Boy that really looks great!!

@Andyrew - Thanks Andrew. I just wanted to be all warmed up on stamping dies for when you bring back your fire wall piece we made on your last visit...

That looks great.

What a difference. Nice work dude

On to some boring but very important stuff: mounting the front air dam. Here's a pic to remind you just how awesome this one is. A nice wide opening that's just right for a water cooled set up. It seems this model is no longer available so I want to do all I can to ensure it's securely mounted and doesn't fail like so many fiberglass part do.

And what I mean by "fail" is that fiberglass doesn't stand up well to fasteners. It tends to delaminate, crack and otherwise come apart at or near the fastener locations.
Anyway, you can see this air dam has mounting tabs; the two that you can see in that earlier pic and two close to the ends. It's tempting to simply drill holes in them and bolt it to the car. But it'll be way better to add something that both prevents crushing the composite and better distributes the fastening load: a suitably sized shouldered spacer.

Drill a hole, scuff the area around the hole and bond the spacer to the air dam. Once things are cured, I'll dress the back side of the spacer so it's coincidental with the back side of the tab.

Now when the air dam is bolted on, the entire load is placed on the washer and the fiberglass is just along for the ride. Repeated installation/removal is essentially no risk.
Mo' betta'.

I am loving that air dam and your mounting solution Chris.

Looks so good.

I wonder if this is one worth re-popping before final finish? Having had one (and I wonder if it was this one!), I'd love to have another shot at one. I remember letting it go because I would have had to butcher it to make it work on a narrow body car. It is maybe the best spoiler I've seen for a 914 short of the factory GT valance and LE spoiler…and I might like it better than either of them. And it might be nice if you had a spare…

The transmission is back from CMS. Wow... It's like new.
- a complete rebuild
- newly plated hardware
And better than that, it may be the ultimate G86-20 for use in a V8 914. It's now equipped with:
- WaveTrack limited slip differential
- cryo treated 3.0 ratio ring & pinion (stock is 3.44)
- CMS billet side plate
- CMS shift arrestor (preemptive move to combat the "slips out of 2nd" issue)
- tapped for in/out cooler lines
- tapped for a coolant temp sensor

Apparently I have not logged in for a while, had 3 pages of updates to drool over.
Really starts to look put together when paint/powder is starting to show up.
Bravo

Damn sexy!!

That is a thing of beauty. Is it in yet?

That's what she said!

@Cairo94507 Sorry, that was too obvious a reply, I know. But no, it just arrived yesterday and I have to get a few more things organized. Hopefully in the next couple days.
I also took a huge risk and sent a bunch more stuff off to powder coat. They said they could have it back to me in time for WCR... I feel like the Red Barn is the latest hot rod TV show with all the deadline drama I've created for myself!
Fingers crossed it'll all come together in time.

Now that is a nice transmission...

Let's get this contraption stuffed back in the car!
The question is: Will I have it ready and all proven out in time for WCR?
This round of updates included:
- all the above mentioned transmission changes
- updated clutch master cylinder (smaller bore to lessen the pedal force)
- minor wiring updates
- some fun style points updates

Those who know me know I have this thing for "style points". These sometimes coincide with my fondness for "matchy-match". I got a double whammy today with some drilled/countersunk holes in the shift lever. Style points, for sure, but also matchy-match with the seat grommets and the window winders - and maybe even the top area of the shift knob.

Closer... and boy, what a difference with the painted engine bay, shiny new trans and some powder coated bits.

Man, that looks great.

All back together enough to complete the an initial, short test run. Note that I'm still waiting for a batch of parts to come back from powder coat, hence no engine lid or trunk. Observations from the first few miles:

- new ring & pinon makes a HUGE difference. At one point, I went to shift from 6th to 5th (based on previous feel of speed and engine sound) only to realize, I was already in 5th! It just lopes along and is far more relaxed at cruise - exactly as I hoped it would.

- it shifts like butta'. Way lighter movement/engagement.

- the reverse detent is REALLY light. Like too light. Like when you move the shift lever to put it in 1st, you have to pay attention that you don't move past the detent.
I'll call CMS tomorrow and see if there's something I can do about it.

- smaller clutch master resulted in, as expected, a much lighter pedal. But it engages RIGHT off the floor. I'm going to give it another round of bleeding and play with the pedal adjustments.

- I want to get a few more test runs in before I "test" the LSD!

Long story short: For the first time since I've been on 914 World, I'll have a 914 at WRC!

That is amazing. I look forward to seeing it on the 20th.

You are a animal! I can barely crawl out of bed every morning…
Can’t wait for a ride……..

WOW, well what to say but the fab is "fab"ulous!!!!

curious about the body paint status, I know you want to get it back running asap and get to WCR etc so are you just going to prime in necessary places and then go back latera nd pull it all out to fininsh the outer and inner panel paint? thats going to be a lot of extra work(ask me how i know) .

Phil

@DRPHIL914 - Thanks for the kind words. The plan from the get-go was to build, refine, modify, test, repeat until satisfied. Once I'm convinced I'm through making changes (assuming that ever happens ) it'll come all the way apart for paint. More work? Sure. But I seem to have proven I like working on it more than I like driving it!
I do have a buddy that wants to buy the car once it's sorted but before it's painted so it may be headed off to a new owner. We'll see how I feel about it after WCR.

Clean clean clean.
Amazing how much work you can get done in such a short time

well i totally get that , in fact i was thinking that maybe you just wanted to leave it with the patina, i mean really i think it makes it a better driver that way, i think i got to the point where its more show than go, in other words too nice to just go and let it rip. but very nice build painted or not!

