I had some opportunity to reflect on the Dorki spirit this weekend while talking with Dorkis and spending the whole day in the garage getting my car back together.
Without this group, I would have never ever attempted to do the level of work I have done on my car this past year. I bought the car to drive around on nice days. I never expected to be working on it myself, but with inspiration from the Pelican board and the willingness to help here, my car has not seen a paid wrench since I bought it.
In the past year, I have been inspired/required to:
- Fix the ignition system
- Flush the brakes
- Fix my blown coil as a result of the ignition system fix (search on that thread
)
- Change transmission fluid.
- Miscellaneous maintenance (belts, heater hoses, etc).
- Replace the seats with power seats.
- Drop the engine to fix leaks, replace clutch, etc.
- Reinstall the engine.
Almost none of these jobs I would have attempted without the inspiration of this group. Even the simplest tasks (belt change) required me to hit the board for a hand (I only had 4 shims and someone hooked me up with a couple from their stash).
The bigger jobs, of course, people were willing to lend their time, talents and tools. I have a garage full of stuff I need to return: engine stands, jacks, jack pads, CSI oil leak light, fuel pressure gauges, screw extractors, books, etc. All lent out without worry that they would be returned and put to good use. (Guys, I will be making a tool return run very soon!)
I had many people drive out to BFE to help me remove my engine. My engine work took me longer than expected (due to a variety of ordering snafus and other commitments) but I wanted to get it installed this past weekend. I knew a lot of people would be busy with the holiday and their own long-weekend projects, but I had a number of people express interest that they would come out to help. Then the board went down. I lost all my contact information. Fortunately, a hard core Dorki (thanks Bill) came all the way from Maryland to help reinstall the engine. Long after Bill left and I got the last parts together for a test, it wouldn’t start. I posted my problem to Pelican and other Dorkis picked up the phone and called me to offer help and advice.
When I finally get this sorted out, I look forward to celebrating the success with you.
As for community, this is a great place. Like NASCAR has “Who’s your driver?” as a greeting, it seems I always hear “How’s the car running?” when Dorkis meet. We have had a group T-shirt, a dinner (where I could say I knew nearly everyone in the room – except the ladies!), monthly gatherings, engine drops, fun runs and barbeques. We have mourned the tragedies of on-road and on-track accidents and supported those folks into new cars. We have celebrated acquisitions of new cars (some guys multiple times!) and new future drivers (or at least pit crew!). We talk smack and give each other a hard time, all in fun. (Yes, the A/C does fit in with the backdated heat! – Woohoo! Brown Porsches are still Porsches – and so are Targas).
All of the above are parts of what makes this a great place. I’d hate to lose it again.