The 25-year/250,000-mile refresh, UPDATE 5.15.2017: After first 1,000-mile trip Options

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trunk

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what's the story with the exhaust? pretty cool. is it a 'one off' or something that used to be available. the paint looks swell.

Sticker on the rear window tells the tale. It's an Abarth exhaust. Have only seen one other, and it was a little nicer than mine (the bottoms of the tips were not ground off). I found it at Partsheaven years ago. They thought it was a bus exhaust of some kind. Jim at EASY knew exactly what it was. It sounds GREAT for a four exhaust, especially on the overrun, and bolts up to the SSIs beautifully.

pete

[charliew]

That is going to be a really nice driver. I know you dread the first chip. I would ask for the paint can label or the printout of the formula on your paint as you will probably never need to repaint it again but you might need some touchup. I didn't read where you said b/c or single stage or acrylic enamel?

Are you going to use a firewall pad? just curious if you think it will add to rust issues later? Also you decided on leaving off the sail vinyl is that to help prevent the moisture from entering the trim holes? I have a very small rust through at the top corner of the latch just above where the inner latch support is mounted and am worried that there's more than whats apparent in that corner as there is some small rust appearing at the corner of the jam under the vinyl trim also.

It's interesting the body closed up on the non-crack side on the longs. It seems that the welding must be a weld and let cool very slow process on the longs. I would think the rosette welds on the tops of the longs must be the troublesome ones.

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Are you going to use a firewall pad? just curious if you think it will add to rust issues later? Also you decided on leaving off the sail vinyl is that to help prevent the moisture from entering the trim holes?

Decided to use both firewall pads for now. Long as the back window doesn't leak (and I just redid it a couple of years ago), I think it will be fine. More worried about the engine-side pad, but not sure I want the noise from pulling it. Would be curious to hear what others have found noise-wise after deleting the pad(s).

Sail vinyl is going back on. Prefer the looks. Have some ideas for the trim holes, but nothing solid yet.

As for future rust issues, I guess my approach is to not drive the car in rain. That bums me out a bit, as I actually liked to drive the thing down lonely highways in the rain. But I noticed most of my rust bubbles flared up/quickly accelerated after I pressed the car back into service as a daily driver a few years ago. My goal is to drive this car sparingly for another 30-40 years, if possible. Question now is how to wash it. I don't wanna go CW, but I also don't want to deal with rust.

pete

[SirAndy]

Would be curious to hear what others have found noise-wise after deleting the pad(s).

WHAT?

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Would be curious to hear what others have found noise-wise after deleting the pad(s).

WHAT?

Yep...exactly what I needed to hear! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

pete

[charliew]

There are several spray on sound proofers and also on top of that you could put on a coat of bedliner that may be my solution on the outside of the firewall.

I restored a 42 ford military jeep for a friend and tried my best to seal all the seams and he kept saying it would never see water. The first Veterans Day parade he used it in it rained the whole parade.

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So it's been a loooooooooooooong time since I've been hanging out here. Missed you guys, but had a kitchen remodel, travel, work, various distractions, etc. interrupt the reassembly process. That and window guides that took fo-eva to get back from the plater. But I digress....let's get to the pics.

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...

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Valances take their place...

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Hella European 914 driving lights to replace the U.S. foglights. I like them because they fill out the holes in the grills completely. They were in so-so shape when I got them. I was able to clean one, but the other reflector was cooked. Had a hotrod shop in Oregon replate it. Wasn't cheap, but wasn't bad in the grand scheme of things.

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Then came the distractions....would you really be working on the 914, especially if you had to give the others back?

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In case y'all didn't hate me already....

3.9 liters, 8800 rpm, 500 hp, 92+mph in second, 122+ mph in third...with three more gears to go. No, I did not find redline in fourth. Frankly, I can't believe I kept my license with this color. Phew.

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More distraction... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

3.0 liters, 330 hp, felt surprisingly slow. Really.

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Ahem, I'd better get back to my 80-hp reality. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

While cleaning up the car's original blue plate, I discovered that I should have worked those Month stickers off more carefully. I think I would have left this, the car's original 1973 sticker, in place and put the new Month sticker somewhere else. Or nowhere. Ah well....

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More parts go on...

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Started thinking about these crazy French lenses. Always liked them on Marty's car and the GTs, as well as in a picture of 914s on a lot in the background of a 917 photo.

Turns out they're NLA as lenses, but the computer showed PAG still had 2 rights and 1 left if I was willing to buy complete units. Given how bad (!!!!) the new Euro lenses I bought were (scratched at the factory before being bagged, Jeff at Sunset Porsche was awesome throughout the process, ordering multiples to get the best ones possible — probably due to the size of my order — and eventually even polishing the lenses to make them perfect), I started to think the only way to get good ones would be to buy complete units. Then the French thing came up, and I decided to order them. Then we found out there were 3 listed, but none left. Then Jeff had them do a manual check and there was 1 of each left. So here they are.

I'm trying to decide if I like 'em on a red car... Hmm, from this angle, yes, yes I do.

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And, no, not so much. They disappear into the car and make the bumper the only thing you see. I think I'll be sticking with the Euros...

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Interior work begins...

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Felt like those darn French lenses deserved one more try before being relegated to storage. Nope, just don't work for me on a red car.

Note NOS top, thanks to a 914world member! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)