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Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 18 2019, 05:50 PM

Greetings...long time lurker first time poster.

After staying in the shadows for a little while watching and learning I figure I'd finally take the plunge and say hello and show progress of my latest undertaking.

I've spend the last many years over on the 'Bird' in regards to my old 911 and other projects but it was time to try something slightly different and get back into a 914. I say get back since I had one as a young university man and was my version of a low brow Risky Business

I wasn't necessarily looking for a 914 but a few things fell into place that made me finally take the plunge 1) There was what seemed a really decent roller nearby 2) I had a friend of friend offer me the spoils of a left over failed conversion attempt 3) I have the 2.4L from my 911 sitting in a box doing me no good

And finally I'm also and avid DIYer. I'm no pro by any means. I drive a desk for work, but I grew up always trying to build and do things on our own so it does come a little naturally and with the complete satisfaction of my 911 journey why not another. I'm also in Canada so when winter hits I need to figure out something else to do besides watch hockey and drink beer (not that there is anything wrong with that)

Anyway, this is a great forum, love the resources, banter, etc, and figured I'd share another car/build.

So, of course we all love pictures...this is what I started with. Kinda of a barn/garage find. 1972, no motor/trans, rough interior, some sort of re-spray, prior right fender accident. Key point was that besides the hell hole I couldn't find too many problem areas at first glance.

So, comment away, constructive criticism is always welcome and I'm sure to reach out with a bunch of questions since I haven't figured out a few items yet for the conversion process.

Cheers,
Marlon

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 18 2019, 06:00 PM

Here are couple more starting point pics...and of course to make fun of myself; Risky Business in all it's glory. Blazer, T-Shirt, Ray Ban Knock offs...good times and good memories.

All I remember it was a 1970 model, maybe a 1.7 with a singe Carb and intake runners. But to me it was a Porsche; taught me how to really drive a car (since under powered, keep up the RPM, etc)

That's one of cool things about cars if you are a car guy, err, person...the emotional attachment, memories, freedom.

Posted by: Dion Dec 18 2019, 06:03 PM

Welcome! I’m tuned in to see where this project goes. I have a 2.4 going in my six conversion as well. Interesting rims? (Black ones, first pic) American racing LeMans rims? The snowplow front spoiler on the yellow one seems appropriate for a Canadian 914! Heheheh
Good luck with the project.

Posted by: 76-914 Dec 18 2019, 06:35 PM

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 18 2019, 06:37 PM

Yes, American Racing wheels, which are great.... in 5 bolt configuration. To me they just don't look right as a 4 bolt. Anyway, I have 7 and 8 x 15 Fuchs for the end game.

The whole project really started when I was offered first dibs for a bunch of conversion pieces from a 20 year old conversion attempt. It was one of those opportunities I couldn't pass up on. The project never made it to any form of completion but what I did find out was that they spared no expense. Most of everything was new and it sat in a garage. They loved paint so they painted everything weird colors so I send a few weeks cleaning and stripping paint and found out I ended up with NOS..Bilstein Struts and inserts, Welmeister front and rear sway bars, new sway away T-Bars, New 930 cross vented rotors, brake shoes. Looks like 1972 Aluminum S- Calipers, and they beefed up the rear trailing arms I gather for some sort of V-8 Conversion.

So basically the entire undercarriage was ready for me to convert...almost too easy

Took this...




Ended up with this...I didn't even have a car yet.

Posted by: Superhawk996 Dec 18 2019, 06:50 PM

Looking forward to seeing this thread progress!

Posted by: Retroracer Dec 18 2019, 06:54 PM

Looks like some nice puzzle pieces you've got there!

Keep the posts coming and .

- Tony

Posted by: theer Dec 18 2019, 07:11 PM

Looks like a fantastic start! Good luck.

Posted by: mb911 Dec 18 2019, 07:46 PM

Looks like a great start.

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 18 2019, 08:21 PM

Thanks for all the greetings. I figure one more post for my initial day. I'm about 8 months of spare time, odd weekends, and skipping work days into this. So, I have a few more worth while posts to get caught up.

As with many of us, once we get the car in the garage it's hard not to start tearing into it.

I was again very surprised at the over all condition on this since I had no history at all. I've seen some of the projects on here and I am in awe and amazed at some of the fantastic 'rebirths' and saves that many have done. Luckily this car seemed to have fared well over the years. My welding skills are probably my weakest point and I was hoping to do very little of it.

I think an earlier accident may have given this car some life as it must have been still worth saving and some replacement panels must have come into play. The right fender looks to be a replacement from the seam brazing I noticed and the rockers are rock solid. The hood looks to be a replacement as well.







Of course one thing leads to another and I really started to strip items away...that's future me's problem when reassembly is required.

