Full Version: Suby-engined rustoration
My wife seems afraid of my shop which is ok to me. She usually just puts her head in the door to yell at me. She is a good cook though and babies me and my sons and dogs so I only yell back a little. I'm 63 and my right hip is sometimes a bother but my knees are great. My dad had hip and knee surgery and he said the knee is tougher than the hip. I do have a uncle that he finally ended up with no hip after three surgerys. He still goes strong, riding a mower and swimming, driving and all. I had ulcer surgery in the mid 80's and pulled a stitch 8 days after surgery (the first day home from the hospital) laying on my back under the dash of a jeep pickup doing a sbc install. Good luck.
Geoff,
Could you post a picture of the "burr bit" that you used for grinding down the hard to get spot welds? I am in the middle of my passenger side woes and could use any and all tips and tools to do a good job.
Awesome Fab and Welding work!
Thanks,
Nate
Could you post a picture of the "burr bit" that you used for grinding down the hard to get spot welds? I am in the middle of my passenger side woes and could use any and all tips and tools to do a good job.
Awesome Fab and Welding work!
Thanks,
Nate
A burr is a term for a carbide bit that fits in a air tool. The ones I use for porting heads come in different shaft lengths and 1/4 shaft size. They have many different shapes and are good for many uses. When you use them on aluminum you will need a lubricant to keep the aluminum from sticking to the cutter. I don't remember the terminology but they have a coarse and finer tooth cutter for different materials. Finer for harder materials and coarse for the softer materials. You can get a set or buy them individually.
QUOTE(charliew @ Jan 24 2009, 11:19 AM) 
A burr is a term for a carbide bit that fits in a air tool. The ones I use for porting heads come in different shaft lengths and 1/4 shaft size. They have many different shapes and are good for many uses. When you use them on aluminum you will need a lubricant to keep the aluminum from sticking to the cutter. I don't remember the terminology but they have a coarse and finer tooth cutter for different materials. Finer for harder materials and coarse for the softer materials. You can get a set or buy them individually.
Yup, Charlie beat me to the punch. I bought a set that includes a "ball" end bit, a straight bit, and a "tree" tapered end bit. The ball end bit is also great for weakening spot welds if you're tossing the removed panel piece. Here's some pics of typical bits:
http://www.carbidebur.com/shapes/burs.htm
If memory serves, I bought my 3-piece set at Sears about three years ago...
Geoff
I bought a 1969 911 rear suspension/brake system today for $75 (I love Craigslist!). The purchase included the suspension arms, parking brakes & cables, calipers and non-vented rotors. Now I have almost everything I need for my 5-bolt conversion both front and rear.
Below are some pics of the pieces I will use on my setup, based on Paul Sayegh's write-up in the February 2009 edition of Excellence magazine. Excellent article, by the way -- and very timely! Unfortunately, my budget won't allow the use of the Porsche "reds" calipers that Paul used...
Pic before tearing everything apart.
Click to view attachment
Here's a pic of the components I'll use. I have the backing plates, too, but I forgot to include them in the photo. Obviously, I still need to remove the parking brake pieces from the 911 "banana" arm.
Click to view attachment
Some of these pieces are pretty rusty, but nothing cancerous/terminal. Like I'm scared of rust, tho! I'm thinking I'll replace some of the hardware with new and get the remainder plated. I'm hoping to upgrade to vented rotors, too, but I'll need to research my options for spacing/widening the calipers to fit 'em.
Fun, fun!!!
Below are some pics of the pieces I will use on my setup, based on Paul Sayegh's write-up in the February 2009 edition of Excellence magazine. Excellent article, by the way -- and very timely! Unfortunately, my budget won't allow the use of the Porsche "reds" calipers that Paul used...
Pic before tearing everything apart.
Click to view attachment
Here's a pic of the components I'll use. I have the backing plates, too, but I forgot to include them in the photo. Obviously, I still need to remove the parking brake pieces from the 911 "banana" arm.
Click to view attachment
Some of these pieces are pretty rusty, but nothing cancerous/terminal. Like I'm scared of rust, tho! I'm thinking I'll replace some of the hardware with new and get the remainder plated. I'm hoping to upgrade to vented rotors, too, but I'll need to research my options for spacing/widening the calipers to fit 'em.
Fun, fun!!!
I picked up a 1976 911 roller for parts a couple of weeks ago -- primarily for the fake Fuchs (it turns out they're only 15x7 
), Porsche rear reflector, and to get the rim-centering rear hubs for my 5-bolt rear suspension conversion.
I have been busy stripping parts to sell (I've actually netted money for my project on this deal
), so I haven't worked on the 914 in a while. Here are a couple of pics of that hulk:
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
This means that I'll have a spare set of 1969-73 hubs, brakes, rotors (non-vented) and parking brakes (shoes, hardware and cables). Anyone interested? I paid $75, so I'd want the same... I'll put this in the Classified section later, but I thought I'd let any bored souls who have been following this thread have a crack at this setup first. PM me if you're interested.
My hip replacement surgery is tomorrow morning, so I'll be in lala land for the next few days and prolly won't be able to respond to PMs for a week.
), Porsche rear reflector, and to get the rim-centering rear hubs for my 5-bolt rear suspension conversion. I have been busy stripping parts to sell (I've actually netted money for my project on this deal
), so I haven't worked on the 914 in a while. Here are a couple of pics of that hulk:Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
This means that I'll have a spare set of 1969-73 hubs, brakes, rotors (non-vented) and parking brakes (shoes, hardware and cables). Anyone interested? I paid $75, so I'd want the same... I'll put this in the Classified section later, but I thought I'd let any bored souls who have been following this thread have a crack at this setup first. PM me if you're interested.
My hip replacement surgery is tomorrow morning, so I'll be in lala land for the next few days and prolly won't be able to respond to PMs for a week.
Great work so far! Will definitely follow your project since a buddy of mine wants to do the same and start a suby project.
My hip replacement surgery went well, and I've got about 75% range of motion back. I am not supposed to do much heavy lifting, so I've been puttering around the garage and staring longingly at my teener. So I couldn't take it anymore and dove back in yesterday and part of today.
First up is the rust on the driver side sail panel. As you can see, it rusted through...
Click to view attachment
Once the nasty piece was cut out, you can see things were pretty corroded inside. What the picture doesn't show is the foam strips that sit right behind this area. What were the Porsche engineers thinking!
Click to view attachment
I sandblasted the area as best I could, then did the POR-15 thing on the inside, as well as the back side of the patch. Here is the patch waiting for welding.
Click to view attachment
Next up is the patch welded in. To avoid warpage, I made a tack weld, blew compressed air on it until I couldn't feel any heat with my bare hand, then tacked about an inch away, and then repeated about a gazillion times. Here is the finished piece.
Click to view attachment
And here it is smoothed down prior to primering.
Click to view attachment
Next up is the area right behind above the driver side door handle...
First up is the rust on the driver side sail panel. As you can see, it rusted through...
Click to view attachment
Once the nasty piece was cut out, you can see things were pretty corroded inside. What the picture doesn't show is the foam strips that sit right behind this area. What were the Porsche engineers thinking!
Click to view attachment
I sandblasted the area as best I could, then did the POR-15 thing on the inside, as well as the back side of the patch. Here is the patch waiting for welding.
Click to view attachment
Next up is the patch welded in. To avoid warpage, I made a tack weld, blew compressed air on it until I couldn't feel any heat with my bare hand, then tacked about an inch away, and then repeated about a gazillion times. Here is the finished piece.
Click to view attachment
And here it is smoothed down prior to primering.
Click to view attachment
Next up is the area right behind above the driver side door handle...
I knew there was a mess under the passenger side sail just above the door handle, as it was perforated already. But once I got underneath, I can't believe EVERY 914 is not rusting through in that area. Here is a pic before I started cutting metal.
Click to view attachment
And here is the culprit. Complete nastiness! That chunk of sealant traps moisture against the metal, inviting rust-through.
Click to view attachment
I dug away as much of the sealant as I could reasonably get to and until I found clean metal underneath. Then I POR15-ed the area and the patch, which I cut from Martin Baker's (I can't remember his 'world name!) parts car several months ago.
Click to view attachment
The patch piece was rusted on the back side, too (go figure!), but it was salvageable though thin. I welded it in, using the same tack/cool/tack method described in the post above.
One additional challenge is that the quarter panel seam and door jamb (just above the door vent) is brazed by the factory, then leaded for smoothness. So I had to carefully grind away all the brass and lead to give me a good welding area, but I still got a lot of popping and burn-through trying to join these two pieces of metal. The welds are pretty "snotty," but they'll hold and the snottiness will be hidden by bondo before paint. Here is an after shot prior to primering.
Click to view attachment
Next up is preparing to re-install the lower passenger side quarter panel that I had to cut out to make the hell hole repairs described earlier. Guess what? Yupper, I found some more rust!
Click to view attachment
And here is the culprit. Complete nastiness! That chunk of sealant traps moisture against the metal, inviting rust-through.
