Looks great Zach, and just in time for spring!
Enjoy it!!

Cool, congrats!

Zach, car looks great! I do believe the GT front valence works best with the tow bracket you have. I have to get one or if the style you refer to DOES work I may reconsider. See you Saturday!

According to Mr. Lee of RennMetal, the tow bar works witht he FlexDam spoiler, which is what Mike is basing his spoiler off of. Of course, I'd have to remove the spoiler for towing.
Zach

Yeah Baby! Looking good Zach. Why tow it? Drive it to the alignment.

I am tempted too, but I'd be going by several police hide outs in Red Lion, and I can't afford to get pulled over right now. PA still has not send my Antique tags, and I never got the car inspected for the regular ones.

Also, I have some tuning issues that I want to get sorted at the MEI before I start putting miles on the car.
Zach

Grats...

Alignment shop was a bucket of FAIL.

I get there with the car, the guy looks at his computer and says: "oh, we can't do this. We don't have a spreader bar." They call other local shops, that also don't have a spreader bar. I ended up towing the car hope w/o getting anything done to it. And now I am PISSED.

Why couldn't the guy tell me that he did not have what was needed when I called and asked if they could do it YESTERDAY? I told them what kind of car it was, its not like this was a surprise.

Mike knows of a shop that did his car up near him, so I will try and get an appointment there Friday. My son is sick, so I don't think I'll be able to much more running around today.

Zach

Okay, there is a shop that comes recommended in Camp Hill PA that I am going to drag my car to tonight. Wife gets home from class ~10pm, so I sould be at the shop at 11 and home around 12:30am. Car is 2/3 of the way between my place and Palmyra, so I'll just pick it up on my way to Dr Evil's on Friday.

Zach

Car is now at Auto Camp. I left the house at 10:15pm last night, and got the car there around 11:30pm. The shop was HARD to find, and I drove past it several times. By midnight, I had my 914 un-hooked from my Subaru, keys in the drop box, and was on my way home. Got home at 12:45 AM and was really tired. Kinda weird to not have it at home right now.

My plan is to pick it up Friday afternoon on the way to Palmyra. I just need to be sure I am at the shop by 5:30, or the next time I can get the car is Tuesday (which would keep it from showing at Hershey).

My 914 was at the top end of the limit that my Subaru can tow, and I could tell. A better alignment should help reduce rolling resistance too. But I went slow (not over 55, usually 50 on I-83.)

Doing this at night was actually kinda nice, as there were less cars on the road. 'll be happy when I can just drive this thing, and not have to pull it. :-)

This place came well recommended, so I hope they do a good job. If they call back and say "sorry" like the last shop, I don't know what I'll do.

Zach

One question did you provide them with shims for the rear if they need them?

Hi Zach,

I've been following your progress & finally want to say great workmanship, it's a beautiful car. I like the green paint, but not wild about the black strips?? It shouts race car, I am a bad boy ride.

Post a picture of the little one when you take him/her for the first 914 ride. Can't remember if it's a boy or girl??

Tom

They have the shims that were on the car when I got the car. back end should be pretty close to right, if it is not, then we will have to work out something else.

Zach

I can get some probably if they need some. I think they are equipped, though. Also, if I have to, I pay for it and have it out side for you to pick up.....or I'll just drive it home cause I am not a pussy

Paul said he saw your car and it was aligned, but it took some time

Oh ya, bring the beer I have none

What did Paul think of my car?

Vince said it took 4 hours to get it right, but that is not uncommon with restorations.

Not to mention, my cars been beat up all to hell before I got it.

zach

I just pulled my exhaust off to take it to the powder coater sometime next week.

Also getting ready to drop my engine. Since I am dropping it to examin the pump, i am also going to upgrade the cam (going RAT) which will also buy me some schooling on what CR to shoot for. When I rebuild the engine the first time, I just set the deck height at .040 and called it a day, but did not really understand the benefits of going much higher or lower (power to heat ratio).

