Adventures of an old 914-6, Keeping it in the family and making memories Options

[vintage914racer]

You may want to check your shock spring cups. They are upside down.

Thanks for pointing that out. For better or worse new rear shocks are on the list. I suppose I can bump that project up and flip the cups while I'm in there.

[Freezin 914]

Not sure how I missed this thread until tonight, but a great story! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[vintage914racer]

Not sure how I missed this thread until tonight, but a great story! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

Thanks! Glad you found it.

So, when we last left off I had got the LR wheel bearing replaced and everything buttoned up. Since I had so much fun replacing the bearing, I figured I'd continue the fun and tackle the wheel bearing on the RR corner. But I decided to postpone it for a couple of days.

When I finally stopped procrastinating I convinced my apprentice to endure a few minutes in the garage and just maybe learn a little something about mechanics. Also busted knuckles and perhaps broken automotive dreams. If you're wondering what the deal is with the straw hat, don't ask me. It somehow arrived on a shelf in the garage years ago only to be found by my son. Some people have thinking caps...I suppose this is his garage hat.



As we dug in further it became apparent that this bearing hadn't been touched in a while and clearly needed replacing.



I managed to keep my apprentice interest long enough to help remove the bearing retaining plate, then he darted back inside to the comfort of the air conditioning.



Check out that filth and grime...



Not sure how long this bearing has been in there, but it wouldn't surprise me if it dated back to 1970.



After spending a couple of nights nestled between some frozen chicken breasts and what was left of the ice cream sandwiches, I rescued the new bearing from the freezer and popped it into the cleaned-up bearing housing.



You'll have to use your imagination to visualize how everything else went back together. Rest assured it all went back together with relative ease.

I had to wait until the next day to give the new bearings a maiden voyage. My neighbor pals love to comedically post on Nextdoor about my loud car if I leave after dark, and I didn't want to dare let their potential posts interfere with the latest "is it a coyote, fox or wolf" post from the unofficial Nextdoor neighborhood watch committee.

[Rogerz33]

A totally cool project! Way to go

[vintage914racer]

A totally cool project! Way to go

Thanks, Roger. It's been fun tinkering on it and knocking things off of the list. My wife and I went for a drive Tuesday night. I think the last time we both rode in it had to be 3 or 4 years ago. Many more to come.

Up next - addressing the triangle of death by installing a new breather gasket, oil pressure switch and thermostat o-ring.

[vintage914racer]

On to the next project on my list, the "triangle of death." It's such an ominous name, but rest assured I successfully took on the triangle and came out completely unscathed.

Here is the triangle pre-repairs. Most probably know, but it consists of well the triangle formed between the oil breather housing, the thermostat and the oil pressure switch. Some if not all tend to leak oil at some point so I figured I'd tackle them all.



The breather housing was first on my list.



It, like the two other corners of the triangle, was seeping a bit. I'm sure having two gaskets hidden under the cover didn't help. I'm trying to figure out who the prior guy was who slapped one gasket over the top of another? Oh yeah, that was me. Probably a good 12 years ago. To my (dis)credit, the gasket under the green one was silver and properly affixed to the engine case.



With the mating surfaces cleaned up, new gasket affixed and breather cover re-fastneed I moved on to my next project...



...grilling dinner. A guy has to eat, right?




I then moved on to replacing the oil pressure switch. It was a quick fix, however finding the correct aluminum washer that mounts between the switch adapter fitting and the case was a bit of a scavenger hunt. Following visits to the local hardware store and two auto parts stores, I had what I needed and checked the pressure switch off of my list.

I'm continually amused when I walk into my FLAPS and they ask what I'm looking for. My usual response is, "It doesn't matter, you're not going to have it." Lately it's been trips like this for crush washers and other hardware. Every now and then I find a helpful parts rep who saves the day. I found that guy this time around. That's a win in my book.

The final corner of the triangle was the thermostat o-ring. This was another easy job. Out comes the t-stat.



Off with the old seal and on with the new one.



I reinstalled the thermostat then got the triangle of death cleaned up nice and pretty. I've filed paperwork to rename the area the triangle of cleanliness, but I know the clock is ticking until it again gets dirty.

The next day I treated myself to a drive to work in the 914 and took the long way home.



All told I added a good 50 miles to the odometer. The good news? No more triangle of death leaks. The bad news? I found more leaks.

