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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 03:54 PM

Well, I am very pleased that after months of waiting the media blasting has finally been finished and the car is now in paint for the primer coat.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 03:57 PM

The blasting did reveal more serious body damage than was immediately apparant and rather shoddy prior repairs.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 03:59 PM

As you can see from the prior picture, the driver's side rear quarter had a very poorly repaired section. Several close ups will follow. Here's the rear, again an area hit and poorly repaired. This will all be fixed in the metal.


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Posted by: Series9 Nov 8 2004, 04:00 PM

There is something sooo exciting about seeing a 914 bare to the metal.

Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:01 PM

Interior view. This really cleaned up nicely. Look at that sound deadening material. Looks like tar paper.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:04 PM

Here are the lids, doors and miscellaneous pieces. Everything has been blasted and now is being shot into primer.


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Posted by: Lawrence Nov 8 2004, 04:05 PM

Very sexy... nothing better than a cute body all stripped.

Hey, can you post some close-ups of your door braces?

-Rusty

Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:06 PM

Check out the passenger side door. Love those holes drilled to remove a dent. These will be welded up and ground down - maybe it will be cheaper to just purchase a "new door."


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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:08 PM

Here's the close up of the driver's side rear quarter. Man, somebody beat the crap out of this panel. Hammer and dolly work may be able to fix this. We will see.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:09 PM

Another view of the same panel.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:12 PM

These are Chris Foley's (tangerineracing.com) door braces which he graciously loaned me. They are a work of art (like everything he does). I will post more pictures from home later. Don't have any more on the computer here at work.

Posted by: Jeroen Nov 8 2004, 04:15 PM

Why didn't you remove the soundproofing before the car was blasted?

Posted by: brant Nov 8 2004, 04:17 PM

wow, all the seam filler is clean... ha...
brant

Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:18 PM

The sound proofing was impossible to remove earlier. Now it is all gone. Easy to remove after the media blasting. Hot damn!

Posted by: scruz914 Nov 8 2004, 04:21 PM

That looks really nice.

What did you do to get all of the media out of the holes and crevasses?

-Jeff

Posted by: GWN7 Nov 8 2004, 04:23 PM

Drilling holes was the "way" to pull out dents yrs ago. Now they spotweld studs to the panel and pull on them. Easier to clean up afterwards and no holes.

Looks great.

Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 04:28 PM

Re media removal: the media used is baking soda. That's right, baking soda under very high pressure. So, when they are done, first they take the car outside and blast it with high pressure air lines. Then they wash the car off with a hose, dissolve the remaining baking soda and it basically flush it out of the interior panels. I couldn't find any residue the next day. And I gave it a real good inspection (white glove variety). We will make really damn sure before the paint is shot.

Posted by: scruz914 Nov 8 2004, 04:37 PM

And your car will smell fresh day in and day out! Wow that is great!

Posted by: qa1142 Nov 8 2004, 04:43 PM

What is the cost if the car is already gutted?

Posted by: redshift Nov 8 2004, 05:49 PM

MAN! That gives me the secondary xylem of a tree!


M

Posted by: Eric_Shea Nov 8 2004, 05:53 PM

Woody!

Posted by: redshift Nov 8 2004, 05:54 PM

Can we say that?




M

Posted by: Eric_Shea Nov 8 2004, 05:56 PM

It's Woodrow Wilson we cannot say... Brad said so!

Posted by: hargray2 Nov 8 2004, 05:57 PM

Anybody know who does media blasting near Savannah?

Posted by: redshift Nov 8 2004, 05:59 PM

As you well know, I do a TON OF BLASTING AROUND HERE, and sometimes, I blast the media... so..

No.

Chas, SC, $1.75/lb. dip and blast.... so..



M

Posted by: mskala Nov 8 2004, 06:52 PM

Dang it, 250K bytes per 640x480 !?! Save some bits
for somebody else, William!

Just clear coat it and tell people it's a DeLorean.

Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 07:03 PM

Mark, the pictures were e-mailed to me from the blasting facility and I gotta admit I just posted them and didn't consider the bandwidth. Problems?