Posted by: AZBanks Dec 18 2019, 08:40 PM

I love the American Racing Wheels. They are my favorite 4 lug wheels. I agree 5 lug wheels look better than 4 but if I've gotta go with 4, the American Racing wheels you've got are the best.

Posted by: Jett Dec 18 2019, 08:52 PM

That is a nice blue color... sorry colour

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 19 2019, 02:12 PM

Decided to jump around and tackle different items...maybe so I don't get bored doing one continuous thing?

I also try to clean and prep everything as I take them off. It sometimes slows down the process but I think it really speeds up the assembly and fun stuff when you can simply pick an item off the shelf, or in my case the downstairs family room and spare bedroom to my wife's dismay

Grabbed the fuel tank and tried the POR15 treatment. I have never done this...I assume good results. Anyone try this themselves on a crusty tank? The etching process worked quite well and really the tank looked good.



After rolling around the tank with big nuts and bolts and final etching.


Final coating treatment...looks fresh and clean.


No leaks that's the main thing right?

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 19 2019, 02:15 PM

haa...you must be part Canadian, not only knowing the other spelling, you even said Sorry.

Posted by: Tdskip Dec 19 2019, 07:42 PM

One tip when using epoxy like that on a gas tank is to make sure that the thread holes have Vaseline on them so they don’t get coated and then required Remedial attention.

Thanks for starting the thread, please continue to keep us posted and good luck!

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 19 2019, 09:33 PM

Hey, that's a pretty handy tip...luckily the threads for the fuel outlets are on the exterior but I did have to clean/chase a little on the small fuel bung holes.

So, even though I have a budget, and trying to stay near it, and I'm only installing a 2.4L I figure I would go with a front oil cooler. I want the over all end project to have a little street hot rod feel. Plus the 2.4L is the matching number to my 911 and will have to stay with it in the end, so I'm trying to design the over all engineering to be able to take any Porsche Air cooled 6 (within reason)

I followed some great threads showing the process to removing/reinforcing the front end for pan removal etc. Again, welding is not always the nicest but I over engineer and plan for covering any of my welds...gotta love that seam sealer and undercoating.





It think the intake and floor pan worked out all right. Once cleaned up, epoxy primed, coated, and finally painted it will look all right...plus a shroud goes over top of it all.



I'm not worried about originality or duplication of the real grill/cover or other components...I'm more of a believer of "Function over Form"... but I am happy with the fit and finish of my attempt.

Posted by: IVGUY Dec 21 2019, 11:09 PM

Welcome ..looks like you’re in the South Okanagan.... there’s a few 914’s around ..At least 2 here in Summerland ....reach out if you need any local info otherwise see you at Cars and Coffee in the spring

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 23 2019, 12:06 PM

Summerland is a little hotbed for Early Porsche's! I'm familiar with a few old P-cars and owners from there. As for Cars and Coffee, if you've been in the past I'm sure we've probably have met. Most know me by my 911 since it kinda sticks out from the rest of crowd.

Marlon

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 23 2019, 12:26 PM

Got some more progress pics from the project....after fooling around with the front grill I started on the undercarriage. Project idea is for me to do all the underside, inner's, trunks, etc. Then get a real pro for the shiny parts.

That being said I started to tackle the wheel wheels, rockers, and floor pans looking for trouble. Again, got very lucky. The underside had I gather some sort of early undercoating. It was a pain to remove since no real quick mechanical method seemed to work. Wire brushes, sanding or chemical would just gum up or make a mess so really it was and sharp scraper and chip away. It chipped of fairly easy and exposed a really well preserved underside. The only few floor pan issues were from water sitting in the interior and rusting through to the bottom. The rockers were rock solid too.



So, decided to play and try my hand and making cool racing bits. Not really necessary but why not. Made some gusseting and sway bar reinforcement. There is my poor welding skills in all it's glory. Didn't look too bad after dressing the welds and once under undercoating they will look just fine.





The rear has a lot of surface area but wanted to do the job right (and cost effective)

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 27 2019, 05:19 PM

Couple more shots before the final scrub down to metal on the underside and inners...Once on a roll I kept forgetting to take pictures but got some major milestone ones regardless.
One question...for the life of me, I can't find the shortcuts for subscribed threads. I know how to subscribe but once done where is the link/shortcut? I know it must be simple but I can't seem to find it.

My final fix for the hell hole..it wasn't that bad but after I patched it I decided to over patch, kinda like the body reinforcement kit which I also did...wasn't necessary but I thought again why not.





So after this I took everything down to metal and found a few other little problem spots. Finally after all that I cleaned and cleaned and then built a tent (hint: not to sleep in)

Posted by: FourBlades Dec 27 2019, 06:49 PM

Welcome to 914 World!

