This weekend ran the 2.0 4 cyl 914 race car. SCCA history as a regional champ and national podium car. Breaking in new engine, suspension, and front oil cooler. Got a nice dial in for the track suspension as well. Was pretty fun! Sadly will be offering up soon as need funds for updating the 6.

The taycan arrived Friday so it slipped into the garage overnight as well lol. Its HUGE next to the race car.

Some cool events going on...

I'm just waiting for a new clutch cable so I can get back out there... going to polish the wheels in the mean time. Trying some poorboys wheel polish on my anodized fuchs.

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First step on the road to engine and trans upgrades...

Got our Palma Green example out for probably the last time this year, a couple of rain drops, but snow is coming this weekend and the road salt won't be far behind. Thats ok, plenty of projects to look forward to for the next several months

Nice Tycan… Did you have a spare dedicated 50 amp circuit or have to extend your service? Did you buy the ~5’ charging pedestal?

We just brought online 48 solar panels and installed a dedicated 50 amp nema socket to get ready for our Tycan …with all the badges stripped as well

Printed a part for the oil cooler, it came out really well. It is the first part to be completed by the printer. Probably gonna get modified some how just because it's a prototype and I am in charge. Actually I think that this one is it. Now I need 3 more just like it. It's a 20 hour print.

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A R's build thread is in the Paddock. This little plug is in hopes of bringing the total viewership over 30K.

Drove some nice twisties on Friday with the Breakfast Club Rally group in the hills around Calistoga. Click to view attachment

Restored wiper rack. Disassembled cleaned up, lubricated all parts and put back together.

Nothing wrong with Mulholland shocks. Unless they are shot leave them.

Cut out some holes and flattened some grills to fill in the holes.

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I like it.

I got a set of used shocks, thanks @Literati914 , good shape but needed some cleaning up. Cleaners wouldn't even do it, so I sanded the paint with 1200 grit, used high gloss stick compound and the polishing machine. Still has chips I'll tough up but it's shiny. The peds needed a new coating, so I used exhaust aluminized silver paint, baked at 225* for 15 minutes. Ends up like powder coat. One step closer


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I had few extra minutes today I decided to take a deeper look at the hell hole on my project car... I got a chuckle out of the PO repairs.


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Hey,....if you're not gonna fix it correctly, you might as well use the least amount of effort humanly possible. Bonus points for using the speed limit sign patch panel.

Made my first night time drive with the new 914Rubber LED Headlights. WOW !!! The improvement over stock is astronomical.

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If you are even thinking about this upgrade for your car . . . . . DO IT.

pisser. too good.

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SUPER BUMMER! Thought burnt rotor resistor from MSD was my problem and new rotor would fix it.

Not so. Put in new rotor, thought all would be well. Got 914 started, took out, still not running well, pulled in garage and now it will not start. Spark? Check. Fuel? Check. Backfiring OR worse - sudden engine lock-up/seizure on trying to start! Never in life seen this. Like timing has jumped - but, dizzy is tight and right where it ought to be.

Especially strange since this engine w/MSD is the easiest to start engine I've ever had in any vehicle in my long, old life.

Any ideas in brain-trust as to what's going on?

Checking compression today or tomorrow......it is time for valve adjustment.

BUT car was running perfectly before rotor failure......

GN

Replaced the driver's exterior door handle today! The old one was cracked about halfway through and I was just waiting for it to snap off in my fingers one day. Glad to have avoided the gymnastics of having to climb through the passenger side to open the door, lol! Lubed up the lock mechanisms and window hardware while I had the door panel off and everything works much smoother now. Even addressed a rattle that has been bugging me! I just wish it wasn't in the 30's and "snraining" out today, or I'd take it out for a test drive. Hope you're all doing well and happy holidays!

Buttoned up a few little things - zip tied wires and finished the Dakota Digital CHT gauge install and then actually went for a DRIVE!! Pretty rare to be able to do that in SE Indiana on the 11th of December.

Finished rebuilding dual Dells. As usual, found nothing wrong with them, but every two years(ish) they decide to run as if a float is stuck. So, I service them. Very easy job, so I don't mind.

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Reinstalled onto the car, idle adjusted and synchronized (with the terrible hex bar linkage!). Running so sweetly now!

Put wiper arms and blades on it and drover her!

I am working on going back to the office once a week.
So drove from home office to corporate office today, literally.
My home office is getting new floors and so my current home office is the garage next to my 914. The garage s a little chilly but not bad.
The drive to & from work was pretty cold, I have a header and no heat.
And I learned the headlight motors don't work right now so I got to stop and crank them up by hand, I'll check them tomorrow.

Jim
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Still chasing the elusive firm brake pedal. Made some progress with a round of pressure flushing and cracking the connections to the proportioning valve followed by the buddy-stomp-on-the-pedal approach. It was not quite there so tonight did another few rounds with pressure. Not sure it made a difference. May try more stomping tomorrow ...

@Chaznaster

Are all your bleeder nipples at the top of the calipers? Had to ask

Changing a 1157 bulb is as close as I will come to hanging Christmas lights this year.

@shivers All at the top (and some at the bottom as well )!