Click to view attachment
I dug away as much of the sealant as I could reasonably get to and until I found clean metal underneath. Then I POR15-ed the area and the patch, which I cut from Martin Baker's (I can't remember his 'world name!) parts car several months ago.
Click to view attachment
The patch piece was rusted on the back side, too (go figure!), but it was salvageable though thin. I welded it in, using the same tack/cool/tack method described in the post above.
One additional challenge is that the quarter panel seam and door jamb (just above the door vent) is brazed by the factory, then leaded for smoothness. So I had to carefully grind away all the brass and lead to give me a good welding area, but I still got a lot of popping and burn-through trying to join these two pieces of metal. The welds are pretty "snotty," but they'll hold and the snottiness will be hidden by bondo before paint. Here is an after shot prior to primering.
Click to view attachment
Next up is preparing to re-install the lower passenger side quarter panel that I had to cut out to make the hell hole repairs described earlier. Guess what? Yupper, I found some more rust!
The forward/lower area of the passenger side quarter panel is rusted pretty thin from the backside, but it is salvageable. However, the portion that joins up with the sill plate was gonzo. So I cut a new piece out of 18 gauge, formed it and began the fabrication process while installing the new sill and sill triangles. Here is a pic of the fabricated piece, tacked in place.
Click to view attachment
Here is a pic of the triangles that I got from AA. One of them had one of the two "steps" about 1/8" off from the other one, which wouldn't allow the sill to sit tight against it. So I added a 1/8" piece of flat stock (look at the foward triangle).
Click to view attachment
Here is the sill installed, which I also got from AA. Again, I rosette welded a hole, cooled it with compressed air until I couldn't feel any heat with my hand, then moved on to another hole approximately half the length of the sill away. Takes a long time, but that method will hopefully ensure a straight/true tub when I'm done. Fingers crossed!
Click to view attachment
And here it is ground smooth prior to primer. Again, I would grind a rosette, cool it with air, then move onto another rosette, to avoid warpage.
Click to view attachment
I need to make a couple more small patches on the passenger side sail, fill in the trim holes on both sides, weld in the passenger side lower quarter panel, and then I'll be ready to attack the rust holes in the windshield frame and the frunk seal channel.
During my hip recovery, I was bored silly so I spent many hours scraping away the undercoating on the floor bottom and the wheel wells (gotta love a rotisserie!). I also welded up the 911 parking brake solution that Paul Sayegh demonstrated in Excellence Magazine. Someday soon I'll be ready to weld in the GT flares and begin the turbo Subaru engine/trans fitment...
Click to view attachment
Here is a pic of the triangles that I got from AA. One of them had one of the two "steps" about 1/8" off from the other one, which wouldn't allow the sill to sit tight against it. So I added a 1/8" piece of flat stock (look at the foward triangle).
Click to view attachment
Here is the sill installed, which I also got from AA. Again, I rosette welded a hole, cooled it with compressed air until I couldn't feel any heat with my hand, then moved on to another hole approximately half the length of the sill away. Takes a long time, but that method will hopefully ensure a straight/true tub when I'm done. Fingers crossed!
Click to view attachment
And here it is ground smooth prior to primer. Again, I would grind a rosette, cool it with air, then move onto another rosette, to avoid warpage.
Click to view attachment
I need to make a couple more small patches on the passenger side sail, fill in the trim holes on both sides, weld in the passenger side lower quarter panel, and then I'll be ready to attack the rust holes in the windshield frame and the frunk seal channel.
During my hip recovery, I was bored silly so I spent many hours scraping away the undercoating on the floor bottom and the wheel wells (gotta love a rotisserie!). I also welded up the 911 parking brake solution that Paul Sayegh demonstrated in Excellence Magazine. Someday soon I'll be ready to weld in the GT flares and begin the turbo Subaru engine/trans fitment...
Good to see you up and moving around, Geoff! Here's to a speedy recovery!
Car looks great and is very inspiring to me and others!
Can't wait to see your magic on the Suby mounting!
Heal up quick!
Nate
Car looks great and is very inspiring to me and others!
Can't wait to see your magic on the Suby mounting!
Heal up quick!
Nate
Been a while since I last posted, but I've been tinkering in the garage...
I'm reversing the intake on my EJ22T engine to permit a bit more room between the throttle body and trunk firewall. It also will permit fewer bends for the intercooler connections.
First off, the 2.0, 2.2 and early 2.5 engines feature the intake-to-head bolt holes in a line, which makes this a relatively straightforward modification. In short, the intake manifold bolts on facing backward or forward, but it ain't quite a bolt-on and walk away affair...
Reversing the intake points the throttle body right at the backside of the alternator. Since I won't be using the air conditioning compressor or power steering pump, I relocated the alternator to where the AC compressor used to sit. Here is a pic of the factory bracket, modified to clear the Idle Air Control solenoid. You can also see where I welded on the alternator mounts and support crossbar.
Click to view attachment
This took a lot of measuring, cutting, more measuring, grinding, more measuring... you get the idea. But it lines up perfectly with the crank pulley. Here is a pic of the alternator as mounted (I still have to fabricate a top mount).
Click to view attachment
Here is the front and rear views of the engine, not including the wiring harness, coil or fuel rails/injectors.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
I'm reversing the intake on my EJ22T engine to permit a bit more room between the throttle body and trunk firewall. It also will permit fewer bends for the intercooler connections.
First off, the 2.0, 2.2 and early 2.5 engines feature the intake-to-head bolt holes in a line, which makes this a relatively straightforward modification. In short, the intake manifold bolts on facing backward or forward, but it ain't quite a bolt-on and walk away affair...
Reversing the intake points the throttle body right at the backside of the alternator. Since I won't be using the air conditioning compressor or power steering pump, I relocated the alternator to where the AC compressor used to sit. Here is a pic of the factory bracket, modified to clear the Idle Air Control solenoid. You can also see where I welded on the alternator mounts and support crossbar.
Click to view attachment
This took a lot of measuring, cutting, more measuring, grinding, more measuring... you get the idea. But it lines up perfectly with the crank pulley. Here is a pic of the alternator as mounted (I still have to fabricate a top mount).
Click to view attachment
Here is the front and rear views of the engine, not including the wiring harness, coil or fuel rails/injectors.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
I also decided to modify the coolant crossover pipe to remove the rear water heater inlet (I'll pull hot water from near the radiator up front for cabin heat) and to move the two sensors over toward the other cylinder banks to provide clearance for the reversed intake. I probably could've bent the sensor leads down to clear the intake, but I didn't want to stress/damage the sensors. I actually started by modifying the EJ22T turbo coolant pipe by drilling/tapping holes in the factory-supplied bosses, but then realized that the normally-aspirated EJ22 coolant pipe already has the sensors in the correct position. So I picked one up at the local Pick-n-Pull for $10.
The rear water heater inlet is brazed in, so I heated it up slowly and yanked/turned it until it slid out. The hole is the PERFECT size for a 3/8" pipe plug, so I picked up a tap and brass plug from my friendly Ace hardware store. Here is a pic of the tapped hole.
Click to view attachment
The front water inlet actually bends upward a bit, which puts it relatively close to one of the fuel rail supply lines. I'm sure it would not be a problem to leave it like it is, but I like the idea of nice, cool (non-heated!) fuel. I plan to cut the pipe at its lower point to provide a bit more clearance, and to weld on a "lip" (to help secure the coolant hose). We have an aluminum MIG setup at work, so I'll try my hand at that next weekend -- lucky I now have a spare to practice on! Below you can see the Sharpie line depicting where I'll weld this lip and then cut the pipe.
Click to view attachment
I plan to pick up some steel this week so that I can begin fabricating the engine/transmission mount next weekend.
I've got what I consider to be some good news for those of you considering the Suby trans. I think Porscharu's magic flanges are a great option, but I don't like the idea of using the relatively weak 100mm CVs, as described elsewhere on this site by Paul Sayegh. I also have two sets of 911 axles with 108mm CVs, so I really want the option of using 108mm 911/930 CVs to work out. Some of the 2WD Subaru Legacy and Impreza models came with huge inner "tripod" joints and very large diameter axle shafts. My micrometer says the Subaru axle shaft is large enough in diameter (1.13") to be cut off at the outer joint and machined/splined to use the 28-spline 930 CV at the wheel end. I'll need to borrow my friend's non-Chinese built calipers to verify. At the very least, the diameter is large enough to have the Suby inner and 911 outer axle shaft ends welded together. If that option doesn't pan out, EMPI sells 930 CVs and custom-length 28-spline axle shafts that can be used as blanks. EMPI also lists the Suby 2WD inner joint as a separate part on their website, so I'll pick up a pair of those for my eventual Frankenaxles.
More to come...
The rear water heater inlet is brazed in, so I heated it up slowly and yanked/turned it until it slid out. The hole is the PERFECT size for a 3/8" pipe plug, so I picked up a tap and brass plug from my friendly Ace hardware store. Here is a pic of the tapped hole.