Looks like a very solid car to start with. The original color appears to be Marathon Blue Metallic.

You clearly have some skills, this should be a good build.

John

Posted by: pete000 Dec 27 2019, 06:57 PM

Nice rescue!

Posted by: PanelBilly Dec 27 2019, 07:57 PM

Welcome aboard. I’d support the door openings while your working on the body. Double check the door fit first to make sure your happy with it.

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 27 2019, 08:18 PM

Thanks for the comments...I've tried my hands at 2 911 builds and each time I try to do a little more. The 914 is the farthest I've gone in one go and I keep changing the end result in my head. I'm having fun with this platform.

Next up Epoxy primer...makes the car look real good real fast. I found it fun and easy to spray. I've done inner fenders or panels before but nothing this large in one go.





Once cured I decided to texture undercoat the underside and certain areas before applying color.




In the end I'm really happy with the end result and next would be a dash of color. Again, something I've never really tackled at this size.






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Posted by: dr.tim Dec 27 2019, 08:35 PM

There's a fun new racetrack in that neighborhood too.

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 30 2019, 05:18 PM

Picked a color...love the color.

Hard to get feel for any color from pictures. Base plus clear Blau Metallic



Can sort of get a feel for the metallic flake.

Posted by: Sway Bar Dec 30 2019, 05:23 PM

Excited to see what the exterior will look like with a real painter shooting.

This concluded another huge milestone. Now I can reassemble some of the chassis, suspension and the likes. Plan was to ship it out the door to a good friend and learn some real body work and prep for paint.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 6 2020, 03:51 PM

Few more in progress...Re-install of suspension. Was going to forgo a parking brake but had most of the 911 e-brake parts on hand and a parking brake really is handy.





After this is was a little more paint removal that i wanted to undertake before it was out the door for some fender treatment.

Posted by: mb911 Jan 6 2020, 04:20 PM

Looks great.. Please note don't drill the tank holes until you get the tank. Make a template off of that 1st. It will benefit you..

Posted by: porschetub Jan 6 2020, 04:24 PM

Just noticed your handbrake setup,can't see a top brake shoe retainer on the trailing arms ? don't rely on the back plate to retain the shoes,its simply not strong enough for an emergency brake...ask me how I know.
If you have them ignore my comment,if not you need to weld a 40mm wide tab on the trailing arms,the car these parts come off (911) already has that piece on the trailing arms.
You are making amazing progress on this build and I love the colour...keep it up the good work

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 6 2020, 05:30 PM

Thanks

Tank was in when I took the plunge. Just doing the raw hole like what I did on my 911. More racer like ? Trying my hand with my own bolt it filler neck to the existing tank and whatever one calls the existing overfill/spill surround.

Marlon

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 6 2020, 05:42 PM

It's hidden but it's there, I did weld in a 40mm tab/retainer in the rear between the shoes. Everything I believe checks out. I say believe, since the one item I'm missing is the short cable piece from the e-brake handle to the equalizer bar. On the list of little items to finish.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Jan 7 2020, 08:41 AM

I think you are doing a great job and I love the color. Looking forward to seeing the exterior body work and paint.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 7 2020, 11:31 AM

My duhh moment. You are of course talking about your oil tank yet to come. I was already thinking of this pic that was upcoming in which I got out the big hole saw for the hood.

This is when I dropped off the car with a good friend who happens to be a a real awesome body dude. Idea was that I was still going to do and learn the body prep and finish under his mentorship but he would do the heavy lifting and of course the fenders.

Spend a lot of time test fitting, string lining, measuring and aligning the fenders so both sides are symmetrical, straight and flow together front to back.

Posted by: billh1963 Jan 7 2020, 11:42 AM

Watching with interest! I'll be doing something similar later this year....

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 7 2020, 11:45 AM

Thanks, its been a fun project thus far. It has been a sort of open canvass. I don't really have an end product in mind except for the fenders and the 2.4L. I look at all the awesome threads, builds and cars on this site and keep getting ideas.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 10 2020, 12:40 PM

Body Work Time...so really starting to understand the amount of time required for a good end result. I great paint job is only the result of great prep and finish and you truly get what you pay for. The amount of hours is quite incredible especially the hand work. I'm amazed on the amount of product that ends up on the ground even with well prepared metal.

The fenders even though seemly great reproductions from RD are far from weld on and good to go. They took a lot more massaging to make a great fit. I left that to the pro while my work out consisted of the doors and deck lids.

Doors were in really good shape and besides a few areas for the rubber seal trim I had solid panels to work with.



