Thanks. I made that other post in Garage and read a few of your pages for tips before drilling. I will verify factory dimensions before welding. 51 and change I believe.

Hey Ladies!

Happy Friday. Minor update, if you're bored... or is it me that's bored...

Received the new tail form Stoddard. Poorly packed and stapled directly into the metal, but I'm easy. We'll live. 6000x better than what I had.

Check it out:



Some rust to address... same on both sides:



Repair under way, little more grinding to go...
I've said that a lot huh?



Test fit:



I gotta say, to me the pulling the quarters were a total pain in the ass. I believe @bkrantz said it was "minor surgery" in his build thread, I found that to be an understatement.

Tightly sandwhiched in there. Quarters have seen better days before this afternoon...
Looking decent inside. Some hammer and dol- *ahem*... 2x4 on the flange and it's looking like a smooth edge.

Lot of little parts to transfer to the new tail... as seen.



Sharpie line is marked so I have a good idea of where to drill the tail for spot welds.

Getting there good buddies:



Probably have another go at it tomorrow.... some drilling, welding and body work in the sights for the weekend.



So next plan is; get the alignment (gotta shift over about 1/4" to the left)
drill spot welds, adjust the quarters to not look like , weld that mother in, Once aligned, weld the tail light brackets in. and finally, shape a new tow hook support of some kind.

Thanks for reading!




By the way: if anyone cares about side projects... I sold my '87 Harley Sportster and picked up a '79 Shovelhead 80".
Wanted to go a little bigger, wanted a kick start, want a simple, narrow 70's style chopper... you know how it goes

Winter project. Gotta get the 914 on the road before I dump a bunch of money into a scratch built Harley.

Gotta get the photo with your first big twin! Not even going to try to look like a tough guy, these are REAL heavy!



Have a nice weekend!

HOG....

Looking good. One thing I figured out after a while, the upper edge of the rear panel, when viewed from the back, should make a straight line across from side to side (just like the trailing edge of the trunk lid). In your photo with the lights mounted, it looks like the ends turn up where they meet the fenders.

Thanks ! They are just wedged in there for now. I need to trim the edges and level it all out flat. Nothing is permanent yet.

Here comes the most photos ever posted of a tail section.


6 hours of work today.



Good hour of grinding.



Skim coat of self-etcher.



Looks pretty good! 90% there... a few holes to fill, and some shaping.



Cheers.

That looks right--nice work.

That looks terrific. Your car is coming right along and you will be driving in no time.

Thanks everyone.

No huge updates from the last few days. I removed any old dirty seals, degreased and cleaned them, such a big difference. Simple green and Dawn soap,
surprisingly still pliable and nice. I will use these. Most of these were engine bay and tin seals. Here's a before and after:



I installed a new master cylinder... I removed the lines through the trunk and installed them on a bench. I don't know how anyone could seat these inside the car.
Unless I did it incorrectly, it was a pita and required a lot of brake fluid lubricant.

My girlfriend found a great technique for popping the flares flush into the grommets. Credit where it's due, I couldn't figure it out!



After removing from the bag, I realized I mistakenly ordered a 23mm. I'm not sure if I should try this... or nut up, toss it and put a 19mm in.
I read a few reviews from 911T guys using them with no issues on stock cars, slightly harder pedal...

I read a lot of stuff on here saying not to even try... but nothing I saw was actual practice. hmmm. I'd hate to have to install those lines again...


Other news:
My short block for the 1911cc is almost done. I delivered the oil pump the other day.
Once I CC the heads, and figure my deck height, the motor will be coming home to my garage, where I will assemble the long block! Super excited.

It was really great to be able to crank the fly wheel and see everything finally coming together.



The case sure cleaned up nice from:



First "scratch" built motor, so eager to hear it.

My whiteboard list is getting slim, but there are about 45 small tasks I can think of... you know how it goes.

Don’t even try the 23 on stock brakes. You will have a super hard pedal and very little pressure at the caliper. It will be a huge step backwards.

If you need a 19mm, text me.

10-4.
The car had a non leaky 19 in it already. I will inspect, and reinstall, or order a new one.
Only replaced it because I assumed it was a crusty old 17mm.

17mm is even better.

August already...



Here's some stuff.

A few more hours of welding, smoothing and sanding.



I didn't replace the lower trunk section, instead I scuffed, and used my POR-15 kit. Love it or hate it... (in my opinion) the trunk was perfectly OK... A few lumps and dips, but entirely solid.