Click to view attachment
The front water inlet actually bends upward a bit, which puts it relatively close to one of the fuel rail supply lines. I'm sure it would not be a problem to leave it like it is, but I like the idea of nice, cool (non-heated!) fuel. I plan to cut the pipe at its lower point to provide a bit more clearance, and to weld on a "lip" (to help secure the coolant hose). We have an aluminum MIG setup at work, so I'll try my hand at that next weekend -- lucky I now have a spare to practice on! Below you can see the Sharpie line depicting where I'll weld this lip and then cut the pipe.
Click to view attachment
I plan to pick up some steel this week so that I can begin fabricating the engine/transmission mount next weekend.
I've got what I consider to be some good news for those of you considering the Suby trans. I think Porscharu's magic flanges are a great option, but I don't like the idea of using the relatively weak 100mm CVs, as described elsewhere on this site by Paul Sayegh. I also have two sets of 911 axles with 108mm CVs, so I really want the option of using 108mm 911/930 CVs to work out. Some of the 2WD Subaru Legacy and Impreza models came with huge inner "tripod" joints and very large diameter axle shafts. My micrometer says the Subaru axle shaft is large enough in diameter (1.13") to be cut off at the outer joint and machined/splined to use the 28-spline 930 CV at the wheel end. I'll need to borrow my friend's non-Chinese built calipers to verify. At the very least, the diameter is large enough to have the Suby inner and 911 outer axle shaft ends welded together. If that option doesn't pan out, EMPI sells 930 CVs and custom-length 28-spline axle shafts that can be used as blanks. EMPI also lists the Suby 2WD inner joint as a separate part on their website, so I'll pick up a pair of those for my eventual Frankenaxles.
More to come...
Still been plugging away...
Below are some pics of the shortened water pipe, with the welded lip filed down. That was a major PITA, but the lip should help keep the coolant inlet hose from slipping off. Basically, I welded a "ring" around the water pipe, cut off the pipe on the aft side of the "ring," and then shaped the lip with a file. Probably more than needed, since this pipe is in "suction" and likely wouldn't slip off with a hose clamp... but I have access to an aluminum MIG setup, and I'll sleep better at night knowing the hose can't slip off.
Click to view attachment
I'm also attaching a couple of pics of the final (almost) alternator setup. You can see the 0.70" spacers I spun on the lathe -- though they're still raw/unfinished -- as well as the upper mount. I still need to clean up the welds of the upper mount, trim the angle iron "connector," polish the spacers, and then paint the whole shootin' match. The belt now lines up perfectly, though I'll need to use a 3-rib belt to match the tensioner; the alternator and outer crank pulley are 4-rib.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Below are some pics of the shortened water pipe, with the welded lip filed down. That was a major PITA, but the lip should help keep the coolant inlet hose from slipping off. Basically, I welded a "ring" around the water pipe, cut off the pipe on the aft side of the "ring," and then shaped the lip with a file. Probably more than needed, since this pipe is in "suction" and likely wouldn't slip off with a hose clamp... but I have access to an aluminum MIG setup, and I'll sleep better at night knowing the hose can't slip off.
Click to view attachment
I'm also attaching a couple of pics of the final (almost) alternator setup. You can see the 0.70" spacers I spun on the lathe -- though they're still raw/unfinished -- as well as the upper mount. I still need to clean up the welds of the upper mount, trim the angle iron "connector," polish the spacers, and then paint the whole shootin' match. The belt now lines up perfectly, though I'll need to use a 3-rib belt to match the tensioner; the alternator and outer crank pulley are 4-rib.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Tonite I also welded on the lower passenger side quarter panel that I had to cut off to make the hellhole repairs. The factory panel had some rust "thinning/swiss-cheesing" that required some careful repairs. First off, I sand-blasted the entire backside of the thing, as well as the frontside areas that showed rust bubbles. Then I welded in a couple of very small patches, and carefully tacked in some plugs where the metal was particular thin (read that, where light shined through!).
Here is a pic of the lower piece welded in.
Click to view attachment
The most difficult part was replacing the compound bend at the forward/lower part that connects with the sill plate (i.e., below the lower rear part of the passenger side door). But I think it came out looking pretty good. I welded that piece to the factory piece on my bench, and ground down the topside welds prior to connecting it. Below is a pic of that repaired area, prior to trimming and smoothing. As you can see, I also need to fill in a couple of spotweld cutter holes with small round patches.
Click to view attachment
Here is a pic looking back, with a shot of my trusty/cheapo Craigslist welder poking its head in. It is a Clarke EN130 110volt unit using EASYGRIND 0.023" wire and 75% argon / 25% CO2 gas...
Click to view attachment
This takes quite a while to avoid imparting too much heat -- weld a spot, blow it cold with compressed air until your bare hand feels no heat, move over 5-6" and weld another spot, and repeat a gazillion times. I still need to grind down the welds and take some pics.
Here is a pic of the lower piece welded in.
Click to view attachment
The most difficult part was replacing the compound bend at the forward/lower part that connects with the sill plate (i.e., below the lower rear part of the passenger side door). But I think it came out looking pretty good. I welded that piece to the factory piece on my bench, and ground down the topside welds prior to connecting it. Below is a pic of that repaired area, prior to trimming and smoothing. As you can see, I also need to fill in a couple of spotweld cutter holes with small round patches.
Click to view attachment
Here is a pic looking back, with a shot of my trusty/cheapo Craigslist welder poking its head in. It is a Clarke EN130 110volt unit using EASYGRIND 0.023" wire and 75% argon / 25% CO2 gas...
Click to view attachment
This takes quite a while to avoid imparting too much heat -- weld a spot, blow it cold with compressed air until your bare hand feels no heat, move over 5-6" and weld another spot, and repeat a gazillion times. I still need to grind down the welds and take some pics.
Awesome work!
What's your opinion of the weld through primer?
QUOTE(strawman @ Jan 21 2009, 10:31 PM)
First up is a pic of the jack post welded onto the long, complete with SEM weld-thru primer covering everything. The welds match what the factory did (only along the vertical sides):
What's your opinion of the weld through primer?
QUOTE(Gint @ Jun 4 2009, 06:34 AM)
Awesome work!
QUOTE(strawman @ Jan 21 2009, 10:31 PM)
First up is a pic of the jack post welded onto the long, complete with SEM weld-thru primer covering everything. The welds match what the factory did (only along the vertical sides):
What's your opinion of the weld through primer?
It works fine, but you should scrape a small section clean (I used a center punch) to strike the MIG arc. Once the arc begins, you can easily weld through it.
Geoff, I have tried to find the "easy-grind" wire in Chico and Oroville and they do not carry it. Where do you get yours? I am thinking of doing my rusto outside also. Does the blue tarp keep it dry through the winter? Great job, maybe you could have our Sacramento group over for a visit some Sunday morning. We could run it by Rob. Al.
QUOTE(al weidman @ Jun 4 2009, 11:34 PM)
Geoff, I have tried to find the "easy-grind" wire in Chico and Oroville and they do not carry it. Where do you get yours? I am thinking of doing my rusto outside also. Does the blue tarp keep it dry through the winter? Great job, maybe you could have our Sacramento group over for a visit some Sunday morning. We could run it by Rob. Al.
Hi Al --
I couldn't find Easy-Grind locally either, so I bought a 10 lb. roll online and had it shipped. Google it; shouldn't be too hard to find.
I'd be up for a Sac group meeting, although my garage will pale in comparison to Paul's... any my car is far from perfect. I'm bummed, since I'll miss the next meeting and won't be able to see Paul's setup firsthand.
I put the blue tarp on it when weather is wet/rainy. It is pretty dry in these parts, so I don't cover it all the time and I don't get a lot of flash rust. I try to primer/seal panels as I go to protect the metal, too.
When I'm done with panel replacement work in the coming months, I'll have a rotisserie available for cheap. I think I've got about $100 in it and would be willing to let it go cheap. It breaks down easily and could fit in the back of a pickup or large wagon. Let me know if you're interested.
Geoff
I have never came across a brazed tube in a aluminum casting. On my 02 wrx coolant crossover the tube is pressed in with a sealant it seems. Also the turbo version crossovers are bigger to carry more coolant than the na versions. Grimspeed and others carry a spacer that is to prevent the engine heat from moving into the intake manifold from the head, I think it's a phoenolic material. You can get them in 7mm or maybe 13mm thicknesses. On my son's sti they work great. With the thicker ones you will need longer bolts.
The only way I can get easygrind is either buy a case at 55.00 a roll or for just one 10lb roll it's 66.00 locally.
The only way I can get easygrind is either buy a case at 55.00 a roll or for just one 10lb roll it's 66.00 locally.
