I asked this over on the Originality and History forum but no one was over there this morning.

I have a 1973 with the sound pad on the bulkhead. There are tabs at the top that bend over the pad to secure the top edge of the pad below the window.

Q) Do the metal tabs get the black plastic covering or are the left painted metal?

all I have seen is just painted metal that cuts your fingers really nicely.
Only seen the plastic covers when it matters....on that piece (inside and out) it was just painted metal on all the ones I have ripped out and thrown away

Just the fact that you are in the Originality and Concours forum raises alot of concern....
Rich

Good morning Rich. I'll post pics later.

finally warm enough to go work on mine and while it will never pass judgement at a real Porsche car show, as I get older, I am more motivated to make more of a show car versus a fast car that is not perfect.

I get it...both growing.

You know what I want to see more pics of.. (from one closet artist to another) is that shingle job you did on the side of the shop...

Rich

I'll send you some photos via email. Back on topic, I painted the engine bay in the Ravenna car. Getting ready for the engine soon.

Rick, the original ones on my early 73 2L had one with the plastic cover still on, & the rest I suspect came off over time with age/cracking of the plastic & pulling the pad. All the tabs on the bottom that hold the harness still have the plastic covers. So AFAIK the top tabs did too.

Just getting to these posts after traveling Sat. & I'm on the road in Sallisaw OK & on severe T-storm watch in the motel , & I'm still on CA time!

PS - Pat G in O&H probably can't answer that one, since his 72 & all 70-72 MYs had no pads!

I painted them on the creamsickle and the paint cracked when I bent them back and forth to get the pad back in.

On my '73 I have three of the pad clips that still have the black covers on them so I assume at one point they all did.

Thanks guys, I think this is the answer I was looking for. I'm going to cover them. Those basterds are sharp.

I'd also replace the pad as well if you weren't already doing so, Rick.

Those old pads are a freakin' ton and act like a sponge. There are ones out there that look very close to original, weigh less and are of modern construction - you can get ones foil backed with kind of like dynamat on one side and the traditional look black facing out.

On my 73, they are body color, but the outer facing surface is painted satin black. I would think they came that way from the factory being there is no indication they were ever undone. My 74, the tabs were also black, but I can't recall if they had plastic or not covering them (cant tell by one picture I have, too blury). Johnny's white car in the Orginality Engine section, also look like they are painted black.

Click to view attachment

I wondered about that too. Like I said my '73 has a few with the cover but I don't know if that means they came that way and the others were lost or someone stuck them on. The ones that don't have the covers have the outer part of the tab painted black like Tod's.

Mike the only plastic sheaths I recall seeing on my past 914's were for the electrical harness'. Not to say the backpad didn't come with them, and were removed at some point in time.

Mike the only one I noticed that is all body color, is the one by the battery tray. Maybe that one had a cover? Rick, they look like they are painted with a brush as opposed to spray, if that's of any help for your restoration.

Yes, just checked and mine are the same as described above. And yes on the painted by hand look.

That's wierd. Mine were not painted and did not have a plastic covering. So hand painted sounds like the correct answer if your were black. I may cover them anyway. It's safer.

When it comes time to put the pad in my '73 I will too. I don't really care if it's original or not and this is a better idea. As well as saving a potential finger slice it will help prevent the tab from cutting into the pad.

I took off the three covers that are on my tabs to check and they are painted black underneath as well.