1973 2.0L Rustoration, Restoration turned OT garage build Options

[Superhawk996]

I purchased my first 914 back in 1987 (1973 1.7L) and had that car for nearly a decade and I personally put over 100,000 miles on it before it ultimately fell victim to a negligent driver that drove into the back end of it at about 40 mph while the vehicle was stopped at a red light. That rear end crash totaled the vehicle but what is amazing is how well it crumpled (early crush zones!) due to the kink in the frame where the halfshafts are. Everyone walked away unharmed.

I replaced it with a 1991 Miata. Great car in its own right but I've always missed my 914.

Purchased this "replacement" in May 2018 as a known poster child for a complete right side longitudinal rustoration.

This vehicle had been put into storage inside a pole barn around 2004 as far as I can tell.

Vehicle initially purchased in non-running condition:
Engine couldn't be started.
Transmission shift linkage was disconnected
Half shafts and CV's were in pieces, and the wheel stubs were not installed therefore the vehicle couldn't even be rolled without risking having the rear wheel separate from within the bearing.
Fiberglass laid into the floorpan . . . that can't be a good sign.

Vehicle looks great . . . until I got under it.

I spent the better part of the summer putting the items above back together and trying to confirm that it would:
1) Run under its own power
2) Drive though the neighborhood and shift though all gears.



Looks pretty nice eh?

Here is what is lurking underneath once the rockers came off.



and when I started cutting back the rust. Oh my . . . .

[Superhawk996]

Although I had a rough mock up there is still more work to do on the wheelhouse inner panel.

I finally decided to commit to final welding of the outer trailing arm mount.

I plan to add the Restoration Design outer clam shell to reinforce the whole outer longitudinal.

The problem is I'm not cutting my fender so all work has to be done from the "inside". This means that I can't assemble the whole longitudinal and then go back and add on the clam shell.

Much scratching of the head (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) resulted in the decision to deconstruct the clam shell so that it can be added in pieces rather than one whole piece. The other thing is I don't like how the added layer of metal will push my existing door jamb outboard. I'll try to post picture of this as I go along. Hopefully the pictures will make things more obvious.

Here is the picture of just the rear section of the clam shell reinforcement in place. I feel that this piece is especially important since it adds another layer of metal to the transition area. This area where a lot of stress occurs and this area of the "frame" is weak since this area is where the inner longitudinal panels meet.

Even if I decide later not to add the rest of the clamshell for some unforseen reason, I feel that having a triple layer in this high stress area is time well spent.



You can see the overlay for the jack post with the spot welds drilled in the background. I'll eventually install that but it needs some trimming to avoid pushing out the door jamb.

Welded in place.



In the process of final welding I did get some warping of the panel that needed hammer and dolly work to put things back in the right place so the inner longitudinal in the engine compartment will fit as it originally did.

Likewise, this will require re-measurement all the way around the chassis again before I can put this panel in place for the final fitment.

During this whole process the Galvanneal steel is giving me fits with a TIG welder. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

The zinc that is in the Galvanneal is constantly contaminating the electrode or causing popping that splashes the weld puddle up onto it.



The only good thing is the constant stop / start to regrind the Tungsten helps avoid overheating the panel. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)