Nope, not much fun at all. My legs and neck were very sore and stiff after that was all done, just from the contortions needed to make the welds. But, I was trying hard to keep the holes as small as possible.


It wasn't shown, but I've been spraying rust-converter paint inside each layer right before I seal them up. I do have the Eastwood Internal Frame coating, which will be applied inside the heat tube and inside the longitudinal through the factory access holes inside the passenger compartment.


Someone here quipped a while ago that "rust free 914" just means the seller isn't charging for the rust. ( )

Be fair! I am sure most 914s were free of rust for at least a few weeks after leaving the assembly line.

There's an old story out there on the internet, from a Porsche factory manager, where he said that at the end of the day, after all the lights, fans and other noises were turned off, he could actually hear the cars rusting on the production line.

Since I know everyone is just dying with anticipation to see the end of the "lovely holes" fix, here it is:

Yesterday, I welded in the outer layer patches. Didn't get anything else done since CINC-House had other plans.
Click to view attachment

Today, I ground the welds down and then primed the patch.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Once the epoxy primer dries, I'll hit it with some high-build primer, sand it smooth and the holes will be gone.

I also installed the new Tangerine Racing stainless steel fuel lines. While I was in the engine compartment, I found this stunning example of prime DAPO-ism:
Click to view attachment
Instead of proper rubber grommets, they sleeved the holes with aluminum flashing. They did put some thought and effort into this, shaping the aluminum to hold the hoses centered and also not fall out. Just too bad they didn't think to do it properly. SMH

Time to do more work on the fuel system.

First, need to fit a new vinyl overflow tube to the gas tank (the old one was broken off too short). This was kind of a pain, since the tube has to stretch quite a bit to fit over the nipple. But, here's the result:
Click to view attachment

Next, is to mount the fuel pump and fuel filter. I'm mounting them up front, and need to make sure everything will fit and clear. I'm using a Tangerine Racing fuel pump mount. I decided to also make a mount for the metal fuel filter. Here's how I did it.

First, start with a strip of aluminum, 1" wide by 2.5" long and fold a "Z" bend in the middle:
Click to view attachment

Then, shape one end over a socket:
Click to view attachment

Here's the finished bracket:
Click to view attachment

And, all the brackets mounted:
Click to view attachment

I'll install fuel lines and run wires tomorrow.

Love this thread! Thankfully I've had my 914 for 33 yrs, but I have to admit that somedays i am fixing things that I did wrong when I was 17yrs old...

That makes me the DACO!

Next, is to mount the fuel pump and fuel filter. I'm mounting them up front, and need to make sure everything will fit and clear. I'm using a Tangerine Racing fuel pump mount. I decided to also make a mount for the metal fuel filter. Here's how I did it.

And, all the brackets mounted
Click to view attachment

[/quote]

I hope you won't have to remove the fuel tank next time a new filter is needed ??
Mine are just behind the opening in the front firewall where there's access (late years fuel pump mounting area)

Thanks! Sometimes I wonder if anyone's reading this or if I'm just wasting electrons.


Yes, the tank will need to come out for a filter or pump replacement. However, it does mean that there's no need to cut a big hole in the firewall. And, given the car's current "toy" status, the fresh new screen inside the tank and how long modern fuel filters tend to last, that will probably be the next owner's problem....

Anyway, finally got the pump, filter and hoses installed. Also ran a pair of wires from the rear to the front to power the pump. Here's what it looks like, before the tank goes in:
Click to view attachment
I ran the wires through the center tunnel, and drilled a hole in the bulkhead to connect to the pump. I fitted a grommet to protect the wires (can be seen in the above pic).

Since the snorkel tube was cracked open, I took advantage of the break to run the wires through it and up into the engine compartment.
Click to view attachment

Once the pump wires were run, I decided to fix the snorkel. If you are very careful with CA glue, the factory rubber bits glue together nicely. A tip for accurately placing the glue is to put a drop on the tip of a small screwdriver and then use the screwdriver to spread the glue. And, work in small sections, starting at the ends of the crack and work towards the center.
Click to view attachment
Almost as good as new.