I'm also going to pull all the galley plugs just to make sure there is no oil blockage.

And, I want to see if I can seal that annoying oil leak. Still don't know where it is coming from. When I build the engine in late 2007/ early 2008 I learned a lot, and told myself there were things I'd like to try differently the second time around. Now I get to do that. It should not take me nearly as long to do this again as it did the first time. Most of the "WTF am I doing" fear is gone.

Most of it...

Zach

Today has been a very good day.

Today I got a call from the ceramic coater saying the exhaust for my 914 was ready to be picked up. I got my 914 engine back from Jake's where I sent for dynamic balancing, ready to begin rebuilding. And I got a PM from a machinist on the 715zone saying that my driveshaft relocation kit had shipped.

Today is the first day of a twelve day vacation. By the end of it, I may very well have both the 914 and the 715 on the road!

tomorrow, I gotta get up early. I got a lot of stuff to do!

Sweet, good luck!

I've not updated this thread in a long time...

Since the start of July, I got the engine in. Fucked it up by loosing the dizzy spring down the case. Took the engine back out. Got the spring. Put the engine back in (with the dizzy installed so as not to go through THAT again.

Right now I need to re-wire some wires that did not survive sessions of angry engine gymnastics. I need to find someone to hold the shifter in place so I can get the cone screw in at the fire wall. Exhaust needs to go back on.

I noticed that the (NEW) Terry throttle cable is tearing the sheath away from the pressed on nipple. I guess I need to replace it. *grumble* Exhaust needs to go back on after the shifter bar is in. Then it needs to be run to break in the cam and set timing.

Then I can try driving it again.
Zach

I'm on my way over so I can help with the wires and linkage tonight.

Cool. I've got Theo duty tonight, but I'll be able to leave him in his play room for short stints while dinner is cooking to get the cone screw in.

If the weather is nice, I'll make grilled chicken tonight. you are welcome to some, as always.

Zach

is it runnin

Not yet. I gave the car some pity time on Tuesday, and have not even been in the garage since then.

Its possible that Mike has come over all stealthy like and done everything for me (like that time he put my engine in and I did not know till a few days later). Barring that, I'll be putting in time tomorrow.

I have new exhaust gaskets for the Eurorace coming in from Paragon, and a new throttle cable coming in from AutoAtlanta. neither were here today, hopefully both will be here tomorrow.

I want to drive the car to Plasket's cookout on the 14th. Which means I have this weekend and next weekend to get it up and running and drivable.

Zach

Good luck. My move and kids have been eating into my modify/fix cars time but the 914 is finally in a garage and I have space.

I am not affiliated with these guys at all, but if you need something easy in a pinch germanautoparts.com is in NY and I receive my orders from them sometimes the next day. Really good place for stuff you need in a pinch and they have a ton of oem 914 parts.

I am wanting to come out tomorrow I have lots of bus stuff to do, andnew parts!

So I got an hour or two of work on the car done last night after my little boy went to bed, but before I collapsed in exhaustion.

Carbs are back on. Fuel is hooked up. Everyhting but the exhaust is done under the car (I am still waiting for gaskets - but if worst comes to worst I can use the copper ones I modded - but I don't want to.)

Before I run the car I need to:

I need to replace 4 wires, once I am positive where they go.
Hook the battery up (hope nothing lets smoke out)
bolt the exhaust back on.
Sparkplugs in (going to buy new ones)
plug wires in (easy)
and then it is ready to run.

I'll get new plugs today. After that is it just about an afternoons work, as I spent about an hour last night with wire diagrams and I am pretty sure I know where my 4 errants go.

Zach

kick ass man! get it on the road!

Mike came over last night, and we got some good work done.

We got the rebuild started for the first time! YEA!
Then had to shut it down due to a loud ticking noise and a big oil leak. BOO!

