Need Crumple Zone Repair Advice, Repairing LH inner wheel well crumple zone Options

[didenpx]

I'd appreciate advice on how to go about repairing some old collision damage from a rear LH impact that deformed the crumple zone. In the photo you may be able to make out a vertical crease that was previously straightened out just behind the rear strut and going from the bottom pinch seam up the top of the inner wheel well (maybe beyond that....still cleaning out the undercoating).

The evidence that I've found of the impact so far includes:
-The rear quarter/rear of door gap was too tight (maybe 1-2mm throughout)
-Area around the old crease is dented in several MM
-There's a lot of subtle deformation (high and low spots) between between the old crease and continuing forward of the rear strut
-There's some booger welding around the rear suspension console
-There was some deformation of the top of the rear quarter above the creased area (subtle bumps that weren't visible but that you could feel)
-The rear trunk lid was pushed forward, probably breaking the LH hinge pivot (was replaced by PO with a screw-in pivot point and fitted with gas struts to hold lid open)

What I'm wondering:
-How can I tell where the inner wheel well skin is/is not deformed? What's the proper profile in this area (straight, curved, etc)?
-How should I deal with the deformation on the skin of the inner wheel well? Should I remove spot welds, cut it out, and replace it? Or could I get away with pulling out the low spots with a stud welder?
-How can I tell if the impact messed up any of the structure between the inner wheel well skin and the interior of the trunk? What measurement points can I use to tell if that structure has shifted?
-How can I measure to make sure the top of the inner wheel well panel where the rear quarter attaches is at the right height after repair?
-How can I tell if the suspension console is properly located given the impact damage and evidence of booger welding there?
-How the hell did I ever think I was going to get this car on the road by this Spring?

[didenpx]

[mate914]

I see nothing stopping you from taking to alignment shop. Check alignments first. Change metal second. No 914 is perfect. Hand built baby.
Matt

[bkrantz]

Get the factory schematic that has all the spec measurements. Several copies have floated around on the forum. And then measure whatever is appropriate. You can also compare your left and right sides.

You can also get your car as level as possible on jack stands, and then use something like this to get first-order measurements of angles left and right. (Or get a tilt-meter app for your phone.)

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Johnson-Level-Magn...9CO5g&gQT=1

[mate914]

Can you please take a picture inside the area where shock tower mounts?
All spec measurements bkrantz referenced are here in 914world in the upper right corner under the "914 info" tab.

Matt

[Superhawk996]

You’ve asked some good questions but honestly it is not easy to answer them all in a reasonable way in just one or two posts.

You have lots of homework to do.

Start by reading Jeff Hails thread in its entirety. Within that thread you will find a diagram of the underbody mounting points and his nominal dimensions.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=76791

The diagrams look like this - which I used extensively during my build to mount suspension locating points. My build link is in my signature if you want to look at that which has pictures of using a body trammel and a simple laser plumb bob to get measurements of the body.



Likewise there are other restoration threads that will help answer your questions

And reach out to @930cabman - he’s undertaken a project similar to yours.

[930cabman]

I see nothing stopping you from taking to alignment shop. Check alignments first. Change metal second. No 914 is perfect. Hand built baby.
Matt

I started out with something like this, crumple area appears to have worked

[930cabman]

I see nothing stopping you from taking to alignment shop. Check alignments first. Change metal second. No 914 is perfect. Hand built baby.
Matt

I started out with something like this, crumple area appears to have worked

Peeling back the onion

[930cabman]

I see nothing stopping you from taking to alignment shop. Check alignments first. Change metal second. No 914 is perfect. Hand built baby.
Matt

I started out with something like this, crumple area appears to have worked

Peeling back the onion

Today

[didenpx]

Thanks very much to everyone for the responses and suggestions. I do have a print out of the factory measurements and will spend some time using those to assess the area.

I also have started reading through Jeff's thread and will study it thoroughly in the coming days.

Also thanks much to @930cabman for weighing in; I will be hitting him up via message.

Below are the photos that @mate914 requested. They don't appear to show any deformation of the structure inwards....that I can tell at this point, anyway. Though I'm dubious about that because of that crease that was previously beaten out....how could it not have shifted things?

[didenpx]

[worn]

How well do the rear light buckets fit to what remains? Do they look and measure the same from side to side. I would think that if you had unresolved rear shunt issues the lights would be affected. Perhaps more than anything else.
Btw, I am impressed.

[didenpx]

How well do the rear light buckets fit to what remains? Do they look and measure the same from side to side. I would think that if you had unresolved rear shunt issues the lights would be affected. Perhaps more than anything else.
Btw, I am impressed.

The rear light on this side looked off kilter before I started tearing into things; it appeared high toward the outside. Though as you can probably make out the repairs that were done in that area previously were not top notch.

When I started digging in here (and before I removed the undercoating and saw the extent of the wrinkles in the crumple zone I was thinking that in the course of welding in the new RD tail piece and rear trunk floor it could all be made to align properly.

[mate914]

From the inside. Where the shock set.
Matt

Thanks very much to everyone for the responses and suggestions. I do have a print out of the factory measurements and will spend some time using those to assess the area.

I also have started reading through Jeff's thread and will study it thoroughly in the coming days.

Also thanks much to @930cabman for weighing in; I will be hitting him up via message.

Below are the photos that @mate914 requested. They don't appear to show any deformation of the structure inwards....that I can tell at this point, anyway. Though I'm dubious about that because of that crease that was previously beaten out....how could it not have shifted things?