Moving on to the turn signal bucket area. Notice how there is a raised ring around
the whole turn signal on this good fender that BD Stone sent me. This is what I
will try to replicate.

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The bottom edge of the fender should be even with the top edge of the front valence
panel as you can see on the yellow piece that Garold Shaffer sent me.

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Here is another view of the correct body line. Having screwed up both sides in this
area it makes me really sensitive to getting these things right in the future.

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My plan of attack it to make this up in several pieces and then weld them all
together. I thought about making a hammer form for this but the piece is just
too curved for this to work. Spent an hour playing with various templates.

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Putting in the double bend at the front.

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Measured the bend carefully so that the front edge ends up in the right place
vertically and front to back.

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Clamp on my trusty ruler as a reference line.

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Try a test fit.

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The piece needs to be curved slightly so take a few small bites with the shrinker.

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I am not sure how this will turn out...

John

Actually I know exactly how it turns out, I just don't want the site to crash and lose
all that typing and uploading.

Here is what happened:

The fit is looking good.

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Clamp it up and weld it.

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Weld on the second piece.

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Check the fit of the bumper before going any further. The bumper was shaped to
fit the old nasty metal so it will need work, but it basically looks good.

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All tools down for a beer time out.

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Fit the last piece of the puzzle. The tape holds it in place just long enough to get a
couple tacks on it.

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Use all the tricks to avoid blowing holes in this 20 gauge metal. Copper strip shaped
to fit and clamped in back. Some extra clamps thrown on to act as heat sinks.
Welder turned down very low for the first tacks.

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Now turn up the welder to make sure it burns through. Otherwise there will be a
lot of holes open up when grinding the weld (very annoying). I place each new
weld right on the edge of one of the small tacks to act as a heat sink. Still blew
a couple holes.

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Fill it all in. Also welded all the seams from the back to provide more metal for
the shaping needed. This also helps stop annoying pin holes from opening up
during grinding.

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Looking good.

John

Used a flap disk to sand the weld down close to final shape.

Then I pulled out a big round file for the final shaping. Area 51 welding jacket to
boost confidence.

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Hand files worked slow and steady for no screw ups.

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Check it with the ruler. I'd like to be buried with this ruler when the time comes,
and my MillerMatic.

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Nearly done filing.

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Comparing to the stock fender.

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Primed it looks even better.

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Put it all back together for a check. The bumper will need some work but everything
else lines up nicely.

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Side view looks good.

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Really pleased to have this fixed up. A little bondo sculpting later on and it will be
ready for Amelia Island.

John

U R A Genuus of Metal Work!

Thanks Bill. I still have a lot to learn and to practice. I would not have had to go to
all this trouble to fix the turn signals if I had not screwed them up in the first
place.

Started working on fitting the rocker panels. Got out the originals for reference.

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Notice that the rocker panel is not covered by the fender flare. This is a different
look than fenders I have now.

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Use the laser level to draw a cutting line. Plan is to cut off the bottom of the fender
and glass a new return edge on to it. Then curve the rocker to match. This is part
of the distinctive look the car has.

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Comparing the original and new rockers. I used the stretcher on the top edge and
had to notch the bottom edge to get the right curve. Also did the same to match
the curve of the front fender flares.

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Took a lot of fiddling around to get it right. Still some fiberglass work left to do.

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Getting there a little at a time.

John

Some pictures of the transmission cooler and fluid pump.

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The motor still operates. The pump has the letters "OBERDORFER" on it.

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You can see the cooler through the holes they drilled in the bumper.

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This is not a wide angle shot, the rear of this car is that wide.

John

Stunning level of detail and beautiful metal work. When I originally saw the pictures of this car I had my doubts, but it is really taking shape nicely. So glad this car is being saved.

I have that pump....bought it back in the 70's for a solar water rig....then put it into use to transfer fuel oil....now sitting in my garage...

Your moving along now! Nice to see the jacket is in use!

Someone doing a vintage restore might be able to use that pump.

Anyone else ever see this used for transmission cooling?

John

Love the jacket Rick!

You should make some more alien swag.

I was stalled for a long time worrying about warpage.

Now I am resolved to be track ready in 2014.

