It was said in jest...t will be well under the 3K# number.

Tony

Wow, this is great! Just read it start to current! Love it!! =)

All right now....I finished with the center tunnel. ADDED WEIGHT TRIGGER ALERT Never mind that it is accounted for and offset with carbon fiber. Next step is the floor. I am getting the Eastwood 28 inch hand beader. Hovwever, I have a motor that I am going to adapt. Then I am am going to add so much beading that it will make us all sick and I'll have to scrap it and do a more "normal" look. Also, I've decided on using inboard suspension on the rear and on the mac pherson strut front suspension. I want the ability to make the shocks to travel more than the wheel and I want the ability to create a rising rate motion with a linear spring. Any input on that is appreciated.

Looking great, Rudy!
Not sure what you're plans are for plumbing but a heads up on a lesson learned from my console:
If you're planning to run hard lines, make sure you have a way to get them in/out of the chassis, once the console is in place.
I'm likely going to have to slice up my console so they can be installed and/or removed/replaced for any reason.

Oops.

Chris, did you run hard lines down the center, and if you did is there any thermal advantage over the hose option? Mine are run down the center as well and fishing them out is pretty straightforward.... I try to expect repairs like that so I've isolated my hoses and fuel lines so if there were any leaks, they just pour out of either end and not in the passenger compartment. I'd think hoses would be a better thermal isolator over a hard line even though they're not as pretty.... and your work is really good looking!

Thanks for heads up. I’m thinking of pushing the fuel and hydraulics and maybe ac in the tunnel. Im thinking that the water will be pushed in the rocker panels. We will see.

Its coming along nicely Rudy. I'll have to stop by on my next trip up that way.

Quick update, I finally finished welding the tube frame. My son is designing new lower 996 control arms to extend the front track 1" on each side for a total of 2". The control arm is getting a revised location for a strut to install inboard coilovers on the the mac pherson strut design. The mac pherson strut will be replaced with a sliding shaft and a monoball on a camber/caster plate. I think that this may be a first, not sure, but I haven't seen it on the web. While that is being machined by CSDILLIGAD out of a solid piece of 2026 aluminum on his HASS CNC mill, I will finish bead rolling a new floor. The 3-piece forged modular wheels were supposed to come in this week, keeping my fingers crossed maybe this week. BTW, I decided to convert the rear coilovers to inboard coil overs as well.

Question for the group, does anyone know the specs on the front ball joint for the 996 control arm? I need to source them for the new control arms. Any help would be appreciated. I'm looking for the length and taper and diamters. I'm hoping to find an off the shelf ball joint that I can press into the new control arm.

I would check with Elephant Racing for the ball joint and look at their selection of 996 arms and components.


As for your strut idea, a Volvo owner beat you to it
(not mine, Sweden or Norway)
Click to view attachment
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@Mueller can you post a link to this volvo?

If I'm picturing correctly what you are talking about, I remember seeing this on an SCCA tube frame 914 a bunch of years ago - Doug Arnao's car that he ran in GT2. It was one of the iterations of his car. If I recall correctly, he initially built a dual A arm setup for the front suspension but the tech inspectors disallowed it. He wound up running the upper A arm in a fixed position and using a modified 911 strut as an upright. It had a fixed shaft that slid through a spherical bearing or rod end in the fixed upper A arm. And I believe it must have used an external shock absorber (i.e. not part of the strut). It was an interesting way to approach it.

I haven't read through the whole thread, but this is a cool project. I'll have to read more of the thread!

Scott

I like that idea. Are you going that route to try to improve motion ratio? How are you planning on making the sliding shaft? Gutted strut damper?

Yes the reason is for the motion ratio since I want to be able to cause a rising compression and I also want the shock to move more than a 1/2". With this setup, the shock will have a full range of movement as opposed to a very limited range. My hope is that this lowered car will not rattle your contact lenses off. In order to tune that, I’m using a shock that is 4 way adjustable. It will be able to be tuned to absorb the freeway ripples effortlessly but then stiffen up in steady state motion. Both compression and rebound will be adjustable for steady state and for rapid motion, hence the 4-way adjustment. As for the sliding shaft, I will look at both gutting the strut damper and also making my own sliding shaft to keep the unsprung weight down. I may make the portion of the shaft that does not move to tie into the camber plate and then put the receiving shaft with bearings onto the unsprung portion of the assembly. I can also move the sway bars up and parallel with the coilovers. This will make adjustments in ride height and sway bar tension very easy.

Fitment check.......they finally arrived!

My Lord!

T

Holy crap!

You couldn't have tucked that any more? Daaaaaaamn.

This car is going to be WIDE!

I LIKE IT!

Click to view attachment

This car makes a statement and it ain't pimping. Bad ass Rudy. I got a name for it. El Curendero

Thanks guys.

Andrew I based my offsets on hitting target track widths and was not concerned with tucking the rears in. The front and rear track are now square at 63". The interesting thing with respect to the rear offset is that it's a 0" offset so there will be less eccentricity on the rear wheel bearings. The car will be wide that's for sure. I measures 76 1/2" to the rear rim edges. I figured if I was going through all of the trouble with tube chassis and all, that I was not interested in making a meek rendition of the 914. I'm hoping that with the extra width and the 3" wheel base extension that it will look like a panther crouching and ready to pounce.

Obviously I need to extend the fenders but I want to keep the curve in them rather than a straight extension. I have a couple of ideas to do that.