I think I like that.. the theme of this build - perfectly OK



Seam seal, paint and we're good to go.
So much work just in this photo - every bracket, every spot weld,
rust repair, etc.



Laid some paint down. What do you think?



This is 4 coats. Two things to note:

1. I did not shape a tow hitch support bracket, yet.
I got eager to paint and also I'm not totally concerned about it (i almost cut it off) We'll get to it.
2. I was running low on paint, made sure to get the important parts. Two less coats under the bumper, until I can restock.



After a wet sand, I think this will turn out really nice.



What a great change, I cannot wait to see everything assembled.

Also, grabbed my heads, P&Cs, etc etc. Short block is coming home Friday, once I get my broken dipstick tube repaired.

Then on to building the motor.




Not much else going on, I have another work trip coming in the next week, so I am trying to gun as much work as possible before Sunday.


Cheers!

Well done.

That looks great!

^Thanks for the comments fellas.

Anyone guess what happened in this picture? Anything missing that could have fallen Ugh.



Test fit some parts today.



Loving the look! After seeing this, I pretty sure I am not going black my bumpers. It seems wrong... Can always plastidip as a feeler.

Might add a new bumper top to my list, but... eh it's a driver for now. (of course I don't use the term driver literally )




Cheers,

Jared

Chrome bumpers look great on the early cars. With your Fuchs, it will look very similar to a real six.

This is what it would look like with a black bumper.

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

I already blacked out most of my trim, windscreen and all. (Rusto Trim and Bumper spray - works great)
Black would look good with the period ‘71 blue plate I’ll be running.

Hey fellas,

Leaving for another work trip to White Sands, NM tomorrow. 2 week trip, so I rushed to get some stuff done today.

Good news, my short block is complete! Man this looks so much better.
Totally satisfying to have it back together. Fresh everything. Biggest step toward the 1911.



Spent a little time cleaning the case, added a new oil cooler, seals, etc.
Some of the blemishes just dont come off. But hey its 49 years old and the tins cover it up anyways.



I'm really happy with it - eager to build the rest of it.



My pistons came installed, I pulled them to check the piston ring gap. I almost skipped this part...

Of course the second ring I remove snaps.
I suppose this is a sign to purchase the Hastings rings like I was instructed to.

While installing the oil cooler, I noticed the part number/serial is 1911. Weird!





As for anything else, just cleaning, sanding and painting everything that comes out of this thing. The impeller case has been the worst.



Trying to remove the red overspray from everything.

Gettin' there.



Anyone have any tips for a uniform look for these? I noticed @cuddy_k has a beautiful grey one on his 2.0. Paint /powder? Will a nice VHT grey paint last on there?



Lastly, here's a cool Polaroid my girlfriend took of the green car and me. She hangs out in the garage, helps clean and passes me tools (or dodges the tools when I throw them) often.

One for the fridge:



Cheers.

Remember that the fan housing is magnesium--not sure how some powder-coat processes will work.

I've got a fan shroud that's been powder coated. Turned out very nice, although I seem to recall that you need to make sure you don't coat that part that grounds the alternator. I believe you need to mask or to scratch off the paint where the bolts from the engine mount the fan housing to the case and where the alternator bolts to the housing. It is the ground path for the alternator. Otherwise, no chargy.

Big progress. Great success, Jared!

If you're referring to my ravenna 2.0, I had my housing bead blasted, then shot it with rattle-can alumi-blast. My bumblebee 2.0 was shot with some sort of glossy gray paint by the PO...

Yep, I’m referring to the bumblebee motor. As seen in your Ep. 06 Type 4 basics.
I do like the non metallic grey with matching intake runners.

Thanks!

I appreciate the tip Rob. I would have missed that.

Hey fellas,

Home from a long desert work trip. Got a few things checked off the list.

If anyone else saw. I purchased the incorrect pistons rings. I bought 96mm Hastings rings from LN. Turns out they stock a specific size for their Keith Black pistons, and these were just a hair (.016") too tall.
Now awaiting the proper height rings (.060) from LJAircooled. The final step before long block assembly. So eager!

I am using the down to time to knock out a few things. Rebuilt my front calipers, put this off for months. Here is a before and after from blasting:



I used an ATE/FAG rebuild kit, lightly cleaned up the inside and pistons (2000grit, sanded in X pattern)



Assembled and painted with 'VHT Cast Iron 1300-2000*'




I am sure the rears will be a bit tougher.


I didn't get a photo, but I replaced my lower strut/ hub asse., ball joint/outer tie rod.
If anyone remembers, my passenger A-Arm was rubbing the inside of my fuch.

