Ex BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: Brett's 914, Got engine installed and working on wiring! Options

[brettrarnold]

Background
This car was the first car that Brett drove when he was 13 and was given to us in 2014. It had been sitting idle back in Indiana under a family friend's carport for the past 15 years before Brett went back to Indiana and towed it out to Colorado with his father in July 2014. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

When we got it, we didn't have a garage to work on it and it sat idle being stored outside for another year until we could afford a house with a garage. Colorado is pretty expensive so after we got a house with a garage, we then needed to save up more money to work on it.

Also I must mention in my ignorance, there were 3 distinct phases of thinking for getting this car fixed which I now find funny and are listed below

Phase 1: I will tow this car out to Colorado and get it the engine running for maybe $2,000 and have a working car.
Phase 2: Holy shit after researching this is impossible and will have to pay somebody to fix it for $15-20k.
Phase 3: I have enough local support and 914world resources and can fix this myself for around $10-15k.

Build-Off Challenge
So Amy and I are going to be tackling different aspects of this car so the posts will be coming from both of us. I will handling the rust/engine work and Amy will be on Interior and Exterior. Also she may help with some of the posting so we will start each post with name.

Brett
Step 1 (Complete) was to remove the engine and assess the frame rust situation. Never having removed an engine from a car, this was an extremely daunting task. The steps listed in Pelican Parts tutorial - 914 Engine Removal Made Easy is by far the most difficult thing I have done to a vehicle thus far. Hell I don't even know the difference between a camshaft and a carburetor much less a CV joint or a clutch cable. But after staring at it for about 2 weeks, I decided to just start unhooking shit and labeling. Made a ton of progress and finally got the engine about 95% unhooked. Had a friend come over to help me out and we actually got it out. WOOHOO!!!

Step 2 (Complete) is to strip out all the interior. I ordered chassis braces and other misc items from Tangerine racing and am still in the process of identifying all the rust areas that need repair.

[rightpedal]

Saw the update about sawzal blades on the contest thread and I have thoughts. I do a lot of sawzal work and the only blade I use is the Milwaukee torch. They hold up really well. Look at my build thread all that was done with 3 blades. Part of your problem might be the Dewalt, They have notoriously sloppy blade holders. It shouldn't have any slop. The jig saw will provide more precision but will require a lot of patience. Given the nature of jig saws it will dull the blade quickly in the one little portion. If you don't have one you need to get a 4 1/2 angle grinder. Harbor freight has cut/grind/flap wheel combos that are a good intero pack.

Good luck with the project.

Steve

[brettrarnold]

Saw the update about sawzal blades on the contest thread and I have thoughts. I do a lot of sawzal work and the only blade I use is the Milwaukee torch. They hold up really well. Look at my build thread all that was done with 3 blades. Part of your problem might be the Dewalt, They have notoriously sloppy blade holders. It shouldn't have any slop. The jig saw will provide more precision but will require a lot of patience. Given the nature of jig saws it will dull the blade quickly in the one little portion. If you don't have one you need to get a 4 1/2 angle grinder. Harbor freight has cut/grind/flap wheel combos that are a good intero pack.

Good luck with the project.

Steve

Ya i have had two blades that got stuck in that blade holder on that sawzall. A friend brought over some cutting wheels that attached to my grinder and my god that is the way to go. Thanks for the tip. Soo soo much easier. I feel like an idiot when i switch to something that works a million times better but oh well, all part of the process i suppose.

Thanks Steve for the info.
-Brett