Bringing out the dead Options

[Jeff Hail]

Bringing Out The Dead.....or how to restore a rusty 914 and convert it to a street/track car when I have time after dealing with everyone elses stuff.

My background is collision and restoration (day job) of high end automobiles for 28 years in addition to race fabrication. I jumped the fence and left that industry to pursue pretty much the same thing except on the paperwork end which is really boring and thankless. (another day job)

I look at rust like a diamond in the rough. Rust is afraid of me because it know's it cannot live in my world. Metal becomes submissive because I have confidence in my metal working talents. I will add to this post as work progress's.

I hope my years of experience can help others as I add. I believe there is a right way to repair a car and wrong way. I metal finish because in the end its cleaner, lighter and stronger. I was taught old school techniques with new school technology. A great combination. I also believe in doing a job once correctly using the highest quality materials and proper tools. Many ways to skin a cat I say. If you hold it by the tail it can still bite!

Good advice to follow:
Take measurements of the door openings and targa bar to windshield header. Cross measure then do it again to confirm. Recheck your measurements against the factory figures. Make a couple of adjustable braces for each side that attach from the upper seat belt anchors to the door hinges. I recommend cross braces also right to left. These can be made from rod or tube and turnbuckles for cheap. Racer Chris has some really nice ones with rod ends. Support the car from below equally on both sides of the undercarriage and front and rear. I do not believe jack stands can hold the proper tolerances at 4 points. It takes a minimum of 6 and preferably 8. These are all easy to do and are essential to a square and level chassis. Not everyone can afford a Cellete bench or hourly frame time at a shop for these type of do it yourself repairs. Impovisation can be done correctly and for a lot less money. Make sure your floor or platform is level.

Keep in mind that tolerances for the 914 were 7-9mm from the factory so anything you can do to make it better is worth it. 7mm by today’s standards is huge. 9mm is a Grand Canyon. Anything you can do to tighten the tolerances will provide a better end product. Exterior panels were fit with the adjust and weld method and are only a skin.

My 914 had measurements all over the place on the front end and the rust issues were all in the rear that needed correction. Car was never in any collisions.
90% of the measurements were factory assembly tolerances. Porsche's aint perfect.

I made my own dedicated bench for 911's and 914's. By some stroke of luck I ended up with a 1 mm variance in height (datum) and 2mm in length and width is zero with my own fixtures. This has been substantiated with endless anal cross measuring and factory manuals. I used a steel front suspension cross member as a front body holding fixture. I went through 4 before I found an acceptable one. The first 3 were so far off factory tolerances (4-6 mm out of square) I rejected them before I found a good one.

My bench is not for pulling. It was designed for assembly and replacement of structural parts. It will support 3,000 pounds. $350 worth of steel and another $175 in industrial castors was worth it considering its use. A stripped 914 shell is a feather and easy to roll around. When you cut and replace structural parts recheck your measurements. Control points change when you remove, replace and weld in new parts. They are easily controlled with patience.

If it does not come out perfect do not lose sleep. Remember tolerance and variance was not perfect from the factory. If you have a control point locating hole that is 14 mm a dowel or pin of 9-10mm was used during birth. That is why suspension systems are adjustable for variance and wear. You will also find center indexing points on the front and rear of the body. Easy tools to use are plumb lines, tape measures and levels if you do not have access to high end measuring equipment. You can locate and make symmetrical measurements throughout repairs. If you have one side that is undamaged or not rusted use that side as a starting point for measurements. Use panel gaps as a visual indicator during repairs and welding.

3 important factors- height, length and width. If you are me then there are 4 (Z axis) and that one will make you lose sleep!

Some pics of the beggining: A back east 914 comes to California.

[Jeff Hail]

Welded up the right rocker. I plug welded the top from inside the car. No holes were punched on the new outer panel....the lower was done from underneath the car.

First -it's easier welding thru old steel into new metal
Second- no grinding a gazillion plugs on the exterior. No pin holes on the outside to leak.

