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Anyone else feel like the Garage needs to be deep cleaned?
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Should we bust out the pail and mop in the Garage area of the .org?
Yes
65%
 65%  [ 32 ]
No
2%
 2%  [ 1 ]
Maybe So
6%
 6%  [ 3 ]
Gee sounds like a lot of work, but go ahead if you want
26%
 26%  [ 13 ]
Total Votes : 49

Author Message
My924gtc  



Joined: 14 Aug 2004
Posts: 1362
Location: 248

PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:58 pm    Post subject: Anyone else feel like the Garage needs to be deep cleaned? Reply with quote

So.as the title implies...I think the .org garage area is in serious need of some updating.

Anyone else feel the same?

For example;

Projects... I think this area is desperately asking for more recent works. So many of us have more up to date examples of completed, on going, and up-start projects that should be shared visually and descriptively.

Reference...Many of the vendors and information is completely obsolete.

Tech...This has evolved far beyond what is mentioned in this section. EFI, Engine Management, Ignition Controllers

Racing Today...Come on I don't see anything from modern day events and I think we should.

FAQ...Most of this is still relevent, but I think more questions need to be addressed so that they don't plague the discussions on a regular basis.

I could go on but you guys know what I mean.

I think we spend a great deal of time here in the discussions but we neglect the core of the website and could be a much more informative, modern, and productive entity if we put our minds to it and tapped the collective wisdom.
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MJ
'81 924 2.0L T
'82 924 2.3L SC/EFI <---online fall '06

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Sponsor of the "2006 Battle in the Badlands"
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924guy  



Joined: 29 Dec 2003
Posts: 2088
Location: Port St. Lucie, FL

PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

absolutly! but it is indeed a large task, for every change made your looking at re writing the script, error checking, then uploading..adding pics means uploading them to the server, changing the code on the page they need to be diplayed on, checking and adjusting formatting to make sure they show up in the right places , sometimes twice with thumbnails depending upon how it done....even if several people download the pages made the changes and sent them to Vaughan "prepackaged" itll still take a great deal oftime to get them uploaded and "right."
ive got a huge (unrelated) website i havent updated since june or so(10 to 25k hits a month, over 300 pages of html) , simply because it does take so much time. and another much smaller one i havent touched in a coouple of years.. when i do have some time, im generally not in the "grove" mentally to get the job done..so i can certainly understand the enormity of the task at hand , even minor updates are tough..
Even so, when you can get it done, its well worth the effort.. ive got tons of reference material id like to scan that i think would be very helpfull to other listers, but might become a copywrite issue. im not sure of the legalities of these things , even though they are no longer in printing and suitibly "aged." IMHO , these things would encourage parts sales for the factory and theyd make far more in that than they do selling manuals..
anyhow, i just wanted let Vaughan know that we understand the difficulties involved in keeping this place current, and appreciate his efforts..just let know how we can help Vaughan
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78 924
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My924gtc  



Joined: 14 Aug 2004
Posts: 1362
Location: 248

PostPosted: Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would like to clarify that I fully expect any kind of undertaking of this magatude to be a group effort. To the extent that areas of improvement would need to be delagated to individuals and relavent information would need to be sent to that person (persons) and they would be responsible for organizing the content, proofing it, and getting it ready to upload. Possibly even accessing the server and performing the upload.

I'm not just polling for giggles, I want this site to rival other automotive forums to which I subscribe. Most of which have a larger number of members, site admins, moderators, and the like. More info = more input.

Keep in mind that this site is young (relatively) and young minds need to grow. I am willing to tackle whatever task is set before me, and I know that there are others who could lend their talents to seeing this metomorphosis take shape.
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MJ
'81 924 2.0L T
'82 924 2.3L SC/EFI <---online fall '06

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Sponsor of the "2006 Battle in the Badlands"
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Mike924  



Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 2601
Location: IoW UK

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 4:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Garage area?
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My924gtc  



Joined: 14 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 4:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep Garage...http://www.924.org/contents.htm

There is more to 924.org than the discussion forums.
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MJ
'81 924 2.0L T
'82 924 2.3L SC/EFI <---online fall '06

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Paul  



Joined: 02 Nov 2002
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Location: Southeast Wisconsin

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 5:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe we should PayPal some funds for a newer faster bigger server for all this new info?
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My924gtc  



Joined: 14 Aug 2004
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Location: 248

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 6:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hhmmm...I'm not familiar with what something like that would cost but I think that is definitely a needed component if something like this was to happen. We all know everything in life takes $$$.