Don't worry--we are definitely reading.

Did you consider mounting the pump on the underside of the floor panel (above the steering rack)?

Yes, I did. Between the brake lines and the steering rack, there just wasn't enough room in that area to mount the pump with the TR pump mount and have sufficient clearance all around. I also thought about just mounting the pump directly to the sheet metal, but decided I really wanted it to be rubber mounted -- the pump is very loud without rubber isolators.

So, the parts I've been waiting for finally arrived. With the new drain hoses for the fresh air box in hand, I was able to get the tank re-installed.

The drain hoses are held in by ring clips, which have quite a bit of force. I wasn't able to hold them open reliably and safely with any of my existing tools, so I modified a pair of pliers to work. First step was to take them apart, then to mill a slot in each half. The slot was offset from the center-line of the jaws so the clip would fit properly.
Click to view attachment

Here are the pliers reassembled and holding a ring clip. They work very nicely.
Click to view attachment

And, a shot with the tank installed and everything mounted back onto it.
Click to view attachment
It looks a little high, but I made sure everything fits under the hood with clearance. I didn't bother with pics of the installation process, since it's a standard tank being installed in a more-or-less standard car. The only real annoyance was getting the rubber side pieces positioned properly, since it was rather finicky to get them at the right height.

Last night, I glued the perlon back on the front bulkhead and put the spare tire and cover back in place.
Click to view attachment

I would have ordered new perlon from 914Rubber, but they're on backorder. I'll replace it with a new one at some point, since there's a chunk cut out of this one below the spare tire cover.

This is what the battery tray looked like:
Click to view attachment
This is the result of old age, not prior-owner abuse, but it still needs to be fixed. So, out it comes.

I was really hoping to be able to keep the original tray support, but it was a little too rusty to keep using. So it came out too. Here's the result:
Click to view attachment
Next step is to clean up the remaining rust and paint it. Then, the new tray and support will be installed.

good trick with adjusting these pliers !

Question, when you took out the battery tray, did you manage to do that damagefree for the other side ? (outerside of the car) ?
(in case someone wanted to replace his/her tray, could that be done without hurting the other side ?)

It's relatively easy to remove the tray without damaging the outer quarter panel or the inner panel (the one you can see in the pic). I did it by using a dremel tool and grinding through the spot welds inside the battery tray; although it is kinda slow and time consuming. If you're careful, you can get all the spot welds and not damage the car's sheet metal.

For re-installation, I will drill holes for plug welds to attach the tray support to the car and the tray to the tray support. I will probably also drill holes through the inside panel, for plug welds to the lip of the tray. However, I'm going to test and make sure I can get my welder nozzle in the space between the inner and outer panels before drilling the holes -- if it doesn't fit properly, I'll have to figure something else out.

If you want, I'll take more pictures of the installation process, to show the steps.

"If you want, I'll take more pictures of the installation process, to show the steps."
That would be great, thank you very much and good luck !

Well, it's been too long, but I finally had a chance to work on the car again today. I was able to remove most of the rust in the battery tray area, but the wall where the tray attaches was just too far gone. So, I cut out the rust, made a patch and welded it in.

Here's the hole:
Click to view attachment

Here's the patch next to the cut-out piece:
Click to view attachment

And here's the patch welded in, with some of the grinding done.
Click to view attachment
Still need to finish grinding and then paint, before I can install the battery tray.

you have great metal fab skills,well done but expect to find other BS from the PO as after many years I'am still finding ……..

Didn't plan on it taking so long for this next update, but we've gone back to work full time and it's been pretty busy. Plus, family and life have a tendency to get in the way. But anyway, I did make some progress.

