So I finally managed to get back to the car today, for a few hours. I cut and tacked-in a patch for the hole in the latch area.

Here's the hole where I cut out the rusty latch area, after it had been soaked with Ospho:
Click to view attachment
Not shown: once the Ospho was dry, I sprayed the area inside the quarter with high-zinc paint.

Here's the patch fitted, and then tacked in place with the tackwelds ground down.
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

The plan for tomorrow, assuming the weather cooperates, is to finish welding in the patch and then get started on the reinforcement behind the latch.

I did my own...

Here: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...t&p=2887081

On your post #96, how did you remove the torsion bars of the engine lid? Was that scary like the ones for the rear trunk?

@Montreal914
Thanks for the link! That's how I was thinking of making mine. Only difference is that I'll be able weld it to the reinforcement bracket before I weld the bracket in place.

The engine lid torsion bars were very easy to remove. Much less energy involved than the trunk lid springs. First step is to unbolt the deck lid from the car. Then, lay the deck lid upside down on some towels. Then, you'll be able to push down on the torsion bar at the hinge end to slide it out of the notch in the hinge. Then, just unscrew the block in the middle, and work the torsion bars out of the hole on the other end.

I recommend taking some pictures of everything assembled before you take it apart, especially if it's going to be a while before reassembly. I also used masking tape to label each end of the bars, so I could get them back in the same way.

Great! Thank you for the procedure, and yes, there could definitely be time between the disassembly and re-assembly. I need to replace one of the mounts on the firewall and I think it will be easier to set the location if I can freely open and close the lid without fighting the torsion bars. The other mount was repaired in the past and the whole lid may not be properly lining up, so that might end up being a complete alignment job.

Good luck with your project, looks like you are making great progress.

Very nice work.
Regarding the torsion bars - If there is any sag in the engine lid when open, you can swap the torsion bars (so that they bend in the opposite direction) and it'll be like new.

I finished welding in the patch and grinding it down this morning. Here's what it looks like:
Click to view attachment

After I finished welding and grinding, I tried fitting the reinforcement panel behind the new panel. Unfortunately, the holes don't quite line up, they're about 1/8" off each other. So, after lunch, I'll first measure the locations for the screw holes in that panel, using the other side as a guide, and adjust whichever set of holes needs adjusting to match. Then, I'll start on the adding the nut plate and cover to the reinforcement that goes behind the panel and weld that in too.

I measured the holes in the driver's side panel against the passenger side. The height of the holes is the same (yay!), but the driver's side holes are 1/8" further inward than the passenger side (boo!). But, since the cars were hand-assembled, I wasn't completely willing to trust the measurements. So, I remounted the door and checked the latch plate fitment, because now is the time to fix any fitment issues rather then after everything is assembled and painted.

Turns out the measurements were right, and the holes needed to be moved/slotted so the latch plate would end up in the right spot. Only took a few minutes with a rat-tail file, but now I have slots where there should be just holes.
Click to view attachment

I'm not completely sure if I should leave the slotted holes like they are or if I should weld up the incorrect areas. The perfectionist in me is screaming "weld 'em up!", but my pragmatist side is saying that no one will see the holes once the car is reassembled and to just leave them alone. What do y'all think?

So, with the door post more-or-less fettled, time to look at the parts that go behind the door post. Here are the parts I removed and the new parts from Restoration Design:
Click to view attachment

Working from the inside out means starting with the nut plate. The old plate is just too rusty to use, but the new plate doesn't have the deep holes of the old one.
Click to view attachment

So I decided to add deep holes to the new plate. First step was to weld on some 8mm tubes to give depth (thanks for the tubes, @Superhawk996 ). To make the tubes align, I first screwed a long bolt into a hole and then slid the tube over.
Click to view attachment
Once welded, the bolt is removed and the tube is cut a little long.

After all four tubes were added, I ground them to length.
Click to view attachment

Finally, I capped the tubes with a bit of weld.
Click to view attachment


The part was then wire-brushed, had a tap run through each hole and finally painted in high-zinc paint. Once the paint is dry, it'll be ready to install under the cap I still need to make.

