Wow!
Your restoration of that looks great!

I haven't seen Clecos yet!

https://www.amazon.com/Fastener-Deluxe-Fast...7a81bd2e5c1d6fe

Were you aware of them?

You'll need them soon.

Temporary rivets...

Yes! I have them but you are assuming I know where I put them in my shed I typically pull them out when I'm mocking up the body panels but they would probably help me on some of this stuff. Damn it! Now, I need to find them. Thanks for mentioning this and reminding me.

Like the dog said when he back into the grind stone, "RUFF". Nice job, not something I would take on.

@Geezer914 - just wait till I post the pics from the hell hole repair

Passenger Side Longitudinal - Part 3 (3/2023): Starting on the inside of the car, I removed the surface rust and prep'd the existing metal Ospho and weld-thru primer. Next, I fitted the first of three pieces of an inner stiffing kit that I had purchased for my last restoration but didn't use (I had opted for the RD external stiffeners, instead). I think this kind of stiffener is a good option after completing this kind of repair to the bottom part of the longitudinal.

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After completing the welds on the stiffener, I was then able to prep and paint the internal longitudinal and then reattach the cleaned/restored heater tube.

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Inner Fender Replacement (3/2023): Before getting to the rocker, some tricky metal work is required to replace the section of inner front fender that extends under the rocker panel. Note: I'm welding on the first of three cuts. Working with a wheel in the way isn't fun so I'll revisit this part of the repair later when it's on the rotisserie. I like using my welding vest to protect my legs

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Rocker Panel Replacement (3/2023): I finally get to install the replacement rocker from Restoration Design. The first thing I had to do was measure the placement and weld in the outer rocker panel nuts onto the new panel. Next, I cut the part to match the old part of the rocker that remained below the door support. I then used weld-thru primer, internal frame paint, followed by CRC Marine spray wax to prep both the rocker and the inside of the longitudinal. After reinstalling the heater tube (critical), I welded the rocker in place.

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delete

Fender Support Repair (4/2023): The final step in the longitudinal fix is to reconstruct the lower section of the hinge support bracket. I also had to fix the "unauthorized" hole [probably for speaker wires] and a few minor rust holes. With this car being an A/C car, I had to contend with the holes made through the support of the hoses. At the front, I tried to replace the rusted metal as best I could. I did leave a little of the repair for later when the car is mounted on the rotisserie. I just couldn't get a lot of access with everything else that was in the way. On the back side of the repair, I just replaced the metal, added some reinforcing metal and called it a day. I'll drill the A/C holes later before I weld in the door sill.

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Really coming along! Thanks for sharing all the pics. We like following build/repair threads around here.

Thanks Dan! There's a lot here on 914World, for sure. Here's a link to a site where I learned how to rebuild this part of the car. It's an older site but still up/helpful.

https://motorsport.zyyz.com/project_914_03_04.htm

Outer Hell Hole Repair (4/2023): Here we go! My plan was to rebuild the inner structural metal first using the correct gauge metal and then remove and replace the outer sheet metal. To do this, I first cut a piece to go from the bottom of the longitudinal to some good metal up the "frame rail". You can see the use of my daughter's construction paper to set the shape of several of the repair pieces. Once the bottom was in place, I then form the missing side walls using my metal brake to match the shape as best I could - welding it in piece-by-piece. I then finished this part of the repair with a few formed pieces that go around the engine mount intrusion. Note: Nobody will see this repair so it's all about making it strong/rigid. Also, I used a ball jack to support the end of the longitudinal before cutting any metal out of the car., just in case.

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Inner Hell Hole Repair (5/2023): The first photo shows the damage! Previous repairs were present here and there. After removing the scab metal, I removed the engine mount to expose the hidden horror. After cutting away more metal I exposed a majority of the rail. Here you can see the reconstructed inner rail (gray).

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With a little wire wheel and rust converter, I was able to get things looking a bit better. I didn't like the looks of the top part of the inner rail so I decided to replace a section with new metal. This repair was straight forward.

