First, housekeeping, I am new to Porsche and this site. Is there a thread where I should introduce myself?

Now, my problem. My 914 has rusted through the metal panel located under the spare tire. From the top of the car I can see the suspension. Can this be fixed? Does anyone know of a source for a new panel and what this panel is called?

Thanks,
Jason

Hi Jason! You just created the place to introduce yourself!

Welcome!

Sounds like it's the front trunk floor. It would be easier to determine the extent of the repair, if you could post a picture of it. I don't know of anyone making a repro piece for that area - but donor cars usually pop up.

-Lawrence

P.S. Have you checked under the rocker panels (long black panels on below the doors)? Or the battery tray (in the engine compartment) and the area beneath it? Those are classic, and potentially fatal areas for rust to occur.

-Lawrence

Not to be a smart ass but anything can be fixed. How much time and $$ you got. A photo would be a help also. One last thing welcome to the group We are here for you. Help is just a keyboard away.

Welcome to the group. Absolutely the front trunk floor can be fixed. Post some pics and I'm sure we can give you some suggestions. The only reason to fix it is if you have rust around the transverse links which the pieces are available no problem. My initial guess is maybe the car had air conditioning and the hole you're seeing is from the missing condensor. Let's see a pic and we can tell more.

Yup, almost everything can be fixed if you have the time and motivation. Skills can be learned and there are lots of pieces from donor cars that can be used. Of course, $$$$ is always a substitute.

In any case, don't worry about rust in the trunk, look for it in the longs and under the battery in the engine bay and right side suspension console. welcome to the club and ggod luck

Welcome Jason

After a certain number of posts you can begin posting pictures.

Greg may be right. Quite a few cars had AC condensors there. Also... it's a common place for rust. Not as common as the placed Lawrence mentioned (which is why you should check there now) but common nonetheless.

It's not "fun" but any qualified welder with a good MIG can probably install a new trunk pan for you.

Keep your eye on the list for "Sawzall" parties and see if you can get a pan section. If it's rust and not the AC cutout then I'd be guessing you'll need a few more pieces. You may want to asses the entire project before you start buying replacement pieces. Rusty longitudinals can lead to quarter panels and suspension consoles and front fenders and rear trunk sections, etc... before you know it you're into $3-4,000 worth of metalwork alone.

I've got my fingers and toes crossed for ya!

Jason Good morning, and welcome. After you have given us a better idea(pic) of what the extent of your rust has caused then we as a group can better determine what you will need. If you need afront trunk floor I have one at CAMP 914. Saved out of a donor car.
CCLINHOLEYARTTHOU

Eric is right. Check overall first. You don't want the cancer to eat away at the hidden areas and cause more damage than a big hole you might see at first glance which might be the easiest fix.

We also have a good pamphlet "How To Buy A 914" which tells about all the typical problems and what to watch out for in the very beginning.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I do have rust under the doors, inside of the rockers. I also have rust in the firewall. I'll take some pics and post them when I find the memory card for my camera.

I purchased the car for $400. It had been sitting for no less than 8 years in a basement disassembled. The interior is removed, most panels except for fenders are removed. I have all the removed pieces. The engine/tranny are still in it. It's on all four wheels. But, the doors had been removed for all those years. With the rust to the frame, I'm concerned it might have sagged. If it has sagged, will it straighten if the longitudals are replaced?

I know I'm in over my head. But, I've wanted to learn body repair and figure I can cut and weld on this and it won't be a great loss if I mess up. Maybe I'm crazy.

If it sagged, I would find another car to practice on but use all the parts you got from the first one. 400 is a good price for a complete parts car.

Uni-body tubs are not the easiest places to start when "Learning Body Repair". You should be able to get plenty of welding practice from what you're describing though

Sagging shouldn't be a concern at this point. If you do decide to weld her back together you'll want to address this at that time. It would be best to make a call out to the list for measurements and mount your doors (when you're ready) to get an accurate line. Restoration Design has some very good panels. They're generally difficult to get in touch with but... good panels nonetheless (longitudinal repair sections)

If'n I was you (and, of course, I'm not). I'd keep that $400 bargain you got and look for a clean tub to put underneath it. You have well over $400 in parts if it was a complete car.