After epoxy and time to cure it was on to primer and sanding, guide coat, sanding, guide coat, sanding, spot reapply, guide coat, sanding...you get the idea. I worked through various grits with the eventual final being 600 prior to shipping off to paint. You can see the master indicating all the areas that still needed attention as I progressed along various stages.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 10 2020, 12:51 PM

Never really did take too many early pics as we progressed but I'm sure we all have seen many pics before...various stages of fender install, application, and finish.



Initial stages of shaping and blending of flares.




Starting to look like something good now.



And eventually after all prep the initial epoxy application...the begining of the end product. Of course posting pics makes it look so easy but many many hours of labour.

Posted by: billh1963 Jan 13 2020, 01:40 PM

Any updates?

Posted by: JRust Jan 13 2020, 02:41 PM

Man you are flying through this. Love the way it is looking

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 13 2020, 02:50 PM

Yup...final stages of body work. Into the finish primer and one afternoon a quick spray of the backsides of the tins and doors so that we could re-hang and do final prep before shipping it out the door. Everything looks real good but still so hard to envision what the paint will look like on top of that grey mass.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 13 2020, 03:10 PM

Haa, well pictures do make it look quick...I still have a day job and a family so there is a few months here. I think I spent 'calendar wise' about 40 days for body prep. So, basically whenever I could get to it with my buddy. He of course probably could have got it all licked in 10 days but that wasn't the idea nor did I want to pay the dollars for it

I'm lucky with the desk job, I do most of my reading/research/ideas at work so spare time is optimized for fun (outside of course family).

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 15 2020, 11:38 AM

Cliff hanger pic's...outside paint shop and a fuzzy inside paint booth awaiting a splash of color.

Posted by: sixnotfour Jan 15 2020, 01:54 PM

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 17 2020, 04:29 PM

Posted by: djway Jan 17 2020, 04:38 PM

that colour is BEAUTY

Posted by: rgalla9146 Jan 18 2020, 07:40 AM

What is the color code on the Karmann tag ?
That is an unusual color for a '72 car.
Beautiful

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 18 2020, 09:03 PM

It's not the original color code...the car didn't have the tag and from some of the original paint maybe it was Marathon or Gemini Metallic Blue?

I wanted to go a little darker so I went with a special order 1972 911 color which is just called straight Blue Metallic. (code 8484 or 8410)

It turned out great in my opinion...a young painter got her chance to spray it and the paint tech came down for the spray job. They used high end Glasurit Clear Coat and it looks good.

These phone pic shows a little of the finish from 20 feet.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 18 2020, 09:20 PM

Started with some of the easier assembly items. Again, pictures make it look so fast and easy.

Lots of nice new 914rubber seals and gaskets going in at the same time.




During mock up made my own hood pin plates from some nice stainless pieces hanging about. Not worried about originality, but it does look the part?


Managed to get everything back to where I think it goes. Hopefully it all works eventually.

Posted by: PanelBilly Jan 19 2020, 10:42 AM

Your car looks fantastic. If your going to paint it, why not use a color that is unique.

Posted by: gms Jan 19 2020, 04:54 PM

gorgeous blue!

Posted by: KELTY360 Jan 19 2020, 05:20 PM

Electric!

Posted by: steuspeed Jan 19 2020, 05:42 PM

Great color choice. Way to keep it in the family!

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 26 2020, 08:13 PM

Thanks for the comments...couple more assembly updates.

I thought about color early on so when doing body work I decided to go with the sail trim. I thought the black vinyl with a touch of chrome would look good against the blue.

Also new rubber and seals from 914rubber; I have to say that is good stuff. I had no fitment or troubles installing any of the rubber. Window frame alignment took a bit but once dialed in everything looks great.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 26 2020, 08:18 PM

What am I missing in posting images so the preview is in the correct orientation?

They are correct if one clicks on the image but the preview is wrong. I've also opened in another program and tried saving in a different orientation to no avail.

I don't thing html coding works within the post either.

Sometimes it just makes sense to take a picture in portrait mode rather than landscape.

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 26 2020, 08:36 PM

Impulse buy many many months ago...I thought the GT manual head lamps were cool so now it was time to figure out the install. Pretty straight forward in actuality.


One thing I remember on a really good thread somewhere and I thought to copy in my own way was to use the existing hood pull as the lamp release. I kept it fairly low brow and drilled through a bolt and then simply soldered the end of the line. Works...and now I can use the key and lock the headlights.

Posted by: Mark Henry Jan 26 2020, 08:52 PM

Love the colour!

Looks a similar blue to my '67 bug.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Jan 27 2020, 10:02 AM

Your car is looking great. Love the color staying true to the family. Keep up the great work and we love the pictures.

Posted by: billh1963 Jan 27 2020, 02:45 PM

Really liking the manual headlights!

