P100DHG Build Thread - Gen 3 Coupe #138

[P100DHG]

I write this post with absolute elation and as an update on the last five years I have been away from the forum. How much of the car build have you missed, you might ask… None. So, good news—you didn’t miss anything. Your next question might be: what the heck happened? He never finished the car, the thread… Well, I am just as close as I was right before I left you, with three exceptions. First, I’ll tell you right now I have less hair than when I started this build. HA! We will get to those other two in a minute—or ten, or more—I’ve got a lot to cover. First, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: what happened to me?

Soon after getting my car painted, the electrical gremlin from hell made my car go from reliable to dead. I knew it was going to take patience and troubleshooting. Every move had to be carefully planned so I didn’t scratch the car. In the beginning of the manual, Dave Smith said something that stuck with me: “A wrench dropped from 25 feet away will inexplicably shoot sideways into any freshly painted surface…” If you're not focused, you’re going to regret picking up those tools. I knew it would take my full focus.

So let’s take this year by year—and this is a happy story overall (one sad part). Let me start with that—no cliffhanger.

2021
Summer of 2021, I got the car back from paint and was blessed by my gremlin. That same summer, my father-in-law’s Roadster was delivered, and we got to building it. I thought he would be at my house weekdays and weekends working on the car (the blessing of being retired), but what I found was much more endearing—he wanted to build it with me. At that same time, my brother, who I worked with in a family business, started putting his efforts into his own business venture nearly full-time, and my workload really increased. The Roadster became my priority over my car (still a work in progress today).

All while this was happening, late that summer, my wife and I decided we would try to realize our dream of owning a ranch—a small business in a small town. We thought, hay, a small cattle herd, horse boarding. I sold my 1997 Porsche 911 – 993 Carrera 4S, gathered every penny we had, borrowed the rest, and we were fortunate enough to find a ranch in Colorado in fall of 2021. We closed escrow in December of 2021. It was a great fit—one hour from Boulder, one hour from the Denver airport, and in the mountains. It would be easy to get to, easy for me when I taught at University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, which I did regularly until recently. But we wouldn’t take possession until summer of 2022 (we did a rent-back to the former owners).

2022
In January of 2022, my brother announced he was leaving the family business. At the same time, one of our two office employees suffered an injury while on vacation (a broken ankle that required surgery) and was on extended leave—which she never ended up returning from. I was down to one office employee. I took a hard look at our company structure as I worked 12-plus-hour days, seven days a week. I ended up finding two wonderful employees and a business that needed my full attention. That wrench would surely fly right out of my hand if I thought about tackling the car.

The first part of 2022 was grueling, and summer came with the reward of getting to go to the ranch. A new adventure, new things to learn—and wow, there was a learning curve. But it presented a nice break from city life. Getting back from the ranch to Los Angeles late summer, it was apparent to me my original employee was really struggling with something outside of work, and it was coming into the office. The business required my full attention again. The ranch would have to wait, and so would the car.

2023
Ahh, a new year and a new opportunity. Batteries were back in stock, and I bought one for the car. I installed the battery and—well—it didn’t work. ARGH. Crushing. Something was very, very wrong. The dash would have to come out, and I could see that wrench flying through the air (Dave got in my head—can you tell? LOL).

Well, 2023 had its own issues. Have you heard of an atmospheric river? Neither had I, and it was a crushing year of rain for Los Angeles and wreaked havoc on our business. You would cry if I told you how much money these rains cost in damage. The amount of rain that falls in such a short amount of time… LA was not built for this.

In the midst of the rains, my employee who was struggling was really having a tough time, & she & I parted ways. I am still sad about it. On a human level, you want people to be well & happy, & I still think good thoughts for her. I had to hire again. I found someone wonderful who caught on quickly, & by the time the rains let up, summer had arrived—& we had another shot at the ranch.

What looked turnkey to me at the time wasn’t turnkey at all. The house—yes, turnkey. The other parts we needed to work for us—oh man, I had no idea. We had cows escaping—& there were only two of them! We were in over our heads. We worked hard & made progress, but not as much as we needed to before I had to get back to Los Angeles. That fall two things. I finished our backyard which turned out incredible beyond what I could have ever hoped for but very difficult & my son’s school—a community school here in LA—needed help fundraising, & I set out determined to make a difference. We rallied as a community & did fantastic.

