Month: February 2018

Rennline x RWB Sacramento

Rennline x RWB Sacramento

Rennline social media manager, Nick Coutu was lucky enough to interview Newton Kwan (@rwb_sacramento) and ask him a little about the story behind his amazing RWB 993 build.  See how Newton turned an average Porsche 993 into a dream RWB build that will leave you drooling.  Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

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Photo by @boldcopy

1. Tell us a little bit about @rwb_sacramento – what was your  inspiration behind building the car? 

My goal with building RWB Sacramento was to have a wild street-able track car.  I wanted something I could take to run errands in and something that would be a weekend warrior on the track. Years ago I was lucky enough to meet Nakai San in Japan and he introduced me to the RWB family.  Nakai San was so welcoming and as we talked more we had many of the same passions for cars.  Nakai San and the RWB family really inspired me to build out my 993.

Long story short, when I met Nakai San in Japan he took my fiance (now wife) and I out to Shabu Shabu after we landed from a late night flight.  As the taxi dropped us off, I was mesmerized by seeing the RWB headquarters.  It’s kinda of like a fantasy car heaven with RWB’s everywhere.  So, him and his friends waited up for us and took us to dinner and I had so many questions in my head about the RWB’ss.  I was skeptical, very skeptical of RWB’s rubbing and camber and all those things that make car enthusiasts frown.  Before Nakai San answered any of my questions he was like…”Get in.”  Pointing to RWB Adriana, we were heading off to dinner with the Nakai San.  I got in the car and moments later it was like a thrilling action movie.  We were flying down the dark narrow streets of Chiba with straight pipe exhaust screaming in the night.  In my head I was like ‘OMG’ this is amazing and holding on for dear life.  Keep in mind some of the the roads are maybe 1 and 1/2 lanes wide and as other on coming cars were coming we would weave around effortlessly.  I was so surprised how well the car handled.  There wasn’t any rubbing and the corning was very precise.  As we arrived at the Shabu Shabu restaurant, I got out of the car and I said, “Nakai San I need one.”  That was the moment I knew I needed an RWB.

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Photo by @boldcopy

2. Why RWB? What was it like working with Nakai San?

I choose RWB because I wanted something special and I wanted it to be a unicorn.  I choose RWB because I wanted it to be perfect.  The attention to detail and meticulous craftsmanship is unheard of.  I also wanted to share RWB with people who haven’t experienced or heard of these before too.

Working with Nakai San has really been an honor for me.  I have been lucky enough to travel around with him and help with over 30 RWB’s.  He’s definitely been a great mentor and friend to me.  Nakai San knows everything about Porche’s and his craftsmanship.  He is very humble and a very hard worker.  Its mind blowing to see how all of the lines and measurements are done by eye.  He uses his finger to bond the panels with sikaflex and these RWB’s always come out perfect.  He is always the first and last person working.  In my experience with him, I just try and keep up and soak up the all knowledge and work ethics that I can.

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Photo by @boldcopy

3. I remember you mentioning that you’ve auto-crossed and raced  the car on the track. How did that go? How did the car do?

Prior to the RWB transformation, I auto-crossed and tracked my cars.  I have a little process where I like to start with stock cars and modify them to see how the cars progresses and improves with each modification.  Last year my car spent a lot of time jumping from shop to shop getting work done, so it hasn’t hit the track yet.  I’m hoping this year I have the the time track it.  On a brighter note, the car is ready for the track.  Last year I was able to finish the year with a corner balance and alignment to track specs.  I weighed in at 2800 lbs (400 lbs under the stock weight) and it has a perfect cross weight now too.  So I’m excited to see how it performs too.

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Photo by @boldcopy

4. We noticed a few Rennline parts on there – which parts did  you choose? Why Rennline?

I wanted a very clean and retro look.  I went RS style interior (it used to all be tan and I went with the silvernet black).  I relocated the center console to the dash and added more leg room with the lower dash delete.  Removed the back seats and customized the rear panel.  I also wanted it to be lightweight and it’s all sound dampened with Dynamat.

For the Rennline parts I went with the following:

I think I got my CAE Shifter through you guys too 🙂 I love it!

I choose Rennline because you guys have the best parts and fitment and excellent customer service, not to mention an excellent reputation in the Porsche world.  Still on the wish list is silver gauge rings, seat brackets once I get my seats, the rest of the control arm pieces, drop links and strut bar.

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Photo by @conley916

 5. What do  you see for the future of @rwb_sacramento?

These cars are never ending projects.  Next is engine work and seats.  It lacks a bit of power, but for a streetable car in CA we have the worst emissions regulations.  It will get intake, exhaust, tune, clutch, and lightweight flywheel and we should be good.  These are all long processes, so maybe even start on RWB Sac. #2???? 🙂

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Photo by @rwb_sacramento

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Rennline Prototype Lab | Mini Cooper Skid Plate

Rennline Prototype Lab | Mini Cooper Skid Plate

Last Friday (2/23/18) Rennline engineer Dave and lead fabricator Gene teamed up with Robert Mohns from Massachusetts to design, manufacture, prototype, and install a finished skid plate for his Mini Cooper F-Series. We plan to have these available to pre-order at Rennline.com by March 1st!