Posted by: mbseto Jan 27 2020, 03:52 PM

Was going to say welcome to 914world, but it looks like you'll be done here shortly!

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 27 2020, 04:28 PM

Haa, well not that easy...this is all the big stuff and looks the most impressive. I started a list of all the little items I still need, especially for the conversion portion that I've never done and it's a little daunting.

I figure a month or two and I'll be done the 'easy' stuff (it's all relative) then I'll be asking the real questions.

Posted by: mbseto Jan 28 2020, 01:42 PM

It's looking great!

Posted by: Mark Henry Jan 28 2020, 03:12 PM

Sway bar I invite you to join the FB Porsche 914 Canada group. Quite a few BC and Alberta members.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/293831514346879/?ref=bookmarks

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 31 2020, 08:56 PM

Thanks for the invite...maybe finally a reason to join FB?

Posted by: Sway Bar Jan 31 2020, 09:08 PM

Started some of the interior fit and finish. Dash was next up. Decided to keep the basket weave but wanted a radio delete so used a good portion from the existing door cards to refinish the front; new vinyl on top.




I had a friend give me what I believe is a 914-6 fuel tank gauge and I thought that would look good in the GT racing position. Not quite sure if I am happy with just the simple direct on the dash install. I may have to experiment with it partially behind the weave with only the gauge stock sticking through.

Posted by: Sway Bar Feb 10 2020, 12:57 PM

Winter came back with a vengeance so kinda cold in the garage to get much done; hit -29C/-20F. Brrrrr.

Could have been worse like the east coast of Canada which got 12-15 foot snow drifts.

Did manage to do a few simple things.



Buttoned up the oil cooler and installed front lines.

Posted by: Sway Bar Apr 17 2020, 11:48 AM

Been a while since I added at least some sort progress pic if any are interested. Life does sometime get in the way of these projects and they do become secondary, especially in these new unique times, but I still managed to get time in here and there.

Still making up things on the fly...decided to go with just the braided oil lines along the rocker for the oil cooler. I gather if eventually I wanted steel lines I could retro fit but this seems to do the trick. One thing this project has done is made my welding and fabrication skill improve. Needed some sort of covers and figure I could make something up. Rather pleased on how they turned out.

Posted by: Sway Bar Apr 17 2020, 11:55 AM

I think some sort of fiber glass cover may have been on the real GT's. Didn't really want any weather, rocks, or small critters flying into the inner rockers so this cover turned out pretty good. Eventually when I mix up some paint for touch ups I'll give this a once over.







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Posted by: ndfrigi Apr 17 2020, 12:06 PM

wow less than 4 mos. and it already looks amazing! Surely by summer and if this crisis is done, that beautiful car will be nice to drive! Congratulations!

Posted by: Sway Bar Apr 17 2020, 12:16 PM

Used a couple of mounts to keep the lines in order and so they won't sag too much since they are not rigid lines. Now I just have to sort out what I need to do at the rear end. I probably just end up using a mocal thermostat since i have one on hand.



In the mean time this cocoon came and eventually turned into this butterfly (sorry for the cheese)
I knew his reputation proceeded him but Ben's craftsmanship is top notch. Such a great piece to hide away in the fender

Posted by: Cairo94507 Apr 17 2020, 12:29 PM

Great progress and work.

Posted by: Sway Bar Apr 17 2020, 12:58 PM

So, I drilled a big hole in the hood and need to put in the filler. The kits are great but man at my exchange rate it's a lot of cheddar to spend for just a fuel filler. I did my own home built filler and dog bowl ( I actually used a real dog bowl) on my 911 so I figure I could do the same on the teener. It's actually a lot simpler. I made a bolt on flange to bolt through the existing splash guard and then onto the tank. So, just an additional gasket is required in between.




The filler tube is left over from my last project and happens to be underground conduit that I found at a scrap yard and everything lines up great. I did buy the fuel cap and bung since those are the nice and shinny pieces. The bung needed to be welded on with a slight degree change in order to have the cap line up all properly and centered.




Welds are no where as nice as Ben's work or many others but does the job and I only found one pin hole once I was done.

Finally, bolted in and the rubber flange again is left over rubber from the previous build and happens to be some side or rear window rubber from a wrecked Ford Explorer. It's large enough to actually cushion and seal against the hood using the existing spill guard and has the right 'pinch seam?' to go around. To some it may be a bit ghetto, but I think it looks the part, does the job, and when the hood is down I think it looks good.

Posted by: Sway Bar Apr 22 2020, 02:47 PM

Got a few other little items out of the way. Since this was a roller with a few loose parts, I found out I had 2 driver side seats mounts/tilts. I couldn't find one locally so decided to save a few bucks and kill 2 hours and converted one to a passenger side.