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Posted by: william harris Nov 8 2004, 07:09 PM

Here's what it cost me: media blasting was around $1,000. Then to have them shoot everything in the Dupont Variprime (zinc rich, etching primer) was another $1,000. So, I just spent $2,000 to get the car ready for body work (read - little to no body filler) and away she goes. Here's another closeup of the door braces built by Chris Foley.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 9 2004, 02:35 PM

So now all the bare metal is gone and the dull gray of primer is on.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 9 2004, 02:37 PM

I haven't quite used to that look. Kinda looks like a new car, but a couple of weeks from now, the 2004 Lapis Blue is gonna be sprayed!


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Posted by: william harris Nov 9 2004, 02:39 PM

Here's the view of the area that will need a lot of work. Will post pictures when the body guy gets this sorted out.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 9 2004, 02:41 PM

Final picture for today. This is the other area that is gonna require some metal work.

Posted by: william harris Nov 9 2004, 02:42 PM

Oops forgot to post.


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Posted by: Jeroen Nov 9 2004, 02:46 PM

dang, that looks sweet!

Posted by: JmuRiz Nov 9 2004, 02:51 PM

I thought it was tarpaper they used

Posted by: djm914-6 Nov 9 2004, 02:57 PM

Wow, such a clean car. Can I come out and play too? I'd love to see what a chassis is supposed to look like.

Posted by: william harris Nov 9 2004, 03:01 PM

Dave (and anybody else up here interested) I am picking up the car Thursday and it will be in my garage for a couple of weeks before it goes to further body work and paint (yeah, who hasn't read the "Gold Plated Porsche"?)(I'm a nut, but basically harmless), so if you want to look at it, call me at the office and we will get together. 978 921-2929.

Posted by: Doug Leggins Nov 9 2004, 04:34 PM

Way to go!!! The tub looks great!

Another complete rebuild/restoration in progress -

It is fantastic to see enthusiasts get into a complete rebuild - enjoy!

Posted by: william harris Nov 9 2004, 05:07 PM

Well, the body will be great - better than new. But, the motor, the motor - I'm still wanting real bad to do that Jake Raby/Kit Carlson/Chris Foley-Tangerine Racing thing. I am talking to Chris Foley to get hooked up with Jake Raby so we can build the motor up here - I just want to build the motor within the next six months. I am going to bug these guys to hopefully have a running car again.

Posted by: Gint Nov 9 2004, 05:36 PM

Looking great William!

You've inspired me to post the new pics of my tub. Maybe later...

Posted by: jkeyzer Nov 9 2004, 05:43 PM

So why do they prime the body before doing body work?

Posted by: seanery Nov 9 2004, 05:46 PM

bare metal rusts very quickly, it's for protection

Posted by: balljoint Nov 9 2004, 05:51 PM

These pictures are reminding me of Gints thread from a few months ago. Any progress there?

I love to see these nekkid 914s and what the sheetmetal would look like on my car if there was actually anything there.

Posted by: curtis Nov 9 2004, 05:52 PM

I love that color!!!

Posted by: Racer Chris Nov 9 2004, 07:15 PM

The rotisserie was supposed to get primered at the same time, lol!
The last total restoration I was involved in took just over a year start to finish, so you're right on schedule.
If you have the entire exterior color sprayed now, plan on some touch-up work after the car is reassembled.

Posted by: 9146986 Nov 9 2004, 07:23 PM

I've done it both ways, but my preference now is to paint everything except the exterior, install the drivetrain and interior, and then do the finish paint on the exterior panels.

I've done very well doing the entire car, and then re-assembling everything without scratching, but it's hell on the nerves!

Posted by: guywan914 Nov 9 2004, 07:27 PM

William, glad to see your teener naked. Was wondering how the media blast was going. Would love to come up and take a look, will give a call to the number listed to set up a time and get info on the blast company. My car was in to see Chris right after yours left so I'm a little behind your schedule but very interested in your progress.

Posted by: 914forme Nov 9 2004, 07:28 PM

"So why do they prime the body before doing body work?"

Rust abatement - but you can also apply filler over primer and then seal it into primer if you use the proper base primers. That zinc based primer that is shot onto this car will need several more coats, and you don't want to scratch it down to bare metal and shot normal primer in its place.

That epoxy based primer sticks to everything car, floor, walls, doors, flies, clothes, hands, and wedding bands! Finally got it of the wedding band after three months of picking at it.

