Sort of looks like acupuncture

QUOTE (TurtleGirl @ Nov 22 2005, 09:11 PM)

Joe and I went to Mike's (bodyman) garage this evening to "see what he's up to." We wanted to basically "keep him motivated" and to check up on him... make sure Joe wasn't going to have to kill him over this 914!!!

what? joe doesn't have a temper

of course, there was that incident in moab

I just took the RS up to the paint shop where our body man works during the day and he broke the master electrical switch off the front cowl by opening the front deck without removing the key (he was showing off his work to his peers).

He looked at me wide-eyed and asked what he owed me.

I just smiled and said 'lunch'.

I don't have a temper.

QUOTE (914RS @ Nov 23 2005, 01:14 PM)

I just took the RS up to the paint shop where our body man works during the day and he broke the master electrical switch off the front cowl by opening the front deck without removing the key (he was showing off his work to his peers). He looked at me wide-eyed and asked what he owed me. I just smiled and said 'lunch'. I don't have a temper.

I do. Kill him!

HAHAHA!!!!

He only has a temper when it doesn't benefit him NOT to lose it! (Wait, did that make sense???)

QUOTE (TurtleGirl @ Nov 29 2005, 07:28 PM)

HAHAHA!!!! He only has a temper when it doesn't benefit him NOT to lose it! (Wait, did that make sense???)

Are you drinking?

any new photos? We should plan a vegas weekend. Fly in party with John, Fly out. If my arms don't get too tired..

QUOTE (rick 918-S @ Nov 29 2005, 08:23 PM)

any new photos? We should plan a vegas weekend. Fly in party with John, Fly out. If my arms don't get too tired..

I agree.

You mean tired arms from holding up the big drinks?

I think I would flap in for that one.
:PERMAGRIN: Joe

Joe,

I'm in the early stages of doing the planning work for a 914 featured marque, Colorado race track weekend

You've got to come.
I'll help out with lodging or something.
hope to get 20 914's together at one track event
probably, the RS sister car in colorado will be there
(the yellow 3.6 with carbon fiber lids)

you have to bring lauren and turtle girl.
I'll get you the details..
it will be early or late summer.

keep up the good work
(and make sure its roadworthy in time for the track event!)

brant

Joe and Liz,

Congratulations on a fine restoration/conversion project. I have enjoyed reading the thread.

It is amazing that you guys are doing a complete restoration and six conversion for just $18K. There was a recent and very controversial thread about a $19K TIV engine rebuilt...imaging that!!!

If I am ever in your side of the world, I would certainly like to meet you guys.

Keep up the good work!!!

Ricky

Back from chrome. A little bling for Liz.

and:

nice

wow

Nice. I don't think I've ever seen that stuff done in chrome.

Can't wait to see the finished product...

Nice Joe! Bling and a resonable budget?? What will you think of next?

QUOTE

Lapis Blue Metallic!!!

Looks good

I am not 100% sure, but the colour of my 914 should be Lapis Blue too. It is dark metallic blue with a little pearl purple and it is original Porsche color.

Just a quick update:

We should be about a week from completion of the paint work. (Standby for fireworks if my paint guy doesn't come through)

I may go over there this evening to take some pictures.

Me and Leo
:PERMAGRIN: Joe

Do we have a fireworks smiley??? Damn.

Well I went over to Mike's this evening... Wait... let me back up. I went last week and got together with him about picking up some materials, primer and such. Gave him a little $... only enough to get the materials we discussed. He promised me that the car would be in primer by Saturday, if I'd like to come by and see it.
I knew it wouldn't be done by Saturday, so I didn't press him and give him an opportunity to fail. He's already gotten the 3rd degree from both Joe and I about returning phone calls, so I told him that I would be by on Monday. Gave him an extra day, and called him early this afternoon. Turns out he's home .... Sure, Nico and I can come by and check out the car at 6pm. The car not in primer. He tells us that he quit his job. Good! I says. More time to work on my car. He says, yeah, but I need some money for the labor that I've already put in. Nope, I says... not until delivery. I'll buy all supplies, but no labor until the thing is done. We finally agreed on me paying him $200 (1/10 of the projected balance due) today, and the rest on delivery. Hopefully him being unemployed will be the damn motivating factor.

Here's some pictures of what is... and isn't done... so far:

Bent skin on targa... the only body work he has left, so he says:

Another angle:

A couple of the front cowl:

front2

rear passenger side... more plastic:

Front passenger:

INCOMING!!!!! Run for cover!

rear profile:

T-bone area: (last photo)

Joe, the chrome on the hinges/ strike plates are a neat idea ! I'm around chrome shops twice a week--but go figure: 914 parts !
Hope you get thru the body & fender trama...I loathe body shops and home remodel contractors I know of a high-end body shop in L.A. where the owner has a clock on the wall in MONTHS , we are actually good friends now.
The Eye Patch deal is bizzare- maybe he wants to talk like a pirate .
Patiently waiting for primer pictures...
Marty

Ya know, Liz, it could be worse. My car has been in the body shop since last July. The shop owner swears he'll have it done by the end of January. Riiiiiight.

