Hell-hole repair shop Options

[ThePaintedMan]

Good for you. I know a lot of folks see it as easier just to do a tub swap, but for those of us on the east coast, that's a bit more costly. Plus, there will come a time when the amount of good shells will dry up, and those of us who decided to repair our cars instead of scrapping them will have the piece of mind that we saved even just one more 914. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[rick 918-S]

Good decision. Take your time and do it right. You'll appreciate the car even more when your done.

[last337]

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I just cant see spending another 2k-3k to get a tub and ship it all the way here.


Thanks for the encouragement. I am a bit nervous about what I will find but I am not one to back down from something once I get started so I guess I just need to start (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

Where should I get everything for the repairs? It seems like a lot of people are using a stiffening kit in place of the damaged longs. Is that the way to go? Fortunately I should have access to plenty of steel so I would like to fabricate some of the pieces if possible.

I guess the first step really is just to pull it apart and start poking. Should I drop the motor before I do anything else?

[rick 918-S]

Engine out, interior out (carpet and back pad and latch pillar stuff) Then see what you have.

[ThePaintedMan]

Engine out, interior out (carpet and back pad and latch pillar stuff) Then see what you have.

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It's the only way to tell what you'll need. Even then, you'll end up ordering more, I promise.

IMHO, for the most part, forget fabricating stuff if it's your first time. I went that route as a learning experience and if I had to do it over again, I would have just spent the money on the correct stamped replacement panels from Restoration Design. You'll spend more time and money on grinding wheels and other supplies than it's worth and probably won't be as happy with the results. Some small pieces and patches will need to be fabricated along the way, but for the most part, order the right panels and you'll be happy. See my thread in my signature if you like.

If it were me, I wouldn't just weld in some stiffening kit over the longs. Do it right, open them up and cut out the rust. Otherwise it'll be back sooner than you think.

[SirAndy]

It seems like a lot of people are using a stiffening kit in place of the damaged longs.

No! Stop right there. Please, just don't ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

A stiffening kit is meant for a SOLID car that sees additional stress, like AX or racing.
It is *not* to be used as a shortcut for rust repair!

There are plenty of threads here about fixing rust in those areas, from easy to hard to "are you nuts?".
It's all been done before ...
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[jimkelly]

as you can see, some of us are optimists and some of us are pesimists (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I am all for those that choose (and have the skills) to rescue a rusted tub.

and by no means is swapping everything over to a different tub, a walk in the park.

nor will a new tub not be in need of any repairs.

here are decent rust repair threads...

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=36326
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=79106

http://www.restoration-design.com/

all the best, looking forward to watching this thread progess,
jim

[last337]

Thanks for the advice! I am a bit overwhelmed but I guess that is natural. I will start a new thread as soon as I get started. Ugh! Wish me luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

[euro911]

We've seen some guys on this board do some miraculous repairs on tubs that many of us would have scrapped.

Depending on how extensive the damage is on your existing car, you might consider picking up a tub that has good sections you can take from?

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Assess the whole tub and go from there ...

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[last337]

One last question...I have been looking at this all day and I am thinking that I may start this project just as soon as it gets too hot here to enjoy the car any longer (probably in spring). There are only so many months of nice weather in Louisiana and I want to enjoy it running while I can. How safe is it to drive as a daily driver if I am not really beating on it that hard? Can I safely put this off and just drive it for a while? Is it mainly the track that I need to worry about?

[SirAndy]

Can I safely put this off and just drive it for a while? Is it mainly the track that I need to worry about?

Don't take the top off and make sure the floor pans behind both seats aren't complete swiss cheese.
Use a screwdriver since the floor tar will hide rust very well, even terminal rust in the pans.

Also make sure your passenger side rear suspension ear and console haven't cracked, they like to rust from the inside out.

