BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: Dirty Cossack's Build Options

[JoeDees]

I had every intention of making an introduction video, but I found that I had ruined my wide angle lens trying to film some cool shots of grinding. So while I'm waiting for the new lens to be delivered, I will go with this novel:
I bought the car about a year ago with the shortsighted intention of throwing it back together and having a driver until its turn came for rustoration. I bought the car and a carload of parts from a guy in Dallas who did some really shady work and an incredible job hiding other rust; magician style he distracted with his obvious poor work. The drivetrain was out of the car and registration said it had been sitting for 12 years, so I don’t know what made me think I could get it driving in a month… Soon after buying the car, my daily driver VW went down and needed a bunch of work and Uncle Sam gave me orders to move 800 miles. I fiddled with the 914 now and then, mostly just probing for rust, but focused my attention on prepping my other projects and VW for sale, knowing I could only bring one car with me and it had to be rolling so I couldn’t really tear into it. I’ve been here in the new, much smaller shop since June and have been slowly tearing into the 914 between honey-do new house projects, new job training, and getting the new shop in order.
As we sit now, the car is on jackstands with the rotisserie acting as additional bracing, the engine and trans are under a workbench, the bigger pieces of the car are using the extra bedroom (the one my wife says needs to be vacated when we get pregnant) and others in boxes in my closet. Tearing the car down, I’ve found almost everything worse than I expected. The gas tank is pretty nasty with rust, all 4 calipers are locked up and the wheel bearing grease congealed. Removing the bumpers I found some evidence of prior damage and filler. Further probes into the longs found some rust on the driver side, and the passenger side nearly shot. The hellhole was a known problem, and turned into a chasm. I haven’t really dove to much into the floor, but found rust around the firewall and under a seat mount. The good news seems to be in a relatively dry trunk and pedal area.
My project’s Big 5 jobs are: 1) Rust repair. 2) Body work and a complete repaint. 3) Complete overhaul of the brake system, bearings, CVs, getting the window to work and stuff like that. 4) Engine rebuild. 5) Customization: wart removal, interior work, and an attempt at making custom made bumper tops.
In this build off challenge I face multiple fronts of challenges: 1) I grew up helping my Dad fix VWs, redid a Triumph Spitfire in my early 20s with his help, and have done numerous small projects over the years, but this is my first full rustoration on my own. 2) I have a severely limited budget. I am active duty Army, and everybody knows that NCO paychecks leave much to be desired. 3) I’m often short on time. My current assignment is as an instructor requiring me to work 10-12 hour days and 50-60 hour weeks. 4) I have a bum knee that makes it almost impossible to crouch and am fighting a shoulder issue that makes working overhead painful (praying for no surgery). 5) Nothing but the windshield and fine machine work like the heads and crank will be farmed out, I’m doing this on my own.
Well this is where we are starting, and honestly, who knows where we’ll end up. I haven’t really decided on color, engine, or upgrades, though I’m leaning towards keeping the 1.7 Liter Fuel Injection unless a good deal on another engine arises. I’m also thinking of keeping the car black but going minimal chrome, but who knows what the good idea fairy will deliver. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I do.

[JoeDees]

It was a long weekend but that did not equate to a lot of work.

Friday was one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. I tried dealing with a greyhound rescue to adopt a dog. Arizona banned dog racing so something like 100+ orphans hit the system, but the local group won't adopt to Soldiers because their policies and Army policies conflict. Then in the garage I decided that I need to build a car dolly for repairing that front end since the rotisserie will be in the way. It'll also help with other things, like taking it off the rotisserie so I can put it back on the rotisserie outside for pressure washing or turning the car around (my garage is stupid and has a curb in it so one side is on that, the other on a box to bring it level). Anyways, I went to Lowe's and bought the supplies but came up a 2x4 short.

Saturday I went back to Lowe's for the wood but forgot the nuts to go to the bolts, so I had to go back. Eventually I finished the dolly, only to decide that I didn't feel like tackling the front when I still had other repairs to make, so I took it apart and stored it. I then tried to go back to that engine shelf, it still wouldn't fit... so I fixed the little spot of damage/hole on the floor.

Sunday things began to turn around, I went back to the engine shelf, this time completely determined, only to find the thing went perfectly into place the first try without even trying. Go figure, then I had to make the little patch at the rear there and the brake line holder. The brake line holder was fun to make: drilled a hole in steel and bored it out with the dremel to the right size, drilled another hole for a plug weld, bent the thing, then rounded and shaped the end as well as shaping the weld side so it would saddle into the recess between engine mount and suspension console. It was all too easy on Sunday, I even got an email back from the dog people saying we might be able to make something happen if I work my end.

Monday I figured it was time to hit the driver's side since I was done melting on the passenger side! (I've decided to hold off on the battery tray--it's fitment is confusing me...Anyone ever have problems getting the RD tray support to line up? And the other thing needed is the front damage, which I'm putting off) So it's the driver's side! Which is a lot worse than I thought. The jack point is jacked, which I knew, but the top layer of the long there is/was pretty rusted so I've worked to strip it off. I keep having to expand my area, even up to cutting out a portion of the sill near the back triangle. I used an old webcam to look inside the long and it doesn't look too bad. The Eastwood green stuff and some antirust paint should do the trick. This side's rust is way different than the other. The passenger side rusted from the inside out, but this is going outside in--which is good. But getting this first layer of rust off has been quite the trick. I've used an angle grinder with 3 attachments, a drill with 3 attachments, a sawzall, and a dremel with 3 attachments... and I still have metal to remove but ran out of dremel cutting discs. So I slathered the area in naval jelly and called it a weekend. I made a particular point of raising the top layer edges up and getting the jelly up in there. Hopefully I can finish up the area next weekend.

Medical update: I had the MRI on my neck (finally) and it found issues that are probably at the root of my shoulder issues and the arm pains, etc. The problem is that this may complicate or make repairing my shoulder impossible, which would end my Army career. So I have to start thinking of when, how and at what point is it best to stop the build and prep the car for moving. I haven't been to the doctor yet, so this is just speculating, but I figure I have 9 months left here. I figure I need to finish the metalwork, prime anything bare, then start putting the necessary parts back on. But we'll see what the future holds when it gets here, meanwhile I'll keep working on the car, working to adopt a greyhound, and just working.