My GT Clone Build

[Eric_Shea]

As a nOOb I thought I ought to bring everyone up to speed on my dream project and my goals. Most of you know me as a Porsche nut but, I've definitely took an interest in a couple basic models and their derivatives.

The 914 (obviously) as it was my first Porsche and will always hold that place in my heart and the early 911. I used to pedal my bike past this 911 on my early morning route delivering the Detroit Free Press. Every morning I stopped and marveled at the lines and thought it was the closest thing to an airplane on the ground.

It was my older brother who told me the back story at the time about the 914-6 and the 914-6/GT. I was hooked since probably age 14.

Fast forward... I don't have a multi-million dollar trust fund that would allow me to run out and grab a 914-6/GT or a 911RS so I've had to make due with what I have. My 1971 911T is all but finished in full RS regalia. My 914-6 was sold to feed the family (and not tap into the ole 401k) between jobs a few years back and I kept my 74 so I could play with it and build it into my ultimate dream car... let's say dream car's. I want to have two; that's not asking too much. The 911RS clone and the 914-6/GT clone.

There’s a little history to bring you up to speed on my mindset as I blunder along here. I'm building this car in the spirit of the dealer built vehicles of the past. I will be doing the best I can with both the budget and the chassis that I have (meaning; the key will still reside on the column... we'll just pretend it's a 72 GT... OK?). The budget isn't the sky's the limit but it's probably better than some. I will be doing almost everything in my power to build an accurate GT. Why?; because I love the 70’s and I love GT’s. I've been hunting and collecting for years so... I've managed to get a lot of cool things for this build. Again, not a drop dead knock off but… if a dealer team were handed a tub, what would they build in a month.

What we're looking at is a 74 chassis with factory metal flares. Last week we began finishing up the metal work. I installed the flares but I wanted to have "my body-guy" Troy finish things off as only he can do. Some of you may remember how he rebuilt Gint's -6. Troy does "amazing" things with a welder. We’re going to get all the basic metal work done and then blast the engine compartment, trunks and longitudinals to further prep for paint. I’m about 99% certain it will be Saturn Yellow but, there is that off chance that a 98 tag might hit the post and she’ll emerge in a lovely shade of Rasberry!! ;)

[Eric_Shea]

We've welded up all of the weather stripping channels and installed the hood pin plates.

I really want to give a hand to Armando for gathering and maintaining the most valuable GT photographic library on the planet. Without his database, I can say with certainty; none of those would happen.

Back to the plates... again, we picked a GT on the site and emulated the basic style. As you dig into GT's you quickly learn that no two are the same. That is actually refreshing as it allows me to pick and choose which way I would like to make my mods.

The trunk is cut out for the cooler and shroud and the front suspension points are reinforced with a simple square tube.

[Eric_Shea]

While last weekend was spent tying off the fenders and doing basic panel prep. today was spent on the drivers long. and the roll bar.

The day started with the longitudinal. I began by notching the rear quarter above the jack post and then cutting the triangulated supports under the sill. I then pulled the metal off at the front of the long. and cut the jack post so Troy could begin shaping and welding. This is one of those areas where we simply cut and shaped the existing post to fit the lines. The longs are "extremely" good in this car and we didn't see the need to "pick" the part off, metal work it and weld it back on.

[Eric_Shea]

If you've ever put the hard lines right where you think they should be based upon pictures etc... you'll know that the heater tube is in the way.

Thanks to a picture Jeff sent me that Glenn had posted here, I could tell that even the factory cars had this to contend with. Here's what successfully worked for us.

Heat. Lot's of it in the form of an acetylene torch and some really cool, funky shaped drifts. We simply heated the heater elbow cherry red and pried it into position. The picture I saw looked like it was more "beaten" into position and cut a bit with a cutting torch but, I really wanted to retain the heating system in this car.

It came out great.

[Eric_Shea]

Before I move on to the roll bar build I thought I'd share a couple other goodies.

Front suspension: The picture is a little blurry but the front has Koni struts with raised spindles. S-Calipers and FreeMotion suspension bushings. The bar is an early 930 turbo set-up with the beefier arms and I just purchased a 22mm RS bar with 18mm ends so I could give it a try. I have an 18mm bar in there now. The t-bars are, and will remain, stock 18.8mm 911 units.

