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Posted by: rick 918-S May 22 2010, 09:48 PM

I really like the 914 four bar wheel without the butterfly cover but can't bring myself to cough up the money for the 912-911 GT button. I was asking about button options a couple weeks ago. I think ury mentioned I could cheap out and get something from Home Depot. So I did.

I bought a 3" plastic cap, cut it off shorter and make a steel disc to fit inside. I used some plastic body clips for the three screws and assembled the disc to the cap by filling the void under the disc I made with fibre glas resin. The button fits as stock and will activate the horn.

Sorry for the crappy photos. This is my first attempt I may make another one that isn't as tall.

First photoshows the disc I made on the right. I covered the outside face of the disc with masking tape. This makes trimming resin overflow easier. The white blob is molding clay to make a hole or pocket in the resin for the rubber center.



Next photo shows the disc screwed to the horn parts covered in tape to avoid being boneded by the resin filling the void under the disc. Once the resin set I pulled the horn part off the disc and trimmed the resin. If you look closely at the photo you can see the resin around the edge.

Posted by: rick 918-S May 22 2010, 09:50 PM

Horn part removed note the modeling clay is being extracted for the pocket for the rubber spring. If you look closely you can see the plastic threaded inserts imbedded in the resin below the disc.



Finished button. This was my first attempt. I think I can make this smaller/shorter. I learned alot from the first one. I think I may drill the four flats with three holes each to give the wheel a lightened race look.

Posted by: johannes May 23 2010, 01:57 PM

Not bad for the first attempt ...

Posted by: r_towle May 23 2010, 03:17 PM

plumber

Posted by: charliew May 23 2010, 04:06 PM

As you go along you can use leather, maybe with a little tooling, with a little padding to cover one of them.

Posted by: rick 918-S May 23 2010, 05:56 PM

Here's the GT with a side profile and mine. Mine has a little more arch to the top but the side doesn't look like it's that much taller.


Attached image(s)

Posted by: underthetire May 23 2010, 06:01 PM

Looks good. I happen to have a yellow round disk with the Porsche crest engraved in it in red. Might be able to turn the front of it flat and insert this. You can have it if you want it. It's at work but I can bring it home.. Maybe look ok, maybe not.

Posted by: rick 918-S May 23 2010, 07:29 PM

Cool! PM sent.

Eventually I would like to pull a mold off of a GT center but like I said. I have plenty of places to put my money with the Alien needing a transaxle repair and the two other 914's I just bought and the Shealey and and and....

This is not nearly as cool as the GT but it was fun trying to see if I could do it.

Posted by: underthetire May 23 2010, 07:46 PM

Ya know, if a guy had a CNC mill, and a little time, he could make one out of aluminum.

Or a guy with a CNC Lathe with live tooling...

Posted by: 914coop May 23 2010, 10:06 PM

Looks nice Rick, It was hard to figure out the guts when I saw the white disk last Sunday.