Intro from Montana: '73 2.0L rustoration thread Options

[tygaboy]

Please. You know you're going to have to replace that ruined e-brake cable. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

And as we all know, the lefts and rights mate for life so you'll need a pair. You won't want them hanging around your shop, reminding you of this horror story so just PM me for my shipping address...

[End of attempted humor]

Brent - your car really is an inspiration. Wonderful and complete documentation and so many tidbits of info that will help others bring their 914 back to (better than!) their former glory. Thanks for taking the time to do all that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[bbrock]

Please. You know you're going to have to replace that ruined e-brake cable. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

And as we all know, the lefts and rights mate for life so you'll need a pair. You won't want them hanging around your shop, reminding you of this horror story so just PM me for my shipping address...

Yeah, you are right. Really, the only honorable thing to do is burn the whole car along with the cable.

I'm just glad this is the only blemish on this car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) I honestly feel like a bit of a fraud sometimes. I was frustrated by feeling like photos of my welds and rust repairs made them look worse than they really were, but I have the opposite problem with the painted and restored parts. There is a LOT of shallow rust pitting as a testament to the car's rusty past that doesn't show in many of the pics. I don't mind. Scars tell stories.

[mepstein]

Please. You know you're going to have to replace that ruined e-brake cable. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

And as we all know, the lefts and rights mate for life so you'll need a pair. You won't want them hanging around your shop, reminding you of this horror story so just PM me for my shipping address...

Yeah, you are right. Really, the only honorable thing to do is burn the whole car along with the cable.

I'm just glad this is the only blemish on this car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) I honestly feel like a bit of a fraud sometimes. I was frustrated by feeling like photos of my welds and rust repairs made them look worse than they really were, but I have the opposite problem with the painted and restored parts. There is a LOT of shallow rust pitting as a testament to the car's rusty past that doesn't show in many of the pics. I don't mind. Scars tell stories.

I like the idea of restoring parts vs bolting on new ones, even if they have some scars.

[raynekat]

It’s all a trade off. If you send it to Shawn at true 6, you get almost perfect results but you pay top dollar. I have an extra set of calipers on my parts car. It’s early so my calipers won’t help but I’m 99% sure the bolts are the same. 914 calipers are a dime a dozen so I wouldn’t sweat it. Keep moving forward. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Amen on that.
Shawn always spreads all your parts out when he receives them and takes plenty of pics of the parts.
With me he took before and after pics.
Used him a lot and never lost a single part (knock on wood).
And yes, he's very expensive.

[raynekat]

Make sure you "test drive" this before you install.
I have mine put together slightly wrong and had to remove it to make the necessary adjustments.
You only want to put this (and the airbox) in one time.

Be very careful with the motor and arms if you bench test it.
That is a very powerful motor and I almost cut off the end of my finger as I had it in the wrong place when I tested it.
Lucky to not get hurt seriously. The tip of my finger hurt for over 6 months. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[bbrock]

Make sure you "test drive" this before you install.
I have mine put together slightly wrong and had to remove it to make the necessary adjustments.
You only want to put this (and the airbox) in one time.

Be very careful with the motor and arms if you bench test it.
That is a very powerful motor and I almost cut off the end of my finger as I had it in the wrong place when I tested it.
Lucky to not get hurt seriously. The tip of my finger hurt for over 6 months. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

The yellow tag says, "Test Motor Before Installing" so I don't forget. Good to know about the potential guillotine effect. I'll do my best to keep my fingers free and wear pants! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[914_7T3]

So the brake caliper fiasco continues. It turns out that the Postal Service is responsible for the missing caliper half. The plater returned all my hardware in the same boxes I sent them. At first I was annoyed because they were beat to hell and not fit for shipping heavy contents. It turned out to be a lucky thing though as on the side of the crushed boxes, almost hidden under gobs of tape were two stickers apologizing for the damage that occurred at the Milwaukee sorting facility. I had insured the boxes and have filed a claim so we'll see what happens.

