Intro from Montana: '73 2.0L rustoration thread Options

[bbrock]

Alright you funny guys with your Wolfsburg crests and German potatoes, I'll try to catch up a little. Lots of balls in the air.

Last week, my seemingly endless quest for cv joints ended when a NOS half shaft arrived in the mail. I owe @914_7T3 a huge thank you! Jeffrey was amazing. When he found out his mechanic had one he was interested in selling, he called me, negotiated a screaming deal, and had it in the mail within an hour. Just incredible.



A couple interesting things on the label. This half shaft was built when West Germany was still a thing and notice the model info. Obviously the consolidation of the 914/6 and 914/4 part numbers happened a long time ago. What do you want to bet this thing has 25 splines.



Next up was sorting a distributor for my engine. I have a NOS 050 distributor that I was talked into buying when I bought my carb kit back when Madonna started annoying everyone. I want vacuum advance though so decided to see if I could refurbish one of my crusty old distributors. Here's the pile I had to work with. The one in the lower center is the 2.0L dizzy so that's the lucky girl.



The bushings seemed nice and tight so disassembly and a good cleaning was in order. One of those mechanical advance springs was responsible for me spending an unplanned day in a parking lot in McKinney, TX trying to figure out why my car wouldn't run. Finally figured out the spring had just popped off so the engine couldn't hold its timing.



I made a blanking plate for the injector triggers but cleaned those up to put in storage for whenever I decide to put the EFI back on. I also had to swap out the vacuum advance plate because the braided ground strap was missing. The plate on the 2L dizzy was a different design but functions exactly the same. It looks like the redesign was just to save cost of materials and assembly. All the screws, clamping springs, and dash pot were put through the zinc-O-matic. Reassembly with some fresh lube and my dizzy is good as new with one exception.





The exception is that after plating, the vacuum retard port was leaking. Even though I plugged the vacuum ports and only used a fairly weak acid dip to strip the old plating off, I suspect it dissolved some solder or sealant around the retard port causing the leak. Not a big deal but I'm going to try to reseal it. I know most people don't like to hook up the vacuum retard but I'm not a big fan of pollution so figured I'd use it if it works.

I still need to replace the O-ring and have a Pertronix Ignitor III coming this week to replace the points and condenser, but I couldn't resist sticking it in the engine because it looks nicer than the paper towel that was stuffed in that hole.



I have to show off the new dust cover too. The Ignitor III has a built-in adjustable rev limiter so I'll swap that rev limiting rotor out for a plain Jane unit. I plan to upgrade the coil to the high discharge unit that matches the Ignitor.

[bbrock]

The last thing I'll report on is that I started refurbing my carbs. Believe it or not, these are NOS but decades of storage in the humid Midwest left them nasty and corroded.







I soaked the first stripped carb body in diluted Pine-Sol for a day which cleaned it up pretty well but left the dark tarnish. I saw some good Youtube vids on soda blasting carb bodies so I'm going to pick up some soda media tomorrow and give it a go. Even though the accelerator diaphragms look perfectly new, I'm order new ones just to be sure. I'm also ordering all new rubber seals. I spent the evening cleaning and plating all the corroded adjustment screws and other hardware.



That will do it for now. I should be getting my plated hardware soon. That will be exciting.

[raynekat]

As always Brent.....totally entertaining all that you do. Well done.

[Tdskip]

Equal mix of inspiring and humbling to follow your work.

Thanks for all of the updates.

[bbrock]

Thanks guys. Encouragement helps with the motivation.

I want to slip a quick one in today as I have a strong feeling things are about to get a little nuts on the project for a bit. Before that happens, wanted to show off what arrived yesterday. I need to set the rev limit to 5800 rpm (up a little from the 5500 default setting). Very close to having a completely functional and modernized dizzy.

[mepstein]

"I have a strong feeling things are about to get a little nuts on the project for a bit"

Flares and a six? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Guys are doing a full maintenance on the vapor blast machine so it should be in great shape to do your carbs. I did some motorcycle parts last month and it had some weird staining to the metal. Probably contaminated media. The guys get lazy and don't clean the parts before blasting. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

[Dave_Darling]

You are going to remove that cap from the vacuum retard fitting on the dashpot, right? Plugging it like that can interfere with the movement of the advance/retard diaphragm...

In stock form, when they didn't hook the retard up they ran a hose down under the manifold and left it open. Probably just so people didn't see an open fitting and freak out.

--DD

[bbrock]

"I have a strong feeling things are about to get a little nuts on the project for a bit"

Flares and a six? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

One word: "Chalon!" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy11.gif)

Guys are doing a full maintenance on the vapor blast machine so it should be in great shape to do your carbs. I did some motorcycle parts last month and it had some weird staining to the metal. Probably contaminated media. The guys get lazy and don't clean the parts before blasting. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

Cool beans! I hope to get the other carb stripped and cleaned over the weekend.

