Its that time of year again so I'd thought I'd start a progress thread to help keep me motivated. I bought this car last summer as a nicer project car for me to work on and eventually be able to drive. My goal for this summer is to repair all the rust on the car and to get it running. I'll end up painting it down the road either the original Marathon Blue Metallic or Ravenna Green. I've been collecting parts all winter so hopefully I should be good to go. I've done a little work on it already but I'll bring everyone up to date. Feel free to comment, ask questions, make suggestions, tell me what I'm doing wrong or anything else for that matter. Enjoy!

Here is the car when I first picked it up. The car came fully optioned and even came with SS heat exchangers and a running two liter engine. The car was wrecked at some point and had a crappy repair done to it but I am still trying to figure out what happened. Both the driver's front corner and the driver's rear corner had damage but the door and rear quarter seem fine. I will find out more once I start stripping some paint and bondo.


Click to view attachment

The interior was about a 4 on a 10 scale however the dash is crack free!
Click to view attachment

The rear floor pan is shot and I knew that before I bought the car. The previous owner patched the floor at some point and installed three new seat brackets over the bad metal. I ordered a new floor pan and a fourth seat bracket from AA today.
Click to view attachment

I couldn't help myself but see what it would look like with a nicer interior

Click to view attachment

The first thing I started working on was the horrible repair on the driver's front corner. As you can see in the pictures, the corner was merely held on by a few pop rivets and a small bead of weld in the front. It took all off 10 minutes to remove.

Here is one of the nice joints
Click to view attachment

This is the inner fender-well where the replacement panel overlaps
Click to view attachment

And the water-tight seal at the bottom
Click to view attachment

Here is a picture from the front
Click to view attachment

A little bit of this and a little bit of that and it was out
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

I did some trimming and here is the replacement piece in mock-up
Click to view attachment

I then welded up all the seams and covered it with rust encapsulator and then some seam sealer.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment


Now I just need to get a replacement fender from someone who is cutting up a car and that repair can be checked off the list!

So on Monday I drove back from college in Michigan and early Tuesday morning I was taking the engine out.

Click to view attachment

There is another 914 on a rotisserie hiding under the gray tarp
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

My next step was to strip the interior and work on rust in the firewall. I went ahead and punched out all the paper thin metal. It left me with some pretty big holes but nothing a metalworking cant fix.
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Tonight I went ahead and started trimming some before making a panel to replace it.

Click to view attachment

I also took the valve covers off the engine to find a really clean head . I'm kind of anxious to see what the insides of the motor look like.

Click to view attachment

And the last one for the night. I took the heat exchangers off the motor before dropping it and it turns out they there isn't even so much a scratch on them and are practically brand new. There is still a little bit of dirt/greese caked on them in the picture. More progress to come tomorrow!
Click to view attachment

You got your work cut out there! Looking good though, keep up the good work !

I was able to get some more work done. This last week has been extremely busy so I have just been trying to work on it when I can.

I cut out all the bad stuff and then I welded in the first piece.
Click to view attachment

Here is the piece I made to cover up the engine shelf. It came out better than expected.
Click to view attachment

And the third piece went in
Click to view attachment

And finally the big piece was tacked in today. It took quite a bit more time making this piece but I think it came out fairly nice.
Click to view attachment

Back side...
Click to view attachment

Oh and I also received my replacement floorpan and seat mount from AA last week so I can't wait for that to go in. I also bought a driver's side fender which should be coming in the mail within the next week. Once I receive that, I will put it on the car.
Click to view attachment

Oh and I also worked on our 62 Bug. I had to replace a broken exhaust stud. Talk about a pain. I finished putting her back together this morning and now she runs like a top.
Click to view attachment


That's all the 914 progress for now. I'll be traveling the next week so hopefully after that I will have plenty of time to work on the car again.

Looking great...

I got some more work done this past week. I am done with traveling for a while so I will have more time to work on the car. I started repairing the driver's side fire wall. It pretty much had the same rust as on the passenger side so the repair was the same.

This is what I had to work with after all the bad stuff was cut out.
Click to view attachment

Here are the first two pieces welded in
Click to view attachment

and the third piece
Click to view attachment

Shot from the back
Click to view attachment


Hopefully I will get the big piece in tomorrow. In the last picture you can see some rust in the side wall and I will take care of that when I cut off a portion of the rear fender. I need to do this anyway to access some rust in the long.

I also bought a portion of the front fender from a member on here and so I tacked it on.

Before trimming
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

After trimming and tacked on
Click to view attachment

Well I got a lot done today. I had a friend come over and help me so we did a lot. I got the driver's side repair piece in and I finished up welding in both sides. I started to tear into the driver's side long and jackpoint. I also started to tear down the engine and clean it.


