Rusty bucket into Solo toy, Some highlights of my budget autocross build from rust to rocket Options

[Han Solo]

I'm about 4 hours into the rear pan install and it's going fairly well. Lifting the pan into position required a bit of help from my trusty floor jack. As reported in the previous post, I left the rear 6 - 8" of the front pan loose to slide the rear pan over for lapping. Once into position, I used the sheet metal screws to pull the edges and center up against the longs, tunnel and firewalls. As with the front pan, I started spot welding the tunnel edges first and followed the bead welds ever 6" on so. After completing both sides of the tunnel, I proceded along the lapped edge on the drivers side. I'm actually feeling pretty good about my welding skills when I have plenty of light, space and can get close in. Note that this is where you have to be careful of metal tempratures and spread your welds out to let surfaces cool. The last hour or so last night, I went under the drivers long welding from the junction of the two pans back. This is where it gets tough. Trying to keep the hanging pan metal tight and welding upside down. I'm using up a lot of wire (on my 4th spool now) and I think my little welder is starting to bind the wire occasionally. Maybe the tip which I try to keep clean (difficult when upside down) or perhaps the flexible conduit that feeds the wire. The goal is to have the pans completed and primed by the end of this weekend.

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[Han Solo]

I never thought I'd get so much gratification just sitting in a car - even without seats (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
This morning I had to correct a mistake I made when patching the inner firewall. I didn't know that the firewall bottom dipped into the pan (again, no original metal to see). I had already drilled the flange for spot welds so bending the patch out wouldn't work. So instead of making an extension out of sheet metal, I found sticks of 1/2" x 1/2" (1/6" wall) square tubing at Home Depot. That was just the right dimension to wedge into the gap. Spot welded the top and corner welded the bottom. I've got another spot at the bottom middle of the outer firewall that I'll use the same tubing. That fix went quickly and then it's all about grinding. Probably three hours to grind the bottom, rear and interior welds. Then I shot some grey primer over the interior welds after cleaning. I've got the cross member on order from RD so hopefully I can install that soon. While I'm waiting on that, I'll clean the belly above the steering rack, patch the right front wheel well, grind those welds and the front pan welds, then treat that area with POR 15. I'll probably spend some time on the underside of the front trunk pan. It looks hideous and I have no idea what hack welded that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

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[Han Solo]

I had the day off and was able to get the right front wheel house patched. Although it was a fairly complex area, I was able to get all the bends done with two patches. Got that area ground down and then I cleaned all the under coating off the front belly. Treated all that with Marine Clean and Metal Prep. Then I'm off to the body shop supply for the 3rd pint of POR 15. Next I'll have to move the front lift beam forward to finish the front pan welds under the longs. I might move the rear lift beam forward at the same time to prepare for engine install. Brothers VW Motorworks is shipping the long block tomorrow (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

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[914pipe]

Keep going dude!!! Love to see it running!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

[Han Solo]

Before I lower the car, strip and treat the gas tank compartment - I decided to treat the under-side of the rear trunk pan, rear wheel houses an drivers side outer long. So about three hours wire brushing, scraping and cleaning. The POR 15 goes on well and I'm feeling like the more of this metal I get covered - the better. Once the POR 15 sets up - I'll lower the car, reposition the lifting beams and take care of the "pit".

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[Han Solo]

I got the car re-hung last Sunday and started prep'ing the gas tank "pit". That will take a while to get down to bare metal. But a nice little surprise Tuesday. The long block arrived and I picked it up yesterday morning. It sure looks nice and tiddy I just inspected everything and wrapped it back up. It will be awhile before I'm ready to bench test that joker.

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[J P Stein]

I just had my new Lincoln welder puke......4 months old and I was sruggling to get decent welds out of it. They looked like yours....I know it's a bit brutal, but well intended.

While replacing the blown amperage switch, the repair tech told me that the polarity
was backwards for MIG. The factory sets the machine for flux core. He said it will "kinda weld" MIG.....new info for me......DUH.

Got it home and lit the fire.....Voila!!, decent (not great) welds.....I knew I was better at welding than what had been coming out of the stinger for 4 months. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) My intense welding experience comes along every 4-5 years and it ain't like ridding a bicycle....I have to re-learn each time....the new machine dosen't help. The 3 I've used are all a bit different.

Not trying to be a hard ass, but your welding is pretty bad. You've had enough practice to make me feel you have a a basic problem. Reversed polarity may be it.

Also, an .025 wire called "easy grind" is the cats ass for thin sheet metal. It is a special order wire that my weldshop's supplier doesn't carry.....from the factory only, says them. Pro body men use it. It is about 30-40% softer (WAG) than normal wire.....and grinds easier.

[Han Solo]

Not trying to be a hard ass, but your welding is pretty bad. You've had enough practice to make me feel you have a a basic problem. Reversed polarity may be it.

Constructive criticism always appreciated JP. I agree that my welding is pretty crappy and should be getting better. My excuses are...