The clicking noise (and oil leak) was due to an adjuster screw impacting the valve cover. The new Elephant foot screws that I am using were a bit longer, and one needed to be clearanced ~.01 inches. We figured the impacts were causing the valve cover to dislodge enough to leak. also, I needed to torque down the oil pressure relief cover a bit more, as that had a slight leak. No biggie.

Anyway, we fixed that, reset the valves and ran it again, but only for a minute as it it was near 10pm and I like my neighbors. Ticking was gone, and we could not see any new oil leaks (but we need to run it more to find them probably).

the good bits!
Engine sounded GREAT. Oil pressure came right up to about 50psi within a second of starting the car, which it never used to do before.

The amusing bits:
a mouse has been hording sunflower seeds in my muffler. I tried to get them out, but on start up I do have a debris field of sunflower seeds behind my tail pipe.

I also came to the conclusion that I am not going to get this car finished myself this summer - even as close as it is. So, I swallowed my pride and gave Mike a list of things to do. It only needs about a day, but my schedule has been so hectic of late that I don't even get to look at the car for weeks at a time. I NEED to drive it to Matt's party next weekend, and this is the only way it is going to get done.

Mikes project is at my place anyhow, so he is there frequently.

Off to a meeting.
Zach

My advice for that is to break your sleep up over two periods if possible with an understanding wife.

My wife lets me pass out for a few hours sometimes in the evening in order to go work on the 914 late so I can get more complete without being interrupted.

2 hour nap for me in the evening leads to 4-6 hours of night work on a good night, then another 4-5 hours of sleep before I have to get up and go to the gym then work for my days on.

Works for me, may or may not for you in the future. Good you have capable friends to help!

My day is ~16 hours long 4 days a week. No time for naps. It will remain this way until I I am done with grad school in Dec. of 2010. The nights when I am not in class, my wife is (we are both grad students and both work full time). When home alone, I need to be paying attention to my curious, safe cracking, toddler son. On the weekends, almost all my time goes into keeping the house up and doing homework.

As it is, the schedule that my wife and I keep in order to both finish grad school has been negatively impacting our health, putting strain on our relationship, and has relegated non-essential projects to just about stasis. I end up relaxing more at work then at home.

But, the light is visible at the end of the tunnel. I have made the decision that I will be done with grad school when I have this degree, instead of chasing another degree that I want as well. We have gotten our home upkeep pretty damned efficient, and we know that this year or two of hell will open a lot of doors for our families future. Its hard, but the payoff will be worth it.

In the mean time, I farm out my punch out list, and get to hang out with a friend at the same time. Its worth it.

Zach

I should be heading over shortly to attack that work list. No biggie. How do I reposition your headers if I need to? I may just bend your shift bar slightly. It will be easier for me.

Bend the bar if need be. Heat it with the torch and bend it in the vice. I am at the end of travel in the given slots for the headers, and I am not sure what moving them further will do in terms of leaks at the heads.

Theo and I are not going to the pool as we had hoped due to the forcasted weather, so I will be around to help a little.

Zach

Zach, thought I'd reiterate here that my BBQ is 8/22. You corrected yourself in the other post. Thought I'd mention that here to ensure readers don't get the wrong date. Hope the extra time allows you to complete the car!

Mice - I hate mice! Found a second nest near the break reservour. Previous one was well camped in the glove box.

Mike ran in the cam for 20 minutes last night without much in the way of drama.

Except for the oil leak that is still there.

We know that part of it is a leaking rocker cover seal. But there is also a leak somewhere else that only manifests when the engine is pressurized. Our guess was the pressure relief screw cover thing, so Mike removed it. We are going to give it a fresh crush washer and some case sealant just to be sure.

Of course, I complicated everything by a big spurt of oil when I filled it up.

And my other big fear is that the oil pump is not fully sealed, though I took pains to make sure it was totally clean after we pulled it to get that spring last month.

