@bkrantz I was thinking the same and already snapped a photo!



To be fair, I should probably make another one, there will be a decent sized list of engine stuff, little linkage, soft fuel lines, brake lines, master cyl, adjustments etc. Great to see so many checks though.




I have to say I am a bit confused here @ndfrigi , do I have the wrong mount here? If it should be the straight bracket type you have pictured, I'll make sure to order one and get it in there. Not sure why it would have the wrong style. Seemed to bolt up okay when I removed the motor. Always something to knock out

EDIT: I found a quote from @Dr914 on the samba "the round mounts with the rubber insert that fit in this position are for the 70-72 914-4 models"

So potentially this round style came in early 4 cars.

You have the correct mount for early cars.

Looking good. I love those seats against the green!

You have the early mounts. The later cars had the rubber mounts on the engine, and the solid mounts to the outer ends of the bar.

I always thought it made more sense to have the rubber mounts farther apart, but I'm no engineer.

*edit* How long did I take to post this? I must have been working instead of posting! haha

Oooops never seen on my previous 2 early 914 I’ve owned with that mount but probably because bought are converted to side shift. I guess it still work for side shift conversion.
Learned another thing about this 914.

Hey Guys,

Took a couple days off work, while we are getting some of our main machines repaired. So I might as well work on the car...

Today's update is more of a question to see how F***ked I am.
I bought this 1.7 off a 914 guy up in Philly last year. He said its a really nice runner, no leaks. He said he put the gummy carb on there and kept the duals it had for himself...

So I finally get around to taking the tins off - I was going to clean it up. Get rid of the tacky red on the tins, new belt, plugs, wires, etc.


They were sprayed while on the motor. Over spray all over the place.





This half looks OK... besides the loose spark plug I found. Aftermarket valve cover? So someone has been in here before.





Other half looks like dog crap.



Was jammed full of leaves, feathers and gunk. No way this thing cooled right.

Photo of the valves:



Push rods. I'm assuming there was a leak here:



Opened valve cover:





Other notes:

Motor spins great.
Plugs are clean.
1 impeller fin is cracked.
Has been sitting with oil in the pan and nothing leaks.


What am I looking at here? Is it that gnarly? I have the original motor but, it doesn't turn and has been sitting outside for 20 years with no spark plugs in. So I'm not even letting that be an option.

I am partially in the club of "run it til she pops" But if that's going to be 6 miles in...
Obviously I should do some form of a rebuild? Can I just pull the heads, clean them up, push rod seals and call it a day?

I really don't have a budget for a nice $1700+ motor build right now. Would love to have the tires on the pavement this summer.



I know fast, good and cheap cant go together here.

There are a ton of people more knowledgeable on engines / rebuilds than I am, but here are my thoughts:

1. It's not that bad on the outside. The head on the 3/4 side is a little scuzzy, but not that bad all that things considered, and could be considered typical IMO.

2. That valve/stem is what concerns me most. It's hard to tell how structurally sound that thing is.

3. The rocker assemblies move freely? At least some corrosion on those.

4. Those aren't the pushrods in that pic, unless I'm looking at something different. Those are cylinder studs. The cylinders have probably wept some, but that could also just be random oil / dirt that comes down from the top over time (e.g., spilling oil while filling, etc.).

5. Of the other notes, you're good on the impeller (one cracked fin in and of itself isn't an issue).

6. Painting the tins on the motor...

I think this thing will run for longer than you might think, assuming there aren't other major issues internally. Pulling the heads and resealing the cylinders wouldn't necessarily be bad, but you'll end up in a "while I'm in there" situation. 'As a minimum, change oil cooler seals, change pushrod tube seals, clean up the cylinder fins, and get stock valve covers.

If you start pulling things apart and go down the rabbit hole maybe you can start looking for a cheap set of 96mm p&c to go the 1911 route, which I have heard is pretty fun. Otherwise, it's "split the case" time.

My 1.7L hadn't run for 12 years (or more) when I got it. It had scuzz all over and around it, and once I got it running it ran pretty strong for 2 years before I swapped it for a 2056.

You are doing a great job. Looking at that motor, since it is out of the car already....I say pull it apart and rebuild it. Looking at those valves alone scares me. Sorry, but better to pull it apart before it pulls itself apart.

