The restorers holy grail.... or not?, Galvanized 914's. Options

[MDG]

Any old VW and Porsche was build to handle in the snow. There's plenty of snow to go around in Germany. I learned car-control by driving on snow and ice.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)

My old '73 I drove throughout the '80s was my DD 365 days of the year. Once you've got it down the 914 if FANTASTIC in the snow.

[6freak]

Zink chromate paint would solve the issue ....

[rsrguy3]

I had seen that piece, and I must say the whole thing is quite interesting, particularly, the issue surrounding paint staying
put . I'm in contact with a local applicator to determine all the issues at hand.
-With regard to the sheet metal, pm me if you don't mind.

[Tom_T]

Any old VW and Porsche was build to handle in the snow. There's plenty of snow to go around in Germany. I learned car-control by driving on snow and ice.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)

My old '73 I drove throughout the '80s was my DD 365 days of the year. Once you've got it down the 914 if FANTASTIC in the snow.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

I used my 73 914-2.0 in the snow to the local SoCal mountains, Mammoth/June Lake, Tahoe Resorts, Park City & Brianhead Utah, Mt. Ashland OR & WA state resorts - granted no salt on our western roads, but mine always started in the cold, ran like a champ & handled excellent in the snow & ice + was warm inside despite the air heat complaints of some folks.

What bad rust issues mine has (if you see the posts I've done) are due to Battery Acid/Hell Hole, warped early style engine lid drip tray & firewall sound/heat pad, & a leaking windshield washer bottle (finally figured that one out re: the LF floorpan @ strut brace)! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[thomasotten]

Didn't someone say we would one day see a post like this:

"Look what's new from Automobile Atlanta"
New Galvanized Tubs - No Core charge Required

Let's give the Chinese something to build besides Ipads for Christmas! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/santa_smiley.gif)

[rsrguy3]

Funny thought, as if it was a dynacorn project. It would be nice thouhg, an all new steel tub w/e-coat. I still think there are issues with paint on galv, the dodges and fords are perfect examples. I just cant find a local e-coater near me.

[realred914]

porsche did it...what type of process did they use?

electroplate for a fine finish with little heat. this provides a much more uniform fine grained surface (better for paint) hot dip is cruder coating, often very thick and un-even, very large grains)

frankly whay not make a new body out of stainless steel???? the delorefourteen!!!

[realred914]

Any old VW and Porsche was build to handle in the snow. There's plenty of snow to go around in Germany. I learned car-control by driving on snow and ice.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumb3d.gif)

My old '73 I drove throughout the '80s was my DD 365 days of the year. Once you've got it down the 914 if FANTASTIC in the snow.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

I used my 73 914-2.0 in the snow to the local SoCal mountains, Mammoth/June Lake, Tahoe Resorts, Park City & Brianhead Utah, Mt. Ashland OR & WA state resorts - granted no salt on our western roads, but mine always started in the cold, ran like a champ & handled excellent in the snow & ice + was warm inside despite the air heat complaints of some folks.

What bad rust issues mine has (if you see the posts I've done) are due to Battery Acid/Hell Hole, warped early style engine lid drip tray & firewall sound/heat pad, & a leaking windshield washer bottle (finally figured that one out re: the LF floorpan @ strut brace)! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

near as I know the drip tray wnet to the late style well before the fire wall pad was introduced.

your car has both the early style tray and the later style pad??? that is probably not stock. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[Tom_T]

near as I know the drip tray wnet to the late style well before the fire wall pad was introduced.

your car has both the early style tray and the later style pad??? that is probably not stock. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Nope - early trays up through 73 & part of 74 MY IIRC, while pads came in during 72 MY.

I think there was a later style pad used in 75-76 MY which was sealed on the inside (contact side), but the early pads were open faced sisal on the contact side, which allowed them to hold water/moisture & do the dirty deed! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Mine is an early 73 2L built 8/72, so it has some of the early 73 MY transitional items, such as the "light-late" type doors with late windows/regulators, later front & early rear calipers, banded & diamond embossed air box (later 73-74 were banded, then smooth 75-76), Kienzle clock & wide band OT in the center console, some with Appearance Group vinyl on the A-pillars (yup - that was a factory "experiment" for a couple of months of production), etc.

Lest you wonder if I really know what came on mine, I've owned my "914S" since Dec. 1975 & am the 2nd owner, so I know it pretty well, & there are some topics in the Garage &/or O&H on the first 1000 or so 73 MY 914s' quirks, which make interesting reading if you like that sort of stuff.

[Tom_T]

porsche did it...what type of process did they use?

electroplate for a fine finish with little heat. this provides a much more uniform fine grained surface (better for paint) hot dip is cruder coating, often very thick and un-even, very large grains)

frankly whay not make a new body out of stainless steel???? the delorefourteen!!!

Similar paint adherence issues/problems on SS - as some using the SS rockers have posted on here.

Note the positive & negative charged primer in that Porsche paint process write-up which I posted above is the e-plate process essentially, although it differs from s step chrome plating obviously (copper-nickel-chrome).

BTW - Zinc Chromate is a good sprayable rust preventative treatment, but it's hard to get done anywhere in California nowadays.

Other states & the Canucks & Euro-land are following with enviro-friendly paints & coatings, so all of these processes are getting more scarce & therefore more expensive. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[Tom_T]

Didn't someone say we would one day see a post like this:

"Look what's new from Automobile Atlanta"
New Galvanized Tubs - No Core charge Required

Let's give the Chinese something to build besides Ipads for Christmas! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/santa_smiley.gif)

Great! .... that will give them somewhere else to dump the sulfur etc., now that they've been nabbed on the corrosive drywall! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[tomeric914]

I've seen plenty of rusty galvanized metal.

Me too. It all depends on how much galvanizing is put on. In the sheet metal business, G30, G60 and G90 are all pretty common. The number refers to how many hundredths of an ounce are on 1 square foot of material. G90 refers to 0.90 ounces per square foot. This means that one side has 0.45 ounces and the other side has 0.45 ounces for a total of 0.90 ounces.

The galvanized coating gets rougher as the amount of zinc increases. Sanding the finish to get it smooth would remove the zinc and defeat the purpose. Paint and body filler don't adhere all too well to zinc. Any welding would require the zinc to be removed or it would burn away in the process.

As others have mentioned, give it a great paint job and keep up with any rust that forms. You're better off investing $5,000 in a lift so you can get the car above you and be able to detail the undercarriage.

[charliew]

I have a parts car scout II that someone put galvanized interior rear quarterpanels and outer door panels on. The panels held up good but the paint peeled off. Also stainless steel is a lot heavier than mild steel. In the early nineties a contractor came to my IBM office and painted all the office furniture in a large conferance room. The paint was a electrostatic paint. I watched them spray it on and it would go around corners to a small degree. I also used zinc cromate on my 63 jeep truck in 1978. It may have helped but it still got repainted again in 1989, that time with two part ppg primers and they have held up well. Stainless and aluminum hold paint as well as mild steel if the surface is roughed up and cleaned well and good paints are used.