Hatching a Plot & gauging interest, 914-6 Engine Access Hatch Options

[forrestkhaag]

I am now in the latter stages of putting together a "kit" for the firewall access hatch for the 914-6 GT and others in need of easy tuning access to pulley, belt changes, fan area inspections, etc. made of multiple layers of hand laid fiberglass.

I have made the mold and a prototype from a CNC true copy of the firewall area needed / I will be posting an offer of the complete kit shortly in FS/WTB. The Hatch, Rivnuts and bolts, and illustrated instructions for cutting the holes in the correct location will be part of this kit. the installation allows the backpad to be used without interference.

This photo shows a painted version installed. I will offer these kits in raw fiberglass for the purists out there but all can easily be painted if so desired.

Based on the material and time invested, I am anticipating a cost of around 75 bucks if nine or less kits are ordered and 50 bucks if ten or more kits are ordered / shipping included in lower 48.

Any initial interest?

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[forrestkhaag]

the hardware will all be metric..........

[11tenths]

I've been thinking of doing this for awhile now; just can't imagine trying to change a belt in the field (or even a warm garage) while adjusting and readjusting the tension with the correct amount of shims, all the while blind...

I think GeorgeRud said it best in 2010:

"There's an easy 3 step procedure to change the fanbelt on a -6 that doesn't require an access hole in the firewall. I found this out after 35 years of ownership!

1. Remove engine from car
2. Change fanbelt
3. Replace engine into car"

Even Slits weighed in on the access port:

"Tis far easier to remove the backpad and cut a hole in the firewall to see the crank pulley / fan housing marks and also gives access to the distributor for timing.
And in the end, it is easier to drop the engine to do the above jobs unless you have cut the hole. I have tried mirrors to no avail ... I guess I'm just not that good of a mechanic."

Right.

I guess all this to say- Yes, I have initial interest.

Cheers- and good luck- Harry
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[forrestkhaag]

thanks Harry / I am getting good interest in my PM box as we speak.

I anticipate shipping out product in a couple of days if all goes well in the shop today.
The beauty of this hatch is that it is invisible until you pop out your backpad. In race applications, there usually is no backpad so there is immediate access.

For my 6. I am going to make a fiberglass backpad "base to which I will glue square weave carpet / the whole thing designed to give a little lightweight sound deadening while making access to the hatch easy... this, because I dont have a decent black backpad in the first place.

More pix tonight.....


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[forrestkhaag]

Orders are flying in at an alarming rate..... gotta go,,,,, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[forrestkhaag]

thanks for the order Mark / out tomorrow via USPS.

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[screenguy914]

Excellent idea. However.....
What happens on the engine side of the bulkhead? Does that port hole cover remain water tight? Unless there's some provision, that precludes adding sound absorption material to the firewall, yes?

[forrestkhaag]

To answer a couple of questions:

The waterproof question can best be answered this way. it is not a guaranteed watertight fit but remember that the firewall is well below the roof overhang and decklid metal in the case of the 914-6. If so desired, one could add foam tape to the access hole edges which would solve the issue if there is one. On the sound concern. I have not done a decibel comparison but in the case of the factory GT, sound was not the issue. If it is an issue, I consider the difference in "sound" between our contemporary 993, C4S and the 914. the difference is fairly huge. Silence is not why I choose the 914.

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[forrestkhaag]

OK so after several orders are paid and in the cue, I am offering this hatch kit for 75.00USD shipped n the lower 48. Production time on the hand laid fiberglass part is a one-off process and requires curing time so I would require about one week after a paypal receipt is logged for shipment to occur in the lower 48.

The "kit" includes detailed written and graphic instructions, the hand laid fiberglass hatch cover is predrilled for mounting and includes Rivnuts, SS cap screws and SS washers and support if needed in understanding this fairly simple install.

A concern has been raised concerning how waterproof this improvement is. As with everything from heat to gas fumes in the cabin of a 914, everything is a compromise from the conditions in a contemporary Porsche / I know this a a fact from side by side comparison with my 911 SC, Carrera, C4S and 993. I choose to drive a 914 and live with a few drips and drabs.