While I replaced my lower valve covers with 930 covers and new gaskets (and failed to document it here), I didn't replace the uppers. Would you believe that they too seem to be leaking? Let just say I was a bit surprised at the leaks. But that's what happens when you clean up a mess. You quickly notice when a new mess is made.

[BillJ]

Love this thread and the family connection. My 6 is the same way.

[vintage914racer]

Now, I need the wisdom of the group....

Now that I've been driving the car a bit I'm more conscious of a low speed whine that comes from the rear of the car at low speeds, sometimes when going in a straight line and sometimes when turning. The noise goes away when I apply light brake pressure. It does not speed up or slow down based on vehicle speed/revolutions.

Prior to replacing both rear wheel bearings I thought it might be bearing noise, but I've ruled that out with the bearing replacement. The fact that the noise goes away with light brake pressure makes be think that maybe it's brake related?

The e-brake is disconnected so I can rule that out. Could the rubber brake lines be collapsed just enough to cause the brakes to drag? Maybe a caliper is biting just enough to make noise? I'd expect more of a pad drag noise versus a medium toned whine. It doesn't seem like pad resonance. And I would think cv joints would click more.

I'd like to try to get to the bottom of it without throwing more parts at it unnecessarily. I'll likely dig in more tomorrow, but any wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

[ClayPerrine]

Now, I need the wisdom of the group....

Now that I've been driving the car a bit I'm more conscious of a low speed whine that comes from the rear of the car at low speeds, sometimes when going in a straight line and sometimes when turning. The noise goes away when I apply light brake pressure. It does not speed up or slow down based on vehicle speed/revolutions.

Prior to replacing both rear wheel bearings I thought it might be bearing noise, but I've ruled that out with the bearing replacement. The fact that the noise goes away with light brake pressure makes be think that maybe it's brake related?

The e-brake is disconnected so I can rule that out. Could the rubber brake lines be collapsed just enough to cause the brakes to drag? Maybe a caliper is biting just enough to make noise? I'd expect more of a pad drag noise versus a medium toned whine. It doesn't seem like pad resonance. And I would think cv joints would click more.

I'd like to try to get to the bottom of it without throwing more parts at it unnecessarily. I'll likely dig in more tomorrow, but any wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

I would look into the differential lash/transmission internal bearings. When you are driving, the differential lash is loaded in the forward way. When you brake, you unload everything and reload it in a different way. You may have a carrier bearing failing, or the gears are whining from old age. We all whine more as we get older. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slits.gif)


Maybe Dr Evil will chime in on this?

[vintage914racer]

Now, I need the wisdom of the group....

Now that I've been driving the car a bit I'm more conscious of a low speed whine that comes from the rear of the car at low speeds, sometimes when going in a straight line and sometimes when turning. The noise goes away when I apply light brake pressure. It does not speed up or slow down based on vehicle speed/revolutions.

Prior to replacing both rear wheel bearings I thought it might be bearing noise, but I've ruled that out with the bearing replacement. The fact that the noise goes away with light brake pressure makes be think that maybe it's brake related?

The e-brake is disconnected so I can rule that out. Could the rubber brake lines be collapsed just enough to cause the brakes to drag? Maybe a caliper is biting just enough to make noise? I'd expect more of a pad drag noise versus a medium toned whine. It doesn't seem like pad resonance. And I would think cv joints would click more.

I'd like to try to get to the bottom of it without throwing more parts at it unnecessarily. I'll likely dig in more tomorrow, but any wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

I would look into the differential lash/transmission internal bearings. When you are driving, the differential lash is loaded in the forward way. When you brake, you unload everything and reload it in a different way. You may have a carrier bearing failing, or the gears are whining from old age. We all whine more as we get older. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slits.gif)


Maybe Dr Evil will chime in on this?

Thanks for the input. Dr. Evil tears into the the tranny for my track car every other winter or so. I was already planning on sending him this tranny over the winter. I’m guessing no one has been in it since new.

[porschetub]

On to the next project on my list, the "triangle of death." It's such an ominous name, but rest assured I successfully took on the triangle and came out completely unscathed.

Here is the triangle pre-repairs. Most probably know, but it consists of well the triangle formed between the oil breather housing, the thermostat and the oil pressure switch. Some if not all tend to leak oil at some point so I figured I'd tackle them all.