??? is how many of the 1500 + would pony up?

How much would a server capable how handling the info cost? I'm pretty saavy, but hardware is not my game.

Something to ponder.
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MJ
'81 924 2.0L T
'82 924 2.3L SC/EFI <---online fall '06

Sponsor of the 944 Cup and Super Cup
Sponsor of the "2006 Battle in the Badlands"
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Peter_in_AU  



Joined: 29 Jul 2001
Posts: 2743
Location: Sydney, Australia

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think this is a great idea and I know you're not suggesting that Vaughan gives up the racecars and married life.

I'm sure we have some world-class web designers and I know we have world-class 924 gurus here. The thing is that they're often not the same people.

I'd love to see more technical articles on the sort of stuff people keep asking about: EFI upgrades, dash repair, installing a CGT body kit etc etc. If you haven't been there lately take a look at the tech section at Pelican Parts http://www.pelicanparts.com/944/944tech.htm the stuff they have there is superb, lots of step-by-step pictures and instructions.

There's lots of relatively simple things that are only simple after you've done them three times. How many times has the reply to a fuel pump question been "bridge the pump relay"? Cool. Which one is the pump relay? What does bridge mean?

Perhaps next time we're doing something on our cars we could pull out the digital camera and take lots of really big detailed photos and think about how you would explain what you're doing to someone who has never done it before. Then when you're having a cold beer after and basking in the glow of your achievement wash your hands, crank up the computer and write down how you did it. Then post a message saying "I've got step-by-step instructions and pics on how to ...., who wants to turn it into html for the tech section?" If you have the pictures and the instructions in Word or whatever then I'm sure someone out there can do the web stuff.
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Paul  



Joined: 02 Nov 2002
Posts: 9491
Location: Southeast Wisconsin

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So will our server hold all of this, or do we need to upgrade it?
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Peter_in_AU  



Joined: 29 Jul 2001
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Location: Sydney, Australia

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know what sort of server Vaughan has 924.org hosted on or who it's hosted with. I would think that the only issue might be disk space but then most commercial hosters are very generous with disk space.

The discussion board is hosted on one of my company servers down here in Australia.
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1979 924 (Gone to a better place)
1974 Lotus 7 S4 "Big Valve" Twin-cam (waiting)
1982 924 (As featured on Wikipedia)

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jpab924  



Joined: 03 Nov 2002
Posts: 1538
Location: Crown pt. IN. 50 miles southeast of Chicago Ill.

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 2:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree the garage has to be re-vamped...from the top to the bottom. A few more people need to join the show in order to get it done. Peter already mentioned the qualifications...that leaves me out....but Peter does have an interesting idea on how to get the how-to`s in the garage section.

IMO, this is the best 924 specific discussion forum that there is. (Thanks to all of you that made this possible.) You can`t go anywhere else to get the quality of 924 gurus that I`ve seen here. But lets take this thing to next level and make 924.org what it should be. Clean it out, add to it, make it more appealing.

All of the aforementioned ideas presented above, are great! Hopefully it will be seen through.
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Peter_in_AU  



Joined: 29 Jul 2001
Posts: 2743
Location: Sydney, Australia

PostPosted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 7:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

whoa jpab924 I'm not going to accept that you're not qualified. Nobody can have a post count of over 1200 and not have done some meaningful work on their car.

I'm not trying to put the hard word on you. Just remember that you have done or will do things to your car that other guys might want to do and sharing what you did and how you did it will help them.

