Hello All,

I'm going to need a tank for my conversion project, so I've started snooping around, I see an original tank in the classifieds, it looks to be sold.

I've tried contacting DW Designs but have not heard back, I read somewhere that he may have moved?

It seems that my choices are limited so I may build one for myself, if there is interest I could make extra.

I have the resources to build a high quality unit, solidworks, lasercutting, brakeforming, machining, welding & powdercoating.

I would need to find an original tank for measurements.

I know that others have made these in the past , I do not want to step on anyones past efforts or business, it just seems it's not easy or affordable to buy this tank?

Yes, he moved and i don't think he has any plans to make new ones any time soon. It's a shame, really, as i have one of his tanks on my 3.6L and it's a great product ...

Maybe somebody can work out a deal with him and take over his product line?
Andy

I believe there is a market for these however it's not huge. My guess is if you can make a product similiar to the DW Design and equal in quality you might sell 15-20 per year. I'm glad I was able to buy a DW Design as it is a beautiful piece. If you can hit a price point of 700.00 - 800.00 I think you can sell them. Cheaper is even better. You also should provide the filler neck,cap and oil filter mount.

go boss

i have contacted Don on this very issue a few weeks ago.

I've had a "volunteer" who will donate an original sample tank to this project. I'm going to proceed with some planning & costing.

I will look at what it takes to build the complete set-up with filler neck & filter mount.

I hope to hear from DW Design, I do not want to be labeled as some sort of rip-off, I would just like an available product.

Seems like you're going about it the right way.

(just trying to figure out a way to shrink to Hobbit height to read Jeff's jpg!)

Patrick Motorsports makes a nice one, but pricey. I have one in each of my 3 914's.
http://www.patrickmotorsports.com/part/434/

I think the concensous was that Jimmy got them from Don.

I would absolutely take one if you can get the price reasonable. It seems that everyone who was making them has stopped. The only ones I could find were vellios (gone I think), and DW design (gone to australlia) and of course the factory unit.

I tried to put together a group buy but I think one of the only vendors that have any aftermarket left in stock is Patrick Motorsports. Becoming the suplier might be lucrative at this point. If you could sell 24 tanks a year @ 800 a tank I have to imagine there is a boat load of margin in that.

Larry

A boatload of margin is not my intent. Maybe a truckload of .

I have the ability to manufacture these at what should be a very good price.

I've seen a lot of home built tanks that probably work fine but are no where near as elegant as the factory style. I started looking at this , all I see are solutions that are going to cost $1000.00 or more.

If I can keep the cost down it sure offers us conversion guy's another alternative.

So will it be made in the USA ?

China all the way!

I just thought of another benefit... "another fine product brought to you by "Greenie"

My one shot at immortality!

I'd be interested if the price is right.

If you need an 911 tank to disect let me know I have a couple spares....There is some internal things inside the tank that should be reproduced. And it makes more sense to disect an available 911 tank then an original 914-6 tank.

Actually, I could see demand for an early 911 tank but not a later... When I converted my 67 912 to a 911 it was pretty tough to find a good tank.

However, my vote would still be for the 914 tank first

Actually what I was getting at was to take the 911 tank apart as there is some internal stuff inside that needs to be duplicated in the repo tanks.....internally the tanks have the same design principal so I thought I donate a 911 tank to be cut open....

Would the 914-6 tank be the same as a 911 tank as far as the interior baffles are concerned??
CCLINPASSWORD

I might take you up on your offer for a sacrificial donor.

I have a stock 914/6 tank on the way to use for measurements.

With both tanks I could then answer Craigs question.

Thank you

I have a 914-6 tank at CAMP if you need measurements.
CCLIMRULERSAREFORSPANKING

Two things:

- The internal baffles are very important and if i recall correctly somebody posted pictures here of a dissected stock 914/6 oiltank. That was quite a while ago. Maybe two years or longer.

- If at all possible, *please* consider adding a 911 oil-level sending unit to the tank!!!
If you do, i'll buy one of your tanks and sell my current DW ...

Andy

I thought you achieved that a long time ago you sick bastard .

Go get em Curt. Do us proud

So Don's not answering any emails? That's a bummer! The aluminum tanks were originally developed at/for GPR, and then Don took the ball and ran with it. I've sold about eight of them since they started. For whatever reason I wasn't able to get much of a wholesale price from Don, but I did have a special arrangement with Dave.

Those tanks were really nice part, and I never had a problem with any of them. 50% of the cast aluminum tanks I got had a leak problem.

The only issue I've got is the oil filter console has no bypass valve, but I've been able to get used ones.

Actually, I think he is building them "in house" now.

Same here, Had he made the bigger thread for the later OC-54 filter it would have been correct .

Hi Andy,

I don't think we will have a problem with the baffles.

If you could point me to the specific Part# for the oil level sending unit ( or the Pelican link)we can take a look at this also.

I have this sender in my 911.. it really doesn't offer a lot of value, it only works at idle & does no more then the dipstick?

What is your experience with this?

I've got the getty dash with the 911 gauges and my oil-level gauge is always at zero.

Bugs the hell out of me ...
Andy

So do what I did & put in a volt gauge, or a CHT.

Why? Don't need a CHT on my /6. Don't need a Volt gauge either.
Plus, the 911 gauge has the gas and oil level in one. I just really would like to get a sender working.

They did it on the 911 tanks, so why not on a 914/6 tank?
Andy

I'd love to see someone reproduce this item. Especially if it can be done for a reasonable price.

So when is the first run and how much?

Larry

This may be the Pacific NW but I'm not letting too much moss grow....

One of our super teeners donated this for (reverse) engineering purposes.

This is looking like a project that is not easy but very doable.( is doable a word?)

Sweet! this is the last piece I need for my 6 conversion!

interested also

How about adding a bung for a drain plug?

thats a sporto tank, other than the trans plumbing are there any other differences?

Kelly do you recognize it ? , no other diff. other than what you noted.

ok...
here are some photo's that might be helpful:

and:

and:

finally... my template:

Greenie,

Have you seen the, supposedly original Porsche, drawing of the 914-6 oil tank that someone posted here on the board a while ago? I downloaded a copy back then, but it's too large to post as part of a reply (22MB in .pdf format). It may still be on the site somewhere, but, if not, I could send you a copy.

Andy,

My factory 914-6 tank has a 911 oil level sender in it. It didn't come that way, I sent the tank to Stoddard Porsche when it was new and had them install it (they had done one like it for Stoddard's personal car). If you look at the drawing I referenced above, you can easily see where to put it. It fits slightly to the right of midway between the attachment for the oil filter console and the filler neck, just below the anti-foaming screen shown on the drawing. It works well, the only problem being that, because the 914-6 tank is narrower than the 911 one, a given level change corresponds to less oil, and that causes the graduations on the gauge to be off. It works out that adding a quart to the tank moves the gauge about an indicated 1.3 quarts. This makes the gauge more sensitive and reduces it's full scale range, but it's still nice to have. Perhaps one day I'll get North Hollywood Speedometer to make a custom gauge face and fix the calibration.

Tell me the file name please. I'll dig it up.

Curt already has the dwg.

Very helpful.

Thanks Brant !

This seems to make some sense ( just like the 911 tank ) vs an exterior valve that allows us to drain the oil from the tankl?

Hi Jeff, I thought it looked familiar.

I think it is great that you guys are undergoing this project!