See here:



It turns out that the ball joint had wallowed the hole to an oval, making the joint "pop" down, and cause a rubbing issue. You can see the shiny post of the ball joint in that photo.
(Hint: you aren't supposed to) Apparently this is a known issue on early style struts. Remedied with the late taper style.
Regardless, our local forum superstar Mark E. set me up with some strut assemblies and they solved the issue flawlessly. No more rubbing.

Rolled the car out of the garage and snapped a few celebratory photos for a freely rolling vehicle...





Unfortunate that I am happy that my car even ROLLS when I push it.

Have a great up coming weekend, and thanks for reading.

Jared

solved the issue flawlessly. No more rubbing.

I'm very happy to hear this.

Mark is a great guy and looks out for all of us.

Hey guys.

Cleaned some grounds, added new bulbs and plugged a lot of lights in.
This is the first time I've seen this stuff illuminated in over a year. Half of them only worked intermittently anyways.

Certainly makes it feel just a bit more like a real car when things turn on.




Blinkers are fighting me. They work fine, but the dash lights are being funny. They like to click once, and not function.
I get a buzz from the relay sometimes. (Probably time for a new one) Cleaned the contacts.
Both sides work if I wiggle some wires. 50 year old harness, what do you expect.

More cleaning to do while the cluster is out.




Gosh I need some paint on this thing.

Cheers.

Hey guys,

A little under the weather over here but, got my butt to the garage today... Too eager for assembly.

Installed each piston and cylinder. I used Hastings rings on the pistons as recommended by a couple threads on here.
After a brief snafu with the wrong sizes, they were replaced and we are back in business.





I installed and torqued the heads. Everything feels nice and smooth so far, I cranked the flywheel by hand a few rotations.




Installed the lower cylinder tin, new Scat lifters, pushrod tubes, and new seals all around.

Next time around... maybe and engine stand would be nice and not a dolly.
First time for everything.





Next up is loading the head, valve covers, impeller housing, and so on so forth.

I am really happy to see it has come this far! Does not look amazing... but I've seen well running type 4's look worse.
Thanks for reading.


Jared

Hey guys,

Another motor update and a few questions... check this out!





So happy to see this thing built and moving. Took a bit of time and a lot of referencing my books, manuals, The World etc....
Getting that distributor drive gear lined up properly without dropping the little washer into the case was nerve wracking.

(on that note, I'll spare you guys the story of an engine tin screw finding its way inside the case, yesterday. That was a fun 3 hours of magnets, breaking down the heads + cylinders and swearing.)

The motor was a little tough to turn once I bolted the rockers on. I didn't want to force anything... bigger cam...
I backed off the rocker adjusters to get a little more room, added the rockers one by one, oiled the pistons, etc.
Turned the fly wheel a bit more, heard a horrifying *boing* sound and it began to feel normal. I suppose one of the push rods was not seated in its cup properly, and found its home.

Again.... first rodeo.





It was really helpful having a spare (my original) motor lying around to refer to nut/washer combos etc. I also pulled a few little parts like the non limiter distributor rotor, thermostat pulley, etc.





Question:

Since I have a larger cam... does the valve adjustment procedure change?

(When I set timing, the distributor was at 12*, the impeller was at TDC in the 'V', BUT my fly wheel was about 10 degrees past the TDC mark.
I believe the flywheel being off a bit is typical and nothing to sweat.)

Doing my valve adjustment, no valve seems FULLY open when I hit TDC, its about 80* off.


A method of valve adjustment that I read is called “lobe per lobe”... regardless of the TDC marks, adjustment goes like:

In firing order... Starting with #1
- Turn motor so opposite intake valve is completely open (#3)
- Adjust #1 to .006
- Turn motor again, in firing order to the next one and so on.

Is this a good method to go by? I did this earlier and the motor seems to turn smoother than ever, and building compression well.





Thanks for any feedback and have a great weekend with the family + 914s!

I made an updated and hopefully final 'To Do' list...

My previous list only had a few remaining line items like; "Test motor", and "Install motor"...
I'm afraid there is a whole list of sub tasks before any "testing" happens.

Here it is:



But hey..... we've made it this far.

Hey fellas!

Happy 9/14 day!!! Today was my loose goal for getting the motor running (or driving the car)

Didn't quite make it there. The valve train upgrades I was recommended needed to do, put me off a few weeks.

We do it nice, because we do it twice.