Thanks so much. Good point with that.

@beatnavy , thanks for that write up. Seriously. When this car is on the road I need to send you and a few others a 6 pack.

Thinking maybe I can get away with an "outside" end rebuild or whatever you'd call it.
I can salvage some other parts from the original motor I have if need be (valve covers, etc).

I'll look into the 1911. A quick search shows a lot of (what I presume to be?) junk $300 slip on cylinder and piston kits. If that's a typical price... and slip ons are kosher, I'm sold. haha.. But it sounds like something in a craigslist ad for a Dune Bug that doesnt run.

Down the research hole I go.


Edot: read more. Those slip ons are chinese made and definitely junk!

Maybe they can. We'll talk on friday.

Awesome thread, thanks for posting! I'm not far from Baltimore, so if you ever need an extra hand (to hold a beer) I wouldn't mind helping.

Sounds good! I used to work in Millersville so I knew right about where you are.

Hey guys, couple little updates.

Drove to PA today to meet a new friend @mepstein . Totally stand up guy with some cool cars and parts. I got eyes on the beautiful new mufflers hes taking part in offering to us. Cannot wait to pick one up in a few weeks.


He set me up with a few goodies today:
A tail shift in much nicer shape than mine.



A 150 MPH speedo. I stripped down, cleaned and painted all of these gauges today. Primed and painted the bezel as well.



To be clear, this car will never go above 72mph. But nice to have




This is how she used to look...



Probably need a new multi (gas, etc) gauge down the road. Not as shiny. But it looks great over all.

Front bumper off. Broke 3 of 4 bolts trying to remove it. Welded some BFNs (Big Fu*kin Nuts) in place and got them all unscrewed. If you squint it looks likes a GT car with Cibies..... right?





Last thing, question.... Where the heck do these two red wired eyelets go. If I touch them to power my headlights and fogs function. (woo!)
For the life of me I cannot remember where I took them off, but they are short and go must go right near the fuse block or near the ground on the wall.

Help?

Just a little thought about the motor situation I have....

- I have the original motor 1.7 numbers matching. Doesn’t turn, yet.
- I have this Red 1.7 (Pictured above) with the crud on the valves

I’ve been reading into a 1911, it seems pretty straight forward. It looks like you can go mild or big with a build like that. I’d go mild. This is still a budget build. It would be nice get have a peppier, reliable with decent MPGs

Simple being:

-Open up heads to 1.8 size, 105mm
-open up jugs and use 94 or 96mm pistons, maybe the KB P&C kits if I want to be cheap
-Replace cam with 9550, overkill... maybe Euromotorworks C grind or 86 grind cam
-42x36 valves
-I think the other main components stay the same.
-stock crank (66mm) is 1911, 71mm would be for 2056

And a few other bits, let me know if it’s anything major.
Could probably get away with $1500 on the low end, if I shop around for parts.


A plan:
Do an outer end refresh of the “red” 1.7. Pull the heads, clean everything out, if the inside looks fair, slap it back together, so I have a cruiser motor for the summer. Like Rob and a few of my local friends said “These motors can sit in a lake for 3 years and still fire up in an afternoon.”

In the meantime:
Buy an engine stand,
Strip the original, numbers matching motor
Start getting a solid list, collecting parts
Build original motor to a 1911 in the background

This gives me a way to cruise (so as the red motor is fine) and a background project. Also let’s me suffer with a 1.7 for a bit, which will make me want a bigger motor that much more.


Feels like a diary entry, thanks for reading. Any commentary is welcome. Not trying to beat a dead horse.

Also, I found out those two red wires go to the brown ground block near the speaker. Thanks.

Glad you figured that out. I was scratching my head. First thought was that they looked liked ground wire connections but they should NOT be red. I don't have schematics for early models but can't imagine that would be stock. Ground wires should be brown.

I like how you cleverly made sure we knew you had BFNs... like it wasn't already obvious from your build.

The ground cable goes on the opposite site of of the brown block into a post with a 10mm hex. I believe both reds are stacks on top of eachother, in that brown plastic block next to the fuse panel. if someone wants to confirm. I’ll add a photo later.


And thanks

Brown Junction Block,,, not a ground...

