Inner Long Reinforcement Kits, Want a stiffer 914? Options

[Engman]

Well after several months, $ and patience they are done. Brad has a set - hopefully he will post some better pics of the layout. Please see http://engmanparts.com for details

[retro74]

Looks good. Working on my 71 and these might be a nice thing to add. A couple of points to note about your install:

1. I stripped the tar on my two 914's (one will get trashed due to rust) and by far the easiest and fastest tar scraping was with a heat gun to soften the tar AND the use of a 1" wood chisel. The charp edge of the chisel is nicer that a putty knife. Heat 10" area for about a minute or less.

2. The seam sealer strips out nicely with high heat. A torch works great. Again, the 1: chisel is a cool tool for this.

3. Welding - I have yet to start my welding skill again, but I've been reading and reading. Metal should be shiny when you weld. Your users should use a pencil to trace-out the holes and then use a wire bruch to clean the area before welding. Also, any gap is too much. Tight fits are the way to go. Use sheet metal screws to pull it all in if you need to. Back them out when you get to that area and then just fill the hole. Cool MIG Tip - Use a pair of wire cutters and cut off the wire end after you stop every time. The end is oxidized, so this gives you a clean start.

4. I noticed that you did not weld along the floor pan. Makes sense to me since these floors are so thin anyway. But you should use POR15 or RustBullet to preserve the metal. I have been using POR15's rust converter first and it simply works -- leaves behind a cold zinc coating and the rust is neutralized.

5. Jacking it up. I worked on one of my Longs and used a 4x4 under the side that I was working on running just under the edge of the long. Nice, straight and spreads the load.

Nice looking product and useful welding pictures.

Good Luck

Joe C.