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Next, with the inner rail prep'd/repaired, I started forming the sheet metal pieces I would need to reskin this entire section. Note the use of the RD repair piece to help set the edge on the fender side. Once I puzzled the pieces in, everything was removed, painted with weld-thru primer or frame rail paint prior to being welded in. After grinding the welds the bottom pieces were then formed and welded in place.

More photos coming in a few days...

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Nice!

(Once again, I have to wonder what the Porsche/Karmann engineers were thinking when they concocted this 12 layer design--and what the guys on the factory floor thought.)

Good questions. The heavier internal metal doesn’t often meet with other panels. It’s just providing strength to the lighter (18 gauge) sheet metal. I guess that keeps your welded contacts thinner - easier to weld on the assembly line.

The use of the inner corrugated stiffener is the part of the secret to making the 914’s light weight chassis.

The stamped stiffening darts add section thickness that stiffens the inner reinforcement panel far more than could be achieved by using a much thicker flat panel. Stiffness through geometry rather than mass.

The kink in the longitudinal as it transitions from floor pan up into the engine bay is structurally weak in vertical bending. Addition of the corrugated inner stiffener really helps stiffen that critical area.

This technique of localized section stiffness is now commonly used in all modern unibody designs.

Gotta’ remember how advanced this was at a time when lots of domestic iron was still heavy, body on frame construction.

That’s quite a project -

Keeping another one on the road

You should make a "Project Book" in a paper form to document all the exquisite work for the possibility of car shows and to increase the value if you ever decide to sell.

The car will be impressive, but the work done to bring it back is FAR more impressive in my book.

People who have done this before will be the ones who are the most "blown away" by your level of competence.

Up in Chicago for a few days. I’ll post more when I get back. The whole inner fender repair is next, followed by the rear body panel to finish up the trunk, and back into the engine bay for the inner suspension console, battery tray, and engine mount. That will catch us up to present day.

Good info! I’ll try, at a minimum, to mimic the factory metal as I move along.

Inner Rail/Fender Repair - Part 1 (6/2023): After a few weeks away, I spent some time cleaning up the inside of the main support rail. There was already a 1/2 inch hole drilled behind the outer suspension console by the previous owner so I decided to just open up a larger hole to aid in the process. With a square cut out of the inner fender, I was able to better clean, wire-wheel, and rust-treat the entire support rail. I also removed the old black paint on the inner fender. A few of the pictures show the crazy amount of surface rust that has gotten underneath the paint over the years. It must be completely removed. Luckily, it's fairly easy to do with a phosphorus-based etching treatment. All of this prep had to be done prior to patching up the rust holes in the inner fender and completing the hell hole repairs.

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Inner Fender Repair - Part 2 (7/2023): In the initial set of photos, you can see how poor the metal was next to the battery tray (no longer present), the shabby rivet repair to the trunk hinge cup, and several extra holes that were used for God knows what. To gain access to both sides of the metal here, I decided to remove the lower section of the inner rollbar support piece. This was removed by drilling out spot-welds and a few cuts. The exposed bit of surface rust was easily removed.

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Inner Fender Repair - Part 3 (7/2023): The following photos show the repair to the metal around the batter tray and the replacement of the rollbar support piece after filling several, ad hoc drill holes.

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Inner Fender Repair - Part 4 (7/2023): With the inner support metal removed from an inner wheelhouse repair piece I picked up off of eBay, I trimmed and fitted it to the body. It took a while to make sure that the external sheet metal (skin) that has the jack point base was located at the proper measurement. I even mocked in the jack post and outer rocker panel to double check alignment. There's a bit of wiggle room here but you want to get it pretty close. Once satisfied, I welded the internal structure in place. Next, the outer sheet metal skin was aligned and welded. Adding on the jack post, repaired support plate, and the little fender support piece to the roll bar support, the repair was considered complete. Note: I also patched up the air vent tube that had a bit of rust damage.