QUOTE(charliew @ Jun 5 2009, 01:13 PM)
I have never came across a brazed tube in a aluminum casting. On my 02 wrx coolant crossover the tube is pressed in with a sealant it seems. Also the turbo version crossovers are bigger to carry more coolant than the na versions. Grimspeed and others carry a spacer that is to prevent the engine heat from moving into the intake manifold from the head, I think it's a phoenolic material. You can get them in 7mm or maybe 13mm thicknesses. On my son's sti they work great. With the thicker ones you will need longer bolts.
The only way I can get easygrind is either buy a case at 55.00 a roll or for just one 10lb roll it's 66.00 locally.
Hi Charlie --
Your suggestion that the turbo'd coolant crossover pipes might be true for EJ20 or the 2.5 engines, but it certainly is not true for the EJ22T or EJ22 engine -- the crossover is virtually the same, only with different bosses drilled/tapped for placement of the sensors. At least my naked eye suggests it. Guess I'll have to check it out with my calipers.
You may be right that the heater hose "extension" is pressed in with a sealant -- but I couldn't get it out without heat. That is why I presumed it was brazed...
I have looked at the Grimspeed spacers, and I might end up using them. I like the idea of a cooler intake charge!
Which engine are you using in your Suby conversion? Is your engine ready to go?
Geoff
You can put your hand on my sons sti after driving it and just get out and open the hood and touch the intake with the spacers.
I have some 2.5 na coolant crossovers and the wrx and sti is wider that is what I was going by. I'm pretty sure the 22t only made 160hp.
Well, I sorta have a motor, I have a 02 wrx motor and tranny with 5k on it that I have had a year or so. I went to kansas and bought the most of a front clip out of a wrx that a older man had bought in 02 but passed away before he could use it. It was on nasioc classifieds. I originally got it to put in a dunebuggy. I decided the buggy would be hard to do a radiator and still look nice. while I was getting the motor ready I built a large 8qt short oil pan and a modified ss header that is shorter and bought the outfront alt bracket and belt. I also have a 96 2.0 tt motor and tranny and all the tt stuff that came with it. I also have a 2.5 sti shortblock and a 2.0 closed deck shortblock And many sets of heads that I have found over the past few years. My son hotrods a sti and I have fabbed him a bigger oilpan and some other stuff for his car. A true cold air intake and a enclosed shroud for his front ic, I have also redone his ss ic piping to have fewer sharp turns.
We took the original motor out of his sti at 40k and put in a built motor with a lot of stuff, bigger cams a bigger turbo, ported heads, bigger oilpump, a external oil bypass to adjust oil pressure and modified tumble generator valves on the intake. He is a me and likes to study this stuff and I like to fab hotrod stuff.
I've got all of his old parts that are left over from his upgrades. He will be the one programming the wrx ecu for me in the 914 with open source romraider. I will probably start with the wrx motor but soon will be making a 2.5 with wrx heads and sti cams with a sti turbo. If he goes to a 35r from the 30r turbo I guess I might try that. The 30r makes a reliable 26lbs of boost on his 2.5. We haven't dynoed his car but the hp is around 400-425 awdhp by his 1/4 mile speed and times but he is really tuning it conservitively on 93 pump gas. He is really not a dragracer.
I have put a bremar conversion on the 96 legacy tranny and have bought two obx lsd's to put in both trannys. The 96 is a 4:44 I think and the wrx tranny is a 3:90. Really the 3:90 is probably the best in the 914. I also have two sets of porscharu's flanges for the trannys. I found some new 17 inch boxter wheels and tires from a porsche dealer in Balitmore for 825 shipped, the tires are 25 inches tall. The tires are 8 in the front and 10 in the rear. I will make a cable shifter but I really want to build a sequential shifter. Suby drivers are notorious for getting in the wrong gear on down shifts and breaking ring lands on the pistons and causing other things like spun rod bearings. I will probably use a air to water ic as I think in the 914 that will be the most efficient. I've gotten the 911 front and rear stuff including the emerg. brake stuff and also the aluminum brembos from the alfa romeo milano to use front and rear. I've got the wrx rad. but also found a new custom 1 inch tube two row alum. rad really cheap on ebay. It was for a v8 ford in a toyota truck but it's the perfect size for the 914, 35.00. It also has 1.250 inlet and outlets.
My only problem is the damn house projects that keep piling up. But also the other toys in the shop. I have also been helping my oldest son restore his 72 super beetle I took away from him in 86.
I have some 2.5 na coolant crossovers and the wrx and sti is wider that is what I was going by. I'm pretty sure the 22t only made 160hp.
Well, I sorta have a motor, I have a 02 wrx motor and tranny with 5k on it that I have had a year or so. I went to kansas and bought the most of a front clip out of a wrx that a older man had bought in 02 but passed away before he could use it. It was on nasioc classifieds. I originally got it to put in a dunebuggy. I decided the buggy would be hard to do a radiator and still look nice. while I was getting the motor ready I built a large 8qt short oil pan and a modified ss header that is shorter and bought the outfront alt bracket and belt. I also have a 96 2.0 tt motor and tranny and all the tt stuff that came with it. I also have a 2.5 sti shortblock and a 2.0 closed deck shortblock And many sets of heads that I have found over the past few years. My son hotrods a sti and I have fabbed him a bigger oilpan and some other stuff for his car. A true cold air intake and a enclosed shroud for his front ic, I have also redone his ss ic piping to have fewer sharp turns.
We took the original motor out of his sti at 40k and put in a built motor with a lot of stuff, bigger cams a bigger turbo, ported heads, bigger oilpump, a external oil bypass to adjust oil pressure and modified tumble generator valves on the intake. He is a me and likes to study this stuff and I like to fab hotrod stuff.
I've got all of his old parts that are left over from his upgrades. He will be the one programming the wrx ecu for me in the 914 with open source romraider. I will probably start with the wrx motor but soon will be making a 2.5 with wrx heads and sti cams with a sti turbo. If he goes to a 35r from the 30r turbo I guess I might try that. The 30r makes a reliable 26lbs of boost on his 2.5. We haven't dynoed his car but the hp is around 400-425 awdhp by his 1/4 mile speed and times but he is really tuning it conservitively on 93 pump gas. He is really not a dragracer.
I have put a bremar conversion on the 96 legacy tranny and have bought two obx lsd's to put in both trannys. The 96 is a 4:44 I think and the wrx tranny is a 3:90. Really the 3:90 is probably the best in the 914. I also have two sets of porscharu's flanges for the trannys. I found some new 17 inch boxter wheels and tires from a porsche dealer in Balitmore for 825 shipped, the tires are 25 inches tall. The tires are 8 in the front and 10 in the rear. I will make a cable shifter but I really want to build a sequential shifter. Suby drivers are notorious for getting in the wrong gear on down shifts and breaking ring lands on the pistons and causing other things like spun rod bearings. I will probably use a air to water ic as I think in the 914 that will be the most efficient. I've gotten the 911 front and rear stuff including the emerg. brake stuff and also the aluminum brembos from the alfa romeo milano to use front and rear. I've got the wrx rad. but also found a new custom 1 inch tube two row alum. rad really cheap on ebay. It was for a v8 ford in a toyota truck but it's the perfect size for the 914, 35.00. It also has 1.250 inlet and outlets.
My only problem is the damn house projects that keep piling up. But also the other toys in the shop. I have also been helping my oldest son restore his 72 super beetle I took away from him in 86.
QUOTE(charliew @ Jun 6 2009, 03:27 PM)
You can put your hand on my sons sti after driving it and just get out and open the hood and touch the intake with the spacers.
I have some 2.5 na coolant crossovers and the wrx and sti is wider that is what I was going by. I'm pretty sure the 22t only made 160hp.
Hi Charlie --
I just ordered a set of the Grimmspeed phenolic spacers... one of those "while I'm in there" purchases.
My EJ22T has a TD05H-16G turbo, topmount charge air intercooler, manual boost control and fuel cut defenser. So I'm hoping to get ~200 hp from that engine, based on "conjecture" on the LegacyCentral website. No matter -- I'm treating that engine as a "prove it can be done" situation, and will replace it with an STI engine down the road.
Good luck with your project!
Had a chance to spend some more quality time with my project this weekend. First off, I received my pre-bent inner suspension console reinforcement kit from Tangerine Racing on Friday, so I welded it in that evening. It fit without any drama; here is a pic of the passenger side:
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I also started to make some firewall repairs due to rust-through and to finally patch up the hell-hole repair.
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Next up are repairs to the windshield...
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I also started to make some firewall repairs due to rust-through and to finally patch up the hell-hole repair.
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Next up are repairs to the windshield...
Get anything good at the swap meet?
Both lower corners of my windshield are crusty. I picked up driver and passenger side fender/cowl cuts from Derrick (can't remember his 914World name) in Palo Alto. While they had some rust in them, they were in far better shape than my car's.
Here is a pic of the passenger side lower corner:
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It took about 90 minutes to carefully cut out the passenger side piece I needed from the donor fender/cowl. It took every tool in my box (air body saw, jigsaw, sawzall, 1/8" cutting wheel on a die grinder, carbide burrs in a die grinder, etc.), and a ton of patience! Here is that piece prior to being fully cleaned up.