John

After bolting the rocker panel to the bottom of the car I realized I need to cut some
pie sections out to keep it lined up. The original rocker was brazed to the car at
the top and bottom and stretched somehow to fit.

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Front section. Folded over a piece of metal and tacked it to keep it in place for
patching and welding up.

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Now I think it is done. The rocker panel has lots of bondo and was a pain to get
to fit right. I also determined that the orange color they used was "Chevy Orange"
or very close to it.

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Still have to do the other side.

John

Possible Car Sighting in Vintage Picture!

Look to the Left (in the Pit Stall)

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That would be the 1975 Doell Enterprises 911s entry at Sebring.
Three 914s ran at that race, it looks to be the yellow Hulen 914/6

This looks MUCH better John! So glad you're doing it right. Hoping to be able to come over for a weekend soon to help.

Funny how ironic life is...I wrote this as a joke, and now I expect "the call" anytime
from the Amelia concours committee. I know they are dying to have my car
front and center.

John

Wow!!!!!!

So now that John is a real, honest-to-goodness RACER, I expect this project to be done and on the track real soon. I think two weeks is more than adequate...

Such a great build and good thread. A real inspiration to us "new guys.' Thank you.

George,

I think if you, Marc, Shane, Keith and Joe all showed up we could be done in two weeks.



Glad people enjoy my warped sense of humor.

John

Hey John,
I had seen your build before. WOW. Keep posting the picks. I hope you don't mind me stealing some front oil cooler ideas!
Shane

I am fired up to get this thing done!

Last winter fell victim to 14 weeks of visitors...

This winter there will be a ban on visitors until the car is done.

And maybe then some.

John

Been working on the rocker panels.

Pictures later, thought I had uploaded them...

You and me both! I need to get 914 Stuff Done!

I may do a Fuel Line Install Party at my Place - Bring the other half over for the day. We can get George's Wife, I'll talk Janie Gaglione into coming as one of the sets of Fuel Lines is for his LE, so it can me more than a Guy Thing (we might eat better too!) Snakeman just moved to Tampa. With no TR, at least lets get together

TC: I would like to come over some time for a build party, I think I missed the last one you had by not checking the world often enough.


I am trying to decide how to plumb the oil system and have two alternatives I would like people to comment on. The first one is similar to how the car was plumbed when I got it. Oil comes from the engine through the heater tube in the driver side long, out by the driver's left foot and into the little reinforcing box section and then into the front trunk. I don't like the idea of the hot oil being right under the driver's left foot. It also means the oil filter has to be plumbed after the thermostat and cooler due to tight confines on the driver's side. Oil returns to the engine from the bottom of the oil tank through a -16 line running through the passenger long.

Here is how it is plumbed now:

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An alternate approach would be to put both the sending and return oil lines in the passenger side heater tube. The -12 and -16 lines will just fit I am pretty sure. I was able to stuff both in there about half way without really trying too hard. Worst case I take the heater tube out to make more room? The advantage here is that the hot oil line is on the other side of the car from the driver. It also allows the oil filter to be added before the thermostat and oil cooler instead of after (if that matters).

Here is how this would work:

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There are also three -12 AN fittings on the top of the oil tank. One for input of oil from the cooler, one to an overflow tank with a breather, and not sure what the third fitting would be used for?

I still need to find a console for an oil filter that takes -12 AN fittings. The ones I have found from Summit Racing, etc. seem really expensive for a simple console. Any ideas there on what part to use?

Any comments would be appreciated. I have some photos of what this looks like using the first approach I will post tomorrow.

Thanks,

John

So did just about everybody else! 3 of us just sat around and drank Beer!

Maybe in Feb or March - I need to put the engine & tranny in the racecar

I like your alternate layout better. Both to keep oil lines away from you the driver, and also because it filters the oil before going to the cooler. If you ever blow a motor, you don't want to pollute the cooler - even after cleaning a polluted cooler, you can never be 100% sure it's totally clean. Note that if you make this change in layout, you might want to do a cleaning on your cooler just for the heck of it, since it will now be after your filter, so anything that might be in there now will dump into your tank (and your engine unless you have a second filter in the system). For 911 motors, I like to put a second filter on the engine in place of the stock oil cooler, but I think you might be using a 4, so perhaps not relevant in your case.