Nice work. Very creative use of the tube. I love it. Glad to see it going to good use. Otherwise, it would just be sitting in my scrap metal bin, waiting for some unforseen need that may never happen.

Time to work on the latch plate support bracket.

First step was to put some M6 screws in the nut plate and mark out the travel limits of the plate on the bracket (slide the plate in each direction and then mark with a sharpie):
Click to view attachment

Then, I CAD'ed up a box to fit over the nut plate. In case you didn't know, this is Cardboard Aided Design -- modern ancient technology at it's finest!
Click to view attachment

Then, I transferred the design to some sheet metal, cut it out and welded up the corners:
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Then, I tacked the box in place on the bracket, making sure the nut plate is both inside the box and could still move around:
Click to view attachment
I only tacked it because the box has no structural purpose, and I sealed around it with seam sealer.

Then, I fitted the bracket in place, using long screws with extra nuts to hold the bracket in place for welding:
Click to view attachment

Here's what it looks like all done:
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Next step is to replace the rot under the jack point, which looks like this:
Click to view attachment
Unfortunately, from this angle it's hard to see the shallow pyramid shape formed into the factory metal, but it's there. That shape is why I'm making a pattern before cutting metal

First step is to make a pattern, using masking tape:
Click to view attachment

The tape conforms to the pyramid-like shape of the original metal, so I can transfer the pattern to new, flat metal (after cutting the pattern open).
Click to view attachment

After cutting out the piece of sheet metal (.071" galvaneal from McMaster-Carr), I set up a set of clamps on the mill as a mini pan brake:
Click to view attachment

Here's what the metal looks like bent to shape, and then welded:
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

As you may have noticed, I made the part oversize, because I haven't cut out the original metal yet and don't know what I'll find underneath -- at this stage, it's easier to remove extra metal once I know the hole size than to have to add it later. Also, the center "socket" will be another piece formed to match the replacement jack tube and then welded to the backside of this piece.

I think I know what you will find

Yeah, I suppose you just might at that.

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

Now it's time to make the recessed center pocket for the jack post.

First steps were to cut out a blank from the same sheet metal and then bend it to shape:
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Then, the pocket is held in place with magnets and welded:
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Then, the pocked is cleaned up on the face, and the post is put in place. The post is just dropped in for now, to make sure it will fit later for final fitting and welding.
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

RD needs to make that latch box. Not fun. Good work

Every so often, this car gives me a pleasant surprise. I cut out the jackpoint "pyramid", and this is what it looks like underneath:
Click to view attachment

Sweet

Very nice find in the long.

Looks like your pyramid will fit perfectly! With such precise CAD work, not surprising

Had some free time this afternoon to finish welding and grinding the inner pyramid replacement. Doesn't look too horrible:
Click to view attachment

Next steps will be to fit the jackpoint tube and the outer pyramid. Both of these are replacements from RD, so that should go faster.

Very nice work! Please keep it going. I need this play by play for referencing.

The fender does not look to be cut. When putting the jack receiver and plate back in how will you weld in the top portion?

Thanks,
Sean

The rear quarter isn't cut. I'm trying to minimize the amount of sheet metal I have to cut to get to the sheet metal that needs to be fixed. Just like the passenger side (see page 5), I did the top welds through the rear wheel opening inside the rear quarter -- I added a pic of this at the bottom of this update.