Kent don't know about the Curandero Come on by and check the wheels out in in person. They are 3-piece forged rims with custom offsets. I really like the look.

I'll stop by as soon as this head cold is finished with me. I'll bring the V8 this time.

Rudy,


Your essentially going to need to extend the fenders 5", The rear of the fender is where all that dimension is going to look the most odd.

I know you've worked with foam before, possibly a good idea to lay it out in foam and shape it a bit before you start cutting? Maybe do a wire frame of your potential wheel arch location and after putting some foil on your fenders to protect the steel spray some expanding foam on them in multiple layers and start forming it out?


Thats what I did for my V1 dash and it worked out really well. I had issues where I was trying to spray to much in one location and the foam never setting but in general a couple layers made the job easy and I was able to cheaply and easily template out what I want.

You could do this then make cardboard slices for what your fender line is and then be able to transfer those new measurements to the formation of steel?


Fun stuff ahead This will be really fun to watch! Wish I was closer

Thanks for the suggestions, I've never had to extend steel fenders like this, but I have some ideas. The end product is to continue the vanishing edge instead of just extending it straight out like an extrusion.

I think thats a good idea. thats like what mine do. No where near as wide, but the same vanishing edge could be used.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=132215&hl=

I stretched these flares pretty far. Since yours are already on you will likely need to use another method.

Oh I see, you extended them from the quarter panel. They looked good after you finished "massaging" them into shape.

Here is a shot from the rear:

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Front Rim:

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This is how much I'm needing to extend front fender + 1 1/2" since the lower control arm is being pushed out to give me the 63" square track.:

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We're not messing around now!

Watch the Blinky episodes where they spread the flares WAY out

Don't understand what you mean by this. Who or what are the Blinky episodes? Can you put a link in?

Here's the Binky Epispode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB4NXA_vNWs&t=499s

Thanks! The Binky flares are fiberglass and I don't think much of that will transfer to making steel flares. Thanks though!

food for thought..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI0vpvaL7Vc

Close but not what I’m going to do. I want to keep the vanishing edge so when you see the fender from the side profile the current flat vertical area will shrink. The fenders will look more curved. Do you know if that car is from one of the world guys?

ya its boxy ,,, It was , has been sold , I dont know where it got of to..

This is what I'm thinking of:

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Seems like the "flat" portion will be reduced by about 2 1/2":

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I think that will work, just afraid of the rear section getting so tight.

That's why I was thinking you might need to foam it out to be able to try out a few options before you start cutting and welding.

Unless you absolutely have the design in your head your going with.


Another pic for idea refference. A more rounded fender.you can see the front fender is slightly flatter.

Thanks, Andrew for your comments and suggestions. I'm thinking that the final product will be like yours but edgier. I still want the flat design elements that are found throughout the 914. So it will look like yours but with a vertical flat element as found in the 916 flares.

Keep in mind, where "wide flared teeners" usually have issues is between 10/2 in the top center; and on the inner chassis if you run a reasonable amount of camber. Keep up the good work...remember, it doesn't have to be nicer than Chris's!

PS: I know you are already aware of ALL of this but get the tires on there - with how large they will be it will indeed have to be "boxy' to carry the edge.

T

Good things to remember. However, I have the 996 track which pushes the wheels out. I have plenty of room on the inside wheel wells. With respect to the boxy look, I don’t want to completely remove that or it will look like a 914 with 911 fenders. I still want some of the 914 flat edges. And absolutely, I wouldn’t attempt cutting fenders without tires......... and with regard to Chris YES IT DOES YES IT DOES, YES IT DOES

I am sure you already know this but just in case, fully compress the suspension with tires on when hanging the fenders to make sure that the tires do not rub when bottomed out

Wow Rudy I just read thru your entire thread, you are truly building a monster, very impressed. Keep up the good wok.

Thanks Marv.......like I told you at the last 914 event at Seal Beach, your car was one of the cars that I looked to for inspiration.

Rudy !!

@sixnotfour get out of my head! I was just thinking about rudys build this am!

Me too...this morning I drove down the 15 fwy on my way to Temecula and I saw his house off the fwy but I couldn't see his 914 beast anywhere....

We need an update!!!!

Oscar

Oscar, unlock the italics button.

Hey guys, a little update. The project is still ongoing.....but I've been slowed down due to.......(insert typical excuses here). But really though, I completed the frame and am now working on the floor. I am waiting for a bead roller and English wheel that I ordered. The bead roller is a Mitler Bros with Covell forming dies and a host of other dies that I will use to make floor and to make the pieces that I will need to shape the "wider" fenders. The English wheel is a Metal Ace. I've also ordered a Roper Whitney 48" box break. Once all of that comes in I will be able to complete the floor. I'm also moving into a 50' x 24' shop. Up to this point I have been working outdoors so I really can't do much when it's too hot or weld when it's windy or work when it gets dark. Now I will be able to work whenever I feel like it so I'm expecting to get way more done. Also, there this month I find out if we sell our property of stay in it. If we sell, then I'm building a new house and then you know that this project will stall. If we don't sell then there won't be a stall. Also, I figured out a way to widen the front track of the 996 suspension without having to machine new control arms......stay tuned since it's very cool way that keeps all of the suspension geometry and can use factory parts.

Rudy! So good to hear from you. Great to see things are continuing to move along. And I hope the sale or not goes the way you want.

Not enough steel...add more!

T

Damn it, I knew it.