Re-Conversion of a '70 914, Patching that Big V8 radiator cutout pt. 1 Options

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The engine is sold. I'll soon have a very fresh 901 w/ an "H" gear for sale as well as some other goodies soon for those planning an SBC conversion. I couldn't do much with this sitting in my garage as it already is stuffed to the max. Therefor I felt it somewhat necessary to sell this before commencing with the re-conversion. I've been silently (yeh, I know; me silent) working in the background for a few months fabricating some items that will be needed. I'll do my best to document things a bit more accurately than the previous conversion. Once again I'll be using the Subaru 6 and Subaru transmission. I've had tremendous success with this platform so I might as well repeat myself. So sit back, bear with me and watch as I stumble along and occasionally embarrass myself. Mistakes are an integral part of my journey. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

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The first thing I did was remove the 4 bolts from the shifter that attaches it to the OEM base plate.
EDIT: I should mention that this setup is for cars w/o a center console. If you have a console it is not necessary to cut the tunnel. Nor will it be necessary to cut the shifter base. Simply locate the shifter rod where the old one was. Then drill 4 8mm holes and use 4 studs as stand offs to elevate the shifter base above the tunnel enough to clear it. It will be necessary to raise the deck lid of the console a couple of inches.


Next I marked the base plate along the line of the curvature. Cut it on the flat part before the curve begins so it is nice and flat when screwed down. I also drill out out the threads in the 2 tack welded rear plate nuts at this time.



After cutting the base plate re-attach the shifter assembly to it.



Now hold the assembly with the cut edge adjacent to the flange of the brace that spans from side to side. Then trace out the round part of the shifter base. Next drill that out with a 1.5" hole saw. You can see that the hole ends up next to the 8mm & 6mm existing holes. The hole saw actually removed the 6mm nut that was tack welded in. No matter; that wasn't to be used anyway.





Now sit the shifter assembly back in place. With the round part of the shifter assembly centered in the hole you just cut. Mark the remaining area that needs to be trimmed. Do your best to center the base left & right as there isn't much room for the 2 front bolts.





Then I checked that the shifter sat where it needed to be and that it could move through it's full range of motion. Then using the base plate as the pattern I marked the holes with a center punch. If you don't have a set of center punches you can used the holes in the base plate as a guide for your drill bit.



After drilling the 4 holes I placed 2 8mm bolts from inside the tunnel and used perm-a-gum to hold them in place. Then I placed the shifter assembly over the 2 8mm bolts and attached the nuts. Notice the cut on the base plate is adjacent to the flange on the crossmember.







The front nuts are below the base plate and the right side nut was easy to start but the left side was so close that I had to drill a relief hole from the side of the tunnel. If I had been more careful I would have moved the assembly over 1/4"to the right. After I get the cables I will trim and install the back half of the base plate that was cut off. I will need that part for attaching the cables. To be continued...................



Here are a few pics of it anchored in place.