Please take a look at these items for me and leave any comments you have...

http://www.snflupigus.com/914issues/914issues.htm


ONE OF THE PICS - Please look at the rest.

the rubber strip needs a aluminum channel to slip into. The channel must be missing, so a screw was used, not correct, but functional if it keep the water out.

Keeping the water out is a big problem cause your fire wall is pretty badly rusted. I assume this was a later car that had the horrible sound deadening pad on the fire wall. This is were water and junk would get stuck, and cause rust out. (never seen this kind of rust on early cars without the sound deadening pad)

Looks like some of the engine shelf is also rusted away (passenger side of engine)

Without all the metal, and rubber seals in place around the engine, your engne will be getting pre-heated air for cooling, not ideal.

At least from the photos it does not appear the rocker was rusted thru by battery acid, however your battery tray is totally missing.

You front hood seperatin problem appears normal, mine has some gaps under some of the framing on the rear edge. Your rear trunk is very likely not fitting because of the rivit repair on the hinge point. Usually the repair is done with a welder, the key is getting the location exact, so the hood fits perfectly.
Lubrication of the hinge prevent the stress that will tear a hinge from the body.

I suspect you have bad rust on the floors, under the seats, this is typical when the firewall rusts out. (allows water to get under the seats, between the tar mat and the metal floor)

You have a very rusty engie bay. The outer body looks nice, but inside is rusty. Suggest you check out the rust more completely before investing too much time and money in this car. Just from the rust on the firewall makes this car a bad rust car. If any other rust, it may just be too much to practically save. (hence take the body kit off this car, and put it on a better car)

sorry for your rust problems.

i've found no other rust on the car. the front trunk is solid, the rear is also solid. under the seats are solid as well. all suprises me....

The battery tray seemed to be spot welded into place. I've relocated to the front in a plastic battery box.

I think I will remove the spring rod system and replace with gas shock type system for the rear lid. Then see about relocating the hinge point to the correct location when i pull the engine and can get in there easier with the rear lid closed. perhaps devise an adjustable setup.

i will get pics of the underbody today, longs, and trunk floors. will also pull the gas tank to see if there are any problems.

I have the receipts for the body kit install = $8,500!!!!
The same guy owned it for a long time and spent a ton of money on it. incl 1k just for the pressure sensor! and a few other tweeks. So I dont think it was a rusted out car before the body went on. But i suppose the fenders could have been maybe. All of the seal gutters etc are ok, the inner doors are fair....

I dont worry about water getting in now and rusting because i'm in Phoenix and it's no longer a daily driver.

The engine shelf i have worried about but the car has never overheated even here in phoenix... at least the gauge never went red (am i the idiot on this one) hehehe... and my oil light has never come on or anything.

I'm going to pull plugs today and see what they look like. Emissions test last year passed with flying colors the first time.

All in all i've been happy with the car but when i pulled the back pad and the sound deadener i started to tear up

There is no slot for my side window rubber. I think I will seal the holes from the screws and find some similar rubber with adhesive backing... on of the ol 356 speedster guys runs softseals hot rod /custom/ aftermarket division... at least he did last i talked to him.

Thanks dmenche

You ought to be able to get the aluminum channel from a swap meet, or post a wanted ad for a pair (right and left are different, get one of each) The channle screws onto the roll bar with some sealant under it, then the rubber slips in (with a small screw to prevent it from moving out)

If only the fire wall is bad, and floors are good, then when the engine is out, remove the rust, see if some one is parting a wrecked 914 and try to get the firewall to use as a patch panel, or make your own. A fiberglass patch could also be done. Just do your best to arrest further rust, and seal the holes so it don't get wet inside when you wash the car. A new engine shelf for the passengerside is made by Restoration Design (they might even make a firewall) It is easy to install with motor out, and a MIG welder This will allow better engine bay sealing from hot air.

A good area to inspect is behind the outer rocker covers, especially near the jack point.

good luck!

You have a Chalon, right? That might be why you don't see the aluminum channel. I can't say for sure since I don't know Chalons. I just know that fiberglass piece is right there. Also, it looks like there is a piece of welting on the fiberglass. The aluminum might be under all that.