Posted by: joea9146 Nov 9 2004, 07:31 PM

Looks great.... Good job

Posted by: URY914 Nov 9 2004, 07:32 PM

Its as if you've taken a worn out road warrior and turned her back to a sweet virgin.
(kinda profound don't ya think?)

You should be commened.

Paul

Posted by: nein14-6 Nov 9 2004, 09:29 PM

So the media blasting removed all of the undercoating off of the bottom and wheel wells?

Posted by: Steve Thacker Nov 10 2004, 06:29 AM

Quick honey come look!...a nekid teener! Ohhh Baby! Hubba Hubba...
I just got wood........

Posted by: Gint Nov 10 2004, 06:41 AM

Updated with pics last night. Check out my sig for the link.

Posted by: william harris Nov 10 2004, 07:14 AM

Thanks for all the kind words. When a totally f***ed up jury can't get it right (just spent four days on trial and the jury felt sorry for the defendant - disbarred lawyer who stole his client's money)(remember I am in Kerry Land) it helps to know that I can forget all about being a lawyer and dealing with the corrupt and incompetent system we call the trial courts (if shes a witch she will float, if she drowns she is innocent comes to mind) and just occupy my mind with the 914 project. Believe me - the teener has got me through a lot of tough days! I feel pretty comfortable reassembling after paint because it will be the long, slow process - no body on the clock but me and the 914 community.

Posted by: Eric_Shea Nov 10 2004, 02:13 PM

Gang,

This is (in my opinion) the BEST way to strip a chassis. PERIOD. Way to go William

I just spent about an hour looking over a friends chassis that was acid dipped. I had a 911 chassis acid dipped about 15 years ago. Here's what I've seen and experienced (real world gang):

1. You can't neutrilize or get rid of all of the acid. Period. There are areas on any Karman style uni-body tub that will retain the acid. Two years "after" the dipping my 911 tub was weeping acid. The tub I just went and looked at is doing the "exact" same thing. (careful in your critique Norcals... it was done there). Nothing against the firm doing it, they did an excellent job and the primer work was stunning... it's just a simple fact. There is acid weeping from almost all the seams. The bolt hole where you bolt on the front bumper? There's a couple of layers of metal sandwiched together there... weeping. There's a piece spot-welded in the passengers foot-well area before the bulkhead is welded in (meaning there's no way to access it)... weeping. What happens when acid weeps? It rusts the metal around it. Can you clean it up? Most of it by... BLASTING (can you imagine getting some sandpaper on that 1/16th of an inch of overlay on a seam?) You'll never get all of it.

2. What do you have to do if you dip a tub? Get the heater tubes out... right? How do you get the heater tubes out? Cut open the longitudinals. What is the "backbone" of a 914 chassis? The longitudinal. Are you willing to have MAJOR back surgery so you can get a facelift? "If" your longitudinals are toast and you don't mind acid weeping out of your car (and you've got the extra dough... see my next point) then maybe acid dipping is right for you. You're going to slice the bottom of you long. right under the door. You're going to slice up the sides. You're going to peel up your long. like a tuna can to get to the tubes (remember, this is the backbone of your 914). Are you going to weld it back in when you're done? Let me give you a clue. No. It's pretty much toast after that (why? considering the task ahead of you... bent metal, cuts, but welds on major structural components etc. It's cheaper and better to get new ones and properly weld them in). Add a couple of outer rocker and door sill kits to the price of your project.

3. Price. My friend paid $3,500 or more of his hard earned buck-a-roos to have the car acid dipped (not counting the metal work needed to repair the longs. after the back surgery). I paid $900 back in the late 80's (they didn't give a shit about tar paper and seam sealer back then). I think I remember William stating $1,000.00 Well worth it in the grand scheme of a proper restoration. It's worth 3x that.

Media blasting when done right will get you the desired results. Yes, sand blasting can warp panels if done at the wrong pressure etc. Walnut and plastic media are awesome. Soda can be hard to find do to the nature of the machinery needed (soda needs to be fed into the machine, not gravity feed) but if you can find one in your area, it's awesome. I'd rather spill a little sand around turn 4 at the autocross for a couple of years than have acid weeping on to my new paint for a couple of years.

