My First Build Thread, and a long time comin' Options

[skeates]

So...technically I started this restoration a month ago, but now it has a thread (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

A little history...This was my first car. I picked it up for $1200 back in high school and had it towed home with mice in the glove box and hoses going to no where in the engine compartment! My dad and I had it up and running off and on for three years before I shipped off to southern California for college. It has sat in the 'rents driveway for 5 years now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) waiting for the restoration that it deserves

Well...now that I'm edumacated and have a "real" job (and also have moved back to Northern California) my pockets are slightly deeper than in high school and the build has commenced!



So far I have stripped it to a tub, built me a rotisserie and washed off about 30 years of road grime and PO molestation. Along the way I even made a new friend! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[skeates]

Here are some picks of the car as it currently sits. Notice the prodigious amount of grime that I now get to sweep up (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)



I've started looking closer at the rust spots and am pleasantly surprised that there is not more (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) ....though it helps to start with low expectations. It looks like I will need to replace the engine shelf under the battery tray (which seems to have already been replaced by a PO). Does anybody know what the best way is to check the inside of the longs for rust? I figure I'll have to cut the exterior off, just wondering where to do it at.

Here are some close-ups of the hell-hole and the engine shelf under the battery tray

[749142]

i dont know anything about the longs but just wanted to say congrats on getting started keep it up

[roadster fan]

Looks good!

Before you get too carried away cutting out metal, I think you should brace the door openings while it is on the rotisserie.

The longs have some rust inside, they all do. There have been several threads about it, I will search and post some links.

Glad you got started on the build, keep us posted.

Jim

[jcd914]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

You should get some bracing in the door ways to keep it straight from the beginning.
There are some dimensions in the 914info section here so you can measure and set the distance from the windshield frame to the roll bar.

AND

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)


What part of sacto are you in?
I'm out in Carm.

Good Luck

Jim

[skeates]

Thanks for the welcome. My wife and I are in East Sac.

Yeah, my next step is to get some metal and brace the door gaps before I go to town on the metal work. Those measurements would be really helpful, I might take a little break from work today and do some searching (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[skeates]

I started the big dig into the hell hole this weekend and have yet to get to the bottom the proverbial rabbit hole. Before any cutting started I made use of some scrap metal to make the braces for the door jams.



I know they are a bit ... thick ... but hey, the metal was free. Donated from the old roll bar out of my dad's old Jeep (After he upgraded).

I cut out what was left of the battery tray and started into a past owner patch job only to find a treasure trove of rust. Its as if the guy who did the patch just welded in some metal w/o touching the rust beneath it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) Every cut only seemed to expose more.

[skeates]

Next weekend I plan on breaking out the sandblaster to really clean up this area and see what needs to be cut and what can be salvaged. I'm really curious now how much rust I will discover when I open up the passenger long. Hopefully I'll be able to put a bit more time into the car next weekend, but its hard when the weather is so nice and you live close to such high quality crack!

...one cool thing happened this weekend though. The wife came out and wanted to help work on the car! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[rick 918-S]

Lots of compliments will keep your helper around. Keep the pics coming! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[LarryR]

So far I have stripped it to a tub, built me a rotisserie and washed off about 30 years of road grime and PO molestation. Along the way I even made a new friend! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Yikes man what is it about black widows and 914's I killed 4 of them when I started on mine a couple weeks ago... I blasted the under carriage with 4 cans of raid have been watching for new webs before I slide under it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[skeates]

Yeah, I thought I had gotten rid the creepy crawlys before I started, but I noticed that lovely lady when my hand was about 4 inches from it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) Its definitely one of the bigger black widows I've seen (at least around here).

[skeates]

Got a little bit of work done yesterday on the car. I feel as if I'm finally nearing the bottom of the rabbit hole here with the passenger side longs. I spent a few hours and two drill bits removing spot welds on the passenger rear fender and the passenger jack plate. And before I knew it I had (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif) the rear fender back to expose the rest of the long up to the outer suspension console. I have to admit, I was really nervous making the first cut seeing as how this was my first time and all... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/humpy.gif) ...Anyways, I bet you can't guess what I found under there! Looks like I will be replacing a bit of metal under there. I can't wait to see what inside the longs, but maybe I should get a tetanus shot before going further (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)



I also got a little bored tonight and had though It play with photoshop. This is the look I'm hoping to end up with at the end all this.

[jc914]

Good job so far keep posting pics. I wish I could do what you are doing to restore mine.

[biosurfer1]

I'm out in Roseville and don't have many plans for Sunday morning if you need a hand.

Keep up the good work!

[skeates]

Ok....its been a whjile since I've last posted. And I cant say that I've gotten that much farther. I think though, that I've finally reached rock bottom! the cancer (in this section at least) has almost all been cut out of the hell hole and now I can start thinking about putting things back together. There were some casualties however... As I peeled back the layers, the rust continued to extend deeper into the car until had finally cut out the right side engine mount and the top of the suspension console on the same side (see pics)...



