I'm in the process of repairing my 914-6 right long section.
I've purchased several items from RD for the repair. I also have the repo AA right long section which is similar to what RD sells. I looked over all the new sheet metal and the more I looked it over i started noticing differences between the org vs repo. I wanted an org replacement part for my 6 so I went on the hunt.
Long story short the right long section is a hard part to come by. So now I'm looking for as much OE sheet metal as possible. A thread came up from another member who was repairing his 6 as well. ( http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...285296&st=0 ). He was going to source a right long section from Mittlemotors in Germany.

I got a hold of Mittlemotors and have been working with the parts guy there about a right inner long. I was told a few weeks ago that they where out of stock but would place an order for a few more. The last email that I received was to update me that the part is being made. Once they receive the part I would receive an email with pics to confirm my order.
The cost of the part will depend on the exchange rate and the shipping would be around 100 Euro to me.

I'll keep updating as I receive more info on this.

I like your collection!

So who is "making" them? Porsche Classic?
Will they be true to the OE stepped design or more like RD straight piece?
Do they have a solution to cover the ribbed area on a /6 isnt exposed on the /4?

I could that right side fender if they carry them.

The stash I told you about a while ago is still for sale but he won't part with just one.
It's all or none from what I was told.

From what I was told by MM it will look like the pic above with the step on the lower side ( just like a factory part ). I'm not sure who is going to make it but I can ask once I hear back.

I got the confirmation from MM that the parts are in and ready to ship.
I wanted to make sure the part was correct so I had MM send me a few pics prior to shipping. The part is made by Hersteller Hess and looks correct.
I'm not sure when I'll have it in hand but it'll be on it's way shortly.

Looks great. What did they charge you for the part?

275 Euro for the part and 100 Euro for the shipping.

Resto design needs to make it. Shipping would be a fraction. Probably a lot less markup as well.

They make one. Its just not as true to the OE piece as the one above.

Right. I've never really understood the reasoning for making something similar but not the same. Other than cost ...

If you look at their website the drivers side that they make is a copy of the org.
I believe the right long that RD sells is actually the AA one from way back in the day.
Pete would be able to answer this. I'll send him a pm to see what he says.

Might be a late vs. early thing?

I think it's more of a - George decided it was easier/cheaper to manufacture thing - a long time ago.

Luke is correct. We carry AA passenger side inner long. It does not have the correct impressions like the original.

The one from Hess is pretty nice. Aside from the fact that the depression for the ebrake is welded in after the part is stamped. I dont know why they are doing this, perhaps they were having trouble getting a nice part with that impression in the tooling to begin with.

We do carry this part.

So Pete your carrying both the drivers and passenger side longs from Hess ?
Web catalog only shows the drivers side.

On a tangent, what's are the oval holes for? Is it for doing maintenance on the heater tubes?

We only carry Hess' driver side.

I have no idea what the oval holes purpose is.

Pete

No real comment on the part itself but, this is the route I will be going down for my car when I get a chance to get started (unless Porsche Classic start making the long again, which I doubt)

I can however back up the fact that Mittlemotor are good to deal with and have been very helpful sourcing some hard to find parts that I have been after

they weld it in because there is two versions.. early versus late.. handbrake recess

The welded e-brake handle pocket I believe is an improvement in the design. We all know that area with the flex is fatigue prone to a crack over time. 1) The metal is not thinned nearly as much in the die stamping process if made in two parts . 2) Two pieces provide a termination point for fatigue. Whether intentional or not or simply ease of manufacture it works for me.

AA piece

Here is the Alternate offering
Note no oval holes in side, I also know from experience the F. top cutout for the heater tube protrusion is TOO SMALL, by a lot! As well as the step & stamping on the front bottom doesnt fit the floor pan contour as has been discussed
The Hess part is nice !! albeit spendy

Just to update this. I received an email that the part has left Germany and is headed to the US. I can't wait to see it.

Look at what showed up today. Nicely made part I must say. There's several differences between the AA and the Hess part.

The original longs tend to crack at that point, maybe welding in the recess is stronger?

is the depth of the long the same?
I wonder why they left off the rear cut out?

Since I went to the RD open house I'll give you my impressions.

RD is a top notch outfit.
They are pumping out new dies as fast as they can, but the sheer amount of time that goes into a single die set is staggering, even with all their cool tools. Although some of their parts are small, something like the 914 trunk is carved out of not one but two 2500lbs chunks of steel. Even with the CNC mill once the it comes off the mill you are talking hundreds of hours of hand polishing. They must of have been a dozen new dies waiting to be polished.
Some dies can have thousands of hours into them before it stamps a single part.

Add to this the fact they also have to keep the 356 and 911 crowds happy, 914 parts alone won't keep the lights on. So they will also have to expand into other markets, in fact they already have with several BMW 2002 parts.

There's more 914 parts in the pipeline, but I'll keep what I know under my hat, that's for Pete to announce when they are ready.

conclusion from the brain trust for the best long options?

Factory
Having mad fab skills like McMark
Mittlemotor
Hess
RD
AA

Considering most of us don’t have mad fab skills my money would be going down the Mittlemotor / Hess route

All depends on what YOU want. I'm biased. I've used both RD and AA parts on my driver quality build that has been in progress forever.

Factory parts are largely NLA unless you can find someone with NOS parts and have $$ to pay the premium. Would be the way to go for 914/6 concours build IMHO.

RD/AA parts are just fine for driver. However, they lack the OEM details. Doesn't matter for a driver.

If you're OCD and/or concours oriented the Mittlemotor and Hess parts look nice but I'm sort of baffled by the shortness of the part. There isn't a lot of overlap between the engine long inner and the cabin long at that rear edge. Don't know why anyone would go shorter at that end? And then there is the the lack of the oval for the heater tube pass through which you'll have to cutout for yourself. Not a bid deal given the fab work invoved to be doing this work in the first place but that's another lost hour of my time to have to cut it myself. Also seems to be lacking seat belt attachment. Again, not a show stopper but more fab work for the installer.

AA/RD parts are also made with Galvaneal. They ship without primer and don't surface rust easily due to the Galvaneal. Galvaneal can be a bit more difficult to weld but overall it is going to corrode more slowly than plain steel. Based on the presence of red primer on the other parts I'm going to assume they are plain steel and were primed to prevent corrostion.

Patrik Hess makes a good part.

Holes were for one of the arms of the spot welder to fit through.

Having held and inspected both the AA and Hess parts, I would go with the Hess part hands down. There's several issues with the AA part that would need to be addressed. Again up to your fab skills. I found a NOS long for my factory 6 repair. Good luck locating one and if you do be ready to drop $$$$.