Continuing the saving money idea I made my own version of simple RS style door cards...made friends with a little lady at the fabric store and she used her 'membership' for a big discount on the vinyl. All in, the door cards cost about $45.00 in materials. That's like $12.95 USD







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Posted by: Sway Bar Apr 22 2020, 03:19 PM

Decided to do something that shows big quick results to keep the steam going. I had ordered the lightweight carpet kit and since hopefully I'm done making too much dust I wanted to see some instant results.



Carpeted the oil line cover I made and then made a custom cut foot board to fit accordingly.



I over carpeted a few areas since I'm not putting in speakers or the covers/grills. Trying to leave a little of that bare racer feeling.




List of to do's is getting shorter but still oh so long.

Posted by: Big Len Apr 22 2020, 05:49 PM

Your list of "to do's" looks very well done.

Posted by: Sway Bar Apr 24 2020, 12:08 PM

Appreciate it...so far so good.

Now I'm getting into the final third of it. My helper decided to give me a hand with what's been under my work bench for the last 4 years.




This is what is left of of my 2.4L MFI motor.



I robbed the top end and induction to build a 3.0L MFI a few years ago. That motor is a riot and sounds awesome. For fun here it is finished before installation. It's the first motor I had ever built. The idea was to make it look exactly like the 2.4. One has to know what to look for or very closely to notice. Learned a lot about MFI and it's tuning.




I almost have enough MFI components to go that route again, but I think for simplicity and to stay 'close' to the original idea I'll probably use Carbs. Way easier and faster results for sure.

Posted by: FourBlades Apr 25 2020, 08:36 AM

This is such an amazing build!

You have gotten so much done in a relatively short time.

Lots of cool custom touches.

John

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 7 2020, 03:22 PM

Well I guess after a summer of 'the world changes' I can post a few updates. I spent more time on other cars, projects, driving or hiding from the general public etc. than working on the Blue Bird

Now that fall has officially hit and winter will be here the car is basically done ..... kinda got my timing wrong.

I did have to step away for a bit. It seemed like it was fighting me all the way with the last items on my list. Some of that was my fault as I engineered on the fly; who would have thought you need to install the bottom oil line before installing the oil tank, can't use Ben's great pressure side oil line with a PMS mount, why can't I use the 914 seat mounts for my custom seats, and why is the 914-6 specific PMS throttle cable 1.5 inches to long? just to name a few.

Anyway, everything is solvable with time (and money, which I was trying to limit to stay reasonably close to my original budget)

So, for those that may be interested in some pic's:

Took my 2.4 long block and scrounged some top item items to make it a running motor. I haven't driven it an inch yet and I'm thinking a 2.7L since it's a direct bolt in but lets get this done first.




Lego for adults...assembled some carbs




Stuck the motor and transmission together. I think carbs always looked so cool, regardless of how terrible they are to tune, run, keep running well and so forth...

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 7 2020, 03:32 PM

Couple of last motor compartment prep items before I installed the motor. I used a mocal thermostat so made a mount and tried to keep the lines tidy. Also since I had no relay panel I would have to figure out wiring etc. Went with a solid state external voltage regulator that I mounted in a up and out of the way area...used and existing bolt hole even

And since I had headers, plugged the mouse holes and finished off some fuel lines. Now I was ready to install the motor.

Posted by: Gint Oct 7 2020, 04:21 PM

I totally get that.

That looks seriously nice man.

Posted by: simonjb Oct 7 2020, 04:46 PM

Wow!!!! What a great build. Nicely done.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Oct 7 2020, 05:52 PM

Oh man! So close now. Love this build.

Posted by: Retroracer Oct 7 2020, 07:10 PM

Really nice build - looking good, very close now!

- Tony

Posted by: Tdskip Oct 7 2020, 09:22 PM

Wow - inspiring work. Thanks for all of the updates.

Posted by: TRS63 Oct 8 2020, 06:21 AM

Really inspiring, thanks for sharing!

Antoine

Posted by: Root_Werks Oct 8 2020, 09:59 AM

I really like this build. Shows what someone can do with time and motivation. Well done!

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 8 2020, 10:28 AM

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement...it's become fun again after I stepped away for a few months. I like trying to make the little details that one doesn't necessarily notice right away, or really isn't that important but looks cool...it still has to be functional mind you.

I finished off the carpet detail for the interior. Staying with the minimalist idea and just put a layer of sound matting and did the straight Perlon carpet finish. Did the same to to service/inspection tunnel and gave it a finished edge.




Another item since I had one on the shelf was a fuel distribution block with a pressure gauge so figured since running carbs it's a handy little tool 'IF' one ever has to troubleshoot. Plus it looks neat when you can see it through the engine grill.