These pieces (to me at least) look pretty dismal. I'm hoping against hope that after a thorough sand blasting the engine mount can be reinforced and salvaged. The suspension console, on the other hand, has rusted through in many of the awkwardly shaped sections such that I'm thinking replacement is in order (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif). After a bit of research I've decided to forgo POR15 in favor of a different product called "Rust Bullet" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stirthepot.gif) . I've ordered a quart (supposed to cover 25 sq. ft) and will use it to protect the inside of the passenger long. I cant wait to start patching this thing back together!

...some pics of the Hell hole now missing much of its metal...

[Cheapsnake]

Nice work Skeates. Looks very much like the condition and stage of my project. I too have just started patching rust and hope to have some pics up on my build thread after the weekend. Not a lot of fun while you're doing it, but great satisfaction when you can stand back and admire the results.

I too am trying the Rust Bullet for the first time, heard good things about it. Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming.

Tom

[skeates]

Ok kids, I know its been a while - but here are some more pics...







I have to admit, I'm really starting to wonder if my car came from the factory with some of this rust! As soon as I think I'm getting to the end of it It just keeps going! As you can see I'm almost thru to the inner most section of the front long. I'm honestly a bit stumped on how to proceed there. It looks like the next piece I need to remove is sandwiched in by the front fender. Are my only options to either remover the front fender or to just cut it out? Unfortunately it looks like the rust goes all the way into the corner...so I think I will need to spend some time researching the other build threads for ideas. Is there a point at which you just say "screw it!", spray on some POR-15 and then (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer3.gif) to forget about it?

I have also removed the rear passenger floor pan and lower firewall to reveal more cancer. Again, it seems to extend even deeper into the side of the car I was hoping would not need to be molested by my cutting wheel. This project has quickly turned into much more than I wanted, but there's no turning back now. Thankfully I've managed to locate an entire long (including suspension console) that I will be picking up in April. I just need to decide the best way to cut out the current one and weld in the new.

[skeates]

Its been so long since I've posted on this thread that I was curious if it was still around. After a little break in work on the 14er (...not my choice) I've finally started work on her again!

Since my last post I was able to pick-up a replacement passenger long from a parts car in So Cal, and have used it to replace the rusted one. A couple of pictures of the process are included below. In the first picture you can see the jig I made to make sure that the suspension console on the new piece aligns correctly. You can also see the fancy tools I used to mock the new piece in place.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/lh3.ggpht.com-3684-1280706980.1.jpg) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/lh3.ggpht.com-3684-1280706980.2.jpg)

Once the new long was in place I decided that I should start piecing back together the passenger door jam, and also check how the door gaps were holding up. After tacking in the lower door post I went to fit both the passenger and driver's doors. Unfortunately, neither one wanted to line up well (though the driver's side would at least close...). After a lot of measuring and comparing against that handy body measurement reference here on 914World I decided that the passenger side of the front cowl had sagged a bit and moved forward in the whole long replacement process. Half an inch makes a big difference! So, using a scissor jack and a jig, I proceeded to push out the door gap on the passenger side until I was getting the appropriate measurements. When I put the doors back on they fit whole lot better, but still, far from perfectly. Both sides now close, but they both need to be lifted in order to do so. The passenger side is still a whole lot worse than the driver's side (At least it closes now). The frustrating thing is that I can't find which measurements are off! Every measurement I do to compare the two sides are withing 1/32" from each-other. Here are some pics comparing the two sides:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/lh6.ggpht.com-3684-1280706980.3.jpg)(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/lh3.ggpht.com-3684-1280706981.4.jpg)

[skeates]

Some pics of the passenger door open and closed:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/lh3.ggpht.com-3684-1280707737.1.jpg)(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/lh3.ggpht.com-3684-1280707737.2.jpg)

Notice how when the door is open it sags below the body line, but once closed things line up decently well. So, the problem I now have is that:

1) The passenger door sags when open,
2) The drivers side rear door gap is close to non-existent,
3) the passenger side rear door gap seems to be too wide now,
4) The passenger side front gap seems ok when the door is open, but once closed the door is lifted and the gap starts smaller at the top and widens at the bottom.

I'm really not sure where to go from here. All of the measurements I do seem to identical from passenger side to driver's side, but there is this huge difference in how the doors are fitting! Anyone in the Sacramento area good at this sorta thing?

[scotty b]

Now that it is too late I can tell you that bracing is WAY to light duty. What has happened is you have braced the chassis ( barely ) to prevent a inward pinch and nothing more. As a result you have actually twisted the tub. This is exactly why I and others get on people for not properly bracing a car. You not only cut out and welded in a lot of metal which was detrimental, but you also did this on a rotisserie, which in itself put a fair amount of stress on the center of the car because there is no support running the length of the body. Unfortunately at this point about the only option you have is to take it to a frame shop, prefferably one with a Cellete bench, and have it pulled back into shape. Expensive lesson learned (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) . Hopefully this will keep someone else from doing the same. Sorry man (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Look for a thread from me soon on proper bracing, this is getting out of hand (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)