Here is the piece after a first few welds
Click to view attachment

After I finished up both sides and coated them
Click to view attachment

The engine in pieces
Click to view attachment

More fun
Click to view attachment

So here is what the driver's side jackpoint looked like before. Doesn't seem that bad right?
Click to view attachment

Here is all the rust exposed
Click to view attachment

And then after a little handy work
Click to view attachment

And finally with the fender tacked in place.
Click to view attachment


And one more for the road
Click to view attachment

And now on to the other side. I bought a lower wheelhouse replacement piece that will go in. I will end up having to remove the outer suspension mount which shouldn't be a problem. It will just mean more work to do. Here is what I have to work with. At some point, one of the previous owners tacked a patch panel over the area and then covered it in bondo. So much good that did.
Click to view attachment


Click to view attachment

Here are a few pictures of some of the work I got done today.


I started by cutting out some more of the bad stuff.
Click to view attachment

And then I made and tacked in one of the
two pieces that will repair the "inner" longitudinal.
Click to view attachment

After I get done fixing the inner portion of the longitudinal I will weld in the lower wheelhouse panel and then the jackpoint and finish with the fender. After I get that side completely done, I will have to focus on replacing the floorpan and on the lower edge of the firewall where it meets the floor. So much work and so little time.

So today I got a lot done. I started off wanting to get most of the long done.

Rust=Bad
Click to view attachment

The piece I made to go in after I cut all the bad stuff out.
Click to view attachment


And then the piece welded in.
Click to view attachment

My next job was to work on installing the wheelhouse piece.

Here is after I cut out the suspension mount.
Click to view attachment

More
Click to view attachment

Different angle
Click to view attachment

And then after I got as much of the surface rust off with the wire wheel, I coated everything with rust encapsulator.
Click to view attachment

Here is everything just begging to be welded in.
Click to view attachment


And this is all I got done today. Tomorrow my goal is to finish the wheelhouse and jackpoint pieces.

Well I got it welded in. The car no longer sags! All the door gaps and measurements are what they should be! I still need to clean up the old suspension mount and then install it but at least progress is being made!

I start a new job this week so progress will slow a bit but I will still keep at it! Here is a list of stuff that still needs to be fixed: Suspension mount, Rear firewall "lip", floor pan, clutch tube, and then a little rust near the front suspension mount. I will probably end up installing an Engman stiffening kit later this summer but right now that is not priority.


Click to view attachment

Doug-

Your updates are an inspiration for me to get working on my teener again. Nice work!

-Chris

NICE JOB keep us posted

Well I have been pretty busy the past week or two so only a little progress has been made. The suspension mount I had was beyond worth repairing so I am waiting for that part to arrive. Meanwhile I started working on the floor area.

I cut most of the old floor out
Click to view attachment

I also removed all the floor tar and found some more areas of rust.

Click to view attachment

Here is a spot I will need to repair
Click to view attachment

And then the driver's side had some rust but luckily the replacement floor panel will take care of most of this. The crossmember will need some work however.


Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

And then of course the infamous pile on the floor.

Click to view attachment

Well I was trimming for the floor and I found some more rust in the driver's side long. I wasn't sure how bad the rust was and now I know. I will have to replace this area as well before the floor goes in. Luckily I have a four day weekend coming up so I will have plenty of time to work on the car!
Click to view attachment


Here is the new floor held up in place
Click to view attachment


The center tunnel lines are luckily all solid. The clutch tube broke at some point and the PO did some handy work which I will correct before the new floor goes in.
Click to view attachment

Wow, great job, and you handle all this with such little drama!

Great work, thanks and you are inspiring me to finally get a welder of my own and work up to a project like this.

Thanks for commenting! It keeps me motivated!


I took the gas tank out tonight. The rust that was in the passenger foot area extends under the gas tank and into the front wheel-well. The gas tank was also repaired on the bottom at some point and you can hear some rust rattling on the inside. I will most likely just replace it with another tank I have lying around.


Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Doug,

You are moving along really well, fast work.

It is really satisfying when you weld in your new floor.

Keep up the pictures.

John

Thanks John!

I did a little more tonight. I got tired of cutting more and more out of the car so I repaired a piece on the tunnel.

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

I also cut some more rust out in the passenger corner
Click to view attachment

And I also cut the seat mounts from the old floor pan and got them ready to use.
Click to view attachment

Well I made some big progress this weekend. I first repaired the driver's side long

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

I then fabricated a crossmember for the driver's side
Click to view attachment

And I added a piece for the e-brake switch
Click to view attachment

sitting in place
Click to view attachment


And last but not least... I got the floor put in! It is just tacked in place but I have to say I was pleased at how nicely it went in and how everything lined up. I had to do a lot of little things before putting it in like cleaning all the mating surfaces and fixing the clutch tube so that took some time.
Click to view attachment

This week I will work on finishing the firewall, rust spots around the center tunnel, adding the crossmember and the seat hinges. I am also waiting on some parts to get here so more progress to come. Enjoy!

