Its the final countdown, progress thread Options

[type11969]

I've had this 71 for 3 years now and I've only driven it for 10 minutes before I bought it. I figure if I haven't made serious progress by the spring, she is getting stripped and scrapped. You'll see why. Its probably only a parts car, but I want to learn how to weld, and if I can get this thing back on the road, I think I will be well on my way. I'll start from the beginning:

The exterior, looks harmless enough:
(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/914.jpg)

The interior, looks pretty good (wait, what was that saying about wrapping a piece of poo in a pretty package):

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/914012.jpg)

Long looks okay at first glance:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/914009.jpg)

Wait, umm, is this factory installed golf ball sized hunks of epoxy and bondo:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/111404015.jpg)

Yum:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/111404010.jpg)

Delicious:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/111404012.jpg)

Craptacular:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/914-2018.jpg)

Brace yourself (also have another brace running to the drivers side door jamb, couldn't find that pic):

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/111404001.jpg)

Couldn't find any pics of the lovely riveting and brazing job a PO did with re-attaching the portion of the fender below the sail, but I hacked that focker off:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/121304002.jpg)

Mmm, clean:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/121304013.jpg)

Also found after removing the interior that the passenger side was once used as a pool, the entire lower inner corner of the long and bulkhead was gone. PO crappily arc welded a new floorpan in, but didn't fix any of the other damage:

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/Picture069.jpg)

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/Picture070.jpg)

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/Picture071.jpg)

(IMG:http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/type11969/914/111404002.jpg)

Quick break, then pics of the repairs so far . . .

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

my only two comments here are:

1 What a hero to save this 914!
2 Why hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of patching when aftermarket panels are readily available, cheap would have saved hours and hours of hard labor, kept the car more factory original, made it stronger, more valuable, and made it last much much longer?

[type11969]

Car is a parts car, I reviewed your website, and to buy the panels needed I would be way over the purchase price of the car. Simply not worth it in my book. Plus I only would have needed sections of parts you have available. You aren't talking about complicated parts here either, fabbing isn't that difficult, moreover, I find it enjoyable and a good stress reliever.

From the outside, the repairs I have made will be pretty damn close to factory original. And I know my repairs are as strong as original since they are modeled after what was there originally. Question for you, are your repair panels thickened in areas where Porsche had mulitple layers (like in the long and many other places in the "frame")? Or are they simply the mulitple layer thickness throughout? From the pics it seems like they are only single layer, so either they are too thin (compared to original) or too heavy (again, using original as the benchmark).

More valueable? Again, if it looks stock from the outside . . .

Last much longer? Ummm, you have somehow sourced a grade of steel better than mine? I don't remember posting the material specs of what I was using anywhere . . . (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

my only two comments here are:

1 What a hero to save this 914!
2 Why hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of patching when aftermarket panels are readily available, cheap would have saved hours and hours of hard labor, kept the car more factory original, made it stronger, more valuable, and made it last much much longer?

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

Car is a parts car, I reviewed your website, and to buy the panels needed I would be way over the purchase price of the car. Simply not worth it in my book. Plus I only would have needed sections of parts you have available. You aren't talking about complicated parts here either, fabbing isn't that difficult, moreover, I find it enjoyable and a good stress reliever.

From the outside, the repairs I have made will be pretty damn close to factory original. And I know my repairs are as strong as original since they are modeled after what was there originally. Question for you, are your repair panels thickened in areas where Porsche had mulitple layers (like in the long and many other places in the "frame")? Or are they simply the mulitple layer thickness throughout? From the pics it seems like they are only single layer, so either they are too thin (compared to original) or too heavy (again, using original as the benchmark).

More valueable? Again, if it looks stock from the outside . . .

Last much longer? Ummm, you have somehow sourced a grade of steel better than mine? I don't remember posting the material specs of what I was using anywhere . . . (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

my only two comments here are:

1 What a hero to save this 914!
2 Why hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of patching when aftermarket panels are readily available, cheap would have saved hours and hours of hard labor, kept the car more factory original, made it stronger, more valuable, and made it last much much longer?

]
I did not want to upset you at all. That was not my intent and again I am happy that you are saving a 914. (by the way that was NOT a parts car)
The aftermarket panels that several manufacturers make are actually thicker than the original steel and where Porsche reinforced them they have been reinforeced as well or make of double thickness to aid in the manufacture. Rest assured that the guys who make these panels are well familier with the 914 and would not cheat by making an inferiour panel!!!!! that alone would be real STUPID when it takes so little to get it right. We often use their panels here and cut them just using what we want, as it saves loads of time for the effort to fabricate (and believe me we know!!!!)
bottom line here Chris? If your time is free go for it of course and the time spent on one's 914 does lower the blood pressure, sort of like petting your dog, but the car is much better off in the long run being repaired as close to how the factory manufactured it, it actually takes less time and less money if your labor is not free, and when you finally die at 115 and someone is selling your 914, the buyer will not say, "Wow, I sure wish this 914 had been repaired properly as I would have paid 20,000 more for it!" and then your great great grandson laments that his legacy from you has been compromised.!!! Fix it right fix it once, but by all means fix a 914!

[type11969]

Car is a parts car, I reviewed your website, and to buy the panels needed I would be way over the purchase price of the car. Simply not worth it in my book. Plus I only would have needed sections of parts you have available. You aren't talking about complicated parts here either, fabbing isn't that difficult, moreover, I find it enjoyable and a good stress reliever.