And yet, after 20 minutes of running, there was a depressingly large oil slick under the car. Some, if not most, is from the pass side rocker cover. Drivers side seems to be sealed fine.

Our plan is to wash the oil off with a little carb cleaner, replace the gaskets on the rockers, new crush washer on the oil pressure cover, runn it and see where we are. maybe run it on ramps so we get a better view of where the oil may be coming from.

Zach

Keep up the good work Zach. I have drip pans under the 911 you can use when you bring the car here next weekend

So, engine is back in and so far no leaks. All that is left to do is:

- Timing
- Carb adj
- Throttle cable install finish
- Clutch cable adjust
- Move the pass side parking brake cable under engine bar to avoid the header
- Adjust shift linkage

It WORKS!

It all just works!

No more popping. No more backfires. Charging system is charging. Head temps live between get to about 300 and 350. Oil temps got to about 210 and stayed there. Oil pressure was ~80 at start up, 40 when warm and driving, and around 10 when warm and idling at a stop.

I took off my exhaust last night and put it back together using a thick smear of copper RTV on the OD of the header pipes where they fit into the slip fits 4to1 connector. That solved my exhaust leaks.

All off the popping and backfireing from last week is GONE! The car is driving like a top. I just got back from a 30 minute drive around the backroads. The carbs seem to be just about perfect. Maybe a tad rich, but I have power all the way through the powerband. Cruising around in 4th at around 2K was fine.

I am so freaking happy right now.

Its time to give it a bath and wash all the garage dust off.

Tomorrow I am going to drive it to Erin's parents house 45 minutes away. Erin and Theo will be following in the Subaru for support, but I think I am ready to start venturing outside the 10 mile radius of my home that I have been testing it in.

Zach

Some pictures from today after a bath.


closeup of the finished shifter knob that I made a while back. It is starting to get further polished by the oils in my hands when I use it.


My interior is still a work in progress. Its passable right now, but I look forward to getting my seats recovered.


My ride, all clean from a bath. It ain't perfect, but I like it.


My son saw a camera and came running. Kick ass.


If I fix that headlight, I can't get it aligned right. I guess I'll just live with it.


My car. I really like the look of the front bumper with the ralley style driving lights. Now I need to wire them to turn on with the parking lights.

Happy day, today was.

Zach

Nice, congrats!

That is awesome.

what is the deal with the driver side eyelid, looks like it needs a little adjustment

i have not had so much motivation, i am currently repainting my bathroom, and hallway upstairs. then i will clean up the engine bay a little. I still need to get the engine mounted on the stand, clean it up, and put it back togeather. Then We Can Race

Wow Zach that looks great! Its come a very long way since I last saw it sitting on the rotisserie in your garage, how long ago was that? It's almost time to paint ours too, hope it comes out as well.

Oh my gosh, I just found your thread! This is AWESOME!
I'll be THRILLED if Buttercup comes close to that!
I was so pleased to see your shifter knob...dad plans to work on that for me.
Thanks for the inspiration!

Bravo!

Well....

I might be going five lug. If I do, I'll have a lot of pretty much brand new suspension parts for sale.

Zach

This will transform the look of your car. For me it was one of the funnest jobs as the front end (if you do a 911 front end) is a drop-in change. Are you going to use a 911 front end with underbody sway bar or just changing struts & hubs?

Zach,
Let me know if you are serious. I just picked up a 72 911 with 6 inch fuchs.....I may consider selling off the front end and wheels if you are really considering it.
We may sell it whole, but I want the rear suspension tube and arms for a special project.....

Rich

Scotty was able to more or less steal a 911 front end, and he offered it to Mike, who mentioned it to me. As I simply can't seem to leave well enough alone, I said I'd take it. It will probably be my 2010 winter project, so I will have a bunch of nearly brand new /4 suspension bits for sale.

I will be looking for wheels, and other assorted bits. I am trying to decide now if I want to go flares or not. See above about not being able to leave well enough alone...

Zach