I take it the shifter doesn't have a reverse lockout feature?

Looking forward to seeing this in person next week!

Haven’t tuned in to these pages for a while. Whoa!!
What a creation. That transmission is art. Interior looks awesome Chris.
Engine bay , well , impressive. I can’t imagine how that beast drives.
Enjoy the WCR!

@FL000 No lockout on the shifter. I was on the phone with CMS today and we tried a couple things only to determine that something ain't right. I was told there's no harm in driving it but after WCR, the trans has to come out and head back to CMS.
Yes, it sucks, but as I said to CMS, "Hey, a year from now, it's just another part of the story about building this car...".

A positive attitude as always Chris. I am sorry to hear it has to go back to CMS, but glad it is something they will take care of after WCR for you.

A big congratulations Chris. It's been a long road traveled but I know you've enjoyed every inch of the journey. Can't wait to see it move under it's own power next week.

With a few more test miles on the car I'm working through with what feels like a never-ending list of "I should...". I spent a good portion of yesterday chasing down and addressing virtually all the last few rattles. This morning, I took it out for another shakedown drive and at this point, I'm ready to say "Wow. What a difference this latest round up updates has made."

- the smaller clutch master means driving it is no longer "leg day".
- it's still brutally quick when you want it to be but with the new gearing, it's nowhere near as "busy" to operate. And it's an absolute cruiser on the freeway. 65 mph is now a fairly relaxed 2300 RPM - down about 700 RPM.
- best of all, there are essentially no more rattles!

And I've decided I am going to ventilate the inner fenders. While the car has never overheated, on hot days, say 90 degrees +, days, I'm pretty sure the hood vents would appreciate a little help and maybe that'll cause the fan to run a bit less often. Can't hurt, in any case.

See all you WCR attendees soon!

Just when you think you're caught up, a newly made friend asks if you can help with some quick fabrication work - if installing an intercooler turns out to be quick! But hey, it's a friend so how could I resist?
And this one is nice! Merkur turbo 4-cyl engine, T5, live rear axle, cool wheels...

Never seen one with a Merkur motor before-very cool!

Does he have a bunch of XR4Ti's...it seems like everyone who has anything Merkur has a small cadre.

Getting all prettied-up for WCR. Miller Powder Coating in Rohnert Park came through as promised with an on-time delivery! If you're able to, please use them - great vendor.

And I have to say, getting parts into final finish totally transforms things for me. I've been looking at raw or temp primered parts for years and to see items "finished"... well, I'm loving how it's turning out.

Note I haven't fully set the eyebrows nor added carpet so things will continue to improve from here.

Looking good Chris!!

Bitchin!

Too cool for school Chris!

@buddyv Robert will be riding with me at WCR and he insisted that "no carpet just won't do!". So he stopped and picked up some floor covering - perfectly colored! Robert took charge and I just sat and watched as he measured and cut. Minutes later and I have a GREAT looking passenger floor!
What a difference... I need to be careful this thing doesn't get too nice to drive!

Another detail no one will notice: The hood vent vane height is graduated. Each is shorter by the same amount, moving front to back. This to echo the way the difference in height changes between the hood and fender as things move toward the back of the car.

Am I too into this sorta crap?

No, I don't think so. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

TIGHT!

A successful WCR is in the books! The car performed flawlessly. It even won "Best Water Cooled". But I have to say, there were other cars I felt were far more deserving. Far more tastefully done, super clean, beautiful paint, neat custom touches.
I think next year, I'll lobby for a "Best Outlaw/Hot Rod" or "Most Modified" - something that better differentiates the crazier builds like mine, @Dan10101 and @Andyrew .

It was great seeing everyone and all the variety across everyone's cars: narrow bodies, 6-conversions, Subaru conversions, 1.7, 1.8, 2.0 - then there's @waltonsm and his lifted, WRX build. It's my new favorite car!

Plus, as a super added bonus, @Rand showed up and I FINALLY got to meet him in person after all these years. I can check that off my bucket list!

Anyway, if you haven't attended your regional 914World event, I encourage you to do so. This was my 3rd WCR, but first with a car. They are great either way. See old friends, make new ones, geek out on 914s... What more could a person want?


Now, back to the build...

Evil laugh? Dang bro! It was great to meet you and see the build first hand.

Waite , What ? you attened ....

Boring but... Transmission out and headed back to CMS to correct the "goes into the reverse lane too easily" issue. Should be back soon.

@tygaboy That probably took you 15 minutes to remove. Hope it comes back quick. See you Tuesday right around lunch time.

@Cairo94507 Michael - I opted to block up the engine and only remove the trans. Kinda cool that I can pull the clutch slave cylinder with the hydraulic line still attached and not need to worry about a re-bleed. And no electrical or H2O systems disconnects to deal with. Not quite 15 mins, but far quicker and cleaner than pulling the entire drive train. I didn't even jack the car off the ground. LeMans, here I come!

With the trans out, I'm wrapping up some fab I didn't get done ahead of WCR.
Today it was the fire extinguisher mount. You know me and matchy-match so it's utilizes the same design as the passenger side's ECU cover and passenger foot rest.
It, along with the tunnel console, now head off to get the same matte black powder coat as those other pieces. Re: the console, I'll drill out those temporary pop rivets before it's coated and once it's back, it'll get the fancy CherryMax rivets! Should look pretty good.

Amazing! You need a table of contents for this thread (you could fabricate one!) because I couldn’t find a section where you show the process of making the transmission tunnel. Also, very cool cup holder design for those converting to a different shifter location.