PMB Performance - Project 914 ORV!, Yup, we're building a 914 for Utah's backcountry... Options

[Eric_Shea]

We've been playing with this one in our spare time. I don't think I ever put an official thread up here on the site so, here goes!

This piece of crap will soon become "Project 914 ORV". Actually what looks pretty bad on the surface; is pretty bad "on the surface".

As many 914's go, someone tried to make this one something it isn't. It isn't a "slant nose" no matter what you do to the fenders. And, I don't care how many Miami Vice episodes you've watched, that rubber whale tail thingy and the rear reflector are just plain "wrong".

But wait... Speaking of "just plain wrong", were going to carve this late model, big bumpered version of of 80's lust into a high-rise, fiberglass skinned, tubed tub that's ready for Utah's backcountry. That's right; White Rim Trail here we come!

Fear not, we're still thinking "all things vintage" so, we'll be pouring over factory rally pictures and builds to make sure we can learn all we can from the engineers at Porsche who went before us.

Here it is as it arrived:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396236965.1.jpg)

Mmmm purdy huh? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236967.2.jpg)

Time to get busy. Shovel loads of crud came out of the trunks and interior:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236967.3.jpg)

Bummer... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol3.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236967.4.jpg)

Getting there:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236968.5.jpg)

Buuuu-Bye:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396236968.6.jpg)

Ooooh, the comedy never stops when you're working on a 914. Farm and Fleet tractor implement lights silly-coned on for turn signals! Yee-Haw!!

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236968.7.jpg)

Rio inspecting the progress:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396236969.8.jpg)

Off come the body panels. Special thanks to Elli-rot who went before us. He sent a bunch of pictures of his Dzuz fastener locations and offered advice on where to put them as we cut the panels off. Here you see pictures of his cars taped to the body as we taped and cut. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236969.9.jpg)

That there's a good 1 1/2" of Bondo. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol3.gif)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396236969.10.jpg)

Done:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236970.11.jpg)

Nice solid tub is what we were looking for and it appears that's what we got.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236970.12.jpg)

More panel cutting:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396236970.13.jpg)

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Here you can see what we're aiming for. All of the QRS panels from Jeff are laid on the car in a mock assembly. Already looking 100% better! Next it's off to sand and soda blasting.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396236971.15.jpg)

[Eric_Shea]

Here's the tub at the media blasters shop. We actually did both sand and soda as there was a bunch of undercoating in the wheel wells that the sand would cut better. We wanted the trunks to be soda blasted as those areas have the finer detail that will be seen.

There will be no original body panels on this car (with the exception of the sail panels). The doors will be re-skinned and all of the panels on the car will be the complete QRS GT panels. Bumpers and all.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396237900.1.jpg)

There was no light inside the shop when I got there so these pics are a little off but, you can see the tub is now stripped:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396237902.2.jpg)

Here's how the soda looks inside the trunk. I just love the way it brings you back to factory metal:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396237902.3.jpg)

Here's a trunk full of goodies that we had blasted at the same time. These bits will be zinc plated in clear.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396237903.4.jpg)

The dash and engine lid lay in wait inside the tub:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396237904.5.jpg)

A small bit of hell hole work is about all that's needed here:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396237904.6.jpg)

The rear trunk is fantastic. If your going to build a car, it really is a great idea to get the tub down to bare metal so you know what you're dealing with.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396237904.7.jpg)

The next step was to have the car measured out top to bottom. This one is perfect on the suspension side and almost perfect up top. The front is only off by a few mm from a tap in the left front. We're currently deciding on how crazy we want to go with that as the car will be driven off-road and the entire skin will be new glass panels anyway...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396237905.8.jpg)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396237905.9.jpg)

A little metal work will be needed here to get the left taillight housing right. Pretty simple stuff once you're at this stage in bare metal:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net-1110-1396237906.10.jpg)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net-1110-1396237906.11.jpg)

Next we'll dig into the suspension...