NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! Don’t try in your but I have been told by reliable sources that a favorable garage either, or your friend’s garage or even your enemy’s mixture of the two gasses can also be used to release a garage for that matter. Most practices described in this tremendous amount of explosive force if manipulated article were done at a period of youthful, invulnerable carefully. I’ve even been told (same reliable sources) stupidity. Not every person I know that has indulged in this that if these forces were to be released in a large, steel type of “shop fun” has escaped unscathed. compartment, such as an old dishwasher, sufficient force might be released to heave the container several feet into Creeper Races the air. Upon returning to the ground, a careful, scientific This competitive activity can be performed individually, in evaluation might reveal that the previously flat walls of teams or with several folks competing in a random fashion. the container are now convex and the interior of the steel The intended use of a creeper is to allow a mechanic to compartment is no longer in the shape of a cube, but now roll his or her body under a vehicle that has been jacked resembles something more like the interior of a basketball. up and safely supported by jack stands or while a car is It is further speculated that such a release of energy could on a hoist at a low level. Creepers lay extremely low to be heard as far as two blocks away, perhaps by the spouse the ground in order to allow the maximum amount of of one of the experimenters. clearance under the car. This low slung feature becomes I feel the need here to repeat my earlier warning. Do only slightly problematic when creepers are used as a not mess with oxygen and acetylene gas for anything racing device. One or more individuals can line up, take other than its intended use. It really can release forces a running start, then flop down at the starting line belly of nature capable of great harm. We’re not talking about first on to the racing surface, either a cleared out shop losing digits here, more like losing torsos. floor or a parking lot. The tricky part here is to move one’s hands from gripping the edge of the creeper lest Putting the Squeeze on one’s skin is removed from the tops of the knuckles. It is Hydraulic presses are normally used to force apart, or much preferred to reserve the loss of skin for more noble force together, automotive components that have an and professional purposes, like when a wrench slips on a interference fit. The idea here is that, when pressed in nut and the back of your hand grates across the fins of a an object that is slightly larger than the receiving hole it is radiator. A safer method of creeper racing involves using intended to go into will stay put without nuts, bolts or other the buddy system, where one person rides while the buddy securing devices. Presses are also a great way to release pushes. One must have great faith in his or her pushing frustration on objects of one’s disdain. The more fragile buddy since that person also controls the direction of and sensitive object, such as a pesky alarm device that has travel. Yet another hazard of creeper racing is that the been acting up randomly, giving one fits of diagnostic angst, (often steel) casters upon which they roll aren’t designed is especially well suited for the hydraulic press of doom. so much for smoothness and speed. The tiniest of objects,