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Here is the cut-out, followed by the piece rough grinded (I forgot to take a pic of the piece welded-in / pre-grind). I used my friend's spot-welder to tack up the piece along the seam, and my trusty MIG to complete the butt-welds. The lead used by the factory at the cowl/fender seam caused a lot of popping, and the lead flew when I cooled each tack weld with compressed air...
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I'll tackle the driver side lower windshield later this week.
All told, I spent about 15 hours this Fri-Sun making these repairs. While the progress is seemingly slow on these little projects, I am heartened that they're done. I can't wait to begin the motor/trans mounting effort, as well as the fender flares project -- but I still have some more rust to deal with.
I went to the Parts Heaven swap meet this morning, and picked up a clean targa top, some spare trailing arms, rear non-defrost window and a rough fiberglass front bumper. There were some incredible cars there, as well as some good deals.
Here is a pic of the passenger side lower corner:
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It took about 90 minutes to carefully cut out the passenger side piece I needed from the donor fender/cowl. It took every tool in my box (air body saw, jigsaw, sawzall, 1/8" cutting wheel on a die grinder, carbide burrs in a die grinder, etc.), and a ton of patience! Here is that piece prior to being fully cleaned up.
Click to view attachment
Here is the cut-out, followed by the piece rough grinded (I forgot to take a pic of the piece welded-in / pre-grind). I used my friend's spot-welder to tack up the piece along the seam, and my trusty MIG to complete the butt-welds. The lead used by the factory at the cowl/fender seam caused a lot of popping, and the lead flew when I cooled each tack weld with compressed air...
Click to view attachment
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I'll tackle the driver side lower windshield later this week.
All told, I spent about 15 hours this Fri-Sun making these repairs. While the progress is seemingly slow on these little projects, I am heartened that they're done. I can't wait to begin the motor/trans mounting effort, as well as the fender flares project -- but I still have some more rust to deal with.
I went to the Parts Heaven swap meet this morning, and picked up a clean targa top, some spare trailing arms, rear non-defrost window and a rough fiberglass front bumper. There were some incredible cars there, as well as some good deals.
QUOTE(biosurfer1 @ Jun 7 2009, 07:59 PM)
Get anything good at the swap meet?
As stated above (you're quick with your posts!), I got a few things. I forgot to mention that I picked up a set of sway bar reinforcements, as well as new engine lid weld-on mounts.
The bummer is that I just missed out on a fully-adjustable Weltmeister front sway bar for $125. I literally talked to the guy, went to my car to pick up my gloves and when I got back two minutes later, a guy was handing him cash. D'oh!
Did you go? Get anything interesting?
I couldn't make it but Justin (didn't he go with you?) got my a center console with gauges and retractable seat belts.
Strawman I don't know how much studying you've done on the waic stuff but the aussie mag autospeed has some pretty good stuff. Here's one article on the parts for making your own and where to find them if you are not using a kit.
I don't know which year awic suby cooler you have but one they mention is good for 210kw. I'm not good with metric but the conversion is about 1.35hp+1.0kw. I would guess on my simple estimation thats about 260hp
Course then water and or meth injection will cover even more hp increase. They cover that also.
http://autospeed.com/A_107760/cms/article.html
I don't know which year awic suby cooler you have but one they mention is good for 210kw. I'm not good with metric but the conversion is about 1.35hp+1.0kw. I would guess on my simple estimation thats about 260hp
Course then water and or meth injection will cover even more hp increase. They cover that also.
http://autospeed.com/A_107760/cms/article.html
Over the past few weeks, I've been cleaning up and working on the engine, getting it ready to shoehorn in. Suby engines are cheap (especially if you buy a whole parts car and sell off the leftovers!), but it ain't so cheap to buy gaskets and ancillary parts. I replaced all o-rings and assorted gaskets, the water pump, belts and hoses, and had the injectors cleaned/blueprinted by Witchunter. All told, this effort required about $400, but it should ensure a leak-free engine.
I picked up some scrap metal and an electric hoist on Craigslist to build a gantry, as presented below. It is ugly, but it works great for lifting up the engine up to the height of the rotisserie'd tub. However, the rear firewall gets in the way to effectively position the engine exactly where it needs to be, so I built a couple of sawhorses with adjustable-height mechanisms to get the engine where it needs to be. In this scenario, I set the engine at the desired angle and then move the rotisserie'd car where it needs to be. Take a look at the pics:
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I picked up some scrap metal and an electric hoist on Craigslist to build a gantry, as presented below. It is ugly, but it works great for lifting up the engine up to the height of the rotisserie'd tub. However, the rear firewall gets in the way to effectively position the engine exactly where it needs to be, so I built a couple of sawhorses with adjustable-height mechanisms to get the engine where it needs to be. In this scenario, I set the engine at the desired angle and then move the rotisserie'd car where it needs to be. Take a look at the pics:
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Next up is the engine cradle, built out of 1"x2"x 0.120" wall tubing. This bolts directly to the stock Subaru motor mounts, and barely clears the turbo up-pipe. I built it so that it will be the lowest point and can provide some oil pan protection (although the previous pics don't show it, I will ultimately shorten the pan about 2"). Here is a pic:
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The cradle will bolt to mounting ears that I'll weld on gussets that I've installed on the upper longs (see below). I believe the cradle will help tie together the rearward portions of the longs, and the gussets that I've fabricated will tie in the lower portion of the GT kit and the inner potion of the longs. Below are a couple pictures of the gussets that I fabricated out of 16 ga. steel -- prior to welding and then after rosette welds / grinding smooth.
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Here is the clearance and mock-up of the transaxle:
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Finally, here is a pic of the engine bay, showing where the turbo will be mounted. Obviously, I need to cut out a portion of the rear firewall/trunk floor, and construct a box for the turbo. I also need to box in clearance for the hydraulically-controlled clutch and possibly the starter. With regard to the starter, I'm still investigating the gear-reduction WRX starter, which is "clocked" such that it might fit under the stock rear firewall. More to come on that.
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Next up is completing the seam welding of the driver-side gusset, fabricating/welding the passenger side long gusset, completion of the mounting ears for long-to-cradle, and completion of the cradle. Then I'll fabricate the transaxle mount. I hope to tie the cradle to the transaxle mount to keep the tail of my teener connected to middle of the car.
In terms of fore-aft location of the engine/trans, I tried to keep the engine located as far back as possible to keep a slight rearward weight bias and to line up the output flange-to-hubs to the extent possible. According to my measurements, the angle is ~0.50" off (output flange is slightly forward of the hub) -- which is less than the angle of the stock Subaru output-to-hub setup (~1.0" offset).
Stay tuned...
Click to view attachment
The cradle will bolt to mounting ears that I'll weld on gussets that I've installed on the upper longs (see below). I believe the cradle will help tie together the rearward portions of the longs, and the gussets that I've fabricated will tie in the lower portion of the GT kit and the inner potion of the longs. Below are a couple pictures of the gussets that I fabricated out of 16 ga. steel -- prior to welding and then after rosette welds / grinding smooth.
Click to view attachment
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Here is the clearance and mock-up of the transaxle:
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Finally, here is a pic of the engine bay, showing where the turbo will be mounted. Obviously, I need to cut out a portion of the rear firewall/trunk floor, and construct a box for the turbo. I also need to box in clearance for the hydraulically-controlled clutch and possibly the starter. With regard to the starter, I'm still investigating the gear-reduction WRX starter, which is "clocked" such that it might fit under the stock rear firewall. More to come on that.
Click to view attachment
Next up is completing the seam welding of the driver-side gusset, fabricating/welding the passenger side long gusset, completion of the mounting ears for long-to-cradle, and completion of the cradle. Then I'll fabricate the transaxle mount. I hope to tie the cradle to the transaxle mount to keep the tail of my teener connected to middle of the car.
In terms of fore-aft location of the engine/trans, I tried to keep the engine located as far back as possible to keep a slight rearward weight bias and to line up the output flange-to-hubs to the extent possible. According to my measurements, the angle is ~0.50" off (output flange is slightly forward of the hub) -- which is less than the angle of the stock Subaru output-to-hub setup (~1.0" offset).
Stay tuned...
I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy.
I completed the engine mount system, as well as the transmission mount system. My wife-n-daughter were away this weekend and they took the digital camera, so I was unable to take any pics of my recent progress. I'll snap some shots in the coming days and post them here.
But the big news is that I sold my racing karts on Sunday to bring some more money to the project. I just ordered an OBX planetary limited slip for my Suby trans. I'll try to chronicle that build soon after the unit arrives. I also just got off the phone with Chuck at Elephant Racing Products and bought the following items:
1. Polybronze suspension bushings, front and rear
2. Tarett front sway bar and weld-on A-arm mounts
3. Front monoball camber plates
4. Balljoint mount kits.
I plan to drive down to San Jose next week to pick up the items, and to have him check out my Bilstein Sport strut inserts. Elephant now rebuilds & revalves Bilstein struts ($250/pair; Bilstein in Poway only charges $150/pair).
