Experienced 1981 911 mechanic wanted

[zabie]

I need to find a good mechanic in the southern Calvert county or southern St Marys county area for those difficult repairs im not brave enough to do myself, can anyone reccomend one? i have a 1981 911 targa and a 1987 944. I'm a new guy and im glad i found this site! thanks, Eric

[BlackTalon]

There are some Dorki out that way you might be able to hook up with if within the DIY realm. Not sure about pro mechanics, though.

[OldTee]

Welcome new guy. Can you post a pic of your cars. I'm sure somebody here will have a recommendation or two. Good luck.
ARF

[Yoda]

Eric,
There are several of us down in the Lexington Park and Leonardtown area. There are both 911 and 944 folks in the bunch. Not sure what you are looking to do, but between us we have done just about everything but rebuild engines (Geoff D. has done a lot of 944 Turbo engine work) or do bodywork on these cars. There really aren't any professional mechanics down here that I would recommend. When we do shop stuff out, it generally ends up being in the DC or other areas.

PM me with your phone number if you want to talk.

v/r
Brent

[zabie]

Thanks for the quick response . Here is my main concern, I posted this yesterday on Pelican and I got some constructive advice which i will take on when the weather breaks, it is with the 911. I'm currently afraid to turn it back over to the wife for fear of doing some real damage, it reads as follows:

I recently replaced my alternator with one bought at Pelican on my 1981 911 whale tail and I now have a problem which has me very concerned. When I replace the fan housing and tighten everything down, I end up with very little cl earance between the fan housing and the lower pulley. As a matter of fact, I can slide a piece of typing paper between the housing and pulley but cannot easily get a piece of 3x5 card stock between it, that’s how close it is! I have tried to loosen and tighten several times and I always end up losing the clearance when I tighten. Please tell me what to do, this is my wife’s baby and I want to get it back on the road for her! She hasn’t driven it since September. Thanks, Eric

[Yoda]

Eric,
That does seem a little tight. I just peeked at the '75 and I have about 1/8" clearance between the two. Thinking about it, I would make sure the fan housing clamp band is positioned square on the housing, then tighten it up just snug enough so you can barely move the fan housing. Try and twist it back and forth while pushing it towards the back of the engine (front of the car) and see if you can get a little more clearance.

Where are you located BTW? I might be able to swing by this evening and take a look at it if you are close enough.

v/r
Brent

[cmartin]

I had the take it apart and assemble again to get the proper clearance, not a big deal. Takes a little time, but you need to the have the pulley aligned so the fan doesnt hit the housing.

The closest wrench I know/trust is Tif in Annapolis.

[Rick Lee]

That strap is easy to mess up and have it feeling too tight. Lots of wiggling and feel involved in this one. I don't think you need to go to a pro for this.

[zabie]

Went to the DC auto show tonite with the wife. They brought back a new version of the Targa, it basically has a big sunroof that slides back but doesnt come off. they also are calling the carerra a 911 carerra now. they have a 2008 boxster as well. They had a Cayman coup that was pretty sweet and affordable by comparison.

I was dissappointed that the pretty sales girls they dragged all the way from Chicago didnt know very much about their products when asked, also, i couldnt help but think that there was nothing there as great lookin as my 1981 Targa whale tail! is it just me? Also, it struck me that their display should have had a few vintage legacy cars sitting around to brag on their heritage, but they didnt. I did see a 944 down at the end in the vintage car section that looked pretty good.