The third fitting you mention - is it on top of the tank? If so, it could be for a vent hose from the engine. It's good to put that vent to the tank instead of the catch can, otherwise you'll be emptying your catch can all the time.

Scott

I just read all of this build thread. You have the skills of a madman to take on this project!! Such dedication to detail and getting it right. Please pat yourself on the back for all your efforts that you have completed on this project. I know you talked about your seat if you have not bought one yet please look at this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX8r5ZyHvGw It might not “look” vintage but a halo seat is worth the price. I have one now installed in my vintage race car. Keep going I know you have the internal struggle to not fix something as that’s the way it was “built” and you need to leave it as is. Keep pushing forward on this fabulous project. It certainly a labor of love.
Mark

I know a lot of us have been dead on the track before. Watched plenty of "crash videos" That video was really tough to watch.

Gotta be hard to watch a car coming at you like that and know you can't do a damned thing

Thanks for all the positive comments!

I bought a HANS plus a Kirkey seat with much larger shoulder level bolsters and hip bolsters than that poor 911 driver was using. I think you would still be banged up but maybe not move around as much in the impact. I initially looked at a more vintage looking seat but I think most people in vintage racing are going for safety first, as I think they should.

John

Here are some pictures of the current set up (the first diagram). Note that I do not have an oil filter or overflow/breather tank yet and am hoping someone will suggest some appropriate parts that would work.

The oil comes from the engine through the driver long and into the boxed section by the driver's left foot. I would close up most of the hole in the long, and make a cover to enclose the oil line, but I still don't like this setup.

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This is an overview of the front trunk with the oil tank, fuel cell and oil cooler shroud.

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View with the fuel cell removed.

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Removing the service cover in the cooler shroud I made out of sheet metal. It has nuts welded on the backs so it can be bolted together and I powder coated it once it all fit right.

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Oil line coming from the engine is the lower one, then the thermostat, then you can see the new Setrab oil cooler, and the return line to the oil tank.

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Return line has a bulkhead fitting and a 90 elbow because the -12 line is not flexible enough to make a 90 degree turn in the space available.
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Two unused oil tank fittings on top. One will go to the breather/overflow tank, and I like the suggestion that the other can go the engine as a breather. Where does this connect on a /6 engine? You can also see the oil input line on the side of the tank.

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Oil return line to the engine is a -16 AN and comes from the bottom of the tank and goes into the passenger long. Again, I will close up most of the hole in the long and enclose the bottom of the tank and the return line with some panels.

Click to view attachment

My thought at this point is to switch to the alternative diagram setup. I will see if both lines fit through the long without squeezing them, it will be close.

I still need to pick an oil filter console and a breather/overflow tank.

I like the idea of having more than one filter, maybe an Oberg filter for the line going to the engine?

Any suggestions appreciated!

John

Have you checked the online catalogue at
Pegasus Racing ?
I've been sourcing lots of parts from there.
Marty

Hey John,
I was able to get 2 -12 lines in the passenger heater tube. I'm also not a fan of that oil line next to the drivers feet. I have my first event coming up next weekend. I plan on running my car hard to look for potential problems. But those lines look pretty safe in there.
I bought most of my oil cooler parts from BAT (out of Tampa). They had all kinds of thing there. Maybe they'll have a fix for your oil filter mount.
Car looks insane. Hope your getting a lot done up there. Can't wait to see it on the track.
Shane

John,

Glad to see you are back at it!

No one thought it was funny that I was wearing lederhosen while working on my car?

Geez, in the old days of 2007 when I joined this crazy group, people would psychoanalyze all the little details in the background of any picture people posted... I expected some choice remarks.

Either people are getting way more polite than 914 owners should be or you all expect weird behavior from me.

John

I like Canton and Oberg filters. There are others like Peterson too that are good. Make sure to pick one that flows well, and be careful of lower flowing ones that have bypasses like stock filters do, which can allow unfiltered oil past.