I am running a FG model on my car presently without a backpad for R&D to see if water intrusion is an issue to be addressed for those who live where it rains. I am not using the lower hatch bolt in this test phase to exacerbate the issue if there is one. It is presently raining here in SoCal off and on this week and I will update after finding a good downpour into my (type 4 presently) fan area.

Obviously a 6 has more suck away from the hatch from the vortex of the fan and more protection provided by the vertical fan shroud higher under the roof overhang.

Comment to follow along the way.

[jkb944t]

To answer a couple of questions:

The waterproof question can best be answered this way. it is not a guaranteed watertight fit but remember that the firewall is well below the roof overhang and decklid metal in the case of the 914-6. If so desired, one could add foam tape to the access hole edges which would solve the issue if there is one. On the sound concern. I have not done a decibel comparison but in the case of the factory GT, sound was not the issue. If it is an issue, I consider the difference in "sound" between our contemporary 993, C4S and the 914. the difference is fairly huge. Silence is not why I choose the 914.

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I added the 1 inch foam to the actual hatch and I have never had any problem with water or additional noise.



Very nice project and I can attest to the fact that the opening is a huge benefit when working on a 914-6.

Jeff B

[mepstein]

Not a place I would use fiberglass. Steel or maybe aluminum.

[forrestkhaag]

Not sure who does your fiberglass work, but having hand laid up my first surfboard in fundamentally the same technique decades ago in 1968, I am fairly competent that by using a Woven Rovin base layer and multiple layers of 10 oz. cloth with two part Epoxy Resin, they are tough and are good to go.

I have tested this product in fiberglass, metal, and Carbon Fiber to determine production feasibility - and for the cost, the fiberglass is my way of offering a decent product at a reasonable price-point.

I can also make them in Carbon Fiber which, by weight is multiples of steel's strength / No too sure who wants to pay the material material and costs for that piece however.

Thanks for your input and bump op.

Sidebar: PM me if you have structural data or stress crack testing and documentation that would suggest that this access port area is twisting and turning to the degree that a fiberglass hatch covering it up would crack. That is a stretch - no pun intended (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif)

[mepstein]

Gasoline fire would be my concern.

[forrestkhaag]

If there is a high pressure explosion in your engine compartment, that little piece of tin and a little piece of FG is not going to save your right elbow. Fortunately, fires in the engine bay in a 914, when they do occur, are low pressure events to my personal experience.

Lets move this discussion to where it belongs. In someone's garage, not FS/WTB.

Thanks for the courtesy. And a special thanks for the Hatch Kit orders.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_bump.gif) Cheers

[forrestkhaag]

A good day today for the Hatch patch. Thanks you all for your orders via PM and email and cell phone request.

As a note to all interested, I am learning that sometimes there is no connection between a PayPal inflow on my end and your 914W handle.

Please note in the paypal submittal who or what the payment is for / that will expidite shipment.

Also, to Mark's credit, any and all comment on perfecting this offering is always welcome.

I am now testing a water resistant seal ring piece for the hatch cover for our aquatically challenged Teeners. If it will pass the ASTM-DT ( All Serious Tedious Men=.... Deluge Test) I will mail free of cost, a hatch seal, to all early order troopers.

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[forrestkhaag]

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[Coloradocurt]

Waiting to hear back from you on ordering information, PayPal, etc.

[Coloradocurt]

Waiting to hear back from you on ordering information, PayPal, etc.

Still waiting for the ordering information while I have the interior removed.
After it goes back in, all bets are off!

[roadsportusa]

Waiting to hear back from you on ordering information, PayPal, etc.

Still waiting for the ordering information while I have the interior removed.
After it goes back in, all bets are off!

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I am interested at The $50 price. Send order info
Ron
roadsport1@comcast.net

[Coloradocurt]

Cancel me as an interested buyer. I got tired of waiting to hear back from you and my interior is going back in.