2024
This was a great year. My business was humming along, & we started to understand what the ranch needed. It needed every paycheck—argh… We were in it, we were determined. Time was the only issue working against us, but as a friend told me, “It takes years of work to be an overnight success.” The ranch would be no different.

Can you see a theme—how the ranch & business had taken my time away from the car? Clearly, the facilities at the ranch needed improvement, so we decided our efforts would be best used remodeling & renting a cabin on the property, which we did to the loveliest person, & we are so grateful for them.

At the end of 2024, my wife & I removed the dash to see if we could locate the issue with the wiring. I was certain my engine computer was dead, & there were no signs of life. I was stumped.

2025
Well, January 7th, 2025—things really changed for our community. The Eaton Fire devastated Altadena. My son’s school burned to the ground. Our friends lost their homes, their school, their community centers. Our home, one mile from the fire, was not affected, though we were evacuated for a week, & I felt like it was saved for a reason.

In my mind, it was saved so it could be a shelter for others, so we took in another family while their house was remediated. & I felt like our home was spared so we could help others rebuild—so I could help my community rebuild—& that’s what I have been doing since. Helping people navigate their insurance, being a thought partner in hard times, doing whatever I could to put all my skills to work. I would help my son’s school begin the process of rebuilding—on every level, from rebuilding furniture & setting it up in classrooms in a temporary location, to being a thought partner in the rebuilding of the entire campus.

So the car would have to wait. University of Colorado would have to wait. The ranch would have to wait. My business—well, that doesn’t wait. Gotta pay two mortgages. I had added a second full-time job with my full commitment to Altadena.

2026
Well, the rebuild is underway—architects hired & plans being drawn up—& I continue to work with my son’s school (as a volunteer) to help it rebuild.

Ahhh, the present. Well, the Roadster had its first start a month ago! My father-in-law & I had been making slow progress. My car was still waiting—the dash had been removed—& I was waiting for my time. Patient as patient gets. I didn’t know the level of patience I had until now.

Last Saturday, my father-in-law was due to come over, & he was running late. Something in me said, “Meh, I’ll take a stab at that electrical.” I plugged the battery in, turned the key—& nothing. I tested for continuity everywhere, & it was all there. How could this be? I was certain now I had a ground issue.

I removed the engine ground strap, cleaned the surfaces with a grinding wheel super well, reinstalled it —& NO WAY, the starter cranked. But no fuel pump. WTF. The engine computer? I tested for continuity—& yep, it was grounded. But no power. What the hell.

I ran my lead to the negative post on the battery and the other to the engine computer ground—& NO CONTINUITY. I removed the battery ground to the frame, cleaned the surfaces with the grinder, reattached the cable, & well…

https://youtube.com/shorts/R2b3wb9j4...yJ4lv1OvbsmUD4

Here is how the car sits today. Dash reinstalled, panels all put back on.

IMG_3587.jpeg

Somewhere in there, I installed those A-pillar deflectors & the seatbelts. So look for updates coming amidst everything else I have going on. How did I miss something so basic is as big of a mystery to you as it is to me. But hey I clearly needed sometime to figure it out LOL

I want to thank everyone for reading this far, & I am sorry I didn’t give a bigger-picture update sooner—but hey, better late than never.

For fun here is the Roaster (installing the seats this weekend, gauges & then a go kart & off to paint & the neg- grounds are great I checked them LOL)

https://youtube.com/shorts/qndC9Bzhd...clWkzvhYn6ltpB

Still to come on the Coupe:

- [ ] Headlight, Fog light, turn signal, running light wiring
- [ ] Wiper motors
- [ ] Interior panel covers
- [ ] Splash guards front & rear
- [ ] Door sound insulation
- [ ] Door cards
- [ ] Weather door Strip
- [ ] Wheel knock offs
- [ ] Rear view mirror
- [ ] Racing #5 on meatballs & rear