Suby-engined rustoration, 21-Sep-2024 update: more racing-related carnage! Options

[strawman]

Hi All --

This is my second post, but I've been lurking on this fine website for a while now. I've wanted a 914 since I was in high school, but always seemed to stumble upon other projects... until recently.

My neighbor gave me this 1973 Porsche 914 about a month ago. He told me he blew a head gasket and parked it in his parents' driveway in 1992. When his parents finally told him to move it or they were calling a local junkyard, he offered it to me since he knows I'm a gearhead. In for a penny, in for a pound...

I hauled it home, knowing that it has some rust issues in the battery area and rear trunk. But it appears to have never been in a wreck and it is complete. It turns out that an exhaust stud pulled, so he coulda fixed it for a couple hundred and probably kept another 914 from languishing but I guess all things happen for a reason (namely, so I would undertake this project!).

I sold the engine to a local Craigslister for use in his Meyers Manx dune buggy, and bought a wrecked but running 1993 Subaru Legacy turbo wagon. This is the closed-deck 2.2 liter engine, and 250 hp is easy with boost control and an open exhaust. I've already done a Subaru into a VW Vanagon and my daily driver is a 1992 Suby Legacy, so this won't be too much of a stretch for me. I plan to use the Suby 5-speed transmission (out of a 1998 Suby Forester) with the Aussie-sourced RWD elimination coupler and custom-mated 914/Suby axles.

I've got a suburban home with a crowded two-car garage (my 125 shifter kart and my daughter's FJA kart will likely get lonely!), a MIG welder, and a wide assortment of air/power/hand tools -- so the adventure begins! This project will likely take a year to finish, so please be patient.

I've attached some pics of the car as found in the driveway, some rust areas and the rear trunk repairs I've started. I'll chronicle the build as I go, so feel free to chime in!

Geoff

[strawman]

Okay, here are some pics of the rear trunk area. I started out using a 3/8" tri-point drill, but ended up using Harbor Freight spot-weld bits. The first HF bit lasted about 30 spot welds, the second bit lasted two spot welds and the third about 20 so far. For $3.95 apiece, tho, it was a bargain. I had to grind out a few spot welds in the rear corners because the space was too tight for the drill & bit and I had to cut out the trunk pan in one large piece and two smaller corner pieces.

I've already purchased an Auto Atlanta rear trunk replacement panel, as well as a rear suspension console. I'm not so happy with the fit of AA trunk panel; it fits pretty poorly around the left/right "humps." Looks like I'll need to section in pieces of sheetmetal to make it fit (notice the 1/2" gap at the forward edge of the humps in the later pics). It also sits higher against the rear panel than stock, so I'll have to rosette weld in the 1/8" holes I drilled through the rear panel.