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

And on to the next steps:

First step was to install the jackpoint tube. Before I cut out the old tube, I took careful measurements to make sure the new tube ended up in the same position. So, once the new inner pyramid was in, I started fitting the new tube. I held it in place and put a single tack weld. Then, I moved the tube to position and added two more tacks. Unfortunately for me, the tube moved a little while tacking and I had to cut the tacks, reposition the tube and re-tack it. Second time got it right, so I welded it all up. Then I painted the entire area under the outer pyramid with high-zinc paint. Here's how that came out:
Click to view attachment

While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I prepared the outer pyramid part. This consisted of punching out twenty 1/4" holes along the perimeter and then drilling two 3/8" drain/vent holes near the bottom. Here's how that looked:
Click to view attachment

Once the paint dried, I tried fitting the new outer pyramid. But, unlike the passenger side, this side wouldn't quite fit without modification. I used the dremel tool to cut two little slices, to tweak the upper lip out enough to clear the post:
Click to view attachment

Here's what the pyramid looked like when fitted into place, with "fuzzy" magnets holding it in place:
Click to view attachment

I then plug-welded the mounting holes. Then, I used an old cold chisel and a hammer to close the opening around the jackpoint tube, and then welded that up too. Finally, I ground down the plug welds with the little belt sander.
Click to view attachment

And, since someone asked, I welded up the three rear top plug welds inside the rear quarter, through the rear wheel opening. It's very tight in there, and it was a real PITA, but it's better then cutting the quarter open.
Click to view attachment
I got the front two plug welds through the hole cut in the door sill. That hole was cut because of the rust holes in the corner. Otherwise, I would have had to do all five holes through the quarter, like the passenger side.

Managed to sneak in some time on the car last night and tonight.

Time to patch what appears to be the last big hole on the car, at the bottom of the door opening:
Click to view attachment

This will get two separate patches, one on the bottom and one for the curve. Here's the bottom patch fitted:
Click to view attachment

And then welded in and ground down:
Click to view attachment

Last thing I was able to do before having to call it a night was to fit the second patch:
Click to view attachment

I'm hoping to be able to finish the second patch before the weekend.

Welded in the patch last night, and ground it down this morning. With any luck, this is the last large patch I'll need to weld into the 914 (at least for a while).
Click to view attachment

Now I need to prep and paint the door opening. Unfortunately, this is my least favorite part of working on a car. Also one of the slowest parts, since it requires waiting for everything to dry and/or harden -- not good for those of us who are patience-impaired.

And . . . another milestone achieved -- driver's door is back on!

Since it's just bodywork -- a little filler, a lot of sanding, then primer and paint -- I'm just going to show the final product. Here's what the door opening now looks like:
Click to view attachment

And with the door re-mounted and adjusted:
Click to view attachment

I still need to reinstall the vent lines and the door card, but those shouldn't take too long. There's a little more work in the engine compartment to wrap up, then on to the engine!

Your skills are fantastic. Looks great!

What are you using for paint and for spraying?

Thanks,

Thanks!


Just rattlecans, paint and primer from paintscratch.com. If/when I ever do a full restoration on the car, I'll either pay someone to paint it properly or at least buy a new spray gun setup.

Hard to believe it's been almost three years since I've worked on this car. All the usual excuses apply -- life, kids, wife, work, etc. Plus, I built a Spec Boxster and started PCA Club Racing.

Anyway, it's time to get back on the car. I'd really like to get it drivable by summertime (gotta have a goal, even if it's fantasy....).

I decided to re-start with the guide tubes for the heater control cables. Not sure why, but someone went crazy with a cutoff wheel and removed the tubes, leaving short stubs.
Click to view attachment

I know the proper, concours-correct fix would be to remove the old guide tubes and braze in new ones. However, the goal is to get the car drivable and enjoyable again, not compete at Pebble Beach, so I'm going to take a simpler approach.

First, I cleaned up the stumps and ground back some of the factory brazing, to expose as must stub as possible. Then, I cut pieces of 3/8" steel brake line and shaped them to fit over the stubs, and then cut pieces of 5/16" steel brake line to replace the missing sections of tube. The brake line is nice because the two sizes are slip fits over each other and the stubs. Plus, I can keep the flared ends of the line to replace the factory flares.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
The red things are 10-ga wire. I stripped back about 1/4", flared the copper strands and stuffed them inside the tubes.

