Time to un-DAPO the "new" car, Bad things happened to a nice car Options

[BillC]

So, I bought a "new" 914 a few weeks ago (a '73 2.0). When I received it from the shipper, I noticed was the seller was quite artful about his pictures, with what was and what wasn't shown. And, now that I've had a chance to start taking things apart, I have uncovered quite a bit of DAPO-done-damage, and I'm sure there's more hiding somewhere (oh boy! something to look forward too....). Some of the damage appears to have been there for a loooong time.

I've already received a piece from a scrap car to fix this hole:


Once I took the rockers off, I discovered this:

Yes, they hole-sawed through FOUR layers of sheet metal, including the heat duct. Not sure what they were thinking, but there it is.

In the trunk, I found three hole-sawed holes. I think they might have been thinking about mounting the fuel pump in a 75/76 blister, but they never finished the work (and also picked the wrong location).

[bkrantz]

Be fair! I am sure most 914s were free of rust for at least a few weeks after leaving the assembly line.

[BillC]

Be fair! I am sure most 914s were free of rust for at least a few weeks after leaving the assembly line.

There's an old story out there on the internet, from a Porsche factory manager, where he said that at the end of the day, after all the lights, fans and other noises were turned off, he could actually hear the cars rusting on the production line.

Since I know everyone is just dying with anticipation to see the end of the "lovely holes" fix, here it is:

Yesterday, I welded in the outer layer patches. Didn't get anything else done since CINC-House had other plans.


Today, I ground the welds down and then primed the patch.


Once the epoxy primer dries, I'll hit it with some high-build primer, sand it smooth and the holes will be gone.

I also installed the new Tangerine Racing stainless steel fuel lines. While I was in the engine compartment, I found this stunning example of prime DAPO-ism:

Instead of proper rubber grommets, they sleeved the holes with aluminum flashing. They did put some thought and effort into this, shaping the aluminum to hold the hoses centered and also not fall out. Just too bad they didn't think to do it properly. SMH