Before the motor went in I had to figure out the wiring. In my other builds almost everything was to spec but since this was a conversion with no relay panel I had to map and make my own engine harness and convert the plug and ends to mate with the 914 harness. Most of the color coding from the early 911's is the same but thanks to this forum I found all kinds of references to what wiring to what and to adapt the 911 gauges up front. With some donor wiring I unsoldered the plug ends and then soldered onto the simple engine harness.

Posted by: Gint Oct 8 2020, 12:55 PM

I'm considering doing something similar with the interior rear bulkhead (perlon). What are your plans for finishing the top edge along the rear window? I've always hated that factory solution that looks like crappy electrical tape that does not age well.

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 8 2020, 01:58 PM

I left it as is...I tried to keep the cut to follow the ridge line on bulkhead/firewall to allow for some of the paint to show. Then I used a masking tape line and the good glue for a sharp edge. Once the seats are in etc. It doesn't stand out as much I think.

Of course if one has access to a good seamstress I think a nice finished edge could be stitched on at minimal effort.

So speaking of seats...here's my finished version.

I didn't have any belts or receivers with this roller and a good buddy had some belts that he wasn't going to use so I decided to try the racing style. If desired all the anchor points are their so 3 point belts can be added at any time. I just really liked the look and idea.

This of course led to an 'Over Budget' item and I had some seats made from GTS Classics to finish the look....I don't think that carpet edge stands out too much now








Mounting the seats was a challenge and the 914 racks/sliders couldn't be used but I ended up using some early 911 seat racks and rails that were more easily adapted so I don't have any tilt function but both seats can be slide forward/back. I find the current rake of the seat perfect and is almost the same as the default low setting of the stock seat rail.

Posted by: Mueller Oct 8 2020, 02:11 PM

Crazy nice build, great workmanship.

Posted by: Gint Oct 8 2020, 02:59 PM

Ha! You might be right. and that was a good place to stretch the budget. Those are awesome.

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 9 2020, 01:02 PM

I'm sure we've all seen these a few times and the process...Picked up a GT lid that was attempted by someone previous. Was a little rough and they used textured rubberized paint/cover to hid all the imperfections. What a pain to remove. Had to go the chemical route. Turned out Ok in the end and I still have an original deck if I want to attempt it again.

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 9 2020, 02:31 PM

And to finish off before our long weekend....6 meet 4, 4 meet 6

The 4 post lift is great for most work and of course allows me to have more than 1 vehicle but not so great for motor install...It works, barely, but you have to add the engine tins and any exhaust systems after the fact.





My minimalist engine wiring, not that there was much to begin with back in the good ol' days.



Looks good from the top.

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 13 2020, 01:47 PM

Finished most of the cosmetics...Bumpers and the tops are in fairly good condition so just went the painted black route. I tried my hand at my own cooler cut-out and bend. It's not perfect but painted it looks fine and when 10" off the ground one can't really see any deficiencies.

The GT valance came from GT-Racing and knowing that fiberglass pieces never fit that well and always need massaging I was pleasantly surprised that I could call this one good enough (one fender flare side could be stretched 1/2"-3/4" but at this stage not worth the effort).




A little Marque Bling added to further confuse those that are not in the know



Cibie Iodes....look the part. I have some 100W rally bulbs that I should try in those




Finally to cap it off I got the roof back together and fitted. Roof hasn't been affixed properly to this car forever. I guess it has been stored on edge for years so even when clamped it has a bit of a bow at the rear and doesn't fully seal at the rear. Hopefully after a winter of being attached (maybe with a little weight) it will flatten??

Posted by: Tdskip Oct 13 2020, 05:24 PM

Nice work. Thanks for the updates.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Oct 13 2020, 06:15 PM

Terrific- Your car looks great across the board. Very nice job.

Posted by: ndfrigi Oct 13 2020, 06:26 PM

Congratulations! wow 10 mos restoration and it was done properly and beautifully!

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 15 2020, 11:05 AM

To be fair it's closer to 18months but that includes what I thought was a slow 3months at a buddies for body work (Price was right vs. time).

Proceeding along...I ran into a few conversion hang-ups based on my inexperience and not trying to find answers before hand. 1) Ben's pressure line fits awesome...to a point if you are not using a stock motor mount. The PMS mount is easy and everything worked perfect without any pre fitting or measuring (motor and trans). However, the mounts interfere with the pressure line. So that needed to be retrofitted and shortened.

2) I tried to be 'cheap and quick' (we know that doesn't usually work well) and I left the oil cooler as is in case it ever goes back into a 911 and I was thinking I could adapt the simple 911 hose system. Nope; it fits but was touching/rubbing up against the control arm. So, needing to shorten the intake I might as well do it right and put on the adapter.