Don't put a filter in the feed line from the tank to the engine. That is a suction line, not a pressure line. A filter there will at least restrict flow and possibly starve the engine for oil. If you want a second filter, a common place to put one is in place of the stock oil cooler that the older air cooled 911s have. The factory used to put filters there on its race engines using a special filter console. Those are super rare, but I believe it was the 993 that had something similar as stock. I have heard that those bolt onto the older 911 motors and can be a good option. You can put a Canton or other quality spin-on replacement filter instead of the disposable filter. For my 914 I built a custom one before I knew about the 993 option.

The Birkenstocks where what I had a problem with.

That is more like it....

Well at least you werent wearing Crocs. Friends don't let friends wear Crocs.

John,
Are you going to Rennsport with the car?

Crocs: shudder...

I plan to race at Rennsport 27.

How about you?

John

yes,
I am working on 914.043.0945 IMSA 914/6
but if she is not done i will run 470.29.00076 - Meaney/Hendricks FIA, IMSA race car

Glenn,

It would be great if you could enter either car. I really got interested in restoring a vintage racing Porsche after going to RennSport II and III. Definitely one of the bucket list items for my IMSA car since I got it.

Can you post some more pictures of the progress on your black IMSA car?

John

Update posted on 914.043.0945

I am considering a variation of the first approach, which is to run the oil line from the engine through the driver's heater tube and then up and out of the elbow (like the hot air would flow) and then through the firewall and into the front trunk.

This keeps the oil line pretty far away from the driver's feet. It is also how the original owners had plumbed the car.

I tried moving the line to passenger side but there is not room in the heater tube for a -16 and a -12 line. I don't want to cut out the passenger heater tube and elbows to make more room because I don't want to hack up the car in a way the original owners did not do (anymore than I have already).

I doubt this car will ever run 12 hour races again where the build up of heat in the driver's long will be a big issue. I can fire sleave the line to keep heat transfer down near the driver. The original owners ran four 12 hour races this way so it must work fairly well.

I think I have found oil filter console and breather can, now I need to add in the fuel and other components to figure out how to package all this.

Does anyone know if having working wipers is necessary in certain race series? The wiper mechanism takes up a fair bit of room. For example, I would love to do Classic Le Mans, and it often rains during the event.

Keep the comments coming, I appreciate all the good advice.

John

John, you could also run one line down the passenger heater tube and the other (possibly the "cooled" oil) through the drivers. I still don't think the heat would really be much more noticeable than the other typical heat of racing, especially if you use FireBraid or other on them. Plus, I think you were planning on a CoolSuit - if so, you'll barely notice the heat from the lines. I ran in a Mustang with a built 347 in the front of it, once without a cool suit and once with. I was able to get through my stint the first time (1.5 hours) but the second time with the suit I felt practically fresh when I got out of the car. It does make a difference and I know that car makes a TON of heat.

As far as the wipers go, you could try to fabricate a different, or smaller/lighter wiper setup from another, more modern car. But I would not go without one completely. It would suck to get the car to a weekend and have to sit out because you can't see. RainX alone probably won't be sufficient, however I think most organizations (HSR, etc) don't necessarily require one. On that note, I finally convinced the owner of the car I'm prepping now to spring for rain tires - something every racer in Florida should have a set of.

My SCCA car hasn't had wipers since I moved to Production.
A good coat of Rain-X is all you need.

The return line at the bottom of the oil tank comes out right next to the passenger long. Getting it across the to the driver long would not be easy. I like the idea of cooler oil on the drivers side and hot oil on the passenger side but this won't work easily.

I will mock up all the stuff needed in the front trunk and see if there is room for wipers. I don't think they had them when it ran at Sebring. In a short race Ithinkn Rain X would work well. For a 12 hour race maybe tear offs with rain-x?

Another item I wonder about is the mocal thermostat? It requires 4 AN connections and makes running the oil lines more awkward. Is this necessary for a track car? Does it help extend the engine life? I don't use one on my street car but it does take 10 minutes for oil to get up to temperature.

John

I totally forgot that I watched Chris' video of him driving like a madman in the pouring rain at NHMS. I suppose if you don't race long enough for it to wear off, then RainX is indeed the better solution. I think with Lexan it'd be better anyways since the wipers would undoubtedly scratch it. My apologies guys.