You are going to remove that cap from the vacuum retard fitting on the dashpot, right? Plugging it like that can interfere with the movement of the advance/retard diaphragm...

In stock form, when they didn't hook the retard up they ran a hose down under the manifold and left it open. Probably just so people didn't see an open fitting and freak out.

--DD

Yes, the plug will come off. It was just there to keep plating fluid from getting inside the dashpot. Interesting about the factory retard connection. Well, if that's what the factory did, I guess I'll just hook up a dangle hose the same way. I guess I can return the silver solder I bought today to reseal the retard port. I can always count on you to save me from doing stupid things. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[bbrock]

Got some goodies from the Deutschland today. Pretty stupid to pay $25 for a key blank when perfectly good repros available. Even more stupid when one is a valet key for a guy who has only been to a place with valet parking once, and that was just last summer. Porsche sure knows how to exploit OCD. The mats, OTOH, were a bargain IMO.





Yeah.... I couldn't resist.

[bbrock]

Had to install some of the new goodies before calling it quits tonight. I'm tired of these droplinks sitting around. I'm sure glad I paid attention to threads on installing these. It isn't hard, but you have to be prepared for the brutality of forcing the little bastards into place.



After smearing a little moly grease on the balls per factory manual instructions, that screw clamp in the pic above was just the ticket for pressing the droplinks onto the sway bars. It would have worked for the strut side too but I was too lazy to take the wheels off to gain clearance. A few good smacks with a plastic mallet convinced them to jump on. Sway-me-not.



Hey, is that a brand new gin-U-wine clutch cable I spy there? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[preach]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cheer.gif)

I love this thread!

[Superhawk996]

Porsche sure knows how to exploit OCD. The mats, OTOH, were a bargain IMO.

Just received my mats the other day (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) I have no floor upon which I can put them. Glad to see how nice they looked on your project. Nice contrast to the silver. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Dion]

Go speed racer, go speed racer, go speed racer Goooooo!

Nice progress man. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/first.gif)

[bbrock]

All that Glitters is not Gold

Imagine my excitement to unpack boxes from the plater today. For the most part, the parts look fantastic. There a few (less than six) parts that had some spots of encrusted rust I thought would dissolve off with pickling that didn't so I'll have to clean and re-plate those. The brake calipers didn't turn out as nice as I had hoped considering the prep work I did on them. They are okay, but concave recesses are dull or burnt and didn't take the yellow chromate. Makes me feel a little better about the trouble I had plating them. I'll keep an eye on them and will send down to Utah for real cadmium plating if they start to rust.



but Houston, we have a problem. A BIG problem.

How many brake calipers can you count?



I count 3 and a half. Not good! Not good at all!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

And that's not all. Here are the parts I've fished out so far that were bagged separately and clearly marked to be finished in black zinc and baked. I'm pretty sure I can strip the yellow chromate off and turn them black without too much trouble, but more concerning is that I don't think they were baked because they were mixed in with the main batch of yellow zinc parts whereas the smaller batch of hardened parts I had bagged and labeled for baking were shipped back in a separate bag. If I'm right, the unbaked hardware includes those irreplaceable brake caliper bolts. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blowup.gif)



Why didn't I just do those myself? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) I'm waiting to hear back from the plater. I'm hoping that missing caliper half is large enough it will be found and returned to me.

I hate plating!!!

[mepstein]

It’s all a trade off. If you send it to Shawn at true 6, you get almost perfect results but you pay top dollar. I have an extra set of calipers on my parts car. It’s early so my calipers won’t help but I’m 99% sure the bolts are the same. 914 calipers are a dime a dozen so I wouldn’t sweat it. Keep moving forward. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[bbrock]

It’s all a trade off. If you send it to Shawn at true 6, you get almost perfect results but you pay top dollar. I have an extra set of calipers on my parts car. It’s early so my calipers won’t help but I’m 99% sure the bolts are the same. 914 calipers are a dime a dozen so I wouldn’t sweat it. Keep moving forward. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Thanks Mark. I'm hopeful the missing caliper half will still turn up. I know finding a replacement isn't a problem, but then I have to clean it and have it replated which not only racks up cost, but will hold up getting the car off the rotisserie. It is what it is though.

My car is one of those oddball "in-between" 73s and has late calipers up front but one early and one late caliper on the rear. I'm missing one nose half from a rear caliper and the noses are the same between early and late. The differences are all in the back piece so either an early or late rear caliper will work for me. The bolts are quite a bit different from early and late though. Early calipers use the Ribe head through bolts with nuts, where the later calipers have hex head bolts (still 7mm) that screw into the threaded back piece with no nuts.

It will work out one way or the other.

In the spirit of moving forward, I've already started putting the shiny parts back together. First up was rebuilding the wiper assembly.