The breather housing was first on my list.



It, like the two other corners of the triangle, was seeping a bit. I'm sure having two gaskets hidden under the cover didn't help. I'm trying to figure out who the prior guy was who slapped one gasket over the top of another? Oh yeah, that was me. Probably a good 12 years ago. To my (dis)credit, the gasket under the green one was silver and properly affixed to the engine case.



With the mating surfaces cleaned up, new gasket affixed and breather cover re-fastneed I moved on to my next project...



...grilling dinner. A guy has to eat, right?




I then moved on to replacing the oil pressure switch. It was a quick fix, however finding the correct aluminum washer that mounts between the switch adapter fitting and the case was a bit of a scavenger hunt. Following visits to the local hardware store and two auto parts stores, I had what I needed and checked the pressure switch off of my list.

I'm continually amused when I walk into my FLAPS and they ask what I'm looking for. My usual response is, "It doesn't matter, you're not going to have it." Lately it's been trips like this for crush washers and other hardware. Every now and then I find a helpful parts rep who saves the day. I found that guy this time around. That's a win in my book.

The final corner of the triangle was the thermostat o-ring. This was another easy job. Out comes the t-stat.



Off with the old seal and on with the new one.



I reinstalled the thermostat then got the triangle of death cleaned up nice and pretty. I've filed paperwork to rename the area the triangle of cleanliness, but I know the clock is ticking until it again gets dirty.

The next day I treated myself to a drive to work in the 914 and took the long way home.



All told I added a good 50 miles to the odometer. The good news? No more triangle of death leaks. The bad news? I found more leaks.

While I replaced my lower valve covers with 930 covers and new gaskets (and failed to document it here), I didn't replace the uppers. Would you believe that they too seem to be leaking? Let just say I was a bit surprised at the leaks. But that's what happens when you clean up a mess. You quickly notice when a new mess is made.

I had a leak @ the breather cover for similar reason,when I removed it the gasket was way too thick compared to the VR replacement and was way over tightened,I had a section of sheet glass I had used to reface my valve covers and ran the cover over on that....it was twisted and took a bit to get right.
I have a leak @ my oil pressure sensor that i'am going to attend to ,its only small but enough to piss me off .
Leak chasing and repair IMO is part of the came with these engines.
Keep up the good work,cheers.

[vintage914racer]

[/quote]
I had a leak @ the breather cover for similar reason,when I removed it the gasket was way too thick compared to the VR replacement and was way over tightened,I had a section of sheet glass I had used to reface my valve covers and ran the cover over on that....it was twisted and took a bit to get right.
I have a leak @ my oil pressure sensor that i'am going to attend to ,its only small but enough to piss me off .
Leak chasing and repair IMO is part of the came with these engines.
Keep up the good work,cheers.
[/quote]

You’re right, it seems like there’s always another leak to chase. The good news is the number of drops from on the garage floor are noticeably fewer in number.

[vintage914racer]

In chasing down the "low speed whine" noted above, I figured I would replace the rear brake flex lines. I don't remember the last time (or if) I replaced them and I though maybe, just maybe, one or both had shrunk and were causing the rear brakes to drag.

Upon further inspection, the lines did indeed look old, but upon removal and dissecting them I didn't see any shrinkage (and it was pretty cold in the garage). Oh well, a new set of flex lines won't hurt and will last me until the next time I forget whether I've replaced them or not. I also replaced one of the hard lines as it didn't cooperate during the job.

I don't have any pictures of the brake line job, but I do have pictures of my next distraction...a trip to Rennsport Reunion VII with my 9-year-old daughter.





The blue car was actually a project car my dad owned many years ago that never got completed when he was around. We ended up selling it maybe 15 years ago and it was subsequently restored to the livery it ran at the Sebring 12 hours in the early eighties. I hadn't seen it since it was restored and it was fun catching up with the current owner. The car was built by group of local MN privateers, back when a few guys could build a car and bring it to the big show.

There were also a few other nice cars there....but ya'll have seen plenty of Rennsport pictures already I'm sure.

[vintage914racer]

Back home from Rennsport, I tackled rebuilding the rear calipers. It was my first time doing so on a 914, but I'd rebuilt them for other cars so figured it wouldn't be that tough. And guess what? It wasn't tough. As an added bonus my "rear end whine" went away after the rebuild. It seems a dragging caliper was causing a bit of low-speed resonance noise.