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Rotisserie (10/2023): Having completed the repairs I thought necessary to stiffen up the chassis on the LE, I went ahead a built another rotisserie from scratch. Unfortunately, I had sold the previous rotisserie that I had made for my other 914 a few years ago - 'cause I never thought I need it again However, I did employ a few "lessons learned" from the last one like: using a drill press for the support bar connection holes on the hoops, and properly cleaning and painting ALL of the metal. Keeping your hands free of that dirty, oily coating is really the way to go.

So, using the same Restoration Design blueprints, I went forward with the build. I ordered/picked up 12 pieces of 12' X 1 1/4" square tubing along with several scrap pieces of 1/2" plate for the casters and the for the four mounting points on the car. BTW, the casters were purchased off amazon for less than $100. I actually only used 10 pieces of tubing for the rotisserie, the other two pipes were saved for an engine test stand that I will be building later.

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One thing to note about the RD plans is the fact that the angles listed for the rear hoop's mount to the transmission support tunnel are 180 degrees out. I also think additional support metal should be added to the mounting points, which is easy to do with some of the leftover metal scrap. The following pics show how I used my old flux-core welder to build the hoops that were cut, cleaned, and primed. This process is easy to do based on the drawings. I used Simple green to clean all the pipe and painted everything (once dry) with some self-etching metal primer. I would also recommend welding the hoops with the aid of the flat garage floor, like I did.

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Back outside, I finished any necessary welding on the hoops and began the process of constructing the front and rear mounting points. Once completed, I painted the hoops with some cheap black spray paint. I then decided to add some additional bracing and welded two 6" plates for the casters to the bottom of each hoop. Sorry, I don't have a good picture of the front hoop's mount to the 914's Aux Support bar that is utilized with this design. I also cut the 8 long connecting bars to length and added a 2 1/2" piece of angle iron to each end. A hole was later drilled through each bar end to secure each bar to both hoops.

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These final photos show the car being mounted to each hoop and later secured with the 8 support bars. All that is left is to remove the remainder of the rear suspension so the car can be rotated. This entire process took me 3 days and cost less than $450. IMO, this is not a very difficult job to do. You just need a welder, a drill, and something that can cut metal.

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Back Panel Install (11/2023): Even though the car was now on the new rotisserie, I still wanted to take the time to weld in the new back panel. This part, like most of others, comes from Restoration Design. The original back panel was pretty much gone with a lot of rust, dents and cuts from the previous owner's attempt to remove the original lower trunk pan. I first cleaned and then hand sanded the part. After another cleaning, I gave the panel 2 thin coats of weld-thru primer. Unlike others, this part requires a lot of prep work prior to install. I had to transfer several items like the tow hook retention component, tail light retainers, trunk support hinges, speed nuts, etc. I decided to purchase a second-hand trunk lock support piece from a '75. It was pretty cheap and in a lot better shape than the one on my car. Note the use of the electric finger sander around the lock support piece. It really is a great tool for this sort of stuff.

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The following photos show the panel ready to be welded to the car. Also, a photo that demonstrates some of the metal prep involved on the car as well as the part being welded into the fender ends and trunk. Note: there are several welds below the trunk that put the rotisserie to its first use.

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this thread is great.

my old dad (who has left the world) would love to meet you.
he was a boilermaker.
had all the welding tickets.

used to call my mothers beetle, "hitler's revenge".

whats remarkable about these photos is seeing just what a bad call f piech made when he put the battery where he decreed (demanded as per hitler type logic) it had to be.

keep up the efforts.

Glad you like it! Wish I could have met your dad. He sounds a lot like mine, actually.

FYI, I’ll have a few more progress posts in a couple of days.

Man you In deep! Nice progress.

Passenger Inner Suspension Console Replacement - Part 1 (11/2023): With the back panel welded in on the trunk, it's finally time to replace the passenger side suspension console. I started by making a single cut to each gusset along the pinch weld seam. By doing this I can focus on removing just the inner console. I will reweld the gusset together at the end. Note the rust damage to the part.