That’s the one! Thank you for adding the photo. For the life of me I couldn’t find any info. I got it sorted now, both red eyelets are double stacked on top, and the ground goes on the reverse side.

The brown plastic confused me.

I guess it’s a bit different on early cars.

Roger that! Nothing I've every seen.

Great work, and project. KUDOS to you on the metal/fab work. I'm in ALexandria VA if you need a hand.

Hi Jared,

On my car (1972), that brown junction block is made out of bakelite and also serves as an insulator; it's intended to keep those big red wires away from the car body and anything else that's grounded down there near the fuse panel (like the fuse panel itself).

IIRC, the other end of the biggest red wire is normally bolted to the terminal on the end of the positive battery cable. That wire is always "hot" whenever the battery is hooked up. The other red wires are stacked/connected via the Phillips-head screw in the center of the junction as shown in picture from sixnotfour. They distribute power to the fuse panel (fuse 11, with bridges to fuses 10 and 12), the ignition switch, and others users under the dash.

Also, I'm pretty sure that the red wire is NOT protected with any kind of fuse between the battery and the junction--unless the PO did a retrofit (unlikely).

Before hooking the battery back up you may want to check for continuity between the ends of the red wires in question and the terminal on the end of the positive battery cable to make sure which is the +12v feed, then mark it accordingly. I seem to remember somebody accidentally connecting that red +12v feed to ground and destroying their wiring harness when they reconnected the battery.

Hope this helps!

Steve A-

Steve, thanks for the response. One thing I noted since connecting - my lights come on and flip up as normal... But can do so even with the key out of the ignition. I don't believe that is normal. So I screwed up something down the line.

I will check continuity, tomorrow.

And thanks @bulldog9 ! Not far at all. Spent most of my life in Fairfax.

Small update and more woes...

Got 3 of 4 packages from PMB Performance. Been waiting 5 or 6 weeks for this kit! Eager!
Spent the afternoon tackling my front, replacement struts, balljoints, cleaned and painted some things. Lots of simple Green...

Voila:



This is going to look really cool. Lowered it a hair.



If you squint, the end goal is taking shape...



I like that low look on 14's.... I do see 15" in my future though.


Unfortunately something happened that made my passenger balljoint not seat correctly and sag down. I guess during the final torque session the BJ slipped out of the half- moon slot.
While trying to solve it, the 17mm BJ retaining bolt broke. 50 year old hardware.....



So now I will have to try and figure that one out. Hopefully I can weld a nut on the threaded section of the broken bolt and pull it out, adjust the joint and throw a new bolt in it. I don't want to have to buy a new spindle.



Hope you folks have a nice Memorial day!

The ball joint should be a C shape, V shape is for late style wedge bolt

Jared - great build you have here! The car is turning out really nice. And those Fuchs: - good job. Looking forward to following this one.

-Derek

PS - love the wall art in the garage.

Hey guys,

Cant win em all... Theme of today's post.

Pulled the heads off this motor:



Yikes - lots of cylinder leakage. 3 out of 4.



I decided to leave this to the pros and dropped these off today at a local air-cooled VW shop for a rebuild and refresh. 1 week turn around and much less expensive than a shop with a Porsche marquee on the door.
We planned on a valve job, bead blast, refresh, fly cut to 105mm registers and repair 3 exhaust stud receivers that are stripped. Tapping to M9.


Took a peek inside the case.... looks great, but the connecting rods have a powdery rusted coat? Must have had some condensation in there... brushes right off, but I don't think I can get way without splitting this case.
If I do split the case, it may be wise to have the same shop...er guy... check the case out, crank, replace bearings, etc.



Part 2:

Before:



After:



I have to say getting the rear hub and bearing out was a real bitch. This was top 5 most strenuous auto jobs I've ever done. I mentally prepped myself from readign the horror stories. it was worse. haha! Still have one side to go....

To TOP IT OFF I destroyed the new bearing when I was pressing the stub axle/hub in. All that work and it's wobbling.

I suppose I will remove both rear swing arms, take them to a shop, have someone else press out - and press in every piece. Do it right or do it twice.
I must have done 30 wheel bearings in my life and this is the one that goes bad.


Part 3:

In other news. Started rebuilding the calipers. I had a really stuck piston, used a hydraulic grease gun (Hydro is always more powerful than air!) (and safer, in this instance) attached the zerx fitting to the brake bleeder and she cruised right out.




