Pretty productive weekend, I dropped all of the suspension (steering rack and all) yesterday as well as removed every screwed/bolted down item in the inteior to get the car ready for it's full roll cage to be installed by Tony at TC Design

I think the worst job so far on my 914 has got to the removal of the dash and dash pad...i think I'd rather drop an engine

Time to go work on our truck, I need to change the sparkplugs, I'm not looking forward to this repair, the motor is halfway under the dash and it looks like it's going to be a job that requires a lot of cussing and grunting

Mike

I'll disagree with you Mike, I vote the rear wheel bearings. The dash is second, hard but you don't need a BFH JP hammer to do it.

Geoff

Well, I did the bearings, and that was a real PITA. I sure hope the dash (next project) isn't as hard as you lead me to believe.

I vote the clutch. It is very frustrating remove both the engine and the tranny, but removing only the tranny is PITA too. Especially if you have a six. All the oil lines and.... oh, what a mess. I hope I dont have to do it ever.

I did the rear wheel bearings under the supervision of my mechanic and I don't think it was bad at all. I remember a BFH and a piece of pipe? and 10 minutes and they were both done.

You were lucky Sean, 10 minutes on one side, 6 hrs on the other with Blair and I taking turns smashing the frozen bearing out. Get out the torch, a can of PB Blaster and it was out in several pieces.
The dash is hard and one word of advice. Go SLOW! Spray the plastice nuts and studs with PB Blaster to free them up. They will snap off if you don't!! Several are hidden too, so look closely for them.
Geoff

i vote for the re-installation of a complete wire-harness.
dashboard dis/re assembly is probably second ...

Andy

I second the main wiring harness Sir A. I think that would be majorly awful. The hardest thing I am working on now is how to extract a cone screw from the shifter linkage...where the top half of the cone screw has come off and the tip of a hardened steel easy out broke off and is buried down deep in the hole, preventing another easy-out. I am all ears for any suggestions before I throw this linkage away, I am not even sure it can be drilled and rethreaded.

I have pulled two dashpads though and to me they are not that hard (just time consuming) if you know the secret method:

* Lower the whole steering column to the floor, pull the steering wheel, kneepad, radio and glovebox

* Pull the dash air distribution controls, remove the nut holding the subdash frame to the chassis underneath the controls

* Pull the gas tank and drop the air intake box from the cowl.

* Remove the (4?) plastic nuts from under the cowl which hold the subdash to the chassis as well as the few accessible nuts inside the cabin which do the same thing.

* Pull the subdash frame with the dashpad intact off the chassis. The dashpad then simply unbolts from the subdash frame.

Takes about 1.5 hours disassembly the forst time I did it...more to reassemble. Far easier than trying to get to all the concealed nuts with my fat hands.

Yeah, then somebody wants to buy the uncracked dash off you for $25. Yeah right!!

Geoff

I got $150 for the recovered one I pulled a few weeks ago...+shipping of course.

Timo?

Oil lines in the way for a clutch replacement? Huh?

Must be a conversion thing.

-Rusty

The only good thing about pulling the dash panel, as compared to replacing the rear wheel bearings, is that you don't get quite so dirty. Otherwise, its a toss up.

Phil

Mike,
what made you choose TCDesign to do your rollcage?

Doesn't Bradley do cages also? How do the 2 compare?


Just curious....

Hey Scott,

Brad was using Tony to build his cages for him before Tony branched out and started his own business.


Mike

Yes and no. They are not in the way, but if you want to remove the engine, you have to disconnect the oil lines to the front oil cooler and from the oil tank. I think you have to do the same thing in the stock six too if you remove the engine. You have to disconnect the oil lines to and from the oil tank, dont you ?

But I have to say that Andy has a very good choice too. I havent ever re-installed the complete wire-harness. That must be PITA.

I was baffled by that comment too (and mine is a conversion).

The oil lines are nowhere near the trans...and "we" (i.e. mostly the shop, fueled by my checkbook) used high-quality AN-12 braided lines that should not be terrible to remove when necessary.

BTW My dash top was R&R'd during the rollcage fab (by TonyC) and I did most of the reinstall with my own blistered, contorted fingers...what a PITA! I am convinced that the German dude who installed these things originally had fingers like "E.T.", about 8" long with 4 or 5 joints.

The left-side dash kneepad on the early 911 is pretty bad too, but IIRC it has only 3 beotch nuts to deal with...

Yes, maybe my first post was not very clear. I did mean that it is a lot of work to remove the engine and the trans. Especially if you have a six you have to disconnect the oil lines. Thats not a terrible job, but very messy and needs a good place to do it.

If you try to remove the trans only, thats PITA too. Dont ask how I know....

I still hope that my clutch dont break down. I wouldnt like to tear the engine and the trans out of my car only to repair it.

BTW, if you dont understand what the hell I try to say, please ask again. I know my english is not even nearly perfect. But, I think you wouldnt understand even that if I start to write in finnish... :finger2:

well, your car will at least start after the dash r&r.

kevin

Hi Timo.

I should have been more specific. I pulled my transmission out of my 914/6 in a couple of hours this weekend. Put a jack under the engine, and start unbolting stuff. A clutch job on a 914 (4 or 6) is relatively easy. You don't need to pull the entire drivetrain, unless you want to.

-Rusty

All things said - I'd vote for the main wiring harness. Although, after Jeff finishes them, I bet they are all nice and shiny new and pliable.

-Rusty