Need advice - how much of this long can be saved., UPDATE Options

[mbseto]

Hey all. Would like to get some advice from the 914 surgeons. I've started on the driver's side long, hoping that the damage here would be a little less than the passenger side. Cut out all the PO's previous repairs and got my first good look up into the inner long, behind the suspension consoles and engine mount. It's not as nice as I'd hoped. These pics may not be the best to go on, but need to make some decisions about how much to cut out and how much can be saved.

So here it is - we are on the driver's side, forward looking aft. The section under the door sill has been completely removed and we're looking up the resulting hole.










OK, so the optimist in me has already been taken out behind the shed and beaten with a tire iron. Then we handed him a bottle of whiskey and left him there. From what I see now, the engine mount is going to come off. We'll decide whether to keep it or get a new one based on what it looks like on the back. At the same time, I think we'll decide how far up the long to cut after seeing the portion under the mount. I believe the inner console is solid. You can see a mouse nest in the outer console - that's giving me some heartburn. I'll be trying to vac out all the bits in there and then borescope it. I'll be elated if the consoles don't need to come off.

Let me know what you think. Don't pull any punches.