I plan on staying with the stock 911 18.8mm torsion bars up front for now, although he is suggesting that the Bilstein Sports are "too much" for the stock front 911 torsions -- especially in a 914. I'm a little reluctant to move up to a larger set of front torsions until I have a chance to drive the car. Anyone have some advice for me, both in terms of the torsion bars and strut inserts (I have 911 Bilstein strut housings)? Maybe it would be best to finish assembling the car, corner weight it and then send the strut inserts in for a rebuild/revalve? The car will be used primarily for spirited mountain road driving, occasional autocrosses and some HPDE track events.
Geoff
I completed the engine mount system, as well as the transmission mount system. My wife-n-daughter were away this weekend and they took the digital camera, so I was unable to take any pics of my recent progress. I'll snap some shots in the coming days and post them here.
But the big news is that I sold my racing karts on Sunday to bring some more money to the project. I just ordered an OBX planetary limited slip for my Suby trans. I'll try to chronicle that build soon after the unit arrives. I also just got off the phone with Chuck at Elephant Racing Products and bought the following items:
1. Polybronze suspension bushings, front and rear
2. Tarett front sway bar and weld-on A-arm mounts
3. Front monoball camber plates
4. Balljoint mount kits.
I plan to drive down to San Jose next week to pick up the items, and to have him check out my Bilstein Sport strut inserts. Elephant now rebuilds & revalves Bilstein struts ($250/pair; Bilstein in Poway only charges $150/pair).
I plan on staying with the stock 911 18.8mm torsion bars up front for now, although he is suggesting that the Bilstein Sports are "too much" for the stock front 911 torsions -- especially in a 914. I'm a little reluctant to move up to a larger set of front torsions until I have a chance to drive the car. Anyone have some advice for me, both in terms of the torsion bars and strut inserts (I have 911 Bilstein strut housings)? Maybe it would be best to finish assembling the car, corner weight it and then send the strut inserts in for a rebuild/revalve? The car will be used primarily for spirited mountain road driving, occasional autocrosses and some HPDE track events.
Geoff
Here are some pics of the suspension stuff I picked up from Elephant Racing Products yesterday. Chuck is a really nice and knowledgeable guy, and I had fun looking around his shop in Santa Clara. Like many hot rod shops, it is pretty unassuming from the outside, and I drove by it twice looking for a great big neon sign...
I also ordered some Bilstein (pronounced Bil-Stine, I now know) rear shocks, front Bilstein linear bushings, and front strut wiper seals that ERP will ship in the coming days.
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Besides the stuff listed in the post above, I also bought new bearing seats for my Bilstein strut housings. I already have new wheel bearings and seals for when I put the front end back together.
This weekend I plan to weld in stiffening tubes in the spare trailing arms I have, similar to Eric Shea's modifications (the wrap-around stiffening kits really make the arms really HEAVY, I've found!). I also plan to weld on the rear trailing arm e-brake pivots, raise the spindles 19mm on the front Bilstein strut housings, weld on the A-arm sway bar mounts, sandblast all suspension pieces, and I hope to find time to take the lot to a powder coating firm in Sacramento next week.
Time permitting, I'll also tear into the Suby trans this weekend to install the OBX limited slip. I'll take pics as I go for anyone interested in the guts of these boxes. I've never been inside this box before, but I've had experience setting up ring-n-pinions when I was into four-wheeling so I'm not too escairt.
Below is a pic of the Suby trans mount, as bolted to the stock 914 location using 911 engine mounts. I've also attached a pic of the trans mount bolted on the Suby trans. This mount will provide a nice "canvas" for mounting the cable shifting system...
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I also ordered some Bilstein (pronounced Bil-Stine, I now know) rear shocks, front Bilstein linear bushings, and front strut wiper seals that ERP will ship in the coming days.
Click to view attachment
Besides the stuff listed in the post above, I also bought new bearing seats for my Bilstein strut housings. I already have new wheel bearings and seals for when I put the front end back together.
This weekend I plan to weld in stiffening tubes in the spare trailing arms I have, similar to Eric Shea's modifications (the wrap-around stiffening kits really make the arms really HEAVY, I've found!). I also plan to weld on the rear trailing arm e-brake pivots, raise the spindles 19mm on the front Bilstein strut housings, weld on the A-arm sway bar mounts, sandblast all suspension pieces, and I hope to find time to take the lot to a powder coating firm in Sacramento next week.
Time permitting, I'll also tear into the Suby trans this weekend to install the OBX limited slip. I'll take pics as I go for anyone interested in the guts of these boxes. I've never been inside this box before, but I've had experience setting up ring-n-pinions when I was into four-wheeling so I'm not too escairt.
Below is a pic of the Suby trans mount, as bolted to the stock 914 location using 911 engine mounts. I've also attached a pic of the trans mount bolted on the Suby trans. This mount will provide a nice "canvas" for mounting the cable shifting system...
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A little update...
I welded on the front sway bar tabs on the A-arms, removed the ball joints, burned out the factory rubber bushings and sandblasted the arms. I hope to get them to the powdercoater this week so that I can install the new hardware depicted in an earlier post. No pics, as this isn't exactly rocket science.
Below is a pic of the raised spindles on my 911 Bilstein struts. After searching the Pelican site and a few Porsche mod shop websites, I decided to raise the spindles a total of 30mm (instead of 19mm as indicated in an earlier post). It took a lot of time grinding out the factory rosette weld, measure depth, grind more and measure again until I was sure I ground out enough without bunging up the strut tube. Even still, it stressed the 55-ton press I have access to pop it free and keep it moving to the desired height.
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I plan to weld on a lower "arm" onto the strut tube just above the ball joint roll-pin hole so that I can run a long bolt between the factory arm (drilled out to 14mm) and this new arm, with spacers to get the optimal tie-rod height to reduce bumpsteer. Stay tuned for pics of that completed mod as soon as I procure suitable bolts and spin spacers on the lathe in the coming weeks.
The rear Bilstein dampers arrived this week, but no pics are necessary. I also tore apart the Suby trans, and everything looks good (it shifted fine when removed). Even so, I ordered new bearings throughout and plan to assemble it this week with the OBX limited slip. Stay tuned for pics of that, too.
I welded on the front sway bar tabs on the A-arms, removed the ball joints, burned out the factory rubber bushings and sandblasted the arms. I hope to get them to the powdercoater this week so that I can install the new hardware depicted in an earlier post. No pics, as this isn't exactly rocket science.
Below is a pic of the raised spindles on my 911 Bilstein struts. After searching the Pelican site and a few Porsche mod shop websites, I decided to raise the spindles a total of 30mm (instead of 19mm as indicated in an earlier post). It took a lot of time grinding out the factory rosette weld, measure depth, grind more and measure again until I was sure I ground out enough without bunging up the strut tube. Even still, it stressed the 55-ton press I have access to pop it free and keep it moving to the desired height.
Click to view attachment
I plan to weld on a lower "arm" onto the strut tube just above the ball joint roll-pin hole so that I can run a long bolt between the factory arm (drilled out to 14mm) and this new arm, with spacers to get the optimal tie-rod height to reduce bumpsteer. Stay tuned for pics of that completed mod as soon as I procure suitable bolts and spin spacers on the lathe in the coming weeks.
The rear Bilstein dampers arrived this week, but no pics are necessary. I also tore apart the Suby trans, and everything looks good (it shifted fine when removed). Even so, I ordered new bearings throughout and plan to assemble it this week with the OBX limited slip. Stay tuned for pics of that, too.
Okay, so I just got another cocktail, and thought I'd take the time to add some more details of the trans teardown.
First up is a pic of the trans on my workbench, with the rear and mid case removed. As noted, you can see the Bremar coupler. You can also see one of the two trans side covers that provide the side-side adjustment of the differential/ring gear to get a good pinion / ring gear pattern.
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Here is a pic of the mid case draining out the nasty-smelling gear oil. As part of the Bremar FWD conversion, you toss the rear case & guts, which originally housed the center differential. The shift rod is also shown in this pic.
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Next is a pic of the guts of the trans.
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Here is a side-by-side of the factory diff and the OBX limited slip.
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First up is a pic of the trans on my workbench, with the rear and mid case removed. As noted, you can see the Bremar coupler. You can also see one of the two trans side covers that provide the side-side adjustment of the differential/ring gear to get a good pinion / ring gear pattern.
Click to view attachment
Here is a pic of the mid case draining out the nasty-smelling gear oil. As part of the Bremar FWD conversion, you toss the rear case & guts, which originally housed the center differential. The shift rod is also shown in this pic.
Click to view attachment
Next is a pic of the guts of the trans.
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Here is a side-by-side of the factory diff and the OBX limited slip.
