Just wanted to ping my official thread. The cable shift system is done and I am sending out the first batch at the end of the week!

That is great news, a much needed product to get these conversion done.

Have been getting a few emails about parts as of late. I am still selling them, please email (preferred over PM) about what you want and I will see if I can get it out. Just bare with me as the day job has been keeping me quite busy.

Best,
Ian

Hi all,

I have been getting inundated with requests for information and orders but, as many of you may have noticed; I have been slow to respond, fill orders, and get stuff shipped out.

My sincerest apologies for that.

I truly wish I could devote more time to Cold Water and my customers but am not able to at this point. When I started Cold Water, I had no wife, very little rent, a part time internship (which I quit when CW got big enough) and few important responsibilities. However now, as I’m sure many of you are familiar with, I have a wife, a corporate job, bills, and all the other responsibilities that come along with maintaining life.

However, this is not the part where I tell you I’m quitting… There are just too many guys trying to build up a dream car with CW parts.

I have a plan…

1) Consolidate/Relocate the shop
I am finally in a rental that has a garage; starting this weekend I’m going to be moving the shop from its disparate locations (a friends garage, Storage, spare room) and setting up at my place.

2) Inventory
With the shop in so many places it’s hard to keep track of inventory levels, which has become a major issue lately. To remedy this I will be implementing some sort of inventory management once I get the shop relocated to the garage. This will allow me to respond quickly to questions about parts being in stock or not and hopefully have a positive impact on turnaround times

3) Get Help
Whether it’s a partner who can help share the load, or a part time contract worker who will help with shipping and maybe some simple fabrication; I have come to realize that I can’t do this on my own. I can’t afford much but will hopefully be able to work something out.

4) Get Even
While I am not in a position to be efficient at the moment, that doesn’t mean I’m going to hang customers out to dry. Therefore during this entire process I will be making sure to help those customers who need me most. The ones who have inquired about ordering or have already ordered will be taken care of, I’ll ship what parts I have and make sure to update everyone on timelines and inventory levels.

5) Move forward
With the shop organized, inventory levels transparent/controlled, and help I’m hoping that I can be much more effective at supplying and assisting my customers.


If any of you have more ideas, feedback, or know of good inventory management systems please speak up. Also If you know of someone in the Boise, ID area how has some shop experience, or a son who is willing to learn send them my way.

Best,
Ian

Ian,

Are you still doing these or not? I sent a couple of emails to your email address but dont know if you are getting them since the site is down.

Andy

Ian,

Have you consolidated everything yet?

Thanks for the email Ian

Just to update, Yes I have moved the shop and consolidated. I shipped out a few outstanding orders and am waiting on parts for production run on cradles, trans hangers, and shifter set ups.

Ian,

Sent a couple of emails about my order and tried calling you, but I have received no response. Last I knew you said a month ago it was shipping in two weeks. I really need an update on this, thanks.

Andy

Andy! Apologies, There was an invoice that had already been payed that took the last of my axles and trans hangers, should have informed you sooner, my mistake.

Ill send an invoice for a cradle and ship it out as soon as payment clears. I'll follow up with your other parts when they are in stock (with free shipping) but at least it can get you through the mock up stage you're at as you mentioned with the cradle.

Thanks Ian.

Thanks for the emails Ian. Anyone who purchased Ian's cable shift assembly take some pictures?

I have a few pictures in my build thread.

Cable Shift Post

Cheers,
Scott

Hello Ian, questions on Zubi EJ20 conversion, I plan on using stuck Subaru manual trans as well. Are all shift cables the same for all 4wd trans. Can you give me a price on your cables?
Thanks Al

Hopefully in the near future I will be contacting you to buy a full conversion kit. Just need to get the car home in a few weeks first. Love the products.

These kits still happening ?

Not for a while.

can anyone recommend someone to build a cable shifter setup like cold water did?

It's too bad Ian went MIA.

Not completely MIA... only mostly

Coldwater914 is on the back burner at the moment.. Slowly building back up everything I need, then will do a production run on all the essentials. Shifters being one of them.. really just need to take two weeks off work and tackle it, but I don't have much PTO.

I know its of little consolation, but I have not completely disappeared.

Ian

Ian, a quick question. Do you know who makes the stub axle adapters for a Subaru trans to mate with the Porsche axles?
Thanks and best of luck with the job and your time off. If there's anything I can do to help, I'm just down the road in SLC...
Mike

Hi Ian,

Can't wait for things to become available again. The products you make look phenomenal. Put me in line for when products are ready for purchase!!

Thanks for all the hard work on developing these products!

I believe Subaru gears makes them still.

Best,
Ian

Thanks Ian, that gives me all the info I need. When I go to a manual, I'll hit you up for a linkage kit!
Mike

Ian i too am in line to start piecing together a subi build.