Incoming parts are:
-911 Swivel Valve Adjusters
-Chromoly Pushrods
-HD Rocker Studs
-Solid Rocker spacers.

I got some great advice on how to proceed with this and have very intently studied Raby's Valve Train dissertation.


Other news.....

My old lady was loosely looking for a 944. I've always wanted one - I used to daily an SLC Corrado and I miss it.
We found this car about an hour north from me. Has some bad ass options, so went to tire kick and take a look. It hasn't run in almost a year, and was full of leaves and cobwebs...
I shot a lowball of about 50% and he took it on the spot no questions asked.

So unexpectedly, we now own an '88 944!

Here are the specs:
1988 Celebration Edition
1/250 - Studio Plaid - Satin Black Metallic
128,000 (we think)
Runs and shifts nice, it fired right up with a jump and I drove it home.

For clarity - paid in the range of 2k. I think that's a steal.





Has a few boy racer "mods": Sparco tow straps, white painted wheels, a DEEP dish OMP....

Luckily I found the stock wheel under some junk in the trunk. I immediately stripped that crap off.





We deeeeep cleaned it for about 4 hours. I stripped the wheels with Jasco's, sanded a bit (they are rough) and sprayed with Duplicolor Wheel Silver. Temporary fix, but not embarrassing.





The Studio plaid is absolutely gorgeous, unfortunately, as they all are, it's heavily worn. The fabric is linen material and really thin.





I gaff taped the bolsters, so there wouldn't be much exposed foam. We'll put seat covers on in for now, maybe replace the front seats. I found the fabric in Germany, but its and arm and a leg for a yard - maybe down the road.








Issues: (pretty sure all of these are typical)

-Lots of scattered records going back to the 90's, but none for a timing belt. So it needs that ASAP at least for piece of mind
-Coolant gauge doesn't work, has a tacky SUNPRO water temp, which does work.
-Dome lights don't work
-carpet it not great
-Missing a center vent
-maybe small vacuum leak
-Both front ball joints needs replaced. Wheels wiggle a bit when jacked up.
-D window regulator is touchy.
-generally a little loose feeling, (probably the ball joints)

Had to don it with the PCA cling:




ALSO needs stockers, D90's or 16" teles.








.... Sorry for the long side track... Back to your regularly scheduled 914 posts.

At least there's now 1 running Porsche at the house.

that's great, well found and a great price
I picked up a 924 last month over here as my winter project, its along way from rolling and running though so yours is a steal

An hour north is almost to my house.
If you need to borrow my ozone generator, just let me know. It can help freshen up a stale interior.

That's comforting. Good luck on yours!



Sure is! This was up 95 in Havre De Grace, MD.

If you are going up to the Aircooled Swap, and remember to bring it, I would for sure borrow that. The Morning Fresh tree only goes so far.

That was a great buy. Congratulations.

I won't be there but if you want it, I'll throw it in a box and send it over.

I'm sure I'll see you soon. Don't need it that bad.

---

Thanks everyone! Nothing about a 944 is a sound financial investment, but you make me feel better about it.

I had two 944 Turbo's and loved 'em with Cup 2's.

Nice score. I miss my 944 that followed my first 2 914s. In fact a year ago, I was shopping for either one, when my current 914 showed up.

Have always loved that body...those hips.....
I watched the series "The Tunnel" a while back and have not been able to stop thinking about......
Great score.

Hey guys,

Getting a bit chilly here in the garage evenings! Had to put a flannel on... I must not be working hard enough!


Small update: been awaiting a lot of parts for my valve train. Everything has finally arrived!

I had a really nice weekend at the Aircooled Swap in PA. (photos at the end of the post.)

Met up with a few guys, putting some faces to the names;
Thanks @914forme for the much needed trunk bracket!
and thanks to @nditiz1 for the loaner Adjustable Pushrods (and advice!)
Great guys.


With all that said - and having read Raby's Novel on Valve Geometry about 7 times - I began.





I ground the 1.7 rockers about .060. Started with ~ .504 and ended with around .437 on all of them.

I counter sank them to fit the Thorsten Peiper, Made in Germany swivel feet. (I didnt go OEM, I paid $117 for these, about 1/3 the price of OE, we'll see how it goes.)





I assembled the rocker assembly, HD studs, solid spacers.

One question I am looking for a few answers on:
Spacers on the rocker assembly...
am I shooting to line the adjusters up with the valve, (by moving spacers left or right, and stacking between - see photo) before I start the geometry? ....
Line up the valve to adjuster, dead center as close as I can, then shim later at half lift if needed?