I finished grinding and primed the inner quarter, where the battery tray goes:
Click to view attachment

Then I welded a nut into the stand and then pre-drilled it, in preparation for welding:
Click to view attachment

I then welded the stand in place, using the tray as a guide. I also pre-drilled the inner quarter for plug welding the outside edge of the tray.
Click to view attachment
This is what it looks like inside the quarter panel. It's tight in there, but I can get the mig welder nozzle in and make plug welds
Click to view attachment

Because it will be such a pain to paint the underside of the tray and inside the stand after the tray is welded in, I pre-painted the tray and inside the stand.
Click to view attachment

I also drilled the holes for mounting the ECU:
Click to view attachment

Finally, I welded in the tray.
Click to view attachment

Here's the inside of the quarter panel, after welding and undercoating.
Click to view attachment

Well, it's been waaaay too long since I made any progress on the car. Don't really have much of an excuse, except life gets in the way sometimes.

Anyway, I finished and painted the battery tray. I also cleaned up and painted the little metal pieces on either side of the decklid and reinstalled the rear window and trim. Still have a ways to go, but I feel better putting some pieces back on the car.

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Nice going, and thanks for the updates!

It's finally time to take on the last "DAPO" thing I've found (so far) on the body -- the hole in the passenger-side latch panel.
Click to view attachment
Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the rust holes inside the DAPO-hole all welded up. It's done, but you'll just have to trust me that I did it.

I was able to buy a patch piece cut out of a donor car. Here's a pic of it trimmed to fit.
Click to view attachment

I bead-blasted the patch and painted the backside to protect it. Then, I cleaned the metal around the hole and tacked the patch in place.
Click to view attachment

In the next update (whenever that might be), I'll show the second half of patching the hole -- welding, grinding, filling and painting.

I was able to spend some time with the car this weekend, and I finished the passenger-side latch panel.

Here's the patch fully welded in:
Click to view attachment

Here's the patch ground down:
Click to view attachment

Here's the patch filled, primed and painted:
Click to view attachment

Not the prettiest job, but it will work until I have a chance to do a full restoration some time in the distant future.

Very very nice work.

I took advantage of the federal holiday to spend a little more quality time with the car today. Today's task was to fix the six bolt holes (3 per side) used to attach the bottom side of the rocker panels. I was hoping that all I would need to do was drill them out with a left-handed bit and everything would be good, but nope, the DAPO had other ideas.

Every single hole had a broken bolt stuck in it, and every single broken bolt had a hole drilled off-center through it. Like this:
Click to view attachment
You'd think after boogering up one or two holes, the DAPO would take a step back and try to get better instructions and/or tools for this job (or an f'ing clue), but nope, they charged forward and screwed up all the holes (only one shown for brevity).

For five of the holes, I was able to use my dremel tool with a tiny carbide bit to grind out the remnants of the bolt. Then, for each hole, I drilled the hole oversize, tapped it and installed a helicoil.
Click to view attachment

However, one of the DAPO-holes was so far off-center, I had no choice but to grind the hole oversize and weld it up. I then drilled, tapped and installed a helicoil in this hole so it would be consistent with the others.
Click to view attachment

Your thread makes me realize how fortunate I was to obtain a clean dry car with no dapo issues to deal with.
Thank you for posting your progress, keep up the good work!

Cheers,
John

I had some time yesterday to work on the car, so I decided to take care of prepping the passenger-side door for a mirror.

All 914s came from the factory with nut plates for mirror mounts welded inside both sides. However, normally only the driver's side was drilled out for the mirror. A factory passenger-side mirror was a rare option; it seems like most original owners that wanted two side mirrors just installed a pair of aftermarket mirrors. But I want original-style mirrors.

All I could find for instructions was to just "drill out" the sheet metal skin so you could screw the mirror to the nut plate. However, there are two issues with that simple guidance: First, you have to locate the holes from the inside to the outside; and Second, with my luck, I'd end up going too deep and drilling the threads out of the nut plate, ruining it as a mounting site.