In the mean time, I pulled out my like new caliper pistons and rebuilt the first front caliper. It really looked nice with new seals and piston retainers. It was also pretty easy to correct the color on the bolts. A hot soak in TSP degreaser strips yellow chromate right off without harming the zinc. Then a very quick (about 2 seconds) dip in dilute hydrochloric acid to reactivate the zinc to accept chromate and a 20 second dip in black chromate followed by drying overnight. Not too bad.



Now just a matter of slipping those bolts in and torquing the halves together. First round of torque is a light 7 lbs. just as the bolts started to snug, they popped loose (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) If you read my other thread on this, you already know that all my calipers are now FUBAR. Apparently too much time in the acid bath prior to plating eroded the threaded holes. Well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) ! That sucks. But if you read that thread, you also know that several saviors rushed to my rescue. @sixnotfour , @mepstein , @mb911 , and @Eric_Shea , I can't thank you enough. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Thanks to them, I'll have a good set of cores to have plated and get back in business here. This time I'll do what I should have done in the first place... let PMB handle the plating.

Okay, moving on. I have a lot of bling to put back where it belongs.

Ignore the engine mounting bar, that still needs a refresh but I did manage to finally get the bolt that was rusted in out with a lot of MAPP gas and a BFH. Surprisingly, only quiet swearing under my breath was required which for me, is pretty much like a kitten purring.



These nest pics are @defiantly 's fault. I was perfectly happy to hide tarnished clips and valves under rust encapsulator until he showed off his handiwork. After that, I had no choice but to do it right.











Then I kind of ignored @914_7T3 'advice and went ahead and installed the air diverters. I may regret this when I install the air box after the exterior is painted, but it looks like they won't interfere and I think have the cables already routed before the box goes in will help. It looks nice now anyway.

In retrospect, you may have dodged a bullet there if you saw what @cuddy_k went through to clip the Bowden cables to the diverters after the air box was installed.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[defianty]

Just been catching up with your progress Brent. Lovely work and attention to detail. Keep it up! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

[bbrock]

Here's one from the "don't be a dumbass" file. I find the Factory Manual sometimes mysterious when it comes to finding torque specs. Weeks ago, I looked up the spec for the ball joint to strut bottom bolt and the manual lists 47 ft. lbs. I thought that seemed like an insane amount of torque for an 8mm bolt but thought maybe Porsche made that special little wedge bolt out of something magically strong. Just to be safe, I sourced the lock nuts and washer directly from Porsche since they weren't very spendy and I wanted to make sure they were up to the task. This afternoon I decided to finally torque down those bolts. The whole time I'm thinking 47 ft. lbs is insane. I even stopped to check the manual once again. Yep, "suspension strut bottom to ball joint" 47 ft. lbs. Alright then. I snuck up on it slowly and just when I thought I was there...





Ha! I was right. 47 ft. lbs. IS insane. Why didn't I listen to my gut? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Only then do I notice the spec is for a hardened M10x30 bolt. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) Might as well have just pulled a twenty dollar bill out of my wallet and set it on fire. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif) I don't know what that torque spec is for, but it ain't this bolt. I never found a torque spec for that bolt so I torqued the other side to 18 ft. lbs. That seems like plenty.

Not much else to report for the weekend but need to end on a high note. Got the transmission mounts cleaned up and decorated with bling.

[tygaboy]

Brent - "Tighten til it breaks". Just one more thing we have in common. I did the exact same thing installing my strut. You'd think after years of wrenching, a torque spec like that would trigger more/earlier investigation on our parts. But no.
Hey, at least I'm in good company! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drunk.gif)

Your build is looking awesome and it's looking like you're getting close! Any target ETA for when you think you'll take it on it's maiden (rebirth) voyage? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[mepstein]

I always figured they worked just like a cotter pin on bicycle crank arm. You tap the pin and tighten the nut until it’s snug. The nut is holding it secure but not taking any real load. A little lock tight on the threads for piece of mind. It is a better design than the early pinch bolt struts that rely on the nut and bolt to keep the strut tight on the ball joint shaft.

[bbrock]

Your build is looking awesome and it's looking like you're getting close! Any target ETA for when you think you'll take it on it's maiden (rebirth) voyage? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Ha! Great minds screw up alike (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) Progress on the car is deceptive. Remember that the exterior is still in primer so once I get the car off the rotisserie, I have a lot of work blocking and prepping for final paint. Deck lids and doors have yet to be touched. I think the most optimistic ETA is end of the summer but that seems pretty optimistic.

