@Gordon Nichols posted:Pineapple Mike wrote: “Mark, listen to these guys. They know more about keeping carbs running smoothly than just about anyone.”
We have to. Who the heck else are we going to go to in our areas? “Carb Whisperers” are getting fewer and much farther between, no matter where you live. The combined knowledge on here is priceless.
True story: the "go-to" German car shop in Peoria is owned by a guy who owned a Vintage Speedster for about 15 minutes about 10 (+/-) years back. I met him and @Panhandle Bob about the same time, and for a brief, sihining instant I didn't feel like the lone weirdo out here in the corn and snow. They both ran with a considerably nicer crowd, but I got to know them both.
The other fellow sold his car after determining it was pretty slow, and Bob moved away a few years later, but it was fun while it lasted.
Anyway, I've had this shop do some work on my car over the years - they've got an alignment rack and we adjusted the ride height and did a corner-balance and alignment. I also had them do the rear suspension bushings one summer when I just ran out of time. They also diagnosed (over the phone) a problem with my mom's SLK, and did the work for me. They're sharp and do excellent work.
However.... a couple of years ago, I got a call from the owner. A guy was in to get his 911 carbs worked on and of the 8 or 10 mechanics he had at his disposal, none of them felt confident working on the carbs. He called and connected me with the guy doing the work to pick my brain a bit. I didn't actually go in do anything to them, but it was hinted that kind of thing might be in the cards if they took more "antique" Porsche work, assuming I wanted it.
I don't.
There's not a lot of guys left in major markets, and none left in minor ones. Calgary is a major market - there will be somebody, but I hope for Mark's sake that he's a fast learner. We're all going to need to be going forward.