If you're not doing a ground up restoration don't worry about it. If you are... please (for the sake of these cars and your wallet) consider those facts.

My $0.02 now donning my baking soda flame suit (baking soda is good at putting out fires isn't it?) for the acid heads out there.

Posted by: william harris Nov 10 2004, 10:25 PM

Well thanks to this site, we will all know this turns out. After a great deal of investigation I was satisfied that the baking soda was the way to go.

Posted by: Series9 Nov 10 2004, 10:44 PM

I had my car dipped at a place in Ft. Worth that does a new, non-acid process. After a long debate with myself about the pros and cons of dipping I chose this specifically for the non-acid nature of the process.

It took a month, but whatever comes out of the seams in the future is harmless, and I can prove it by my experiences after paint was on the car.

Visit: www.metalrehab.com

Mine was the first 914 they had ever done. Cost $1300 and came out like this:


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Posted by: Eric_Shea Nov 11 2004, 01:25 PM

I see they acid dipped the vent on the building though...

Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 02:26 PM

Well, I was able to take advantage of the holiday and relatively good weather (they are talking about snow tomorrow!!!) and run down to Bellingham, MA and pick up the car. Here she is back in my driveway this afternoon.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 02:28 PM

Unfortunately, the media blasting did reveal another couple of small areas of rust penetration. These pictures are macros (very small area) and show the area of the door seal immediately under the bottom latch. These areas will be repaired before the paint.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 02:30 PM

The passenger side had a much larger area of penetration. I will probably have Chris Foley use his mig welder to repair these small sections. They are highly visible, so they must be fixed.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 02:32 PM

The driver's side rear quarter panel is really gonna be a challenge. I went to Ghia Specialties web site and found a metal working tool for shrinking metal and we will probably go hammer and dolly and shrinking tool to reshape this area. What a mess!


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Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 02:33 PM

Here's another view. I will definitely post a bunch of pictures of the repairs to this section.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 02:35 PM

I am very pleased with the results. Try to have the car into paint by the end of November.


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Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 02:36 PM

Here are the smaller parts that were blasted and primered.


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Posted by: rhodyguy Nov 11 2004, 02:49 PM

i had wondered if one of john kelley's shrinking discs would help with the rear fender. it will be intertesting to see how it works.

kevin

Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 03:04 PM

We shall see. Chris Foley had suggested I check out his shrinking disc and my body guy was open to using it (hell, I paid for it so why not give it a try?). Stay posted, hopefully by the end of the month this panel will start to look kinda like the other side.

Posted by: Gint Nov 11 2004, 04:15 PM

Piece a cake... those holes are tiny.

Posted by: dmenche914 Nov 11 2004, 04:44 PM

Eh gads, bummer. A danger of stripping a car. Time to hammer and dolley!!!

Good Luck

Posted by: Racer Chris Nov 11 2004, 04:53 PM

What a bitch, finding those areas of perf., but if thats all that showed up you didn't do too bad.

Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 06:47 PM

OK Chris, this is the part where you say "Maybe I can fix those little holes (and a small area under the jacking post)(will post picture tomorrow) so that you can get the car ready for paint. But yeah, you are so right, a few small surprises but all in all, the car is making steady progress and no real bad surprises (that rear quarter panel is really pretty rough though). What do you think?

Posted by: Larry Nov 11 2004, 07:06 PM

Great thread. Just starting to gut the interior to get a better look my new purchase. Seeing such great examples of dedicated work is inspirational and educational.

Thanks.
Larry

Posted by: william harris Nov 11 2004, 07:13 PM

Thanks Larry, I started this process more than a year ago. If you do a search you can find my three previous "Restoration" threads: disassembly of interior, exterior, suspension, hell hole repairs, etc. Also check out Gint's thread, Will's new thread and the fella in Germany who did the incredible long repairs

Posted by: Racer Chris Nov 11 2004, 07:35 PM

I think I can come up to your place next weekend maybe.
I think I want to put a small piece of metal under the area on the passenger sill, then fill in the holes from the top.
I can bring my dollies and my shrinking disk at the same time and do a little of the fender work if you like.

Posted by: william harris Nov 12 2004, 07:16 AM

Absolutely, sounds like a plan. Let me know when to expect you and I will have things set for you.