Good luck with it... send pics when you can.

Hi and Welcome



At the top of the page is a tab that says 914info. In there you can find the body dimensions and you can measure to see if your body has sagged.

Read some of the rust posts here, that will give you some idea what is needed to fix what ever is wrong with your car. There are some incredible projects going on.

Not to sound too competitive...if you can't get ahold of Restoration Design, please call Automobile Atlanta for your rust repair panel replacements and you can always get it touch with us. We have all that RE has and many many more. Whomever you buy from I urge you to save the car as they continue to dwindle in number every year.

Many 914 shops stock the Restoration Design parts. Call you favorite.

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. It's not and easy project, but it's do-able. The best way to cure a sagging car is to support the car from as many points as possible and take lots of measurements. If you click the 914 Info link at the top you'll find the factory chassis measurements, but note that the chassis was handmade and each one is a little different so measurements are approximate.

If I was faced with a sagging car I would put a jack stand at all four points and then support the wheels just enough to keep them from pulling down on each end.

I think if you check, most of the shops are stocking the AutoAtlanta pieces since we are reliable and always have them in stock. We have a wholesale program to most vendors and enjoy our relationship with them.

QUOTE (Eric_Shea @ Dec 30 2004, 07:28 AM)

After a certain number of posts you can begin posting pictures.

no, no and no!

please, don't confuse the newbies,

THERE IS NO LIMIT ON WHEN YOU CAN ATTACH PICTURES TO YOUR POSTS!

you can attach pictures to your very first post here on this board ...
Andy

PS: sounds like quite a rust-bucket. please post pics of the rusty areas and the "hell-hole" (area under the battery tray)

Just wanted to say... welcome to the club, great bunch of people here.

Craig- pm sent regarding floor peice.

QUOTE

you can attach pictures to your very first post here on this board ...

Did it change? I don't remember having a problem but I've heard SO many people saying that they had to have (x) number of posts before they can post a pic.

I measured the windshield to sail and got 41". The driver door measured 25 1/16". So, as it sits it does not appear to have a problem. Believe it or not I could not measure the passenger side. I wasn't prepared to pick up the car when I had to. So, I pulled everything out of the garage, put the car and all its boxes in, and then put everything back in the garage. So, I couldn't get to the passenger side. I should find my camera memory card tonight and then post pictures.

Thanks again!
Jason

QUOTE (Eric_Shea @ Dec 30 2004, 03:09 PM)

Did it change?

nope. there never was a restriction ....

welcome to the club! Somebody should really ask him to post a picture of his repair area!
HA~!

Welcome to 914club Jason!

Here are some pictures. This is a photo of the right inner fender and the front trunk floor. Is it fatal? And yes there is more rust, I just can't get to those areas to photograph them. Opinions?

Looks pretty bad. I don't really understand how the inner fender can rust out like that. Looks like there is a welding seam there. Has the front section been replaced? That's a serious project. It's doable, but it's a lot of hours and a lot of work to get it right.

that's bad, but not fatal per se. kind of odd location for rust, actually.

if it's any indication of the condition of the longs, however, i'd say you'll want a new tub. pop of the rocker panels and shoot some pics of the the longs, hell hole, jack points, etc.

Yeah, the front has been replaced. It's a poor repair job that went sour. How much does a tub run? Would I use the title from this car or from the tub?

QUOTE (Jason914 @ Dec 30 2004, 07:12 PM)

Here are some pictures.

ahhh, my eyes!

that used to be your suspension mounting point down there on the floor!
i agree with the others, this looks very bad. unless the rest of the tub is in *much* better condition, you might want to look into getting a roller for cheap and switch over all the accessories from this car ...

in any case, keep us updated!
Andy

QUOTE (Jason914 @ Dec 30 2004, 07:50 PM)

How much does a tub run? Would I use the title from this car or from the tub?

on the west coast, $1k and up -- although ocassionally one can get lucky and snatch something up for significantly less.

i don't have a feel for the east coast...

re. the title, don't know.