Or just assemble the rocker shaft, evenly spaced washers and shim under the studs as needed later.





I don't have a washer between every piece in the assembly. I'm told and am thinking this is OK... yes?

For mounting my magnetic base, I made a quickie bracket. For the hole pattern, I overlayed my intake gasket, and copied with a sharpie.

I haphazardly cut it with my grinder, as I ran out of wheels... Pretty sad for a professional sheet metal mechanic.








Base mounted GREAT! Super solid!





This is about as far as I got this evening...


I lined up the dial indicator. It looks pretty coliner right now. I want to get the angle dead on. Next is preload, then find full lift, and so on so forth.





---------------------



Here are a few photos from the Aircooled Swap, I found a few parts and had a great morning. Totally beautiful day.


Sand Beige is so great.

















Thanks all! <3

Hey Jared,

New 914 owner living in NoVA here checking in to say I've read through your build thread and it's really impressive stuff. Very motivating for me to figure out my project, a '71 with no engine/trans.

I don't have any welding skills (in fact, have never welded in my life) so I'm hoping the early indications of modest rust hold up so I can get things moving. Maybe we'll cross paths one of these days.

Fellas,

How is everyone doing? If you're like me; trying to stay off social media a bit and do your own thing. Looooots of opinions flying around right now.

So we are nearing completion on the 1911 (how many times have I said that?)


I've seen a lot of cool ideas for peoples engine test stands.
Since I've essentially built this motor on a dolly, my options are bit more limited.
I definitely need to check the vitals while breaking the motor in, preferably without the gauges rolling around on the floor and a mess of wire.


I drew this up in solid works and bent it this afternoon.





Room for everything I need to break the cam in. (ignore the vacuum gauge)





I am really happy with it. I might add some holes for a switch... but I've done a lot already maybe a screw driver will be fine for engaging the starter.





-------


As for the car - here are a few pictures of cutting the chromoly pushrods.


I used verniers locked @ dimension to scrape a line where my pushrods should be cut. From there I used an archery cutter - $14 on amazon - to finish the job.





Squared up with a 90* block, checked with an angle finder and LIGHTLY belt sanded.... one tap at a time, shaving a few thou of until I got a nice tight fit in my caliper.








2 old lifters, a rub of light oil and a mallet. We are in. They are all within 10 thou (on the money) super stoked.






General cleaning up.... Engine mount from the old motor...





If it comes out, it gets cleaned!





Foolishly, I didnt think about installing this before the impeller housing and half of the tins... Go Jared


It all comes back off.


Installed - VHT paint on the mount bar.







This is where I stand now.





I think it has come a long way! Hopefully it turns over.


Basically left until firing:

-Remaining tins
-Carbs/fuel line
-Load with break-in oil
-Achieve oil pressure
-Plugs/Wires
.....
-Hook up my new test gauge panel and trans.


I think that is it!

Thanks for reading.

Hey, thanks for the kind words. Right down the road from me.

You have found the best resource for these cars and the best group of guys. I wouldn't have much progress of any caliber without 914world.

Some things I have learned: Be willing to do things twice! This has been a lot of frustrating work. Don't be so critical of your work, learn from the mistakes and have fun. Looking back at the early pages and seeing the progress in saving this car is a great feeling.
Mig welding is simple with practice. Make a build thread with pics!

I'm sure we will meet soon, come to the local events, a lot of us show up


EDIT: I may be able to help you out with the long block from my '71, but every square inch needs gone through.

More good work, Jared. Here's to a successful engine start-up.

BTW, I assume you have turned it through several revolutions by hand to check for any surprises.

Thank you!

Oui, I have oiled the bits and turned it by hand, probably about 40 times
since the valve adjustment. The dual springs make it a bit of a work out.

good luck with the rest of the build. Good to see you do such much work yourself !

Appreciate the offer on the long block, but as of now I'm taking things one step at a time. First I'm working to identify and repair all rust, then I'll probably go about cleaning and painting damn near every part underneath the car. After that I'll start thinking more seriously about the right path for the engine, but at the moment I'm thinking a Subaru swap. I have friends with some excellent connections in Subaru world that can get parts very cheap, and I take it the swaps aren't monstrously difficult.

Made more difficult by the fact that I've got a fourth kid on the way though lol. I've got four weekends (Sundays, really) to work before baby enters the scene, so let's just say I'm expecting the project will be measured in months, if not years.

Congrats on a very cool find. These are still, imo, underrated—and Studio cloth is one of Porsche's all-time coolest interiors (also imo).