[vintage914racer]

The next order of business then was to drive the car and enjoy it a bit, which I did. The driving season is short in MN, so I enjoyed a few fall drives and errands where I took the long way home.

This takes us up to now. We had our first snowfall of about 3 inches. It melted pretty quickly, but the end is near. The car is more or less tucked away for the winter. But that didn't stop me from completing one more project - installing the beautifully re-chromed bumper that arrived in the mail this past Wednesday. ValcoOscar did amazing work, and while it took a bit longer than expected, it was worth the wait. Now the bumper suddenly makes the rest of the car look a little less shiny.

[rick 918-S]

Really great to see your daughter was interested enough to go to the event with you. That bumper looks nice!

[vintage914racer]

Really great to see your daughter was interested enough to go to the event with you. That bumper looks nice!

Thanks, Rick. Yeah she had a pretty good time.

The bumper turned out really nice.

[Cairo94507]

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

[vintage914racer]

It seems I've done a poor job updating this post over the last year.

For the most part I've done very little to the car in the last 12 months other than drive it. I managed to put close to 1,000 miles on it over the fair weather months here.

Here are a few snapshots I found on my phone from the summer months here in MN...

First, one of a few trips to the local Ben and Jarry's



And a quick shot in front of the Minneapolis mural adjacent to my office. For a good week or two, before it got too hot here, I drove the 914 to work.



And another shot with my daughter during a trip to the local mini golf spot.



And finally, a shot at home on the lift. I was able to source this vintage license plate frame from Carousel Porsche/Audi. I find the frame cool for two reasons. First, my dad bough the 914 at this dealership in the mid-eighties and this is the frame that they probably would've put on the car at the time (or maybe a bit earlier). It's also cool for me as I spent 10 years working at this dealership, starting when I was 15 years old.




Now with winter among us here in MN, I'm thinking ahead to next spring and running through the things I'd like to do to the car. First and foremost, I need to track down a couple of more oil leaks. Despite fixing a bunch of them, the car still does a very good job of marking its spot. I think the oil return tubes are the biggest offenders for now. Given I don't want to pull the heads, I'll probably try the collapsible spring versions.

Another order of business is replacing the muffler with something more pleasant for longer highway drives. I've been eyeing an achtungkraft muffler with button adjustable flaps, although I have a bit of sticker shock. The ability to choose between a muffled, or more rowdy exhaust note is quite intriguing.

I'm pondering long term plans for the car. I'd like to rebuild the engine at some point. Currently powered by a 1968 aluminum case 911s engine, it has a bit more scoot than stock, but also the engine is tired. I've threatened to tackle the project myself. I have some good phone a friend resources at my disposal, and I think I'm reasonably mechanical.

The other thing on my mind is some of the body rust, namely behind the door handles near the sail panel and on the front windshield cowl. Rust repair is Pandoras box, and while Rick 918-S tackled all of the structural rust 10 or so years ago, I'm worried about sidelining the car and budget for more cosmetic rust repair. Naturally I'd like the car to be fresh and shiny (and adorned with GT flares) - I just need to figure out when and how to pull the trigger.

Big picture, another thought continues to cross my mind -- will I be able to sustain keeping two 914s in tip-top shape and be able to appropriately enjoy both? With buckets of cash and time, sure, but I'm not sure that's the best deployment of my resources. Both cars are expensive to keep up, and despite being able to do a lot myself, there are some things I'm probably best not doing. The race car sees the track three or four weekends out of the year, and absorbs probably requires 2-3 times that many weekends of me prepping it throughout the year. And with its tired, twisted, always been a race car chassis, I see it needing constant mending (when it probably really should be re-tubbed). On the other side of the garage, the blue 914-6 "Speedy" gets driven a bit, but not enough as I'd like. I'd really like to get it in great cosmetic shape and refresh the motor so I can simply enjoy it. So, my hair brained idea that gets tossed around in my head at least once or twice per year is to retire the orange chassis, repurpose its fun drivetrain bits into and fix the blue car up as a shiny, 9146 GT inspired dual sport ripper. Am I nuts?

[mb911]

I run that very muffler. I am local to Bryan and do some work for him. If you seriously interested I can sell you one at a great price.