Quick question, is the front wheel drive portion of the subi 5 speed an open diff or limited slip? if its open, is there a way to add a LSD?

Open, Google an OBX LSD, cheap and seem to do the trick quite well. If anything there are hardware kits that replace the bolts.

Ian

Are the cradles still available?

Hello Folks: Newbie Here I'm building a 1975 914 with Subi Turbo Engine/Trans. I was wondering also if anybody knows (Coldwater914) Ian's whereabouts?? I had been dealing with him up until last October, when I called him to place an order, he sent me an email reply about putting everything together for me and giving me a final cost, including shipping, and that's the last time I heard from him ??? Very Much hoping he is OK, and really needing parts, anybody know anything?? Ian, hope your okay out there Buddy.....

Gone.

I would love to make these parts.. Need samples guys.

Ben - I have every item but the cradle. Instead of a cradle, I have a bulkhead mount - which I like better because it doesn’t get in the way of the exhaust. Whatever you want to look at to improve and produce is yours. Just let me know when to pack it up.

Can you post a picture of your bulkhead mount? I think we'll fab a cradle - they don't look very difficult, and I suppose we could jig up to make them, I don't expect there to be a huge demand, but it would be nice to have them available for those of us that want to do the swap.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...5&hl=cradle

Cool, has that mount been used for very long (durability)?

I don’t think it has ever been used. It is a combination of a small car Suby mount and a custom bulkhead mount. I plan on using it for my 3.3 conversion.

If Ben can make the parts, I'm ready to be an early test install . My plan is for a EZ30D. Please let me know how I can help move this along!

Mark I did not know you where listening to my rant against the cradle. Wow that looks familiar did not know someone else did on of these also. I like it Makes me want to redo mine.

Ben you should start building this mount, even if the person has to purchase the small car mount separately, but I think you have the skills to build one that eliminates the bolts. If not you, I would love to setup the cut files and load it into a CNC plasma or water jet. Could make it so the center bar bolts in option to weld it in. Coat it in Steelin and it would be weldible or bolt on and be done. Smaller shipping box that way, reduce shipping costs. If you built the from holder with a plate it could also be a bolt on or weld in system.

That just leaves the trans hangers, again I am down with making this stuff also just not sure how deep the water is in this market.

Bulk head trans mount is the way to go.

Scott Amerson told me it would be a good fit for my project so I bought it and sold the cradle. I remember Ross had some issues making the exhaust fit around the cradle so the bulkhead mount makes sense.

I'm working on reproducing Ian's cradle with a few improvements.

I hope to have a functional prototype later this month.

If you're interested in one please let me know as the more I make, the cheaper it gets.

If anyone decides to start making these, I'd be interested in buying one asap.

I'm interested in one.

Click to view attachment

New trans hanger design, with a stress simulation run in the new CAD program.

New hanger will be tied into the OEM Subaru rubber trans mount and provide for perfect alignment on the CV axles.

More coming soon (check out the update post #1 on this thread)

-Ian

Ian,

Does this mean you will be supplying cradles, shifters, etc again?

I would love to build another suby powered 914. I miss my old one. But there are no good sources for conversion parts.

Please come back! Or maybe you could sell plans so we could have parts made ourselves.

That is what it means! I’ll be focusing on cradles/hangers and shifters at first then the rest of it as I get back up to speed. I may be dropping the axles and coupler however, as I was basically selling at cost as a courtesy for the 914 community and with time being a premium not quite worth my effort at the moment.

There was a delay in the new prototype parts but I just received tracking and they should be here by the weekend.

With some quick testing I should be Off to the races a week or two from now.

Best,
Ian

Posted an update on the original post, here are some photos of the new cradle design and a few shots of the welds... so nice to be welding production again.

Click to view attachment Click to view attachmentClick to view attachmentClick to view attachment

How does this new design work with your older designs or does it

The update is not really meant to work with the original cradles. Very similar, just a more robust center section that I can produce more easily and should lend itself well to other conversions (911-912 for example).

I have had request to make a retrofit transmission hanger which is something I could totally do, would make it so the the OEM subaru rubber trans mount could be used with the original cradle.

-Ian

Alright it is finally time. I’m back in production baby!

First two cradles should ship on Wednesday and I will be completing/shipping more daily. I’ll be emailing all those who reached out for cradles in the order received for shipping details and payment.

Also received a bunch of cables for the cable shift kit, now just waiting on the rest of the hardware to show up and will be ready to send this out as well.

Also have Back Plate’s and Urethane Mounts ready to roll.

Furthermore updated the conversion info page of my website, have a few posts breaking down engine selection. Check it out and let me know what you think.

If there is interest in product shoot me an email at: ian@coldwater914.com

Ian: What is your new website? Coldwater914 does not list your new cradle.