Please tell me about the different ways to reinforce the longs on the 914. My car is on the rack and it is time to reinforce this area and things are moving too fast for me to keep up.

I have seen the Engman Inner Long Reinforcement kit and the Tangerine Racing Door Sills kit. I think I saw a third kit that reinforced the footwells at the same time as the longs but I can't find that kit again.

I'm confused about the different kits, the terms that describe the longs and the different ways to reinforce this part of the car.

Please clue me in if you know. I'm not even sure what the difference is between "Longs" and "Inner Longs", if there is any. So, you can assume I know nothing here.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks all.

The part you linked to for Tangerine Racing Door Sill kits are not parts of the structure of the car.

The long is a box, or square tube. It was assembled from two C shaped metal stampings. The Engman inner long kit, welds onto the inner C section.

Thanks Mark.

So when people talk about strengthening the longs, they are usually talking about adding strength to the inner longs like with the Engman kit.

Are there other options people choose short of a roll cage or is it just about always the Engman kit?

Did I see a kit that reinforced the footwells along with the longs?

The weakest area of the long is about were the E-brake indentation is located given the whole car is free of rustiuos-cancer.

The Engman inner kit is about the best you can do to any 914 without doing a cage of some type.

Search for Engman kit here, there is a couple of really good threads on the install.

I've done a few myself. Makes a huge difference in the car.

I have the Brad Mayeur (914ltd) outer long reinforcement kit , and the Rich Johnson rear reinforcement kit installed, and am very happy with both.

OK, so now I'm getting somewhere. These are innner longs redone with the Engman kit.
Click to view attachment


And these are outer longs done with Brad Mayeur's kit
Click to view attachment

I'll have to look for the Rich Johnson Rear Reinforcement kit. Don't know about that yet.

I'm thinking of going with both the Engman and Mayeur kits.

> I'm thinking of going with both the Engman and Mayeur kits.

That's a bad idea. I have the Mayeur kit on my car (it was pre Engman) and it's nice, and very strong, but VERY heavy. If I was to do it again I'd try the Engman kit just because I've heard so many good things (and it may be lighter).

-Steve

Go with the Engman kit. When you do, drill the holes bigger. (I drilled mine out to 5/8 inch). Makes for a stronger bond.

I like the idea of larger holes - stronger bond for sure. What do you coat the steel with on the mating surfaces of the original long and the new layer? I wonder about moisture between the two layers of steel causing problems.

I am sure the Engman kit is very good but the Brad Mayeur kit does a better job. First it is heaver and stronger. Second, it better connects the passenger compartment with the rear of the car. I have a junk car I will cut up later that has the Brad Mayeur kit. The longs are totally trash. The Hell Hole is a canyon. The door gaps do NOT move when lifting the car. The frame is stronger than my daily driver. Those door gaps move more than I like when lifting the car.

Brad Mayeur's kit reinforces the outer suspension mounts, and the Engman kit does not. If your car has any corrosion on the outer rear portion of the long, then I'd go for both kits.

I would like to know the answer to this too, anyone?

Weld through primer.

Though many people still buff off the primer around where they are welding, as it makes for cleaner, easier welds.

Zach

weldable primer

example: http://search.eastwood.com/search?w=weldab...Q&ts=custom

I know this is about stiffening kits but hopefully not about covering up rusted longs. I haven't seen the mayer kit in person and it may be good. I am not a fan of covering up rusted out body panels that are the structure and strength of a unibody car. Replace the rusted out parts then put the stiffening kits on to make the tub stronger than it was to begin with. Take pictures of the repair to show it was done correctly and the rusted out areas were not just covered up. When you buy a rusted tub and start pricing repair panels and the labor to put them on correctly, you will quickly realize that a rust free tub is worth a lot.

throw tagerine racing back into the picture w its rear console kit, I did the engman thing and the rear console and suspension ear thing.. if wider tires are in the offing reinforcing the suspension ear and the rear console should prevent tearing it up..