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And here are a couple of pics of the main and mid trans cases all cleaned up. Just waiting for the new seals, o-rings and bearings that will hopefully arrive this week.
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I like the engine cradle it's similiar to Tony's. Looks good.
Are you going to expect the pinion depth to remain the same after you replace the bearings on the pinion shaft? Did you happen to check the backlash on the original setup? Just curious as I am going to put 05 legacy internals in a 02 wrx case with the obx and I saw where suby has a flat plate tool to set pinion depth. It looks like one could be made using a known good setup and using it on later rebuilds. It uses two pins that register in the case bolts and butts against the end of the pinion it seems from pictures I've seen. Since you are not changing the ring and pinion you might be ok just setting the backlash as that seems to be your game plan. Thats seems to be what the guys on nasioc are doing. I guess thats the early tranny from the 93 instead of the 99 tranny you mentioned at the first? It looks like the tt one I have. Is it a 4:11 or 4:44 fd? I read somewhere that the pre 99 tranny were different but the 96 I have looks a lot like the 02 wrx and the 05 legacy other than the clutch arm and the axle stubs missing on the 05 and the removable plate on top of the center case of the early tranny.
While you are in there look how much room there is with the center diff out. I'm thinking the cables for the shifter could be internal and that would clean up the rear of the car under the bottom.
Are you going to expect the pinion depth to remain the same after you replace the bearings on the pinion shaft? Did you happen to check the backlash on the original setup? Just curious as I am going to put 05 legacy internals in a 02 wrx case with the obx and I saw where suby has a flat plate tool to set pinion depth. It looks like one could be made using a known good setup and using it on later rebuilds. It uses two pins that register in the case bolts and butts against the end of the pinion it seems from pictures I've seen. Since you are not changing the ring and pinion you might be ok just setting the backlash as that seems to be your game plan. Thats seems to be what the guys on nasioc are doing. I guess thats the early tranny from the 93 instead of the 99 tranny you mentioned at the first? It looks like the tt one I have. Is it a 4:11 or 4:44 fd? I read somewhere that the pre 99 tranny were different but the 96 I have looks a lot like the 02 wrx and the 05 legacy other than the clutch arm and the axle stubs missing on the 05 and the removable plate on top of the center case of the early tranny.
While you are in there look how much room there is with the center diff out. I'm thinking the cables for the shifter could be internal and that would clean up the rear of the car under the bottom.
QUOTE(charliew @ Sep 17 2009, 10:14 PM)
<snip>
... Since you are not changing the ring and pinion you might be ok just setting the backlash as that seems to be your game plan. Thats seems to be what the guys on nasioc are doing.
Hi Charlie,
Yup, I'm only planning to set the backlash and test to make sure I've got a good gear pattern.
QUOTE(charliew @ Sep 17 2009, 10:14 PM)
I guess thats the early tranny from the 93 instead of the 99 tranny you mentioned at the first? It looks like the tt one I have. Is it a 4:11 or 4:44 fd? I read somewhere that the pre 99 tranny were different but the 96 I have looks a lot like the 02 wrx and the 05 legacy other than the clutch arm and the axle stubs missing on the 05 and the removable plate on top of the center case of the early tranny.
No, I've confirmed from the part number that it is out of a 1998 Forester, with the 4.11 ratio. It has a transmission code of TY753VJ1AA.
QUOTE(charliew @ Sep 17 2009, 10:14 PM)
While you are in there look how much room there is with the center diff out. I'm thinking the cables for the shifter could be internal and that would clean up the rear of the car under the bottom.
I'm not sure that would be possible; where would the cables enter the case? And how would you rotate the rod with the cables inside the case? I think cable shifting at the back of the trans should be fine...
Geoff
QUOTE(charliew @ Sep 17 2009, 10:14 PM)
Are you going to expect the pinion depth to remain the same after you replace the bearings on the pinion shaft?
Hi Charlie --
I neglected to state in my previous posting that I am not replacing the bearings on the pinion shaft -- only those of the mainshaft and differential bearings.
Finished up the trans reassembly this weekend, and began mocking up the cable shifter setup. I'll try to post pics later today or tomorrow.
Geoff
I'm sorry Geoff, by early I meant the 99 and earlier trannys, I think they are the only ones with the inspection cover on top of the gear case.
The 4:11 should give a little relief to the gears regarding the torque applied to them. Also it will have a pretty short low, I'm anxious to see how you like it.
I really think the 3:90 is probably the best unless a 3:54 is available because the car is so light, but tire dia could also be used to adjust the fd some be. Of course that puts much more strain on the gears and shafts.
The rotational motion would be the same inside the case as the outside but might require more leverage at the shifter as the internal arm inside the case would need to be so short. The cables would need to enter higher than the fluid level, I would think.
The 4:11 should give a little relief to the gears regarding the torque applied to them. Also it will have a pretty short low, I'm anxious to see how you like it.
I really think the 3:90 is probably the best unless a 3:54 is available because the car is so light, but tire dia could also be used to adjust the fd some be. Of course that puts much more strain on the gears and shafts.
The rotational motion would be the same inside the case as the outside but might require more leverage at the shifter as the internal arm inside the case would need to be so short. The cables would need to enter higher than the fluid level, I would think.
So I finished up the installation of the OBX limited slip differential, including many new bearings (mainshaft and diff bearings) and all new seals/o-rings. The LSD was $412 delivered, and the bearings/seals was another $200.
First pic is of the guts, including the anaerobic gasket maker.
Click to view attachment
Next up is a pic of the main case halves bolted and torqued, as well as the "mid" case bolted and torqued. Note that the "rear" case is eliminated with the Bremar 2wd kit...
Click to view attachment
I then bolted up the trans to an engine stand to begin setting the backlash. As you can see in the photo below, you need to weight the differential (in this case, that is a 911 front brake rotor wired to the driver-side axle stub). This essentially pulls the ring gear away from the pinion gear. Note that I didn't replace the pinion bearings, because they looked to be in great shape and I didn't want to mess with the pinion depth... hopefully that decision won't end up biting me in the ass. The passenger side adjuster is installed without its o-ring so that you can easily turn that side's adjuster.
Click to view attachment
You then screw in the driver side adjuster from below until you make contact between the ring gear and the pinion gear. Then you adjust the passenger side in until you preload the case bearings. Next you back off the driver side 1.5 notches (see the "teeth" on the adjuster?), temporarily tighten the passenger side adjuster 1.5 notches, mark that location, back off the passenger side adjuster enough to install the o-ring, and then tighten the passenger side back to its marked spot. Finally, you secure the adjusters using the locks (I didn't take a pic of those, but they're bolted in the threaded hole that is slightly obscured by the bicycle lock-ring tool in the pic below.
Click to view attachment
First pic is of the guts, including the anaerobic gasket maker.
Click to view attachment
Next up is a pic of the main case halves bolted and torqued, as well as the "mid" case bolted and torqued. Note that the "rear" case is eliminated with the Bremar 2wd kit...
Click to view attachment
I then bolted up the trans to an engine stand to begin setting the backlash. As you can see in the photo below, you need to weight the differential (in this case, that is a 911 front brake rotor wired to the driver-side axle stub). This essentially pulls the ring gear away from the pinion gear. Note that I didn't replace the pinion bearings, because they looked to be in great shape and I didn't want to mess with the pinion depth... hopefully that decision won't end up biting me in the ass. The passenger side adjuster is installed without its o-ring so that you can easily turn that side's adjuster.
Click to view attachment
You then screw in the driver side adjuster from below until you make contact between the ring gear and the pinion gear. Then you adjust the passenger side in until you preload the case bearings. Next you back off the driver side 1.5 notches (see the "teeth" on the adjuster?), temporarily tighten the passenger side adjuster 1.5 notches, mark that location, back off the passenger side adjuster enough to install the o-ring, and then tighten the passenger side back to its marked spot. Finally, you secure the adjusters using the locks (I didn't take a pic of those, but they're bolted in the threaded hole that is slightly obscured by the bicycle lock-ring tool in the pic below.
Click to view attachment
Now that the transmission is ready to go, I started on the mock up of the shifter and cables. I am using an AW11 model Toyota MR2 ('85 to '89) shifter that I picked up at a local Pick-n-Pull for ~$25, including the shifter cables. Here is a pic of the shifter on a module that I welded up and bolted to the top of the transmission.
Click to view attachment
Next up are a couple of pics of the business end of the shifting mechanism. Obviously this is a mickey-mouse mock-up -- but I wanted to see how tall the shifter upright needed to be, and where to locate the left-right stand-off. I clamped the upright to the shift-rod connector using Vise-Grips until I got the height of the upright correct, then tack-welded it. It shifts great, despite the extreme angle of the fore-aft cable. Custom cables will take out the these kinks...
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
It should be noted that the movement of the shift rod fore-aft and side-side is very acute. Below is a series of four pictures that depicts the side-side (note the rubber boot is scrunched when you compare the top two pics when moving the shifter from the 1-2 gate to the 5-R gate) and fore-aft (note the differing distances of the upright in comparison to the rear of the trans when the shifter is moved from 1st to 2nd).