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Before moving forward I cannot forget to weld in something that will facilitate the realignment of new part. I accomplished this by using 3 pieces of angle iron securely welded to the body of the car. You can see the metal piece is tangent to the face of the console ear with a hole drilled through to allow the bolt to be aligned to the console. This is obviously a very important step. Note the cuts made to the gusset to begin the process of removal.

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With the internals more exposed, you can begin to see that a mouse has lived here. Good grief! Having a water trapping nest only promotes the rust. With the bottom section of the console removed, I cut the rusted metal from the support rail skin for replacement.

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Like before, I used construction paper to develop the template which was cut from 18 gauge sheet metal. The following photo show this process. Note the one rosette weld that looks funny. This is what happens when you break for lunch and forget to turn the gas back on the welder

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Passenger Inner Suspension Console Replacement - Part 2 (11/2023): The first thing to do is remove the remainder of the original inner console and then prep the new/used donor part for install. Once I removed the donor part from its parent frame rail section I was able to get a good look at its condition. While its not great, it is in better shape than my existing console.

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After a quick inspection, I decided to separate the console into its pieces in order to properly rust treat prior to install. These photos show the "before" and the "after" It took several days of rust treatment and a bit of wire-wheeling. While not perfect, it will do for now. My plan is to spray in rust treatment at the end once the part is secured on the car.

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Knowing the condition of the metal, I decided to go ahead and reinforce the part. Based on what Tangerine racing offers for this, I was tempted to just order the kit. However, I happen to have 16 gauge sheet metal laying around and thought I'd give it a go. Here's a few photos of the process. I created one piece for either console. This was a pretty straight forward. It would have been easier with some nibs (as suggest in this thread earlier). My next posts will show how all of this is fitted and welded to the console.

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Before the part would be ready I had to fix the rust damage at the one end and then weld the two half together. I also fitted the reinforcement piece. I found it much easier to do the bending with the console half with me at the metal break. The following photo show this process.

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I didn't like the looks of the metal in the recess on the replacement console so I used a piece from my original console to make a quick repair. Finally, I had to deal with the missing ear at the top of the replacement console. Unfortunately, my original console was rusted out here, as well. I decided to use the ear from the other side of my original piece. I figured I could fashion it to look the same. I only need the portion at the top to match. I can grind the edge here to straighten everything out.

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Passenger Inner Suspension Console Replacement - Part 3 (11/2023): With the metal repairs completed, it's time to assemble the replacement console and get it installed on the car. The following photos show this process. Note: see how I forgot to properly drill out my spot weld holes. While not the end of the world, and I have a pretty good hole for each weld, it still bothers me that I didn't even notice it. Too much focus, I guess. I will show the use of my spot weld tool that I employed to help strengthen this seam later in a separate post.

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Next, I added the bracket for the MPS sensor (I think that's correct) and welded in my reinforcement piece. Note: the bottom of the reinforcement piece isn't completely welded in but I'll show that in my next post.

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New Battery Tray Install (12/2023): While I had the car flipped at the 90, I decided to go ahead and install the new battery tray. There's no exact spot here but it must be positioned such that the battery (when installed) doesn't hit the seat belt bolts on the firewall. After fitting/positioning the two pieces in the car, I then welded the base to the support rail. This allowed me access to internal tab where I had punched holes for two rosette welds (not pictured). I then shot additional primer over the cleaned welds and screwed in the tray. This was welded to the inner fender on one side and down to the base in several prepared holes (rosettes). The final picture was taken later with the car on at a 45 degree angle. Again, the prepared holes where plug welded to secure the tray to the inner fender. Grinding the welds on this side is much easier then in the recesses of the battery tray.

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Gusset Reinstall and Engine Mount (12/2023): With the replacement of the inner console, it's time to weld the gussets back in place and finish the job. In the process of doing this I also rewelded the rebuilt engine mount. There's a thread detailing the restoration of this part (with photos) that I posted earlier this year: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=365096&hl=.