I am starting to think that the long pedal push before braking (2/3 travel) might be remedied by adjusting the piston attached to the brake pedal. Thinking this because once you get there the brakes work fine and no amount of pumping will change where they engage. That and because I have put a gallon of fluid through the system ...

installed my white lenses.

Got the parking brake warning light to work - flashes red when the brake is on and key turned. Had to splice on to the original wire to lengthen it and installed a new switch. Have had the switch around for some time and finally found a spare 20min to deal with it. Box checked!

So, we finally got the stock shifter in the car with the hand throttle. After looking at the RennShifter in the car I just really wanted to go back to the stock shifter so it looks original. The funny thing is we addressed the shifting issues I was having and it was all in the rear shifter rod assemble that was all F'ed up. I have a new custom shift rod in there now and it is a world of difference. In fact the RennShifter shifted so nice it was very difficult for me to pull it out.

So...I am going to hang on to the RennShifter for a while longer until I absolutely decide the stock shifter remains in the car. I am 90% there. The issue is the LONG throw on the stock shifter after driving it with the RennShifter. That is compounded by the full right shoulder replacement surgery I had on 10/25. But I am looking for a Weltmeister short-shift kit to use with the stock shifter to see if that makes a difference. I already posted a WTB in the Classifieds.

I continue to address little issues that will make the car even better. We adjusted the throttle and clutch cable so they are now smooth and there are no hard bends where it exits the firewall.

Oh, my passenger door will not open now from the inside or the outside.... I had all of the locks completely rebuilt and rekeyed before the car was assembled by one of our members. The passenger side would never lock with the key- it turned about a 1/4 of the way but was tight so I never forced it and never locked the car as I don't leave it anywhere. Well when I had it flat bedded to my new home, post-surgery as I could not drive, the tow truck driver apparently locked the door and now we can't open it. So I guess I will have to try to remove the passenger door panel with the door closed so I can access the lock mechanism and open to door. It is always something, right?

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I don’t usually like the Italian lenses but these looks great on your car!

Thanks for sharing the info. We wanted a better shift but a stock look, so we had the transmission fully rebuilt along with all shifter bushings, and it’s perfect. That said, we did get a short shifter in some parts we bought a few years ago… I will dig through it and add some pics in case you might need it.

started fitting up the lower dash on the 75, see where I need to paint it black. (it's missing the chrome strip across it though, anyone know how to replace that?)
Also started installing the vapor barriers on the doors so I can put the new cards on.

Found a short in the windshield wiper switch (of all places) and will have to figure out if it's a fix or replace. There so cheaply made, it's not surprising but sure is frustrating.

Then I took this pic. It's too bad the 2002 isn't in it. Kind of started to realize I've got a cool "dream garage" going. (IMHO)

Will continue to work on it today.

Concrete grinding and polishing machines for the new 914 home.

Had no idea these machines were so big…

I hope my 1975 914 will look that good someday. Looks like the same color, Anacona Blue?

Adjusted shift linkage on the '71- next up is reinstalling the headers/exhaust... supposed to rain most of the week here in "the valley of the sun" so guess I'll have time...Click to view attachment

Plugged the cars in to their respective trickle chargers for the winter.

Installed the front and rear carpet, needed something easy to do that gave some satisfaction when I completed it.
I "should" be working on the cabin, getting the dash finished and the A and B pillar covers installed but....... meh (for today)
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Today, I talked to my mechanic.......$$$$$

Gotta love South Texas winter weather!
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Practiced spot welding for the grills on the oil cooler going in the race car.

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Nice welder, goes from MIG to TIG at the press on the foot pedal or back by pulling on the trigger.

Carpets look super in there!

No today, but recently - Monday the 27th I got caught in a pretty intense snow squal coming home from Philly.

Passed a salt truck on the turnpike. Rinsed off the undercarriage yesterday - driving season is over.

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Backed into the front fender on the driver’s side with my Jeep Grand Cherokee, breaking the ugly side marker light. Now the question is whether to repair it or remove it.

Drove it but boy was it cold in northern Cali this morning. The turbo loved it.......Click to view attachment

I forgot to mention e85 IATs were steady at 73 without turning on the fans Click to view attachment

Thanks! I think they do as well. Trimmed them a bit, to fit the front bulk head, not sure if I was supposed to do that but, I like the look so, I'm good with it.

Going to be working on the front upper pad and the a-pillar coverings to day.

Got the wife’s bumblebee out for an New Years drive up to the top of a local mountain. My son and daughter joined in her Mini Cooper. Great family fun to start out the new year.

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awesome

Started soaking the rear strut bolt in prep to install Bilsteins and new springs this weekend. Let the winter projects begin!!

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Already shared the progress on my ‘73 with Gonzo54, but here’s to a wider audience. Purchased this car a number of years ago. A PO did a cheap charcoal gray paint job. I didn’t mind the paint, in fact in the right light and environment (Yosemite) it looked pretty good. However, my wife (the artist) said it needed to be painted. I would have been fine with the original Ophir Green. “Too yellow” I was told, so a compromise was reached on another original color (Viper Green, L96N) offered only in ‘76. Well…a complete repaint is now the order of business.Click to view attachment to

More photos