Welp.... Maybe at least we can take a peek at how these rears will look - even though I have to do all this crap again... This is what it's all about.

Did you torque the rear axle nut. It will wobble until its torqued down.

I didn’t fully torque it. I still 2-3 threads of the nut exposed. I didn’t recall the hub wobbling at all while removing it, so as usual, I expected the worst. I’ll crank it down tomorrow.

And don't roll the car around until they are torqued.

This next part might just make you mad. If you do ever wind up installing rear bearings again, I highly recommend buy a cheap HF front wheel bearing kit.




It makes the bearing and hub install a piece of cake. You can see my install here:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=2696416

Thanks Brent. I should have just done that.... and I was at HB today buying a bigger hammer!
Need to take a step back sometimes and think about working smarter (not harder.)

Bearing kit or not, that hub was on there ridiculously tight. I borrowed a snap on slide hammer, fixed an old rotor for mega torque - still took an hour 30, and I managed to pull the car 2 feet across the garage. I guess since the gym is closed... can’t complain about a work out.

Mark saves the day, again.

Torqued the rear axle ALL the way to spec in the Haynes and the wheel spins free and smooth.





I'll tone my cursing down next time and refer to the manual

Jared

More great progress! I think you will need to split the case on that engine. The rusty connecting rod looks bad...good luck.

My Mantra
If all else fails read directions.

It's not an either/or thing. You need both to make it work!

Hey guys,

Couple photos from last night. I split the case, exciting.

(To recap, here was my original plan.)
-Tear down and inspect motor
- Collect parts for rebuild as 1911cc, carbed.
- Keep 66mm crank if its usable
- Replace cam if not usable with mild street
- Replace lifters (Maybe HD springs, not sure if needed)
- 96MM jugs and pistons
- Head rebuilt/bored (already at shop)
- New bearings and seals in case

With that being said, case was split for inspection last night. Lots of wear!



Cam looks really worn. Hard U shaped divot worn into every lobe. 5-10 of the gear teeth were... "pitted" and broken. something small probably stuck in there.



Crank, eh not sure. I need to have this inspected properly.



Screen is disgusting. Legitimately as thick as butter. There was some similar sludge on the bottom of the case, with fresh oil sitting on top. When I lifted the case to drain the last bits in there, some water dripped out too. Which explains the condensation and rust on the connecting rods, etc.



So I'll definitely need a replacement not rusty connecting rod set, certainly a cam (mild street options?), and a nice clean and bead blast of this case.

The photo you gotta take when you get your first aircooled case split. For the scrapbook:



Cheers

Oh that is some nastiness on that screen

Nice job, the oil smudge on your nose is a nice touch

Might want to have your machine shop check the case, too. They can check to make sure the crank saddles are aligned (bore alignment) and that the cylinder registers are level (IIRC within .002 of each other) on each side.

Definitely disassemble, clean and inspect that oil pump (or replace). There are threads here somewhere about how the type 4 oil pump fails and what to look for.

Also, the Type 4 store sells a sealant kit that's pretty handy: https://lnengineering.com/type-4-store/type...ealant-kit.html

They also had/have a gasket and seal kit for rebuild but I can't seem to find it just now. Their website is a bit jacked up right now.

Lots of places sell connecting rods, so hopefully you can find something rebuilt / reasonable. The H-beam are probably overkill on your budget. It starts to add up

Thanks!

I contacted the shop that currently has my heads and said I'd like to drop my case off for inspection, thrust cut, bearing replacement (oversized if needed), etc.
I have been reading my aircooled rebuild books, but I may actually have him do the bottom end assembly.... do it right or do it twice, right?

I'll add oil pump to the list. Victor Reinz full seal set is on my list too, Ill have to look up the sealants.... Thanks!

Also, I have some 1.7 connecting rods that came out of my running engine from a couple of years ago. I'd recommend replacing the bearings, but there yours if they can help with the rebuild cost.

I have an extra case if you need it.

I’d take those, I was just looking on eBay for stock replacements.

@mepstein I’ll let you know after case inspection. I feel this is fine and just needs a refresh. Though, eyes don’t read down to the thousandth, haha.

They are yours. Just need to find a time/place to hook up.

