Have you ever had issues with ULTRA thin/porous metal in the area around the vent hole in the door striker area? Unless, the factory leaded that area, I just melted an old repair of the same problem. It looked like solder suddenly liquified and ran down the door jamb.

This area was packed full of sealer from behind but moisture had gotten in there and caused the metal above the outer door handle to bubble up. The rust continued up under the vinyl of the sail. I've got that cut out neatly but discovered the surrounding metal facing fwd is too thin to weld to as I started putting in patches.

I can't get my welder to go low enough for this area so I'm having to hog it out and weld to small "back-up" plates I'm cutting to shape. It's the only way I've found to reinforce the area. Every time I do a final polish of my welds, I break through a surrounding area with my sanding disc.

In this picture, I haven't yet removed the paint from the brow above the hole but this is to just give you a frame of reference. Reminds me of how the older cars would rust out in the nose above the headlights. Just a bad area that collects moisture.

Click to view attachment

The lead is just body filler. I did the same thing on a Karmann Ghia near the upper hinge plate on the drivers door. I floated it back out w/ a micro ballon slurry or Alumalite body filler. I watched a guy do some lead work on a XKE. Interesting work when it's applied on a vertical surface. Not the sort of thing I would try w/o the master showing me some of the tricks first.

There was a thread recently on an orange flared /6 that was rear ended a year or three ago. He had the damage repaired at a shop as well as the area you're talking about "while they were in there". Can't remember who though....

Not sure if there's a question in there, but yes, all the cars have lead there.

Scotty B working my car-

Thanks. That made me laugh.

Supposing you don't have a donor piece to graft in, o chiming one, have you ever made due with the material that is good and fixed the area? I imagine it's really slow and painstaking.

*Thanks for the in-progress shots from your car, mepstein. If I keep sanding, I'm sure mine will erode right away like yours did.

Touche'! I almost heard the chimes!

No I don;t have another section. the few times (2 I think ) I have fixed that area, I did just as Idid on Marks car. That area is a real b^tch to repair due mainly to the vent tube

I'm going to attempt it. I've got no good donors locally and don't usually have luck finding wrecked, lo-rust cars people want to cut chunks out of.

I might have just that... If you don't want to piece the section together yourself, I *might* have that section leftover from a rust-free, wrecked car. I'd have to check the stash.

Hey, Doug.

By all means, please check the stash!

Thank ya.

Well you are in luck. I just checked and I do have them. I will send you a message tomorrow with pictures and we can figure out just how much you need.

About 20 yrs ago I installed a new jamb section in a customers 914. It was a reproduction part. I believe you can buy that part. Maybe try Restoration Design.

Thanks, Rick.

I had peeked at the RD site and there appears to be a jamb available (both sides) but I couldn't make out from the photo if it actually included the vent tube section.

I bet Mike could tell us if he happens to catch this thread.

Can that vent be removed? What is the purpose of it???

I have/had those repop pieces, no they dont have come with the vent tubes.
usually you will find that if the that area is as rotted as the examples the tubes are shot as well.
I recently cut up a car & salvaged those tubes ...what a bitch!!

I have the reproduction door jambs, the vent holes are closed on those. Perfect, since I wanted to remove them anyhow. I believe originally these vents are to relieve overpressure when closing the doors. ( back in the days when they designed the 914 , they were convinced it was air/watertight.........after they built it, they might as well have deleted the vents... )

If you want unrusted chunks out of a car, try Bruce Stone.

He has a lot of tubs, and some are cut up. If not, he has buds that also have lots of Cali tubs that are potential donors.

That is some badass rot you fixed there Scotty, but I think that few in the East really know how many unrusted tubs we have. I have seen at least 30 just this year.

Now you have to remember, some areas of a tub here may have a little rust, but truly, not that much. Nothing like you guys are willing to tackle east of the Mississippi River.

I marvel at your tolerance!

John

I think my conscience would bother me if I knew someone was cutting up a solid tub for parts for me if the car hadn't been irrepairably wracked in a crash. It just seems that if there are that many great lo-rust tubs around, somebody benevolent should rescue/stockpile them for guys wishing to build whole cars and preserve the breed.

That being said, if my particular build wasn't a labor of love, I would have been really picky about finding, perhaps, one of those south western cars!

PS, my father always told me the vent tubes were to relieve pressure for the ventilation system. My guess was cabin pressure relief for frameless doors--having had vents on previous (tighter) cars for that reason. Maybe they do both.