I'm not just talking about a "how to convert to EFI in 250 easy steps". The first time you change the fluid in the transaxle can be a bit of a challenge (so which hole do I pour the fresh fluid into and what's the best stuff to use?). Or how about "how do I get the engine oil drain plug out after the previous owner has gutted it?".

Unfortunately SomebodyElse no longer visits the discussion board so if we want to change things at 924.org we have to do it ourselves.
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1979 924 (Gone to a better place)
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1982 924 (As featured on Wikipedia)

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924RACR  



Joined: 29 Jul 2001
Posts: 8792
Location: Royal Oak, MI, USA

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 12:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LOL... thanks Peter!

Actually, you're pretty much the one who's nailed it - it's time, not money. I've always insisted that it's pretty much cheaper to do things right the first time, and I don't pay for server space based on the quality of the content. At any rate, the server costs are not a concern for me (yes, it's commercially hosted, in conjunction with my other sites vaughanscott.com and gtschallenge.com).

The problems are having the time to add new content/revise old stuff, and having the talent to devise new graphics to improve and update the look/feel of the site. Having a better, almost database-based, method of incorporating new info and articles would be ideal, certainly make it easier to let others contribute. Right now it's all in FrontPage, and not quite so well set up for multi-user work.

I'm not home right now, so can't do anything with the site, can't even look at it - I'm away on work till next Sat. So any actual changes will have to wait at least till the holidays.

But I am glad to see some definite interest out there; as Peter's said, there's plenty of good talent out there, and I have known for a time that I need help, but have been unable to find time to dig into figuring out how to make it possible. As noted, there are a few categories of help needed. We could really use an update to the look/feel of the site, and a thorough restructuring, editing and updating of the info that's there. That will require some degree of web knowledge. Then there's the contribution of new material - how-to's, etc. This could more easily be handled by those with more wrenching but less web experience, and integrated into the site by administrators.

So thanks for the response, and thanks for your understanding - particularly as to why the site's so unappealing these days. It's been around a long time, and shows it. But 924.org IS unquestionably the #1 924 site on the web (try yahoo or google if you don't believe), and it would sure be nice to have it show...
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My924gtc  



Joined: 14 Aug 2004
Posts: 1362
Location: 248

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 12:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For some ideas on how to improve the look and the configuration I think it wise to tap some resources that have done it already. We are a small group, and I know that a few are web-slingers, but I am not one of them.

Check out...http://hotrodders.com/ It is an awesome site. Jon is the name of the guy who runs it and maybe he could offer some info on improving our's. The bulliten board is a great place for general car tech...things like paint and body work, engine tech...Much more hard core technical knowledge than we can offer. I've even made friends there that have done the 944 V8 Chevy conversion.

There are other sites that I frequent but none that offer the vastly different format, and the sheer size of hotrodders.

Let's keep hammering away at this challenge and we can all contribute to the site we know and love.<---that's all the cheerleading I am capable of on Saturday morning.
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MJ
'81 924 2.0L T
'82 924 2.3L SC/EFI <---online fall '06

Sponsor of the 944 Cup and Super Cup
Sponsor of the "2006 Battle in the Badlands"
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CMXXXI  



Joined: 05 Nov 2002
Posts: 1939
Location: Vicksburg, MS

PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, I'll be the first to step forward and contribute new material.

Some of you have read my recent posts about my photo site being on-again off-again and I'm moving to a new host. I'm in-process of getting some things up, but I'm not a web/graphics designer. All my stuff is pure HTML by-way-of Notepad (hey, nothing like working at the nuts&bolts level).

Here's my write ups on removing the Snailshell transmission and replacing the synchronizer bands. I need to do something about the photo sizes because it downloads so slowly, and I've still got several broken links that I just haven't corrected yet.

But, it's a free contribution and I'll continue to impove upon it.
http://m-elliott.us/Porsche/Repairs_Xmsn.htm

Don't wander too far from the Transmission subject matter because the site is a real work-in-progress. I had not intended to "go public" until after the New Year when I had time to clean up. It's going to take a long time for me to re-post all my photos, re-index and re-caption them.
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