Note: the yellow substance is the CRC Marine Wax. I've cleaned the internals of the front of each gussets and am just giving it a bit of additional protection before it all gets welded close. Another Note: I took my time doing this welding and used a ton of compressed air throughout the process. It isn't very pretty but I think it'll do.

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Now it's time to flip the car around and complete any additional welds so it all looks good. I also took this opportunity to add an extra piece of reinforcement that I had left over from my 914 GT kit. I didn't install this piece on my other 914 due to the fact that I used Restoration Design's Frame Stiffeners (https://www.restoration-design.com/store/product/PP346R).

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Additional photos taken after welding up a few small holes and cut marks. Not too bad. In the coming weeks, I will be replacing the driver side inner suspension console.

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Trunk Bottom (12/2023): Another area that received attention with the car flipped on its side was the bottom of the trunk. This greasy, rusty area had to get cleaned and stripped of old paint. Moreover, I also needed to grind down the welds that I made during the trunk pan replacement.

I will say that this area took a bit of time to do. The transmission mount area in particular was extremely hard to get to with it mounted to the rotisserie. I used a putty knife to get most of the heavy off, followed by a wire wheel, and finally a sand blaster to get the hard to reach places around the mounts and sway bar tabs. I also worked a bit up into each of the strut towers to remove the paint and sealant to get at the surface rust.

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I then worked the entire area with metal etching for 30 minutes using a 3M scuff pad. This process removed all the rust and contaminants and prepare the surface for primer. I decided to go with a cheaper, non-weld thru primer as a temporary coating. I will likely remove it later and lay down a DTM epoxy once the majority of the bottom part of this car is ready.

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Great work!

Hey thanks! Stay tuned. I just started the drivers side longitudinal yesterday. Will post pics soon.

Truely impressive!



Hey, I just had a thought!

You're going to need a place to store that rotisserie when you're done.

I know of a really good spot...

Bout 40' from where I'm sitting right now.

Sure! You are welcome to borrow it when I’m done. It might be a little while. Still have a lot of rust damage to repair

Drivers Side Longitudinal - Part 1 (12/30/2023): Here we go on the other side! Snapped some good photos on Saturday showing the disassembly and removal of the inner rocker panel and part of the rear inner fender. This is my 4th longitudinal repair and I'm starting to get a little more efficient. Since the rocker is in good shape and I will likely reuse the part, I will attempt to remove the rocker with the inner fender that includes the jack post and the area up to the outer suspension console.

I start by drilling out the spot welds. This is a very tedious process that works best with sharp drill bits and oil. I used a cap full of chain saw oil since it's what I had available. The following photos show the process of removing components, making strategic cuts to eventually free the metal and expose the longitudinal.

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With the metal removed, you can now see the large mouse nest. Nice! With my PPE still on I removed it and started the process to remove the heater pipe, clips, and the back section of the front inner fender. Next, I drilled out the retainers for the two heater elbow pipes (a real PIA), which finally exposed the entire longitudinal. This one is by far the best one I've ever seen!

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Final shot at the longitudinal, which will be my starting point, and a lovely pic of me with my PPE.

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Awesome work!

Those heat duct mufflers are available new if you need to replace them. PN 91157202502

What you are accomplishing with this thread has changed my opinion about you...

The sheet metal restoration you have "in progress" is one of the HARDER jobs for any tech out there.

You're VAPORIZING it!

I pray I can do work to your quality level, and I will be your "student" regarding this type of work.

When you come up to have me check out/recharge the 914 you will be the student.

We will do the work with inexpensive tools that you can afford.
I will show you the "tricks", give you an 'understanding of how refrigerant systems work'.
Give you most of the knowledge and sources you will need.

When we finish, I will EXPECT you to do your AC work YOURSELF from that point on...
I will not give you any slack about that.
Weather you know it or not, you are a FULL tech and will be treated as such.
This is both a blessing and a CURSE!