Doesn't it all depend on what you use it for, or am I a fool for not installing an engman kit when my car was in pieces?

What about the ClamShells? Are those a good option?
Link here->Rocker Clamshell

I like the brad meyeur kit because it is stronger and it ties the rear trailing arm up to the very front of the rocker, so it strengthens the rear area more. It only weighs 11 more lbs than the engman kit...

Restoration design also has a outer longitudinal reinforcement piece as well. WE call it the frame stiffener. Fairly easy to install, and adds quite a bit of rigidity. Got one installed on my car.

http://www.restoration-design.com/installation_ss346.htm

Pete

Has anyone actually done both the Brad Meyeur and Engman kits?

If so, was there any difference after installing the second one?

Just curious...

Hi,
I need to do something with my longitudinals as they are starting to look ugly.
My question is that in looking at the Brad Mayeur's kit, do you need to remove the door sills to make it work properly or do you weld the pieces into place without needing to remove the sills?

I see that restoration designs (and others AA and Pelican) have very nice clam shell pieces but my concern is that it will be a lot more work dealing with the sills.

Can anyone speak to which option is better in terms of strength and ease of installation?

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

We need to see the condition of your longs now.. Most likely you should repair any rust first, THEN stiffen the longs. Adding the stiffeners would just be a band aid if you didnt repair the underlying problem.

I did a car with both for a customer. both at the same time so i did not get to compare each addition.
to properly advise you we need to know more about your intended use and current condition of the car.
some guys have the budget to fix it right and some just want to patch and drive.

I can't stand the way the Brad Mayeur pieces tie in to the rear outer consoles.
So what I do is cut them off at the point where my console reinforcing kit begins.

The Engman kit is good but the Mayeur kit is a bit stiffer based on my experience. Both require about the same time for installation.

IMO, the ever popular "GT stiffening kit" is a near complete waste, and actually puts metal in a couple of undesirable places.

The Mayeur kit does not require removal of the sills. However, removal of the jack posts and the A pillar outer reinforcements is required to do the complete installation.

There were two different driver side longitudinals, depending on which parking brake handle was installed. The early cars with the articulated brake handle are not prone to cracking at the hand brake notch in the frame as the later cars are.

More info to add to the debate.

Look at how deep/wide the inner C section is compared to the outer. It would seem like the outer section, which is shallow as well as ribbed, would already be strong and therefore the inner would be the weak section and would most benefit from reinforcement.

The arrows point to the joining lines between the inner and outer sections.

IMO, the ever popular "GT stiffening kit" is a near complete waste, and actually puts metal in a couple of undesirable places.

Chris - I'm dropping a 3.2 into my car and adding an engman kit. Would you suggest I leave off the GT stiff kit? Would you add something else or leave, as-is? Thanks, Mark

I put both kits, inner and outer into my car and reinforced the Ears, left out the GT kit.
I didn't have to worry about the extra weight, the turbo engine compensated for that.

I disagree.
If what you say is true, it would have been better to use two of the outer panels and save space.
It's the combined shape of a box beam that makes the longitudinals work, and the wider crossection is definitely better.
If one stiffens either side of the box the entire unit will be stronger.
The Brad Mayeur kit is thicker. It makes the chassis stiffer.
I'm not convinced that the engman piece across the firewall is of great value. That part of the firewall is already box shaped and part of a larger panel as well. It isn't susceptible to flexing IMO.
I tested the flex on several chassis' earlier this year and the stiffest one was reinforced with a modified Brad Mayeur Kit.

I would leave off the GT kit.
I think my rear pickup bracing kit is a good choice when stiffening any 914 with more than about 150 hp. Bracing the inner consoles as a minimum, is adequate to prevent stress cracking for most any -6 street application.

What needs reinforcing on the suspension console? I'm guessing I'll have to look into this for my conversion.