So, here's what I did:

First, I unbolted the door and laid it on towels on a workbench. Then, I located the nut plate inside the door -- it's located just outboard of the post between the sliding window and the fixed triangular window. Here's a pic:
Click to view attachment

Then, I drilled pilot holes from the inside out. This was the only way I could guarantee getting the outside holes in the right place. It's very tight inside the door, especially with the window frame still installed, so I pulled out every right-angle drill attachment I own -- both of them -- and was able to cobble together a way to drill the pilot holes with a stubby 3/32" bit. Here's what the tool looked like:
Click to view attachment

And here's what the pilot holes looked like on the outside:
Click to view attachment

Then, I took my dremel tool with a small pear-shaped cutter bit and carefully ground the holes out to full size. This was actually the most time-consuming part of the project, but it let me make sure the holes were centered on the threads in the nut plate. After grinding, I chased the threads with a 6-1.0 tap and then touched up the paint. Here's the final result:
Click to view attachment

Then, after I was finished with the mirror holes, I went back and painted all the rusty areas inside the door with rust-converter. It's not ideal, but it should stop the door from rusting inside-out before the car can get a full restoration.

What fun would that be?

Good job. Love these sorts of pictures to reinforce there is no such animal as a rust free 914 regardless of how it looks on the outside!

Keep going - your car is coming along nicely.

Now it's time to tackle a common 914 problem (woohoo! . . . err, I think . . .) -- the jack points. Mine actually looked pretty good externally, but I discovered that both were packed full of sand and rust. Here's what the driver's side looked like after getting the sand out. Those little "lines" next to the vent hole are actually rust perforations, not scratches.
Click to view attachment

The passenger side was actually in worse shape than the driver's side, so that's where I started. Here's what the passenger side looked like after I took some tin snips to it:
Click to view attachment
Pretty nasty inside.

At this point, there really isn't much choice except to replace (at a minimum) the jackpoint reinforcements. When I've read other people's projects, they usually chop off a good-sized chunk of the quarter panel behind the door opening. While this makes access to the top of the reinforcement much easier, it requires a lot of work to fix the quarter afterward.

I decided to try a different approach. I bought one of those little belt sanders you see on various car restoration shows.
Click to view attachment
This thing works great! I'm astounded, I wish I had bought one many years ago. The 36 grit belt just zipped through the sheet metal, making it very easy to remove the spot welds on the bottom and the sides. The plan is to reach down from above (inside the quarter panel) to remove the top of the reinforcement.

I got about 80% through the removal process today -- the bottom and both sides are gone. The top part will have to wait for later, since I'm out of belts. The sander only came with one 36 grit belt, which lasted through taking off about half the reinforcement. The other belts that came with the kit didn't last very long, since they were finer grit. So, now I have to wait for a new order of belts to come; they should be here in time for next weekend.

This is what the piece looks like now:
Click to view attachment

Haven't quite decided what to do about the inner sheet metal. There are no penetrations and the jack post is solid, but the sheet metal is rather thin in spots. I'd like to replace the sheet metal, but replacement stampings are rather pricey, especially for the small pieces I'd need from it. On the other hand, McMaster sells galvanneal sheet -- I can get a 2'x2' panel for less than half of one of the pre-formed parts, and have plenty left over. I guess we'll see once I get the rest of the old reinforcement out.

Chasing the rust is a very very slippery slope. I began drinking when we were cutting out rust and replacing panels. I did not think I was going to survive that seemingly never-ending trauma.

In reality, looking back, dealing with the rust really was not that bad on my car. It mostly had bad body repair work from when these cars were a dime a dozen (and in VA) when no one took the time to do it correctly.

Fortunately, I had Kent Simmons (Auto Art Customs,Torrance, CA) on the job and he was 1000% up to the task. I have never regretted meeting and getting to know Kent. All I can say is if you have rust, not even bad rust, find someone who knows what they are doing so that rust issue, even after rust repairs, doesn't keep haunting you in all sorts of different ways.

So, the new sander belts came in and I got back to work on the car this morning.