I have a "nice filter" that I use on the forums and with my customers.
For my buddies, my friends, my equals I DO NOT.
You screw up, like filling your diesel gas tank with DEF, I will never let it go...
From now on my friend Leonard will hear "Piss in the gas tank again?"

You're in that group now!

Most customers I have wait in the office, you will be expected to be in the shop actually working on your own car.

I'm POSITIVE that it will not phase you at all. You'll end up saying "Damn, that's easier than I thought. There's nothing to it..."

I will need multiple hours of instruction and assistance in my metalwork progression.

You'll get the AC stuff down in a couple of hours tops!

The AC knowledge will apply to everything you own in the future. If you're not doing the work yourself, you will be able to tell if the shop that is doing the work has a clue about what they are doing (this is a HUGE problem) and is honest.

Happy New Year!

Wow! This is the nicest compliment I’ve ever received on any of my “sheet metal” work. Thank you ☺️. My wife and I will be heading up your way sometime before March.
I’ll DM you. I look forward to learning all that A/C stuff. I only know the basics and what each component does but that’s about it. I had a great weekend working on the Porsche. More progress to post this evening.

Thanks Jeff!

Drivers Side Longitudinal - Part 2 (12/31/2023): After a quick wire wheel of the longitudinal, you can see that the metal is in good shape. However, there are several small holes down the rail and a few larger holes through both skin and support metal around the seat belt bolt area. Unlike most I've seen, this longitudinal looks like it has rusted from the outside -> in. Note: the upper rail around the rear suspension really looks good. I don't see any holes.

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Knowing that this car sat exposed in a field with a bed of leaves in the floor makes sense from what I'm was seeing from other side of the longitudinal. Here I have flipped the car on its side to attack the damage. My plan was to treat the rust in order to identify the troubled areas, and then replace the metal showing the deep pits. Note the cuts around the heater clip attachment point and how I pass this from one patch to the other.

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Next photos show how the first and second patches were welded into place. The blue panel clamps really help when butt welding. The last two images show the patches complete just as I was losing the light of day.

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Drivers Side Longitudinal - Part 3 (1/1/2024): Most of my day was spent taking down Christmas lights but I did manage to weld in two more patches. Light was fading on me so I quit before grinding my welds. Note: I over cut my first patch, which left a bit of a gap along the top edge. Not ideal but made it work. Just a few photos.

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Drivers Side Longitudinal - Part 4 (1/6 - 1/7/2024): Made decent progress on the longitudinal this weekend. I started where I left off with the two patches that needed to be ground down a bit. Nothing too fancy here, I just needed the repaired section treated so it doesn't flash-rust. We've had a bit of rain lately and being outside isn't ideal for bare metal.

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A quick look at the remaining damage on the longitudinal. After some thought, I decided it would be easier to do the next part of the repair from the other side.

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So, I rotated the car around to the 45 on the drivers side and removed the inner support metal, since it was in the way. This support metal will be restored off the car and welded back in later. Here you can see the repairs to the front and the remaining rust holes in the rear of the longitudinal. You can also see the marks where I plan to cut the bad metal.

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After working a good while on the fit, I started tacking in each patch. It took several passes, stitch-welding around the perimeter of the repair, to get it all done. Note: I had to use a lot of compressed air to keep the metal from getting too hot. You may notice the slight warp in the longitudinal edge in a few of the photos. This is due to me removing internal bend of the longitudinal and not from me over-heating it. I did have to make several minor adjustments with my hands as I went along to make sure I had the correct width to the opening of the longitudinal in the end.

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After all four patches were finished, I took a "first pass" at grinding down the welds that will need to be flush for the support metal to lay flat. Not done with all of this yet but it's getting there

With rain expect tomorrow, I did a quick etch along the entire inside of the longitudinal and then covered the car.

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Just catching up on this thread. Simply amazing. What a rescue!
Following for sure. Well done sir.

@Dion - Thanks! I know you know all about this type of repair. I've seen your build thread