Finally, I glued everything in place with JB Weld. After I glued all the pieces, I pulled the wires out, cleaning any extra glue out of the tubes, to make sure the tubes were not blocked by the glue.
Click to view attachment
The folded-up paper towel is just to hold the tube in place until the glue dries. Don't worry, it won't stay there.

I thought about welding the lines on, but there's no easy way to get the welding torch around the back sides of the stubs, plus it is very tight in there. I also thought about brazing the pieces in, but with my luck I'd set all the stuff left in there on fire. As things are, I can always remove the pieces later on when it's finally time for the full restoration.

Nice work and love the color. Suggestion, mount the fuel pump and filter under the steering rack. When you need to change the fuel filter you just have to drop the pan instead of pulling the tank. Also replace the plastic fuel lines with Tangerine Racing stainless fuel lines with the engine and tank out of the car.

Thanks!


I've been thinking about doing just that. We'll see how things are going when it gets closer to actually starting the engine.


Already done. If you look at the pics, you can see the stainless fuel lines at the bottom of the firewall. The orange "wrap" on the stainless lines is actually the original vinyl fuel lines repurposed -- I cut them in a spiral and wrapped them around the stainless lines, they make good "bumpers" to prevent rattles and wear.

Just happened on your thread, great workmanship.

Please keep this going, it will put a smile on your face quickly and keep it there

Given the history of everything else I've found with the car, I decided to go through the engine before reinstalling it. I got as far as taking the accessories and shrouds off of it, and found plenty of issues.

So, here's what I started with:
Click to view attachment

As previously mentioned, someone put a fuel pressure regulator where the decel valve was supposed to go (and also left the small vacuum line open to atmosphere).
Click to view attachment

I found more kinked fuel lines:
Click to view attachment
All four of the injector fuel lines were like that.

And, once I got the shrouds off, I found this:
Click to view attachment
Can anyone tell what's wrong with this pic? I'll give you a hint -- there's no thermostat.

That "flap" is on the wrong side of the tabs. The way it is installed, it can never move. Probably done to make sure it didn't move because of the missing thermostat.

Not necessarily a DAPO, unless you know the guy, probably one of the mechanic's who had touched this example.

Great looking work, ETA?

Exactly. Probably done as you said, but seems to be more of a guess than a plan (see comment below).


I don't know. Locking the flaps open makes sense, but the spring on the flap rod also does that. However, they left the threaded hole in the block where the pulley attaches open and unplugged. It seems to me like someone who knew what they were doing would know to plug the hole, since it's open to the inside of the block. At least the open bolt hole explains all the oil under the engine.


Not sure, but I'm hoping to have it drivable by summertime.

We're back from our vacation trip, and time to get back to work on the car.

First, I took a look at the cylinder head temp sensor, to see what was installed. I couldn't see any numbers, so I thought I'd take it out for a closer look. But, it was very loose. Upon removal, I discovered the hole is stripped. <sigh> The DAPO gifts keep on giving....
Click to view attachment
So, I have ordered a helicoil kit (10mmx1.0), which should arrive Monday.

But, it turns out the CHT has no numbers on it at all, so I have no idea what it is supposed to be. Does anyone have a good 017 CHT available? (I already have a wanted ad posted in the classifieds forum)

Then, I decided to move on and adjust the valves. They were all on the snug side, so I'm guessing the previous owner never adjusted them after the rebuild. They are set properly now.
Click to view attachment

Next step was to add in some wiry goodness thanks to @JeffBowlsby -- new harnesses for the engine.
Click to view attachment
I installed the generator harness, and will put the others on as the engine progresses. Once I get all harnesses installed, I'll (finally) return the old ones for the core refund, if it isn't too late.

I then moved on to installing a new taco plate and deep sump (tuna can) from 914Werke. First step was to get the old ones off:
Click to view attachment

I made one change to the bottom plate for the tuna can. I checked the stock bottom plate, and the bolt flange is actually higher than the mounting rim (when installed). So I decided to take about 1/8" off the aluminum bottom plate, to raise it a little bit.
Click to view attachment

Then, I finished installing everything, including the oil strainer. Because there were now three layers of gaskets, and 9 ft-lb just doesn't seem like much, I used Yamabond on all the gaskets and under the bolt head.
Click to view attachment
Hopefully no leaks.