Here's what the remains of the jackpoint reinforcement looked like from inside the quarter panel:
Click to view attachment

About a half-hour later, this is what that space looked like:
Click to view attachment
I am really liking this little belt sander. However, the generic 36-grit belts were disappointing -- the grit was caked on so thick, most of it cracked off pretty quickly. Fortunately, I also ordered some 3m cubitron 60+ grit belts that did a great job on the old sheet metal and rust.

Once I got the rest of the old reinforcement out, including cleaning the remnants off the jack post, I tried dry-fitting the new piece. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can get the panel in place with just some wiggling; I was afraid I'd have to cut it in half, but no need.
Click to view attachment

After that, I soaked the whole area down with Ospho. The plan is to use some Eastwood internal-chassis paint inside that area once everything is welded back in place.

Also, since I had the welder out, I decided to weld up the hole in the sheet metal under the door opening. You can see the hole in the above pics.
Click to view attachment

With any luck, I'll be be able to weld the reinforcement in place tomorrow.

And . . . done!
Click to view attachment

It even works!
Click to view attachment

I need to finish cleaning up and painting this side, then it's on to the other side (joy. )

And, now for the moment you've all have been waiting for!

Okay, well, maybe not all of you. Errr, well, maybe not any of you.... But it's the moment I've been waiting for, for far too long -- time to reinstall the passenger door!

It took a while to clean up the rust and old primer on the sill. It was all sanded down, treated with Ospho, re-primed and repainted. Here's what it looked like, just waiting for the door:
Click to view attachment

One little trick I figured out a long time ago, on a project far far away, is using studs to help with bolting on the hinges. Put one stud in the body plate for each hinge (one top and one bottom). This makes it much easier to line up and install the first two bolts. Once they're in, unscrew the stud and install the last bolt. Here's the idea:
Click to view attachment
The doors mount with 8-1.25mm bolts, which are the same size as the exhaust studs. So, most of you probably already have a few lying around somewhere.

And, now the moment .... yeah, you know what's coming. The door installed!
Click to view attachment
This was a two-person job. I held the door in place, while my oldest son (who's home from grad school) installed the bolts. Then, he helped me adjust the door. It's lined up much better than when it arrived.

While I was at it, I also installed the passenger-side mirror. It's just a normal driver-side mirror, flipped over. Someday I may get a piece of convex mirror glass for it, but for now it'll work, and it just looks so much better than those aftermarket mirrors that were on my previous 914.
Click to view attachment

Great work. Looks really good.

Looks great.

And I agree: grad school sons are sometimes helpful.

Reading this makes me want to build another car. For now, I'll just watch from afar and admire your workmanship

No getting off that easy. Do tell . . . . How did you weld the top? I'm assuming MIG with blind point & shoot approach?

I've got a similar situation but will need to TIG. I'm really debating about removing the top 1/2 of the pyramid. I want full fresh metal in there but I think it's going to be almost impossible to weld the top. Having said that the welds along bottom and side would be more than enough to provide a functional support. Maybe just seam seal the top and be done with it.

Yup, especially when they figure out how to pay for grad school on their own! In this case, he has a research assistant position that includes tuition and pays a stipend that covers room and board.




As you guessed, I used a MIG welder. I pre-drilled all the rosette holes, then one-at-a-time, positioned the MIG gun over each hole and filled in the spot. I used the goggles from my acetylene torch, since I couldn't get my head in position to see while wearing the welding helmet -- it was a little bright, but much better than no protection at all. I did the top after doing the sides and bottom, so I didn't have to worry about the piece moving while welding.

Rather than just seam-sealing the top of your pyramid, maybe you can TIG the sides and bottom and then MIG weld the top like I did. Ugly welds hidden where no one can see should be better than no welds at all.

Bill, @BillC , great job. So nice to see that door fitting properly and you are 100% right about the stock mirrors- they fit the car perfectly. I too wish I had a convex mirror on my passenger side mirror. Great Job.