Those welds on the rear hinges fail pretty often. I knew yours had failed before I even saw the rivets. How? Your trunk lid doesn't line up correctly in your bottom pics. It is too high indicating a repair. Try the JWest hinges. They bolt in and have adjustibility for the trunk lid to make it line up correctly.

BTW if you do need that aluminum channel for the weatherstrip, I may have it.

Ok... page above updated.... here it is again:

http://www.snflupigus.com/914issues/914issues.htm

Many new pics... a few more questions on them. Thanks guys!

another teaser pic....



Also... I looked harder for rust everywhere else on the car and cant find any, which makes me really really happy - or it's just covered with undercoating which sucks.

Any easy way to get all this crap off. I will never worry about this car and water/rain again... Phoenix ROCKS. But i Guess I would actually like to strip it and reapply clean new rubberized coating. suggestions welcome.

Thanks again guys.

You definately need to repair the hello hole and other openings on the drivers side. Did not see pics of the jack points - another area of interest.

M

I do have the Chalon... The fiberglass is smooth under the rubber... but who knows whats under there really

All the donuts look ok.... thats what you are talking about for jacking points right?

here are MORE pictures... just pulled the tank. Not to shabby.

As for the hell hole... although it is bad, I want to pull the motor, fix anything structural and seal it up, including the firewall of course. The engine shelf I'm not worried about because I wont have the type 4 in there for long.

I'm thinking either a ls1 or 5300 vortec chevy or any gen IV mated to a boxter trans. I almost bought the 5300 on ebay yesterday for 1700 GM production surplus but thought... maybe a subaru. I will wait until the car is really ready for it. I will have the radiator and everything installed before I finally decide on motor. But it wont be aircooled.

With the gen IV chevy i want the air intake to come into the cab... and have a tiny scoop on the roof go to the airbox between the seats... how cool would that be!!! Imagine the sound of the suction of the engine right next to your ear! I can. mwahahahaha!

http://www.snflupigus.com/914issues/914issues.htm

Teaser 3....

QUOTE (snflupigus @ Oct 9 2005, 09:28 PM)

All the donuts look ok.... thats what you are talking about for jacking points right? As for the hell hole... although it is bad, I want to pull the motor, fix anything structural and seal it up, including the firewall of course. The engine shelf I'm not worried about because I wont have the type 4 in there for long. I'm thinking either a ls1 or 5300 vortec chevy or any gen IV mated to a boxter trans.

The jack points are the holes in the rocker panels. Maybe yours are hidden under your body kit. Get the factory jack and try to jack your car with them. If they are bad, you will hear your rusty jackpoints folding under the weight of your car. My money says your jackpoints are bad.

I would fix that rust before I did any motor swap. Or at least while I did the swap. Theres really no good reason to leave that shit behind. Unless you want to run your chevy intake through the rust holes so you can hear the suction.

BTW Do you have brakelights?

Yes, i have brakelights... thats why i thought it was odd that plug was not there... everything works.

i will fix the rust in the firewall. and clean up the shelf area (remove all shelving) when i swap engines.

The rockers that are on my car under the squared outer ones dont have holes for jack points and i dont have a stock jack..

I'm now fairly certain the car is solid everwhere but the firewall.

Will keep posting the more i do. I'd blog this all up in a thread but i like having the larger pics thumbnailed vs taking up space on the board.

You need new fuel hoses under the tank! They look wet from the pics. Get the right stuff, don't use cheap parts store fuel hoses, they are easily bent and crimped closed. You can guess how I know this!

You also need a new upper wheel house, and a upper firewall.

I've got the firewalls in stock, and maybe the wheel house too.

The firewall can be patched with a fabricated patch, but new factory metal is always best.

The guy that had this car built missed the bus. You don't spend that much money adding a body kit to a car with that size rust holes. I would be very suspect of the longitudinals and floorpan too. Good luck.

Hey Snuffy it all looks like easy fix stuff. But like Perry said, double check your floors and longs. I'd be really suspicious of them given the body work was done for the slope nose and the real trouble areas ignored. If your really gonna do a big swap put in engmans inner rocker re-inforcement kit, hell put it in anyways, can only help.

Don't be afraid to really dig into it. Start the project and pay attention to the little things. It's the little things that stand out the most and make the difference between "Nice car" and "Oh my god thats sweet!"

My best,
Mike D.