From the outside, the repairs I have made will be pretty damn close to factory original. And I know my repairs are as strong as original since they are modeled after what was there originally. Question for you, are your repair panels thickened in areas where Porsche had mulitple layers (like in the long and many other places in the "frame")? Or are they simply the mulitple layer thickness throughout? From the pics it seems like they are only single layer, so either they are too thin (compared to original) or too heavy (again, using original as the benchmark).

More valueable? Again, if it looks stock from the outside . . .

Last much longer? Ummm, you have somehow sourced a grade of steel better than mine? I don't remember posting the material specs of what I was using anywhere . . . (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

my only two comments here are:

1 What a hero to save this 914!
2 Why hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of patching when aftermarket panels are readily available, cheap would have saved hours and hours of hard labor, kept the car more factory original, made it stronger, more valuable, and made it last much much longer?

]
I did not want to upset you at all. That was not my intent and again I am happy that you are saving a 914. (by the way that was NOT a parts car)
The aftermarket panels that several manufacturers make are actually thicker than the original steel and where Porsche reinforced them they have been reinforeced as well or make of double thickness to aid in the manufacture. Rest assured that the guys who make these panels are well familier with the 914 and would not cheat by making an inferiour panel!!!!! that alone would be real STUPID when it takes so little to get it right. We often use their panels here and cut them just using what we want, as it saves loads of time for the effort to fabricate (and believe me we know!!!!)
bottom line here Chris? If your time is free go for it of course and the time spent on one's 914 does lower the blood pressure, sort of like petting your dog, but the car is much better off in the long run being repaired as close to how the factory manufactured it, it actually takes less time and less money if your labor is not free, and when you finally die at 115 and someone is selling your 914, the buyer will not say, "Wow, I sure wish this 914 had been repaired properly as I would have paid 20,000 more for it!" and then your great great grandson laments that his legacy from you has been compromised.!!! Fix it right fix it once, but by all means fix a 914!

Okay, my bottom line is I don't think I need to use the repair panels you sell to repair my car properly. I can see why you may think otherwise . . .

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

Car is a parts car, I reviewed your website, and to buy the panels needed I would be way over the purchase price of the car. Simply not worth it in my book. Plus I only would have needed sections of parts you have available. You aren't talking about complicated parts here either, fabbing isn't that difficult, moreover, I find it enjoyable and a good stress reliever.

From the outside, the repairs I have made will be pretty damn close to factory original. And I know my repairs are as strong as original since they are modeled after what was there originally. Question for you, are your repair panels thickened in areas where Porsche had mulitple layers (like in the long and many other places in the "frame")? Or are they simply the mulitple layer thickness throughout? From the pics it seems like they are only single layer, so either they are too thin (compared to original) or too heavy (again, using original as the benchmark).

More valueable? Again, if it looks stock from the outside . . .

Last much longer? Ummm, you have somehow sourced a grade of steel better than mine? I don't remember posting the material specs of what I was using anywhere . . . (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

my only two comments here are:

1 What a hero to save this 914!
2 Why hours and hours and hours and hours and hours of patching when aftermarket panels are readily available, cheap would have saved hours and hours of hard labor, kept the car more factory original, made it stronger, more valuable, and made it last much much longer?

]
I did not want to upset you at all. That was not my intent and again I am happy that you are saving a 914. (by the way that was NOT a parts car)
The aftermarket panels that several manufacturers make are actually thicker than the original steel and where Porsche reinforced them they have been reinforeced as well or make of double thickness to aid in the manufacture. Rest assured that the guys who make these panels are well familier with the 914 and would not cheat by making an inferiour panel!!!!! that alone would be real STUPID when it takes so little to get it right. We often use their panels here and cut them just using what we want, as it saves loads of time for the effort to fabricate (and believe me we know!!!!)
bottom line here Chris? If your time is free go for it of course and the time spent on one's 914 does lower the blood pressure, sort of like petting your dog, but the car is much better off in the long run being repaired as close to how the factory manufactured it, it actually takes less time and less money if your labor is not free, and when you finally die at 115 and someone is selling your 914, the buyer will not say, "Wow, I sure wish this 914 had been repaired properly as I would have paid 20,000 more for it!" and then your great great grandson laments that his legacy from you has been compromised.!!! Fix it right fix it once, but by all means fix a 914!

Okay, my bottom line is I don't think I need to use the repair panels you sell to repair my car properly. I can see why you may think otherwise . . .

]
And Chris I completely defer to the man who has put that much time into his 914 and congratulate you.

[dkos]

Dr.,

It's a rare talent you have. It's not easy to offend someone with a compliment. You are a master.

I'm assuming it's not your intent, but somehow it comes across that way. I guess that's one of the dangers of "talking" this way. You can't hear the other person's tone of voice or see their eyes rolling.

Dave

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

[quote name='dkos' date='Jan 30 2007, 01:36 PM' post='856245']
"And Chris I completely defer to the man who has put that much time into his 914 and congratulate you."
[/quote]


Dr.,

It's a rare talent you have. It's not easy to offend someone with a compliment. You are a master.

I'm assuming it's not your intent, but somehow it comes across that way. I guess that's one of the dangers of "talking" this way. You can't hear the other person's tone of voice or see their eyes rolling.

Dave
[/quote]

Good point and it really is hard to tell the intention when just typing. However i am sincere in my comments. ANY man who puts that much personal labor into restoring a 914 should always be commended and NEVER put down! I am the first to commend him. My comments were only to make a point that there IS an easier more efficient way to do it as others have made it easy for us to restore these cars!
Please keep in mind however that I have rebuilt/restored well over 500 914s over the last 32 years so there is some credence here in what I say, just from my experience, to hell with my skill. Man learns the easiest cheapest laziest way to get something accomplished, (BUT PROPERLY!!!!) and I am a good example of that man.

[dkos]

well said!