Don't need the top welds, for shear, all other welds have enough to handle this and in bending, all the bending loads on the top half are trying to push the gasset into the longs anyway, no tensile loads on those welds.

Just getting caught up on your thread. Fantastic work. The stud for hanging doors is a great tip!!! I lost count of the number of times I mounted my doors solo and could have really benefited from that bit of wisdom

It may look like not much has happened since the last update, but most of that time was waiting for two little rubber bumpers. First place was back-ordered, but didn't bother to tell me before they shipped the rest of the order, which ended up taking nearly three weeks to be delivered (thanks again, usps. ). I then asked if anyone on this forum had a pair and finally found a pair , but now that shipment is lost in usps hell. So, ended up getting a pair from Stoddard, which was the same price as the original vendor.

So, this is what the decklid looked like when I removed it from the car. The PO had primed a lot of area, trying to minimize the spread of rust, but didn't actually do any rust removal.
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

I took the grill and springs off, removed the extra primer, cleaned up the drip tray and repainted the decklid. Here's what it looks like back on the car:
Click to view attachment
I thought I had taken a few pics after it was all painted and reassembled, but I guess I didn't (sorry).

While it was apart, I decided to add a third brake light. Someone on a local forum sent me a string of LED lights. Thanks, Matt! Here's what the new light looks like:
Click to view attachment
I will end up wiring it to the brake circuit, so it will light with the regular brake lights (already replaced with a set of Spokewerks LED tail lights).

And, in case anyone was wondering, here's what one of those long-delayed bumpers looks like installed:
Click to view attachment

Just remember that is wasn't all that long ago these cars were considered cheap junk and people butchered them up on a regular basis...

Time to take on the last rusty area I've found -- the driver's side latch post and jack point.

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

This side doesn't look much worse than the passenger side. However, I'm going to have to replace the jackpoint tube, since I poked through the metal at the bottom when cleaning out rust.

Also, when I unscrewed the latch post, the screw plate underneath wouldn't move. Turns out, that area was packed full of this god-awful light-brown sand. The only heavily-rusted places I've found on this car are places where the sand was packed in -- both jackpoints, the lower driver's latch panel where the vent tubes run and (of course) the pocket for the latch post screw plate. Some DAPO must have driven this car on the beach multiple times (or just one time very enthusiastically).

With some poking and prodding, I finally freed up the screw plate. I also knocked a surprising amount of sand on the floor -- could the inside of that pocket be like a tardis (bigger on the inside)? Unfortunately, it turned out that the backside of the pocket is rusted out, so I'll need to purchase or make a replacement.
Click to view attachment

I already have a replacement latch panel, latch reinforcement and screw plate, but can't find a replacement pocket cap (or whatever it would be called).
I'll make one if I have to, but would like to see if a new one is commercially available.

Does anyone know if a replacement for that pocket/cap is available? I've already checked Restoration Design and AutoAtlanta, but can't find the part on either site.
Any leads are appreciated -- looking for the sheet metal piece circled in red.
Click to view attachment

I was able to spend more time today on the car, stripping off rusty metal. I got the jackpoint pyramid and tube off. And cut out most of the rust at the bottom of the latch panel; not sure how much more I'll be taking off, but at least a little more.

I also cut out the section where the door latch mounts. I was really hoping to leave that section of the latch panel intact and just fill the little rust holes. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the support piece behind it out without better access; so, out it all came....

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

Also, here's what the recessed pyramid area inside the jackpoint looks like:
Click to view attachment
This side is definitely worse than the other side. So, I'm going to make a replacement piece out of some 16ga galvaneal I already have and weld it in. I've left the part in place for now, so I can make a pattern off of it (more masking tape...). It's fairly complex, with four triangular panels and a recessed pocket at the bottom for the jack tube, so it'll end up being two pieces welded together.

Nice work! I used 16g for that section on my car and it came out rather nicely. Really sturdy. Should last another 40 years.

Keep it up!