Looks good Doug - great work! I will be tearing into mine in a few weeks. Question, is rust encapsulator the same as POR-15? I am trying to figure out the best stuff to paint with after welding in new panels.

I got some more work done. I received a box today with the suspension console, e-brake mount and cover in it. I went ahead and cleaned up the suspension mount and welded that on. Finally my car is able to roll again!
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

A lot of stuff on the to-do list is just welding and cleanup. I have to finish welding in the floor, crossmember, firewall, e-brake stuff, and both rear fenders not to mention the small rust in the passenger footwell and the front weather strip channel that needs to be repaired. I have also been trying to find a local powder coating place for all the engine tins so hopefully I will have something lined up within the next week. So much to do and so little time.

Wow so its been a while since I have last updated this. I have been extremely busy so I haven't made too much progress on the car. I did tack the seat mounts in place and clean up the ebrake cover and mount so those are ready to be welded in. I also have been making some more progress on the engine. I stripped down the engine and replaced the pushrod tubes and seals and have painted the tin instead of getting them powder coated. I of course adjusted the valves and all that good stuff and now I am just working on reassembling everything! I also forked out the cash to get a new engine harness from Jeff Bowlsby so hopefully I will have a nice looking and running engine after all is done.

To boost your memory, here is a picture of the engine the day I removed it.

Click to view attachment

Here are some of the tin after they were painted.
Click to view attachment

And here is what the engine looks like now. As you can see I still have some work to do.


Click to view attachment



I also got new "PRESS" stickers for the seatbelts.


Click to view attachment


I have a friend coming over tomorrow to help me out on some more of this stuff so more pics will be on the way!

One more of the engine.


Click to view attachment

Your progress thread makes my progress thread look totally pathetic in comparison. I demand you stop immediately!

Nice work. It's really motivating to see enthusiastic people like yourself tackle such large projects. Really does make the work I need to do seem rather trivial.

Keep it up!

I finally got the motor all done. I ended up buying an ignition harness and oil temp wire from Jeff Bowlby as well. I just couldn't bring myself to putting the old ignition harness on along with the new engine harness. I also replaced all the fuel and vacuum lines as well as many other little things. Hopefully when I get the engine in, I won't have too many troubles and if I do, they will be easy to track down. Here is a picture of the engine...


Click to view attachment


Now I just have to force myself to get working on the actual car again...

Hi Doug,

Great to hear of another Teener in NC!
Looks like you are doing a great job.
I have lots of family in Winston, I would love to see how you fabricated the parts you used. What gauge metal did you use. What is the name of the rust encapsulater that you used? My car needs much of the same stuff you used and I have been struggling to fabricate even relatively simple parts.

Thanks

-Peter

Wow. I am pretty bad at updating this. I've made some progress over the past few weeks. School started again so I have only been able to work on the car on the weekends.

For those who are interested, I used 18 gauge sheet metal for most of the structural areas such as the longs. I used 19 gauge for other areas such as the firewall and center tunnel. Finally I think I used 20 gauge for the engine shelves. I was able to get most of my metal from a local guy that I found on TheSamba. The rust encapsulator that I use is Eastwood's product. I just make sure to clean the metal real well before applying and it has held up pretty well for me in the past. I also use Eastwood's seam sealer as well.

As far as the car goes, I finished welding in the passenger side firewall piece and seat mounts. Today I welded in the driver's side firewall, the seat mounts, and the e-brake mount and cover. I wrote out a list of everything else that I need to do to the car so I will just work my way through the list over this holiday weekend. Next up on the list is to fix the rust under the gas tank/wheel-well/front passenger floorpan.

Driver's side
Click to view attachment

Passenger side
Click to view attachment

Rust in the wheel well
Click to view attachment

Here are some more pictures of the rust in the wheel well area
Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

From the inside...
Click to view attachment


I also welded a new hinge for the engine bay lid
Click to view attachment

This afternoon I cleaned up and installed the rear glass.

Click to view attachment

I also coated the pedal area and the rest of the floor.

Click to view attachment

Well I got a lot of work done over the long weekend. I installed the pedal cluster and installed new accelerator, clutch, and speedometer cables, a 19mm master cylinder, SS brake lines, and new Weltmeister springs in the rear.

Click to view attachment

I also coated the driver's side floor pan.

Click to view attachment

I also welded in a new engine lid pull tube from a spare car. It's hard to see in the picture but I purposely cut it about two inches short and attached the two ends together with a rubber piece of hose. In case dirt or anything gets down in that corner, I can remove the lower portion of the steel tubing and clean everything out. I already routed the cable and hooked it to the latch and it works perfectly.

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment