Suby-engined rustoration, 21-Sep-2024 update: more racing-related carnage! |
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Suby-engined rustoration, 21-Sep-2024 update: more racing-related carnage! |
strawman |
Apr 18 2008, 12:19 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 885 Joined: 25-January 08 From: Los Osos, CA Member No.: 8,624 Region Association: Central California |
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 Attached image(s) |
strawman |
Jun 3 2009, 11:55 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 885 Joined: 25-January 08 From: Los Osos, CA Member No.: 8,624 Region Association: Central California |
Tonite I also welded on the lower passenger side quarter panel that I had to cut off to make the hellhole repairs. The factory panel had some rust "thinning/swiss-cheesing" that required some careful repairs. First off, I sand-blasted the entire backside of the thing, as well as the frontside areas that showed rust bubbles. Then I welded in a couple of very small patches, and carefully tacked in some plugs where the metal was particular thin (read that, where light shined through!).
Here is a pic of the lower piece welded in. The most difficult part was replacing the compound bend at the forward/lower part that connects with the sill plate (i.e., below the lower rear part of the passenger side door). But I think it came out looking pretty good. I welded that piece to the factory piece on my bench, and ground down the topside welds prior to connecting it. Below is a pic of that repaired area, prior to trimming and smoothing. As you can see, I also need to fill in a couple of spotweld cutter holes with small round patches. Here is a pic looking back, with a shot of my trusty/cheapo Craigslist welder poking its head in. It is a Clarke EN130 110volt unit using EASYGRIND 0.023" wire and 75% argon / 25% CO2 gas... This takes quite a while to avoid imparting too much heat -- weld a spot, blow it cold with compressed air until your bare hand feels no heat, move over 5-6" and weld another spot, and repeat a gazillion times. I still need to grind down the welds and take some pics. |
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