Restoring a dipped 914, Anyone have one dipped and e-coated? Options

[IronHillRestorations]

I'm restoring a 914-6 that was dipped many years ago, and then stored.

The process destroyed the heater tubes in the longs, but I'm working on both of those so replacing them is a given.

Last weekend at Octeenerfest Bill Dunster (W Dunster) who is a rep for PPG suggested getting it re-dipped and e-coated. Sounds good to me, but there's some logistical challenges.

The original plan was to do all the rust repair, and chassis stiffening then treat the car with my corrosion treatment process, which while good, not as good as getting the whole car e-coated.

So if we were to proceed with e-coating, then of course stock paper heater tubes are off the table. This isn't a biggie, but as one who defaults to original build methods, I wonder about the trade offs of metal heater tubes; noise, heat loss, etc.

Anyone out there have a 914 dipped or restore a dipped 914?

Anyone have a 914 e-coated?

[Rob-O]

It might be worth it to figure out where the car does NOT drain well, and drill some holes up front to prevent the retained stripper incident mentioned above. (Assuming under the car), drill the holes big enough to stuff rubber plugs in after painting, or "duckbill" drain valves like the ones that were original.

The one I helped with back in the 80's we removed all of the holes in the passenger compartment floor and both front and rear trunk areas. They were originally used to allow the spot welder to reach certain areas, but it helped those areas drain.

I'm helping with a 356. Doors and lids were acid dipped, then pickeled, then coated. You have to get primer on them pretty quick after the coating.


Not cheap, but totally worth it. Wait until you see how the coating weeps in between all the imperfect metal seams. it really protects what other products simply cannot.

That was another issue I completely forgot about. The frame of the front and rear trunks have a expanded foam type material between the frame of the panel and the skin. The acid dipping we did destroyed all of that. His car was a -6, so no reinforcements in the door. But any car after '72 (IIRC) has those inner door reinforcements, which also have that foam between the reinforcement and the door skin.

I want to say that the owner of the car I worked on eventually had to source replacement panels. But I don't remember positively. Not much would be holding it from rattling around or possibly moving after that foam is gone. Except where it's crimped around the frame.