MORE pics.....

http://www.snflupigus.com/914issues/914issues.htm

this teaser is....

Btw... the Chalon Kit was installed by Beach Boys Racing, formerly known as Venice Beach Auto Body in Venice CA... while the car lived in Bothel WA... At Least I have a carbon copy estimate from them dated Feb 1995... Total = 7500!

Isnt it possible that the rust occured primarily after the body kit was installed?

Also, at one point the license plate was GDNUFF if anybody has ever seen the car up there before... I'd love to learn more history of the car.. past pics etc..

major question....

best stuff to remove the GOO left over from the tar? wire wheel does nothing...

and i'm begining to think this angle grinder and wire wheel combo are not the best rout for lots of this...

do i need to go buy an air sander and a compressor?

Have you tried bug & tar remover? It seems to disolve the tar from the outside of the vehicle fairly good. Spray it down, and let it soak for awhile, get a ton of rags to wipe it up, and follow up with some mineral spirits or thinner to clean up the residue prior to repainting.

Note: Do this in a well ventilated area....and NO SMOKING! (duh!)

-Kevin

My stock rear window seals are glued, not screwed.

QUOTE (snflupigus @ Oct 23 2005, 11:03 AM)

major question.... best stuff to remove the GOO left over from the tar? wire wheel does nothing... and i'm begining to think this angle grinder and wire wheel combo are not the best rout for lots of this... do i need to go buy an air sander and a compressor?

you can also try getting a paint stripping gun to heat/soften up the tar, then use a puddy knife to scrape it. the gun will probably cost you $10-$15.

QUOTE (Bumper @ Oct 23 2005, 12:17 PM)

My stock rear window seals are glued, not screwed.

Looks like the channel is there to me (the bright metal piece). The rubber slides up and out, revealing the channel screws underneath.

Its a 914

see the updates.... FUN!

http://www.snflupigus.com/914issues/914issues.htm

and more updates.... car is comming apart nicely LOL..

http://www.snflupigus.com/914issues/914issues.htm

btw - i'm pretty sure i'll be selling the motor, all fuel injection parts, (all worked fine before taking apart) - wiring and a lot of other parts etc that i wont need when putting in the subaru motor.
I'll keep everyone posted for when this will happen. I might also be willing to sell the wheels and tires. They have about 13k miles on them. Not sure on those though.

QUOTE (TROJANMAN @ Oct 25 2005, 09:14 AM)

QUOTE (snflupigus @ Oct 23 2005, 11:03 AM) major question.... best stuff to remove the GOO left over from the tar? wire wheel does nothing... and i'm begining to think this angle grinder and wire wheel combo are not the best rout for lots of this... do i need to go buy an air sander and a compressor? you can also try getting a paint stripping gun to heat/soften up the tar, then use a puddy knife to scrape it. the gun will probably cost you $10-$15.

(Day late and a dollar short) Looking good, keep it up..

I tried dry ice, (no go) might have been me. I tried Aircraft stripper, worked, but made it real gummy, and created more of a mess, then finally I used the heat gun. Worked a lot easier. The trick is not to melt it, just soft enough to pop ot up with a putty knife. (keep your fingers out of the way) At 70 + degrees, it only took about 20-30 second to get it warm enough to pop up....

Guess I'll change this to the official "White Bitch" progress thread... (since thats what I think I need to name her)

new pics on the "Teens have issues" site... BTW, takes about a minute to load ALL the pics via highspeed.

http://www.snflupigus.com/914issues/914issues.htm

a pic... found some "bad" under some fiberglass... think I might have to re-hang all the fenders - cuz i think I have to remove this one to get to that.. and then remove the rears to patch the jack points and inner right wheel house etc... shitty.

as another note, i measured my top windshield to targa on each side and they differ by about 3/16s of an inch... within spec? if you didnt know, for a bit i was worried about it being a twisted shell because one of the jack donuts seems jacked-up

another note: I think I might get it sanded down a bit more in places where there is rust and then just start painting on some por15 on without taking as much to bare metal as I had originally planned. I realize that my level of perfection will never be realized with this car, or rather, my budget... so I think I 'm going to get a little more realistic with my goal and finish the car to very nice instead of show quality.

All I can say is ...Respect. ...peace out. Thank you for saving a 914.