A. The $99 flux core welder doesn't have a polarity switch (that I'm aware of).

B. The sheet metal I'm welding is thin. Add with surface corrosion in some spots it's as thin as paper. If that's an area that I consider cosmetic and I'm burning through a lot, I'll try to bridge and fill with weld. Otherwise I'd have to add anther patch. If it's more structural, then yes, add another patch or make a larger patch. Either way, it's not pretty.

C. I really don't have anyone looking over my shoulder instructing me to the finer art of welding. I've read quite a bit but I don't think that's a substitute for hands on experience with a master welder slapping the student around.

Thanks for the tip on the small gauge wire. I'm using .030 which may be the smallest usable for this welder. I'll see if that's an option.

Again, this is a budget build for autocross so the test runs will tell how badly I've botched this project. If the whole chassis falls apart, I'll find a good, rust free roller and move all the goodies over to it. Or sell everything and go back to the modern cars. It's not like we don't have more Porsches around here (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Alphaogre]

Having a MIG welder with gas will be a huge help and worth the investment. Even if you just start with a cheap harbor freight one. They even have a 220 that has no problem penetrating thicker things like tubing for cages. For your sheet metal you can get away with a 140, that can run gas. I think they are only $150 or $200 at HF...

They will be much cleaner and save you loud back breaking time later with the grinder, you will also be more confident that the weld penetrated better. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[Han Solo]

Just an update...

Looks like it will be hands off the 914 project for a few weeks. Last weekend we did two days of SCCA Solo. Saturday in the Cayman S and Sunday in the co-owned Boxster. I needed the seat time after a long winter. This weekend I'll be working long hours in a cave (long story) and then the following weekend - we're headed to an SCCA Solo Championship Tour with the Cayman S.

I have taken delivery on a bunch of parts though. Aside from the rebuilt long block, I also ordered ignition parts (plugs, wires, distributor cap, coil, etc.). I also got a mother-load of almost-new suspension parts from a great source. So when I get some time there's plenty to do!

My focus will still be the sheet metal stabilization when I get back at it. Treating the fuel tank pit, finishing welds on the floor pans and getting everything on the underside painted. I think then I'll be ready to start dealing with the passenger side front fender and stripping the exterior. I already have started stripping the chrome pieces off the sails when I had a few minutes yesterday. So far, nothing but solid metal under the vinyl (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Han Solo]

It was nice to get into the project yesterday and today for a few hours in the evenings. I had already stripped the fuel tank pit and so last night I treated and painted. Turned out pretty good except for one area that bubbled. I think that was from moisture after rinsing. Typically I go over every inch with a heat gun but I must have missed one small area. Oh well, there will be plenty more applications of POR 15 yet and I'll touch that up. Tonight I finished the underside welds on the floor pans, cleaned, treated and primed the cross member RD pieces. Once those are welded in and primed, I'm probably going to start looking hard at that right front fender. Also, I stripped the remaining sail trim pieces and they all look quite nice. Those will be for sale for anyone wanting the appearance package sail details (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

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[Han Solo]

Finally got around to that small area under the clutch rod bushing. Fairly simple. Knocked it out in a couple hours.

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[Han Solo]

This evening brings the end of a very productive weekend. Saturday morning I went to work first thing test fitting and drilling for rosette welds. The RD cross member comes in two segments. You have to bend the out-board ends out which is simple enough. I was going to lap the left piece over the top of the right piece were they come together over the tunnel (about 2" of over-lap). But I found that the floor pan needed to be pushed up to be flush with the cross member flanges. That extra 1/16" created if I lapped wouldn't be helpful. So I trimmed the left piece end over the tunnel. I used rosette welds along the pan, on top of the tunnel and where the "ears" join the longs. I also seam welded those areas (every 4" on the pans). The net result was a really solid feeling floor pan with zero give when you stand in the compartment. I finished up this morning and primed the pans and cross member. Then I went head first into the right front fender...

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[Han Solo]

I am sure glad I waited to tackle the right front fender until after all the interior patches. The task was much less daunting and I methodically worked through the process. A month after I got this car another Pelicanite sold me a donor fender. I hadn't really looked that close at it but casual inspection had it straight with little rust. There was some bondo but the backside revealed no large dents so I figured the PO had just skimmed it for appearance.