Had sporadic chances to work on the engine over the last few days. In that time, I painted the timing marks on the fan (and the fins near the marks), cleaned & inspected the throttle body & intake manifold, reset the distributor drive to the correct angle (12 degrees), helicoiled the CHT hole and installed the CHT, and reinstalled the cooling shrouds.
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

It turns out that a long, slender pair of c-clip pliers work great for pulling the distributor drive. Also, I rotated the engine on the stand so the distributor drive was exactly vertical, so the thrust washer under the drive wouldn't move around and fall into the case.

Also, I just installed an old 012 CHT. I'm still trying to find a good, used 017 CHT at a reasonable price, and the car came with a generic 012, so I'll try this for now.

I also discovered there's an oil leak somewhere on the front of the engine, so I'll be pulling the front shroud pieces back off and probably the engine mount bar too. At this point, it looks like the leak might be from the bolts that hold the mount brackets to the engine case.

While the engine was just sitting on the stand, waiting for more parts to arrive, it dripped a few drops of oil into the pan underneath. This seemed a bit odd, since I had already drained all the oil out of it. To try to find the source, and make sure it wasn't one of my new additions, I grabbed a pointer and hung it from various points under the engine to track the drip back up to the source. The drip turned out to be coming off the left engine mount bracket, which continued the seeming oddity, since the bracket bolt holes are not through holes.

So, I removed the engine mount brackets and found the source of my leak:
Click to view attachment
That is a straight-thread steel plug in an aluminum hole. From what I've been told, that's a factory part (smh). Anyway, the plug was a little loose, with only the factory stake holding it in -- it turned right out with almost no effort. FYI, the plug is 22mm with 1.5mm thread, straight thread (no taper), and is about 9mm thick.

I asked for advice on the forum, and the general consensus was that a straight-threaded steel plug was not really the right part for the application. But, no one makes a direct-replacement aluminum plug. The options came down to either a brass plug or make my own.

@bkrantz linked to his thread where he faced the same issue. He ended up going with a brass plug, but @Shivers had added a link to a place selling aluminum flange plugs with the right thread. That seemed like a promising path, so I ordered a few (one to use and spares, just in case).

Here's what arrived, next to the original plug:
Click to view attachment

I cut the head off and the finished result is the same thickness as the original:
Click to view attachment

I wasn't sure what sealant to use, but someone had suggested Loctite 574, so I ordered a tube. Of course, I only found it in 50ml tubes and larger, so I now have plenty of extra....

I also ordered a cheap tap, which I cut down to clean the old sealant out of the threads the hole.
Click to view attachment
I tried a few different solvents and cleaners, but the tap was the only thing that worked to actually clean the threads. Yes, I know I could have removed the fan and ductwork off the front of the engine, but I was trying to minimize the amount of stuff to be removed and reinstalled later.

And, just to help my odds of sealing, I put the new plug in the refrigerator and put a heater on the engine.
Click to view attachment
Note that the engine is tilted over. I also put a 2x6 under the front of the engine stand. This positioning helped keep that last little bit of remaining oil that never completely stops dripping from running forward into the threads.

After about 1/2 hour of heating/cooling, I used a q-tip to apply sealant to the hole threads and also applied some to the threads of the plug. I then screwed the plug in as tight as a I could without risking the remaining hex in the plug, so maybe 10-15 ft-lbs or so -- this is tighter than the original plug was, and the sealant should keep it stuck. But, just in case, I also staked the plug, like factory.
Click to view attachment

Hopefully, that's the end of that leak.

Fingers coursed for you!

And I'm just slowly chugging away on the engine. Still waiting for a few more parts to be delivered before I can wrap it all up.