@mepstein carbs are boxed and in my car ready to drop off. I'll paypal you return shipping tonight or tomorrow. I have to work in the field today so don't know how much I'll get done today. Boohoo, I have to spend a day hiking around a ski resort for my job. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[mepstein]

Your build is looking awesome and it's looking like you're getting close! Any target ETA for when you think you'll take it on it's maiden (rebirth) voyage? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Ha! Great minds screw up alike (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) Progress on the car is deceptive. Remember that the exterior is still in primer so once I get the car off the rotisserie, I have a lot of work blocking and prepping for final paint. Deck lids and doors have yet to be touched. I think the most optimistic ETA is end of the summer but that seems pretty optimistic.

@mepstein carbs are boxed and in my car ready to drop off. I'll paypal you return shipping tonight or tomorrow. I have to work in the field today so don't know how much I'll get done today. Boohoo, I have to spend a day hiking around a ski resort for my job. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Anytime is good.
I’ll be hiking around a ski resort in VT next week but paying for the privilege.
WCR was great but driving and eating won’t get me back my girlish figure.

[Luke M]

The 914 technical book calls for 22 nm = 16.23 ftb for the wedge bolt nut.

Here's one from the "don't be a dumbass" file. I find the Factory Manual sometimes mysterious when it comes to finding torque specs. Weeks ago, I looked up the spec for the ball joint to strut bottom bolt and the manual lists 47 ft. lbs. I thought that seemed like an insane amount of torque for an 8mm bolt but thought maybe Porsche made that special little wedge bolt out of something magically strong. Just to be safe, I sourced the lock nuts and washer directly from Porsche since they weren't very spendy and I wanted to make sure they were up to the task. This afternoon I decided to finally torque down those bolts. The whole time I'm thinking 47 ft. lbs is insane. I even stopped to check the manual once again. Yep, "suspension strut bottom to ball joint" 47 ft. lbs. Alright then. I snuck up on it slowly and just when I thought I was there...





Ha! I was right. 47 ft. lbs. IS insane. Why didn't I listen to my gut? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Only then do I notice the spec is for a hardened M10x30 bolt. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) Might as well have just pulled a twenty dollar bill out of my wallet and set it on fire. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif) I don't know what that torque spec is for, but it ain't this bolt. I never found a torque spec for that bolt so I torqued the other side to 18 ft. lbs. That seems like plenty.

Not much else to report for the weekend but need to end on a high note. Got the transmission mounts cleaned up and decorated with bling.

[bbrock]

The 914 technical book calls for 22 nm = 16.23 ftb for the wedge bolt nut.

Son-of-a-B! I have a copy of the tech book on my desk. Never even thought to check it for torque specs. Who'da thought a booklet titled "Technical Specification" might actually include specs? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif) Yes sir, I'm a dumbass. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif)

[mepstein]

I had to turn down the pressure a bit to save the plating. So not 100% but I’ll say 95+ and I’m pleased.

@bbrock

[bbrock]

I had to turn down the pressure a bit to save the plating. So not 100% but I’ll say 95+ and I’m pleased.

@bbrock

YES! You are the man! Thank you!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cheer.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[sixnotfour]

I didn't take a pic of the calipers, but you may like this one better anyways, caught him going up the post trying to get some bird eggs,,5 min. later there was another,...

[bbrock]

I didn't take a pic of the calipers, but you may like this one better anyways, caught him going up the post trying to get some bird eggs,,5 min. later there was another,...

That's cool! Nice gopher snake! Whose eggs was it after? Barn swallow?

I wish we had more snakes around our house. Lot's of western terrestrial garter snakes and an occasional common garter, but that's about it.

[bbrock]

A 914World member stopped by on Saturday and we had a great visit. This time, I remembered to snap a pic so here is what @Superhawk996 looks like in the flesh! Really great meeting you in person Phil and I hope you stop by on your way home.



My carbs came home yesterday. @mepstein did a fantastic job. I spent the evening putting them back together with all new seals, gaskets, accelerator diaphragm, and replated hardware.