If all that checks out OK, i think you'll be fine driving it until spring.
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[jimkelly]

until you can provide pics of the areas I provided pics of above, I would say you should not be driving that car.

pull the interior firewall pad out, carpets too. seats have a little tang that you have to push on to get seats out all the way.

remove the valences under doors, so we can see the rear sections of the longs.

a pic of the area under the battery will tell a lot.

the rusted triangle piece in your pic above is not structural, like the long is.

your battery area pic shows the area about 12" rearward from the area you need to be really investigating.

imagine your car dropping to the ground at 60mph, would not be safe.

jim

[Mike Bellis]

Can you keep driving it?

Put a floor jack under the passenger side and jack it up so both right side wheels are off the ground. Can you open or close the door? If not, the chassis may be too weak to drive much.

You be the judge...

On the West coast we may be a little spoiled with plenty of tubs around. I recommend swapping tubs for 2 reasons: 1) Cost- It will be far cheaper in the long run to find a good tub and swap parts. 2) Aggravation- You are going to find way more rust than you think. The visible rust is only about 20% of what's there. This leads back to reason 1.

Whatever you choose to do, our community will support you all the way. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[walterolin]

Good comments above. Painted Man's advice about Restoration Design is correct. I fabricated my parts, and wasted a lot of time and money.

If you start this project you will discover that each time you take something off, or go a little deeper, there will be something else that needs to be addressed. You might think about taking it down completely to the tub, then doing the welding, then stripping and painting, and then putting it all back together. Essentially everything you will need is available on this web site, and there are lots of knowledgeable people here who are happy to help.

Right now I'm down to the tub, getting ready to paint. I've rebuilt the brakes (another mistake - go talk to Eric Shea, although I did want to see the inside of the rear calipers), rebuilt the transmission at Dr. Evil's Ontario clinic (and met some neat people), and collected an A-load of rubber parts from 914Rubber.

There is no quick fix, you should think of this as a long term project.

Olin

[malcolm2]

I found that my "perfectionist" side has yielded a much nicer and probably stronger car than my "that will work" side.

Tear-down, repair.... Engine and Body took me 26 months all by myself. And that is just getting it to being drive-able. A labor of love needs to be perfect. Take your time and start on it sooner rather than later.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[bigkensteele]

Thanks for the advice! I am a bit overwhelmed but I guess that is natural. I will start a new thread as soon as I get started. Ugh! Wish me luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

If you are somewhat mechanically inclined, you can do this with the help of this community.

Before getting my hands really dirty with my car, there were a few things that I knew it needed, but I put off because I was not necessarily intimidated, but I somewhat worried that I wouldn't have the skills or patience to pull it off. I can say without question that most everything I have accomplished on my car has been easier than I thought it would be, and the satisfaction you get from doing it yourself and knowing it is done right is incredibly valuable.

When you finish fixing it, you will know exactly what you have, and it will mean more to you.

Best of luck!

[hot_shoe914]

One last question...I have been looking at this all day and I am thinking that I may start this project just as soon as it gets too hot here to enjoy the car any longer (probably in spring). There are only so many months of nice weather in Louisiana and I want to enjoy it running while I can. How safe is it to drive as a daily driver if I am not really beating on it that hard? Can I safely put this off and just drive it for a while? Is it mainly the track that I need to worry about?

I know where there is a car you should go after. He is asking 2K for everything and he has over 2K worth of repairpanels from Restoration Design. Between your car and his package deal, you should be in great shape.


Shoe
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http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=225591

[last337]

the rusted triangle piece in your pic above is not structural, like the long is.

I thought that triangle was structural since it has the jacking donut in it?

[ThePaintedMan]

Right, but the donut actually is located on top of the long, and the triangle is sandwiched between the two. The triangle ties the back of the firewall and the long together for a little extra stiffening.

[last337]

Right, but the donut actually is located on top of the long, and the triangle is sandwiched between the two. The triangle ties the back of the firewall and the long together for a little extra stiffening.

Well that might actually be a good thing then. I only see rust towards the rear of the long itself and the hole that starts under the battery tray only goes straight down through that triangle. No doubt I will have to cut into the long but maybe it isnt as bad as I thought. This weekend I will know A LOT more.