Butt weld with a backer at the front and seam welded the rear outer wheelhouse (another area that is prone to water because the outer panel faces towards the front of the car)

[Jeff Hail]

Can someone clarify if this is what a 914 rocker is supposed to look like?
I am kind of new at this and mine originally came with the translucent iron oxide version! (sick 914 humor) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif)

I also misplaced some measurements I noted somewhere. Now where the hell did I put them? Body panels make great sticky notes! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

Day is done for now. A quick squirt of primer and its time for a (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)

[Jeff Hail]

Passenger side sill plate is in.

Ran out of C02/Argon so I couldn't weld the sill triangles in.

Good tip....do not throw out those old weatherstrips. They are still important
when fitting parts such as the sill to make sure you get a proper seal on the door shell.

[Jeff Hail]

Lite duty this week. Carpal Tunnel sucks.
Welded in the sill triangles I fabricated and prepped the threshold area.

[Jeff Hail]

Tomorrow I will coat the gap where the rocker and sill plate meet with Wurth Seal Fix. WSF is closed cell sealer and semi rigid. Water and moisture will not get past it like the factory sealer.

Notice I installed the triangles flat side forward. The factory should have done this so as not to be a catchers mitt for road debris.

[Jeff Hail]

The right tool for the job.

Stripped the right front wheelhouse of its undercoating in about 3 minutes.
Elbow grease....Not!

(Brake Cleaner also works like a charm and strips about everything else in the process if you don't want to invest in one of these.)

[Zimms]

NICE WORK! Keep it coming!

[Eric_Shea]

if you don't want to invest in one of these

What's that called again?

[Jeff Hail]

if you don't want to invest in one of these

What's that called again?

Wurth DBS 3500 (aka "the flail")

[Eric_Shea]

@ $479.00 that may be worth it for even one car... kinda pricey though when considering a soda blast for $600.

Cool tool. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Jeff Hail]

@ $479.00 that may be worth it for even one car... kinda pricey though when considering a soda blast for $600.

Cool tool. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

They can be found for much less used. DynaBrade also makes a similar one for less. BTW,What did you find out on the brake parts cost?

[Eric_Shea]

I found that the pound is $1.95 now! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

They should be here at the end of the week.

http://www.pmbperformance.com/catalog/item...563/5825883.htm

[sixnotfour]

Soda Blast wont remove the nasty seam sealer.
I just did mine and thought the blasting would remove the little I left , Nope had the body shop kid wire wheel the rest, as I was Done.

[Eric_Shea]

Soda Blast wont remove the nasty seam sealer.
I just did mine and thought the blasting would remove the little I left , Nope had the body shop kid wire wheel the rest, as I was Done.

Yeah I know... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) Send him my way when you're done! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Jeff Hail]

Stripped the underside rear of the tub to metal and epoxy primed.

First I used the Wurth "flail" to remove the old undercoating. This also removed the majority of original paint. The rest I machine sanded with a Mini DA and a few spots I used Starblast media (transmount bracktets and crossmember). Then some good old fashion elbow grease hand sanding and some solvent.

I removed all of the seam sealer where the inner wheelhouse/ quarter panels meet the floor at the rear. Needed to see if any issues were under there. None found. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

I did leave intact the sealer where the shock tower pockets are. Just took it down a little to have something to bite into and tidy it up.

The Kent solvent kicks ass.

[Jeff Hail]

It's midnight and a knock at the door!

Who the hell is at my door at this hour?

Hey dude.... Whoa those came out bitch'n..........

What do I owe you?......A couple cold beer's!

It's nice when the Powder Coater is your bud! Price was right. 2 Stage Powder Coating rocks!

[Jeff Hail]

Awesome....printed on the side of a box of Porsche Exhaust Headers. Even the UPS guy had to take time out to read it. Way cool.

AUTHOR: Walter D. Wintle
QUOTATION: If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outclassed, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.


Now who can guess what brand they are?

[porsche914gt]

Stahl
New York
Right?
I remember mine had that.

[Jeff Hail]

Stahl
New York
Right?
I remember mine had that.

I recall that Stahl stopped making 914/6 headers although you are correct on the box. I got a kick out of the verbiage on the box.

The headers are George Narbel's (ERH) . I had them thermal coated and they shipped em in a Stahl box.

[Katmanken]

Jeff,

Something I've been meanign to ask...

Who makes this tram gauge?

It looks like something I could use.



Ken