1970 914-6 headlight surrounds, color of surrounds Options

[bobm]

Looking for some assistance. My 1970 914-6 has black headlight surround covers. I am being told that they should be white in color. Being new to the 914 world can anyone confirm this. If this is true does anyone know the correct shade of white (code) Any photo's of a Six with the headlights up. My car is being painted and a good time to get things correct.
TIA
Bob

[Cairo94507]

Hello Bob - You are correct, they should be white on the Six. If memory serves me, they are a kind of ivory white. My car was repainted from gold to black when it was about 1 year old and they painted the headlight surrounds to match (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) so I will ask Scotty to bead blast them or somehow strip them to see if the white is OK underneath. I thought I had pictures of a Six with the headlights up and the one I have on an Adriatic Blue car has the headlight surrounds painted black too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif) . I know they were white on Sixes.

[iwanta914-6]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/forums.pelicanparts.com-10510-1448984176.1.jpg)

[iwanta914-6]

Also, I think they are just white plastic and not painted...

http://www.pbase.com/9146gt/my9146gt_mecha...ic_covers_white

[Larmo63]

Correct, they are black plastic and ivory colored plastic.

Most of the GT race cars look to have had black surrounds.

[bobm]

Thank you for the Photo. It does look Ivory. Anyone know the code or the correct shade.
Anyone restore one??

[scotty b]

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=269147

[stugray]

I have a pair of original intact white surrounds if you would like pics.

[db9146]

Bob,
You are correct in that the early (70-72s) had the off-white surrounds. Many of them have been painted black over the years and I have not been able to find a source for the correct early off-white ones.

[bobm]

Any Photo's would be terrific. I will look at the Krylon Fusion. Is IVORY the correct color?
This forum is GREAT thanks for the help guy's
bobmspeedster@yahoo.com

[Gustl]

they used white headlight surrounds up to MY'73

I don't think that there is a paint code, because they're not painted; they are made of white plastic

here's a pic of mine:

[Martin Baker]

Look here for some info.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry2271902

[McMark]

Moved to Garage...

[iwanta914-6]

...

[Tom_T]

All 914s 4 & 6 had the white (off-white) headlight surrounds which were solid white colored plastic through-&-through up to the 73 MY, then they switched to the black (solid black plastic through) for 74 or 75-76 MYs.

The later replacement parts would've been black after the whites were gone, & that may be why GTs are seen with black surrounds, cuz I've seen pix of them with both white & some black surrounds.

If they are painted over black from white or visa versa, then the paint may be able to be stripped off without damage to the underlying color.

PS - Assuming yours are white underneath - try stripping the black paint on yours with mineral spirit of paint thinner carefully. Once stripped if they look yellowed or darker than when new (like the pix above), then you can soak them in chlorine bleach solution - or maybe oxi-clean bleach solution - to lighten them back to original, as folks have long done with them & other white plastic parts for resto's when yellowed or browned from age. I would NOT sand blast them, but soda blast may be okay, or it may eat into the surface a bit.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[Lennies914]

bobm,

I'm sure I have 2 or 3 pair of white ones. Shoot me a pm if you end up needing a pair.

And;
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[gms]

The use of "GT" has been bastardized to the point that people use it to describe a 914 with fender flares. Porsche originally made the 914/6-R to race in the FIA GT (and later IMSA) classification thus the term GT. Every 914 built between 1970 and 1973 was ORIGINALLY equipped with white head-lite surrounds...that is all that was available.
Some may have been painted over

[gms]

I just went thru 1000 vintage photos of 914s racing in FIA and IMSA in 1970 and 71 and guess what I found? Nobody races with their headlights up!

Except:
In the 1970 Marathon de la Route 3 factory prepared 914/6s (914.043.2541, 914.043.2542 and 914.043.2543) had no headlight surrounds.

In the 1970 RAC Rally the car (914.043.1732) has white headlight surrounds

In the 1970 24 hrs of LeMans the car (914.043.1020) had no headlight surrounds

In the 1971 Monte Carlo 3 factory prepared 914/6s (914.143.0139, 914.143.0140 and 914.143.0141) have black headlight surrounds

so the answer is black, white and headlight surround delete

[DennisV]

Correct, they are black plastic and ivory colored plastic.

Does anyone know what type of plastic these are made from? I am wondering if it would be safe to use acetone to try to get the black paint off of ours.

It appears acetone would be OK on polypropylene for example, but not on polyethylene.

[914werke]

Holy thread resurrection Batman!
Ive restored them using soda blasting.
Typically you wont get them to ever look perfect again so painting afterward to a
period ivory may be necessary.