Click to view attachment

Hey guys,

(BTW Rob, I'd love those rods, need to meet up with you soon)

Not a lot to update... stuff in waiting, ordering parts, etc.
Here's a few pics to browse through during your Saturday pancakes.

Updated my white board, since it was mostly complete - except the part about driving my car - and there still much left to do.



Got a clean pair of weber copies from Monte @mjrrti . Great guy and excellent packaging These should work well for me for now.



Met up with my buddy @mepstein today and he set me up with an original early 4 ignition AND he re-keyed my door and trunk cylinders to match, massive thank you.
(also acquired the parts to fix my weird ball joint issue, will update on that later.)

I am glad to have the original part and get rid of the chincy ebay Brazil ignition.




Side question - is this enough clutch meat? Or should I just buy a Sachs kit? My nice calipers are at work.... haha, that's 3/16"



@valcoOscar sent me some touch up paint, I think it will be a really solid match, once I buff my car properly.
This will be great for my wart deletes. No more primer! (and no more rustoleum hunter green )



Anything else..... ? Heads should be complete and ready for pick up on Monday or so, I will drop the case off for machine work/check then. Getting this motor under way.

I have a lot of 2 week on 2 week of work trips to the desert this summer that will slow progress down. But gotta stay with it when I can!

Sometimes I just sit there. Cant wait to drive it....



Massive thanks to everyone here and your kindness with parts, paint, advice, whatever. This is the most solid group of guys...

Glad you got the "drink beer" task accomplished Remember, that's a recurring task.

I'm pretty flexible on meeting up with those rods, and if we can't find a convenient place/time I can always mail them.

Hey guys!

Back from a long 14 day work trip. Got a little bit done one the car.

For starters I finished the final 5 lug corner swap. I decided to do the bearings at a shop this time and not deal with slide hammers, false promises of freezing bearings and torching the receiver for an easy slide... None of that works! So press it was. No effort. 15 minutes.



When I pulled the swing arm, I noticed this "5" painted on. I don't know what its for, but in some cases I like to keep original stuff the car came with around (except rust!)



Sanded and painted the swing arm. Taped off the 5. I like it.




Busted my ignition switch while removing. Replaced that, installed my new key cylinder, and replaced the bulbs in the gauge cluster. Replaced door tumblers that Mepstein re-keyed for me.

Happy now I have a key that works for every door AND the ignition. For the first time in my ownership of this car, I turned the key over and lights on cluster the illuminated.
Small victories right?





Part 2: Heads

Pulled the heads off this motor. Totally gnarly! Look at that cylinder leakage.





Just picked them up today. Fresh rebuild, stock valve size. Everything was (and needed) replaced. Bored out for dual HD springs and and flycut to 105mm for my 1911cc build.







Very happy with these. Worth every penny. Cannot DIY it all!


I have already acquired:
Cam
Pistons + Cyl
Seal Kit
Lifters
Rebuilt heads and now dropped my case and crank off to get checked and assembled.

Good progress made.

Happy 4th to everyone.

Hi all,

Havn't made an update in a while. Traveling for work sucks! Lots of little things have happened.

Went to cars and coffee today and lusted... how I wish I could afford a longhood.... Maybe I'll find the rust bucket 912 one day and give it the same treatment



Engine case is at the builder and on the stand. Should have some nice updates this week.



I decided on 924 seatbelts.
Direct fit (for the most part). I like them, keep it in the same marquee.
I did not want to cut my early firewall for late seatbelts, and decided against the early style belts. This was a nice, inexpensive solution.






I decided to go to town on the tail section. Thanks to some advice from a few of you guys. I was going to put this off because I WANT TO DRIVE IT. But every time I look at it



130ish spot welds to drill.





A few patches in the trunk need made, but overall its in nice shape. Just needs a hose down.

If anything, maybe good for some garage wall art.



A solid and sweaty 5 hours of my Saturday. New tail arrives Tuesday.
I'll have to finagle something with that tow hook area.



Have a great weekend!

Excellent!

Which Cars and Coffee did you go to? Huntsville?

Hunt Valley Horsepower. Over in Cockeysville. So probably yes. It’s unofficially going right now.

Good choice to replace that rear panel.

When you fit the new one, watch the spread between the fenders. The distance from left to right fender should be constant.