Click to view attachment
I'll make the whole mechanism much more pretty, and weld the stand-off to the trans-to-body mount. I'll probably have to make up a new module for the shifter, too so that I can accommodate the length of the cables, which will use rod ends at each end. Stay tuned!
Click to view attachment
Next up are a couple of pics of the business end of the shifting mechanism. Obviously this is a mickey-mouse mock-up -- but I wanted to see how tall the shifter upright needed to be, and where to locate the left-right stand-off. I clamped the upright to the shift-rod connector using Vise-Grips until I got the height of the upright correct, then tack-welded it. It shifts great, despite the extreme angle of the fore-aft cable. Custom cables will take out the these kinks...
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
It should be noted that the movement of the shift rod fore-aft and side-side is very acute. Below is a series of four pictures that depicts the side-side (note the rubber boot is scrunched when you compare the top two pics when moving the shifter from the 1-2 gate to the 5-R gate) and fore-aft (note the differing distances of the upright in comparison to the rear of the trans when the shifter is moved from 1st to 2nd).
Click to view attachment
I'll make the whole mechanism much more pretty, and weld the stand-off to the trans-to-body mount. I'll probably have to make up a new module for the shifter, too so that I can accommodate the length of the cables, which will use rod ends at each end. Stay tuned!
I finally got around to finishing the rear trunk replacement, including cleaning up the welds, ospho-ing the bare metal, and epoxy primering those prepped areas. While I had the spray gun out, I also epoxy primered the GT chassis kit, the passenger side suspension console, the Tangerine Racing suspension ear reinforcements and the engine mounts. Finally, I sandblasted the front 911 A-arms and epoxy primered 'em. I will take pics and post them this weekend.
I also finished up the raised spindles on the Bilstein struts that I showed in post #84 above. Below is a pic of the lower arm I fabricated and welded on. I made the concave cuts by simply using a 2" hole saw in the middle of a 2-foot piece of 2"x0.1875" flat bar stock; with a little massaging with a rat-tail file, the lower arms fit just about perfectly on the OD of the Bilstein strut housing at the correct angle. I cut a piece of 3/4" black gas pipe on the lathe to ensure it was cut square (2.5" long), and used that as a spacer while I welded the lower arm on each strut housing. I then drilled out the 14mm hole in the lower arm. It fits perfectly and square at the correct angle. I tapered the lower arms toward the rod end so it looks all purty.
Click to view attachment
Getting the parts was a PITA, as I had to source stuff from both sides of the pond. I got the 110mm long M14 grade 12.9 Allen bolts from Grainger, as well as the 14mm drill bit. The 14mm female couplers (that mate the male rod end with the turbo tie rods setup) and some M14 castle nuts were sourced from specialty bolt supplier in SoCal. The rod ends, high-angle rod end spacers and jam nuts came from McGill Motorsports in England. I also sourced some cool rubber boots (not shown) that keep grime out of the rod ends from McGill.
I still need to drill cotter pin holes in the bottom of the Allen bolts, chuck up some round stock to make the final spacers (after I mock up the front end and see where vertically the rod end should sit to avoid bump-steer), and then the hardware side of things should be wrapped up for steering setup.
I also finished up the raised spindles on the Bilstein struts that I showed in post #84 above. Below is a pic of the lower arm I fabricated and welded on. I made the concave cuts by simply using a 2" hole saw in the middle of a 2-foot piece of 2"x0.1875" flat bar stock; with a little massaging with a rat-tail file, the lower arms fit just about perfectly on the OD of the Bilstein strut housing at the correct angle. I cut a piece of 3/4" black gas pipe on the lathe to ensure it was cut square (2.5" long), and used that as a spacer while I welded the lower arm on each strut housing. I then drilled out the 14mm hole in the lower arm. It fits perfectly and square at the correct angle. I tapered the lower arms toward the rod end so it looks all purty.
Click to view attachment
Getting the parts was a PITA, as I had to source stuff from both sides of the pond. I got the 110mm long M14 grade 12.9 Allen bolts from Grainger, as well as the 14mm drill bit. The 14mm female couplers (that mate the male rod end with the turbo tie rods setup) and some M14 castle nuts were sourced from specialty bolt supplier in SoCal. The rod ends, high-angle rod end spacers and jam nuts came from McGill Motorsports in England. I also sourced some cool rubber boots (not shown) that keep grime out of the rod ends from McGill.
I still need to drill cotter pin holes in the bottom of the Allen bolts, chuck up some round stock to make the final spacers (after I mock up the front end and see where vertically the rod end should sit to avoid bump-steer), and then the hardware side of things should be wrapped up for steering setup.
Awesome work and rustoration! Thanks for documenting it well.
Keep it up!
-Jordan
Keep it up!
-Jordan
Looking good!
Geoff great pictures, I guess you decided 1.5 notches on the side to side clearance of the diff was a good backlash adj? If that is good it seems easy enough. It will be easy enough to turn in the driver side on the stock setup before I take it apart to see what it is before I take it apart. that way it will bo back the same. The only prob I will see that might change things is I want to put all 05 legacy stuff along with the obx inside a 96 or 02 wrx tranny that I have. The front to rear position of the pinion might be different. In order to use the 05 legacy gears I will also have to use the 05 shafts. The 05 legacy tranny I have has a busted case. I didn't get how you measured side to side bearing load on the diif though.
QUOTE(charliew @ Oct 22 2009, 10:48 AM)
... I didn't get how you measured side to side bearing load on the diif though.
Hi Charlie,
I simply followed the Suby manual instructions to set the side-side bearing load. PM me with your email, and I'll send a copy to you.
Geoff
Finally took some pics of my modified trailing arms (with the lateral tube stiffeners that I welded in a couple of weeks ago), along with a 911 e-brake setup. My e-brake setup is a flagrant plagiarism of Paul Seyegh's setup (you can actually see the Excellence Magazine article in the background of the pictures!!!). Thanks Paul...
The first pic is of the arms, with the relocated e-brake cable mounts and the pivots -- one hooked up, and the other laid out to see the various components. With regard to the latter, I used a 3/8" I.D. bronze shouldered bushing and flat 3/8" bronze bushing, along with a 1/2" I.D. collar welded to a bent piece of 3/16" hot-rolled steel stock. I figure I can use the set-screw hole to inject grease, and use the set-screw in the collar to keep it lubed and to keep out gunk. The bronze bushings should allow an easy/unfettered pivot; the Grade-8 3/8" flanged bolt welded to the trailing arm should provide ample strength.
Click to view attachment
The second pic is a close-up of the various components of the pivot. The black Sharpie line depicts where the pivot will sit when the parking brake handle is released. Obviously, I haven't yet drilled a hole for the e-brake cable hook-up yet in the pivot in this pic.
Click to view attachment
The final pic shows the e-brake cable hooked up, along with a 1/4" x 2.5" SS Allen bolt hooking up the pivot to the e-brake expander.
Click to view attachment
I hope to sandblast the arms and other various components tomorrow, and to epoxy primer everything. I bought some urethane semi-gloss black paint this week, and I hope to also paint all my epoxy primered suspension components tomorrow. I'm gonna forego the Bilstein green on the front struts... I like the idea of black against orange (green and orange would be too "pumpkin" for my liking).
The first pic is of the arms, with the relocated e-brake cable mounts and the pivots -- one hooked up, and the other laid out to see the various components. With regard to the latter, I used a 3/8" I.D. bronze shouldered bushing and flat 3/8" bronze bushing, along with a 1/2" I.D. collar welded to a bent piece of 3/16" hot-rolled steel stock. I figure I can use the set-screw hole to inject grease, and use the set-screw in the collar to keep it lubed and to keep out gunk. The bronze bushings should allow an easy/unfettered pivot; the Grade-8 3/8" flanged bolt welded to the trailing arm should provide ample strength.
Click to view attachment
The second pic is a close-up of the various components of the pivot. The black Sharpie line depicts where the pivot will sit when the parking brake handle is released. Obviously, I haven't yet drilled a hole for the e-brake cable hook-up yet in the pivot in this pic.
Click to view attachment
The final pic shows the e-brake cable hooked up, along with a 1/4" x 2.5" SS Allen bolt hooking up the pivot to the e-brake expander.
Click to view attachment
I hope to sandblast the arms and other various components tomorrow, and to epoxy primer everything. I bought some urethane semi-gloss black paint this week, and I hope to also paint all my epoxy primered suspension components tomorrow. I'm gonna forego the Bilstein green on the front struts... I like the idea of black against orange (green and orange would be too "pumpkin" for my liking).
Extremely well done. You're knocking out things that I've been planning forever to get around to.
Geoff, just reviewed the thread so I can remember all you have done and remember to look at. My brother, Harvey will be with me, we will try to be there 2:30 to 3:00. Hasta manana, Al. 
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