Since the last update, I have:

• Changed oil filter
• Fixed another stripped hole
• Installed 123Ignition distributor and rough-timed it
• Installed coil and ignition wires
• Started installing vacuum hose kit from AA
• Tested and installed working AAR valve
• Tested and installed working Decel valve, making sure hoses are connected correctly.
• Installed intake runners and intake manifold, with new connecting hoses (and yes, I did remember to remove the paper towel plugs first).

Here's what the engine currently looks like:
Click to view attachment

Out of curiosity, and because I wanted to try out this oil filter cutter I bought from a friend, I cut open the old filter.
Click to view attachment

I was pleased to find no large chunks or shiny bits inside the filter. However, I did find plenty of black sludge at the bottom of the filter canister. I'm hoping it's just assembly lube and the previous owner simply didn't change the oil soon enough.
Click to view attachment

Once I (finally) get the car back on the road, I will change the oil early, just to help clear any remaining gunk out of the engine. The oil did look okay when I drained the engine three years ago.

Keep your momentum going, soon you will be rolling down the highways

Was able to get a little more work done on the engine this weekend. Here's what I did:

• Installed fuel rails and new fuel injectors & hoses.
• Installed remaining wiring harnesses from @JeffBowlsby
• Added fuel pressure gauge.
• Installed thermostat pulley.

Click to view attachment
One hose from the AA vacuum hose kit was too short, but fortunately I had extra hose from a previous project.

Still waiting on thermostat and oil pressure relief valve, but they should arrive any moment. Once those are installed, then I need to get the engine compartment ready and I should be able to reinstall the engine.

Did you seal the bolt for the thermostat pulley?

Yup, small amount of sealant on the threads prior to screwing in the bolt.

The last of the engine parts came in -- thermostat & related parts from Awesome Powdercoat, and the oil pressure relief valve from Tangerine Racing. Here's a pic of the thermostat installed:
Click to view attachment
The thermostat itself from Awesome Powdercoat is a very nice piece. Unfortunately, his bracket needed quite a bit of finessing for everything to fit & line up correctly. And the pulley he sells is a storm door roller that seems to be a little smaller than the original -- I had to file the cable hole in the sheet metal aft about 3/16" to keep the cable from dragging.

Fortunately, the oil pressure relief valve went right in place with no issue, once I found the tool I made years ago for unscrewing the retaining bolt. No pics of that though, since there isn't anything to see once it's all in.

Lots of other things going on, now that winter is ending, but I have made some progress on the 914.

Since my last update, I have been preparing the engine compartment so the engine can be reinstalled. So far, I have scraped out and replaced cracked seam sealer, treated more areas with rust converter, installed new seals around the engine tin opening and finished installing the stainless steel fuel lines.

Here are a couple of pics:
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

What rust converter did you use? POR-15?

POR-15 isn't a rust converter, it's a paint. It may seal rust from moisture, but it doesn't actually do anything to the rust (except stick to it). Plus, I've heard plenty of bad stories about POR-15 failures.

I'm using this:
Click to view attachment
It chemically converts rust to a different iron compound that is chemically inert as well as sealing the surface. There are other brands with the same action, this is what the FLAPS had on the shelf.

Ditto on that. So how does this stuff convert rust to a different compound? How does this stuff work better that POR-15? Just curious.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion

I remember now, it converts rust into what? Now I can't remember. Plutonium perhaps.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_converter

See item # 4:

https://mechanicbase.com/reviews/best-rust-converter/

And Bob's your uncle ("Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning" IIRC.)

Nice work. You might want to miter the corners of the engine compartment seals so they will close up tightly when the engine is in place.

I'll second that, the Loctite stuff did the trick, turns the surface a dull black.
Barefoot

I am so impressed by the way you documented your work...I (we) owe you for this!
Thank You.

You showed me the amount of misery and pleasure I have ahead, but knowing there are these different methods in solving the problems gives me hope in restoring my car.

Do you have a post somewhere about your "Boxster"? I am looking at purchasing one, but want to see what others who wrench on them think.