At least I knew good people to get these welded up and be leak proof since that surpasses my skill set.




914/6 headers of some sort. I got these 3rd hand from some parts swapping. I think they come form a Colorado member here? No idea what they are. Anybody know for interest sakes? Looks like they have seen some racing or at least a very low car/motor with the asphalt scraps on the lowest elbows.

Also, quickly made my own shift rod. It was a straight shot with no bend at all, so at least that was easy.

Posted by: JOEPROPER Oct 15 2020, 12:03 PM

Amazing build. A lot of encouragement to get mine going! Love it!

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 19 2020, 01:09 PM

IT STARTS!!...so after 8 years of sitting in a box I finally tried to start this motor. Of course I had my troubles. I had a small leak from a fitting at the front tank (arrgghh) and couldn't get proper ignition until I move the distributor over a tooth (thank goodness for the access panel)

Still a lot of tuning to do.

Anyway...(my first attempt at posting video and my first ever you tube)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqsYOJKghiA

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 19 2020, 01:32 PM

So the first start up was the other day and of course I couldn't leave good enough alone. I have no idea what muffler I have. Its not a Dansk to me since it's way too light and it has no other markings (Bicshoff or Leistritz??). Anyway, it's good but I miss a little snarl. I love the very early M&K I have on my 911 but this is what I have on hand so....




In the nature of reuse and recycle I used left over shock covers and then made some caps from some left over materials. Some through pins finished the look and functionality.

Posted by: mb911 Oct 19 2020, 04:58 PM

Very nice.. I like the clips you used.. A good idea. How old of an m&k do you have ? Just wondering if it was one of mine when I owned the company

Posted by: Gint Oct 19 2020, 07:10 PM

That's great!

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 19 2020, 07:43 PM

It could be?....I got it used already about 10 years ago. Its awesome! Just loud enough but still civil but really wakes up above 4K. It went from my 2.4LMFI to my 3.0L MFI. To this day I get compliments on the sound regardless of what other Pcars are around.

Posted by: mb911 Oct 19 2020, 07:46 PM

Yup one of my Gen 2s remember making those in my garage at 2 in the morning.. Glad to see its still around.

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 19 2020, 07:56 PM

So speaking of sound.... here is my home grown rally exhaust.

Carbs still need to be tuned. Running super rich I think one bank and lean on one intake. Still burning off oil that I squirted into each cylinder 8 years ago plus who knows what was left in that muffler (at least no mice nests). The missus wasn't so happy when she opened the garage door After about 20min things cleared up nice.

So, here is normal mode...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJRX_0RwJlY



Now with the single capped off (I think real rally mode should have all open?)...to me it sounds like I gained a liter of displacement Phone Mics don't do it justice.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCBnO7QsQ8

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 22 2020, 03:40 PM

Well progress halted for a bit. When I got the 'bag' of undercarriage parts that started this whole process it had 911 axles, cv's, and cv adapters. I even had an additional set of 911 axels/cv's. I was all set...wrong!!



I never really looked too closely and measured anything. I did know that the 914 trans output shafts were too small so I managed to source some coarse spline 911 ones. So, got ready to put everything together and the adapter doesn't fit?? 9mm too small in diameter. I guess whoever started this had, I believe the 2 year only, 915 100mm output flanges.

At this point forget trying for a work around or other adapters and I just did it the quick and simple way (so more money). Now I'm really ready for bigger horse power. (I still need some half moons- 2 sets of axles but only a half set of washers??)




Finished the shift head and hoped for a fairly decent shift pattern.

Posted by: Sway Bar Oct 23 2020, 10:05 AM

IT MOVES!

So after who knows how many years (it was a roller after all) I of course wanted to see if it will move and if I remember that shifter feeling from 25 years ago....yup, like I remembered; a wooden spoon in a pot of porridge

I did a quick run around the neighborhood since it's not licensed. I have to get it inspected next spring in order to do so. My timing is off but now I have all winter to figure out the last items:

-hand brake cable (the little interior one)- source, install and test
-Driver Door mirror (source and install)
-CV half moons (source and install)
-Test Wiper fluid reservoir and pump (test)
-figure out oil temp and oil pressure gauge (I have 911 gauge but so far no signal)
-Finish wheels and need new rubber
-install front belly pan cover
-Maybe find and install some euro tail lenses...I think they would look good against the blue

I think that's it. Would love to do some more driving but I now have this coming down



So for those that have to hibernate for this early winter stay safe and warm and for those of you that live in more hospitable winter environments, get out there and work on your projects or those that are done, get out driving.

Cheers