I see a lot of yellow on that car. I remember looking at a yellow and green funky painted one down in Va. Beach about 10 years ago that had a front clip welded on by AA. Didn't look to be the best of work so I passed on it. Oh Hi Treadway...

East Coast tubs are hard to find in good shape. If I was looking for one I would look for a west coast tub and have it shipped over.

Mike D.

Could be the same car. The guy who I bought it from has some good friends in Norfolk. He might have lived there. He said the car was blue when he bought it. He noticed it was originally yellow when he dismantled it. One day the car was handling real bad and he noticed the front suspension mount had broke loose. So, he parked it and started his restoration. Eight years later, I have it.

As I was looking at those pictures, my 2 year old walked up, pointed at the screen and gave an emphatic "eewwwww!" Really.

That can't be good.

In 20 years, I have never seen a rust problem like that on the inner front wheel wells.

wow. cut your losses, save the good stuff, and start fresh.

kevin

Those pics make my bones hurt thinking about the amount of work and time in this one.

Ah but gentlemen...in a few short years even here on the West Coast that will be a 10K tub and we will reminisce of the days when flawless tubs could be had for a few shekels. It may not make sense now, but it will be near priceless in just a few years...think long-term...

Jason don't leave that front trunk floor to the rust monkeys. Cut it out if you off this car. Just a thought. Jeff I have been saying that for years. Evertime I read a "sawzall" thread. The first thought is, "I remember when I cut one of those up".
cclinancienthistory

You can find a CA tub for $500 on up. The problem will be getting it to the East Coast. It will cost you more than the tub just to ship it. Do some math though... you may not as bad off as it seems:

Tub - $700
Shipping - $800
Your Project - $400
Cost - $1,900

Sale of duplicate Parts - -$1,000 (easily)

Total Cost - $900.00 for a (fairly) rust free tub and your choice of the good parts to pick from. There's a tub in the classifed section that could fit that bill... Also, I guarantee you'll sell more than $1,000 in duplicate parts so your cost could be less.

How do I know? I just did this exact thing this summer. I performed a tub swap on a pair of 74's. This tub was "bare" and I still made "over" a grand in duplicate parts sales. I say "fairly" rust free because I'd be willing to bet my last dollar there is rust on damn near every tub at this point. The one I got needed small hell hole repairs and a minor (silver dollar size) longitudinal repair.

QUOTE

nope. there never was a restriction ....

Another Urban Legend busted by SF's very own "Myth Busters"

Thanks!

I'll poke around and take some more pictures once I make some room in the garage. I'm willing to go either way. If the tub is not worth saving I'll still do the fender flares and if I mess them up I can use the ones from the donor. I'm squeezed for space so I can really only have one tub at a time.

No disrespect to purists, but my primary goal is to have a performance machine. Are there any good threads on chasis modifications that I could consider with this car?

I appreciate everyone's help. Regardless of the car's condition, I looking forward to this project.

Save away. I would also want to save that car. I think you have some time before thinking of performance parts.

look up frame rails, go to product and services and see engmans frame stiffener, look under classic threads and there is some rust resto going on.

I meant chassis mods only. For instance, possibly I could use a fabricated chassis.

Here are some pictures of the rear.

I'm sorry man it really looks like you need a tub.

Yeah, but it seems like it was worth $400 + $80 for delivery just for the other parts I will be able to salvage. I hope anyway.

Yep, it's done. It is worth what you payed for it in parts.

When you start the stripping, use plastic bags to put the small parts in and label them.

Take lots of photos from different angles so you can figure out where everything goes back when you get another one.

You will learn a lot about them just by taking it apart.

Good luck