WTG Liz! Hold your ground. If he moves in any other projects fire him and find someone else. The work so far looks good. I'm sure he's capable. But sometimes you have to play hardball.

BTW I'm a former Collision/ Resto Shop owner.

Body and Fender licenses are issued by the Department of Corrections here in Kalifornia. It turns out to be sooo much cheaper than keeping the thuglets in the joint, and it provides a reasonably steady living to all the Small Claims Court Judges, sneaky lawyers, Probation & Parole guys and bail bond bounty hunters. It makes the economy of the Golden State humm along like an out-of-tune L-jet.

Great.... after that little outburst, now I'll have to go to Dos Panchos for my pintura especial...

A trick we use at the shop is to go get a bit of PPG DX330 or some other paint grade degreaser. Put it in a new hardware store spray bottle and spritz the car. The shiny of the DX330 will reflect similarly to how paint will. So you'll be able to see any issues in the body work before he primers it. Sounds nerve wracking. I hope he'll come through for you.

an inspection coat is always nice.

Like the chrome by the way.

That's the unfortunate thing about Mike. His work is really very good. He's just pretty bad about communication, timetables, returning phone calls... Gets a bit nerve wracking!!!

You used to own a body shop? How did you manage these guys?

QUOTE (TurtleGirl @ Jan 12 2006, 07:06 AM)

QUOTE (rick 918-S @ Jan 10 2006, 11:28 PM) WTG Liz! Hold your ground. If he moves in any other projects fire him and find someone else. The work so far looks good. I'm sure he's capable. But sometimes you have to play hardball. BTW I'm a former Collision/ Resto Shop owner. That's the unfortunate thing about Mike. His work is really very good. He's just pretty bad about communication, timetables, and telling the truth... Gets a bit nerve wracking!!! You used to own a body shop? How did you manage these guys?

My guess would be a BIG stick

I really enjoy reading all these progess threads. Your car is going to be great when its done

QUOTE (TurtleGirl @ Jan 12 2006, 07:06 AM)

QUOTE (rick 918-S @ Jan 10 2006, 11:28 PM) WTG Liz! Hold your ground. If he moves in any other projects fire him and find someone else. The work so far looks good. I'm sure he's capable. But sometimes you have to play hardball. BTW I'm a former Collision/ Resto Shop owner. That's the unfortunate thing about Mike. His work is really very good. He's just pretty bad about communication, timetables, and telling the truth... Gets a bit nerve wracking!!! You used to own a body shop? How did you manage these guys?

Have you seen American Chopper? I was the short version of Paul Senior! Only I wouldn't just bitch I went to blows once in awhile. I broke my hand punching a wall instead of my painter who was fired about 2 seconds later. I was still so pissed I pulled on my own hand set my own broken bones. One of my employees was a big tough biker drug addict. He was standing infront of me when I set my hand. He turned this interesting shade of green and damn near passed out when say me do it.

I had 6 guy's with every kind of vise you could imagine. They were all artisins and craftmen but they were all drug addicts and dramma queens. I hate drugs!

I could tell you some stories that would cause you to stare with you jaw dropped open. The worst thing one of my guys could do is commit to a delivery date and not complete the work on time! Man that would set me off! I would rather have them tell me "I need two extra days" up front than not make the deadline! I'm getting worked up just thinking about! I hated to call someone to tell them were missing our deadline when I could have extended it out from the start.

I don't miss that. Now you guy's are going to think I'm some kind of crazy guy. I just expected honest work and a commitment to the people paying the bills. Leave the dramma and baggage outside my door, it's time to work.

It seems that a lot of body shop guys have drug issues... One of our friends who has an extremely bad habit of collecting dead VW's once put it nicely... "They're all damn tweakers. It's tweaker work, so that's why we don't want to do it, but all they do is work and crank, cheek and tweak." (i don't know what part of that means, but ignorance is bliss!!!) I do know that it's really damn boring wet-sanding an entire car...

Luckily, our Mike is absolutely not a drug addict.



Epilogue to the primer thing will hopefully be coming soon. I'm going to go over to his house tomorrow afternoon to take some pictures... hopefully there will be some difference shown!!!!

Shock of all shocks!!!

Mike actually did some work over the last few days... 8 pix to follow...

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

Deck work #1

deck #2 (last pic)

Looking Good