Robert’s Mini F-Series waiting for its new skid plate

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Rennline engineer Dave designing the new skid plate in SolidWorks

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Next it’s off to the water jet where the ski plate will be cut

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Dave and Gene carefully bend the skid plate to ensure proper fitment

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The finished product

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Old vs. New

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Time for install!

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The finished product – installed and ready to go!

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Huge thanks to Robert for bringing in his car to help make this possible!

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Project 50 Shades Of Grey

Project 50 Shades Of Grey

After searching for several months for that perfect backdate project car, we came across a 1975 Carrera that had been converted to a Slantnose by a SoCal dealership in the late 80’s. Being a California car, this chassis was rust free and a great starting point for what was to come. In addition to the rust free chassis the car also had the entire drivetrain from a 79 930. After a few more questions we learned the car had been serviced by our friends at Poudre Sports Cars in Denver, Colorado. A phone call yielded the details; the engine had been built two years prior and the parts list included JE pistons, LN cylinders, ARP head studs, topped with a K27 Turbo. Between the chassis and engine build we settled on this car as being the perfect candidate for our project and had the car dropped back off at Poudre Sports Cars so that it could be shipped over to us in Vermont.

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View More Photos Here: “Project 50 Shades Of Grey

Our project was a slantnose 911 before we got it

That famous slantnose front end

Upon arrival at the Rennline shop, we spent some time sorting a few small issues and putting some miles on the engine to ensure everything was running correctly and up to snuff. Thanks to Poudre’s top notch work, this was a short process and within no time the car was shedding its sheet metal in preparation for a complete restoration. A full array of early body panels were sourced and the slantnose parts were removed in preparation for the long hood conversion.

Removing the front end and all the slant nose body work

The beginning of adding backdate bodywork

We are never ones to miss the opportunity to develop fresh parts for the Rennline catalog, and this project was the perfect chance to so some applied product development. First up was an RSR Style Strut brace which features dimple-died strut tower reinforcements to all but eliminate flex between the strut towers and caused by the forces transferred though the shocks themselves to the top mounts. Next up we jigged the new long hood on one of our water jets and wrote a CNC program to cut a hole for our new Center Hood Gas Filler. This piece is machined from billet aluminum right here in Vermont and is the perfect compliment to this or any 911 project.

RSR style weld in strut tower bar

Getting ready for paint with lots of bodywork

Using the water jet to cut a hole for our billet gas cap

 

With the extensive amount of body work needed for the backdate, we employed a hydraulic rotisserie that was custom built by one of our close friends with assistance from our CNC tooling centers. As anyone who has restored a car can tell you, removing factory undercoating is one of the worst tasks. This was made worlds easier with the rotisserie, and we tapped our catalog for some of Wurth’s OEM quality SKS Stoneguard to coat the entire under body. This included the engine bay and entire floor which was body-matched after the Wurth products were applied.

911 on a rotisserie getting undercoat applied

Custom metal work to add large rear fender flares

Next up was the rolling gear- the suspension was all in decent shape, but a combination of old rubber and the fact that we can never leave well enough alone meant that a complete overhaul was in store. The entire suspension and steering systems were stripped down bare nuts and bolts status, and every last nut, washer and bracket were media blasted and sent for OEM equilivant yellow Zinc plating. Since Aluminum can’t be zinc plated, and those parts weren’t coated from the factory anyway they were media blasted and clear coated both to maintain the clean look of the raw aluminum and to make cleaning easier in the future.

Zinc plated parts look like brand new

With all the suspension looking brand new, we threw the book at it: Rennline HD parts everywhere, including de-cambered ball joints for increased camber, strut mounts, trailing arm bushings, spring plate bushings, and control arm bushings to name a few. With their rubber construction and higher than factory durometer composition these parts are perfect for significantly increasing the handling capabilities of these old cars without drawbacks associated with typical aftermarket bushings.

Rennline Decambered ball joint in powder coated control armRennline HD Trailing Arm Bushings

Below are a few pictures of #Project50ShadesOfGrey as it began to take shape outside of the Rennline factory. After years of working on such a big project it’s nice to finally see things coming together. We can’t wait to see how the final build turns out! Follow us @Rennline on Instagram to see updates of the car as the build comes to an end.

 

Our project leaving the Rennline shop for the paint shop

The first glimpse of our now gray 911 back in the shop from paint

It’s now February of 2018 and #Project50ShadesOfGrey is finally done and we are so excited to share the final photos with you guys. What better time to release the build than right after the release of the newest 50 Shades of Grey movie. If you have any questions about the build, or the Rennline products used in the build, send us an email at orders@rennline.com. Cheers!

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Valentine’s Day Sale – Free Shipping on Orders over $99

Valentine’s Day Sale – Free Shipping on Orders over $99

This is your relationship. Strong and stylish from head to tow. This is your relationship. Strong and stylish from head to tow. This is your relationship. Strong and stylish from head to tow. This is your relationship. Strong and stylish from head to tow. This is your relationship. Strong and stylish from head to tow.

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Here at Rennline we know you’ve put in the time, energy, and money to make sure Valentine’s Day is everything your significant other is expecting and more. That’s why we decided to give Free Shipping on Orders over $99* from February 8th to 28th.

Because this Valentine’s Day is for all of us.

Start Shopping

*free domestic ups ground shipping on orders over $99

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