P.S. Got sidetracked over the weekend and didn't get that second carb torn down and cleaned. Will get to it this week though.

[mepstein]

If you purchased your car used, there’s a good chance that one of your rear calipers was a replacement. When I purchased my first 914, I couldn’t get it to pass inspection in NJ because the parking brake wasn’t working. My local garage ordered a set of rear caliper for $120 and installation I think came to $200. A lot of money for a 17 year old in 1983. They told me you couldn’t rebuild rear calipers which was pretty much the prevailing wisdom until PMB started restoring them commercially. I think they might still be sitting in a box in my Mom’s garage.

[bbrock]

If you purchased your car used, there’s a good chance that one of your rear calipers was a replacement.

It's a possibility. The OO sold the car in '76 to the PO that I bought the car from. The 2nd owner seems to have kept every receipt she ever spent on the car. The receipts tell an interesting story as she was all over the eastern 2/3 of the continent. Someday I'll generate a map from the receipts but I digress. I didn't find any receipts for calipers but that doesn't rule it out completely. However, this car has a funky blend of early and late parts so mixed calipers isn't entirely inconsistent with the "use up the old parts" assembly that occurred for early-mid 73 cars. Just another thing that makes this car special (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[bbrock]

So the brake caliper fiasco continues. It turns out that the Postal Service is responsible for the missing caliper half. The plater returned all my hardware in the same boxes I sent them. At first I was annoyed because they were beat to hell and not fit for shipping heavy contents. It turned out to be a lucky thing though as on the side of the crushed boxes, almost hidden under gobs of tape were two stickers apologizing for the damage that occurred at the Milwaukee sorting facility. I had insured the boxes and have filed a claim so we'll see what happens.

In the mean time, I pulled out my like new caliper pistons and rebuilt the first front caliper. It really looked nice with new seals and piston retainers. It was also pretty easy to correct the color on the bolts. A hot soak in TSP degreaser strips yellow chromate right off without harming the zinc. Then a very quick (about 2 seconds) dip in dilute hydrochloric acid to reactivate the zinc to accept chromate and a 20 second dip in black chromate followed by drying overnight. Not too bad.



Now just a matter of slipping those bolts in and torquing the halves together. First round of torque is a light 7 lbs. just as the bolts started to snug, they popped loose (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) If you read my other thread on this, you already know that all my calipers are now FUBAR. Apparently too much time in the acid bath prior to plating eroded the threaded holes. Well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) ! That sucks. But if you read that thread, you also know that several saviors rushed to my rescue. @sixnotfour , @mepstein , @mb911 , and @Eric_Shea , I can't thank you enough. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Thanks to them, I'll have a good set of cores to have plated and get back in business here. This time I'll do what I should have done in the first place... let PMB handle the plating.

Okay, moving on. I have a lot of bling to put back where it belongs.

Ignore the engine mounting bar, that still needs a refresh but I did manage to finally get the bolt that was rusted in out with a lot of MAPP gas and a BFH. Surprisingly, only quiet swearing under my breath was required which for me, is pretty much like a kitten purring.



These nest pics are @defiantly 's fault. I was perfectly happy to hide tarnished clips and valves under rust encapsulator until he showed off his handiwork. After that, I had no choice but to do it right.











Then I kind of ignored @914_7T3 'advice and went ahead and installed the air diverters. I may regret this when I install the air box after the exterior is painted, but it looks like they won't interfere and I think have the cables already routed before the box goes in will help. It looks nice now anyway.

[bbrock]

There's been something bugging me. It might be my imagination, but I have a feeling that a whisper campaign has been brewing about my shoddy workmanship. I'm speaking of coarse about this ugly elephant in the room.



Yeah, this is much better. We can all relax now.



Last thing is a little product promotion. I don't know how many people are familiar with this product, but I recommend you keep a bottle in your tool chest.



This stuff is the bomb for minor repairs on cut or torn wire insulation and cable sheathing. I bitch a lot about the cramped quarters of my shop and this morning was a good example of why. In order to park the wife's DD in the garage, I have to turn the Porsche on its side and store the blasting cabinet, welder, tool chest, and other shit underneath. It's a PITA that wastes a lot of time before and after working on the car. This morning I rolled the blasting cabinet out to do some work and a sharp edge on the door caught the sheathing of my brand new genuine Porsche e-brake cable and sliced the sheathing open to expose the metal spiral. Yes, expletives did fill the air but luckily, I had my trusty bottle of liquid tape handy. It still needs one or two more coats, but the cable is once again protected and probably nobody but me will notice.



I wound up using the liquid tape again later to repair where mice had chewed the sheathing on the Bowden cables for the air controls. Good stuff to have around and way better than electrical tape. Should be able to find it in the electrical section of any hardware or home improvement store.