I had my car up on jack stands with a long Dirk Wright list going on..
My Van died...
I went out, basically removed tons of items from the list and put the car back together..tranny installed, muffler on..finished up a few things, nothing majore, tune up and oil change...and DROVE IT...again...

What a great f-in car...the van is big and takes turns slow...
The 914....oh I missed it.

The list of todo's can wait...I will do one at a time instead of getting in so deep I cant drive it again...I hate when that happens, but it did happen to me this time.

Beware of DWD.....it creaps up and bites you like the flu and there is no vaccine.

So yes, it has a nice salty coating again...gotta keep the rust fed.
Nice thing is water removes salt, so a daily bath that takes 5 minutes is part of the program...a weekly run the the pressure washer is also part of the program...

Ahhh, the price we pay to drive year round.
This thing has more heat than my van....always amazes me...and it comes on way faster than either of my other cars...or the van.
Rich

Im painting my car but trying to keep it running, nothing funner then blasting around in a stripped car. Wish I could take if further than a block though.

Rather cold here right now but was tidying up the garage and started up the little Porsche (and she started right up!), pulled her outside to let her warm up and let the battery charge a bit. Looked funny seeing it with all the snowbanks way higher than the car. Driveway is virgin snow but lots of salt on the streets are all white from the salt so I didn't go around the block but man I wanted to! Mechanic friend of mine came over to see the 1.8 engine I have and got poking around the 914 engine bay and recommended I replace all the hoses with new and injector seals wouldn't hurt he said. I agree with him and thought I would ask the members if they can think of anything else I might need.

Thanks

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

You want my list??? Its a long list.
Get a large kerosene heater...and a sleeping mat...foam rubber to lay on the floor...it keeps you from getting cold.


replace all the fuel and vacuum hoses.
replace the two oil filler cap gaskets.
replace the plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor and points (30 bucks total)
replace the small injector seals..the little ones that fit over the injector tip.
replace the valve cover gaskets (after you do the valve lash)
get a few brushes and some liquid degreaser and wash the entire underside of the motor and tranny...clean it up
that can take a few days, but it makes the car run cooler and its nice to do once a year...

Rich

Rich,

Do you think it's an issue if the roads are dry but have a lot of salt on them? We had 9" on Tuesday but it's melted now due to the warmup. Mines been in the garage since Novemeber and I'd like to take it for a spin. Eric

Eric, that dried salt on the road is just as bad; your tires will pick it up and fling it all over the underside of your car. It's like sandblasting with salt.

It was 50F and sunny in Toronto yesterday; I feel your pain but managed to overcome the temptation . . .

seriously, it gets everywhere; brakes, suspension, exhaust - everywhere
mike

And the beauty is that is washes off with water.

Dont be afraid to drive your car.
When it was built, people actually drove these cars year round.

If you are sitting on a concours quality restoration with brand new paint....you may have different goals than me.

For me, I built the car to drive, not to look at.

RIch

Thanks for the input. I'm not sitting on a concours quality restoration. But, I decided to pull of the rockers. Eric

When you go to put the rocker covers back on, go to the hardware store....get 1/4 inch rubber washers for the bottom screws.

Get longer screw for the bottom to go through the rubber washers.
Place the rubber washer between the rocker cover and the bottom of the long. Run the new screw through the rocker cover, then the washer, into the long.

The net result is a space between the bottom of the rocker (you wont see it, trust me) so that when you shoot a hose in from either end of the rocker, the dirt and debris has a place to get out...

If you remount the rocker covers as the stock setup dictates, the debris has no place to leave and then sits at the bottom of the rocker cover and starts the rust process all over again.

Rich

I agree wholeheartedly with you Rich; as long as you thoroughly wash afterwards (huh, that applies to a few things I can think of . . .)

these things were made to be driven

My first '73 2.0 I bought in '84 and drove year round for 10 years. The first six of those it was my daily driver as I could only afford one car back then; I used to wash that thing every other day in the winter.

Maybe I should have done everyday; the last time I put it on a hoist it made an elevation of about three feet and then broke in half


m.

Yep, I planned on doing that. You posted on this a while ago and I thought it was a great idea. Eric

WHAT!!! You DRIVE your car??? Do you realize the downside of that??????? Not only can you pick up salt, but your tires can wear, your oil begins to break down, and your milage will increase! What the hell are you thinking? The only place for a 914 is on jackstands.

Geesh, I thought you knew better...

In an effort ot do my part, I have a few spare porsches on jack stand.
I would not want my jack stands to walk away due to non-use..
Go forbid the jack stand union find out my stands are standing around...they may strike, or they may go find works somewhere else.

There is a van that comes by frequently to see if there are any jack stands (mine are immigrant jack stands...and a few american ones also) for quick day jobs and on occasion, they do go off my property and perform their duties when I have no need for them.

I did have a tough week when I built a rolling table for a 914...alot of flack and I had to demonstrate the stability of the design, along with the wheels to convince all the parties involved that my table was a better alternative to jack stands on wheel dollies...

I like to keep on spare car working...and murphy stepped in while I was working on the spare car...so I had to finish it up quickly.

Rich

Rich, your rocker set-up is genius! Another one for the 'why didn't I think of that' file.

One of the big downsides of leaving your car parked all winter - if you live in a northern climate - is missing out on how much fun these things are in the snow.

Get the steering balance right between the wheel in your hands and the throttle and have at it! An absolute blast!

m.