I initially thought I'd replace the complete fender. The donor fender had been cut from wheel house behind the seams so it would be completely possible to do a proper replacement. However, after looking at how much work that would be, I decided to cut the fender midway in the wheel arch. I also thought I'd cut out the existing molding channel but the donor fender had be doctored up in channel with some material (bondo, seam sealer, ???) and trying to dig all that out would have really s**ked. So I decided to make that cut along the edge of the channel. The front corner of the car is a real mess. Really crumpled. But I wanted that structure to help me get the donor fender in the correct spot. So after I cut the bulk of the fender off, started grinding off excess material and straightening out as best I could. I did the same with the donor fender and made the same cut through the wheel arch. Once everything was cleaned up on the donor part and the car, I used a wire brush to remove the paint in the welding areas. I also cleaned out gobs of under coating and seam sealer from the wheel house. Test fitting, cutting a little here, test fit again and everything is lining up good. I started butt welding in the arch area using the butt weld clamps. Then I moved down to the head light tub and lap welded in there. Working me way back up the channel tacking the fender. That's as far as I got but what a difference this makes! It's finally starting to look better than a rusted wreck! During the week I'll take my time finishing up the welds and grinding. The front area is going to require some real work to get it straightened out. I might just cut some of that wasted metal out and fab up a nice patch. I can knock that out much faster than struggling with bent and rusted metal (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif)

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[Han Solo]

Last couple of evenings I've been working on the mangled front panel. I started by attaching the original metal to the donor fender. Working the metal with hammer and pliers, I was able to get it welded around the top and side. I wasn't happy with the end result though. It was just too bent and rusty to get back into shape. Part of the problem was it is pushed in below the head light pan so there's no way to punch it out without removing that. So I decided to cut out and patch an L shaped area. Now that involved several bends that was going to be very difficult with one patch. So I divided the area into two patches and went to work. First I did the mostly straight area attached to the side of the fender. Then I tackled the upper portion with the bend. I worked that from bottom to top. Tack welding, beating with hammer, trimming, etc. That actual came out pretty good. Note that there's a section of the wheel well that joins there and that helped get the proper contour. There's still some folds in the original metal but I think everything will dress up fairly well with body filler.

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[Han Solo]

Beside the replacement fender there was a rust through in the hood molding channel. I cut that material out prior to attaching the fender. Last night I cleaned up the cut out, fabed up a patch and got that welded in. I think I'm about ready to start dressing up the fender, wheel well and front panel. Probably going to use POR 15 on all that.

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[Han Solo]

Blazing ahead. During the week I stripped the donor fender and the original that it was mated to. Then I went ahead and fabed up a quick patch over the turn signal hole (and marked the sheet metal for another). That went on nicely. Today I got down and dirty - stripping the wheel well of gobs of under-coating and rooting out all the seam sealer I could get to. Reaching back towards the rear of the car inside of the fender, heating and scraping was especially brutal. But I got the majority of the paint and sealer removed. Then I worked my way around to the front panel and stripped it. Much easier going there. After cleaning everything with Marine Clean, I treated it all with Metal Prep. I read in the POR 15 instructions that body filler can be applied over POR 15 when tacky. However, other posts indicate you can rough it after it's cured and get good adhesion. That's what I'll do later to dress up the seam in the fender and the rough areas on the front panel. I did try a new application technique with the POR 15. On the large areas I used a small disposable, short napped roller (the one that comes in the disposable trey). That material lays down so well I'm confident that it will look just as good as using a brush. I followed up in the tight areas with a brush. I think next I'll remove all the glass and seals from the car. I'm ready to take a break from wire brushing for a while (at least my sore arm is).

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[Han Solo]

Last two evenings I've been pulling the all the glass, window regulators, window guilds and interior trim pieces. I got all the glass out without cracks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) The front windshield came out fairly easily. I was pleased to not find any rust under the molding there - just dirt. The A pillar trim actually looks pretty good but the top trim has cracks. Then I moved to the doors. Getting the glass out of the window regulators was a bit troublesome. After I fished the regulator mechanism out, then I went for the scrapers and guilds. The front guild holds the quarter glass and has an interesting adjuster at the bottom. The hardest piece was the rear guild with the two screws coming up through the bottom of the door. Those were pretty rusty and required a lot of PB Blaster. I left the door handles and latches in place. Overall the doors are in okay condition with moderate rust along the bottom. I think I'll be able to treat, paint and be fine. I'll probably seal the glass slot with a welded sheet metal strip. I finished up this evening pulling the rear interior trim and glass. That glass didn't need much prying at all - it practically fell out on it's own. Now I see why the firewall was in such bad shape with all the rain coming in behind the back pad. The areas around the rear glass and top of the roll structure are rust free though. Except for the rear roof latches that are somewhat rusty.

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[jaxdream]

This thread reminds me of Veltor's 914 over in England , lots of patches , but with a goal in mind - sally forth !!!!! You are gaining some great experience out of this project .
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Jack

[Han Solo]

I am glad to have these front fenders treated. The drivers side was certainly much quicker than the other. Without any dents, it was just a matter of stripping the paint, closing up the holes, cleaning, metal prep and POR 15. I covered the turn indicator hole with a duplicate cut of sheet metal like the passenger side. The donor fender on that side has the side marker hole already covered so I had to do that on this side. That's actually four holes so I made a 3" square patch and welded it to the back side. That left a bit of an indentation so that will need some body filler. When I covered the antenna hole, I cut the sheet metal to fit and welded it flush. The hardest part about these fenders is scrapping off the under-coating and digging out the seam sealer. Getting this done opens the door for putting the front suspension on (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

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