The rear is all FreeMotion (I believe these are prototypes that Mark is working on) and I have gusseted the tube and tubed the arm for lateral strength. Installing the tubes in the arm gives a greater than 50% increase in stability with virtually no weight gain. This is one of those areas I decided to stray. The calipers are ATE 914-6/GT calipers and the shocks are Koni's with 180lb Progressive springs. I also have a rear bar.

Last weekend we installed the suspension console braces and a Rich Johnson engine mount.

[Eric_Shea]

Next we took that "off the shelf" roll bar you can make out in the first picture and began to make it a "real" roll bar. It began life as one of those "bolt to the floor" varieties which I had no interest in keeping. The idea was to use it as a starting point for a GT roll bar and it turned out great... so far. I say so far as it took the rest of the afternoon just to get everything positioned just right and to get the scab plates made for the longs.

We began by measuring and cutting the bar to fit the longs. We then bent the bar out on each side to the exact spot we needed it. Then came time to fab up some scab plates to weld to the long and the firewall.

Once the scab plates were done and welded in we welded up the base plates with backing to the firewall and gusseted the side to triangulate and make everything super strong. The bar now bolts in and out like a dream.

Part 2 will be mid-week as we install the yoke on the firewall hump (inside and out) and weld in the support bars to it. We will also fab more scab plates for the side bars and mount those triangulated (I'm saying that alot) far forward on the longs. toward the front of the doors. Stay tuned...

[cairo94507]

Very cool; I look forward to reading any 914 build thread. I especially love reading anything having to do with a 914-6 build even when one starts with a 4 tub. Very nice and please keep up the nice pictures and commentary as you progress with your build. Thanks.

[Lavanaut]

Sweet Eric, can't wait to watch this come together. GT calipers? Sweeeet. Who restored them for you? :D

What's your target time frame? I saw you said, what would a dealer do in a month, is that what you're shooting for? Also, what your plans for the power plant?

Keep those pics coming!...

Reid

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Reid,

We'll have it painted in a month or less... that's when it will slow again. Right now it's on the clock! :D

The motor is waiting patiently. It is a 2.5 built on a sand cast case. At this alttitude it does well with 40IDA's. It's a 11:1 monster with G50's.

Thomas just finished up the gear box. It's a flipped 911/01 with the short MSX stack. I swapped the X for a Za though as I wanted a tall gear to take me places... like "Bend" say! ;)

[Eric_Shea]

Got started on the remainder of the GT roll bar.

We cut out plates for the firewall hump and then marked and drilled where the fasteners would reside. We clamped the two pieces together and drilled them at the same time. Then we mounted them on the firewall and drilled through.

Once it was mounted we began to test fit the bars on the left and right. Those got tacked into place and we then moved on to the side bars.

[gms]

Looks good Eric!

[Eric_Shea]

With the rear corner braces in we concentrated on the side bars.

The placement of the factory bars remained fairly consistent. I was going to lower them a tad to make it easier to get in and out of the car. I decided, in the end, to go with the height I saw on a few of the cars that had this type bar.

There was one photo of the Sonauto #121 car that was shot looking in the passengers door all the way across the car at the drivers seat/door and bar. This is what made my final decision. The bar only ran a few inches above the side bolster on the seat. The higher - the stronger. We also ran it full forward like the Sonauto car and tied the base into a part on the long nearest the a-pillar/hinge post.

Enjoy...

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Glenn... I can feel it. Every muscle is tired from banging on that beast.

We're shooting for soda blasting Wednesday and then it's body and paint. We're almost finished melting metal. I think tomorrow will be the last day for metal work. (with the exception of the stiffening kit... that will come after the soda guy works his magic).

P.S. Did you notice the Eurosport banner on the windshield? Distant memory from my Chicago days.

[Frenchyves]

Very nice and good job Eric,

Have a lot of good moments with this car.

Yves

[Dave_Darling]

GT calipers? Sweeeet. Who restored them for you?

Hey, I think there's some guy out that way with four wives who knows a bit about those caliper thingies. Maybe you could talk to him....

;) :rolleyes:

--DD

[JKH]

Nice tub and work.

yellow isnt always faster:confused:

[Eric_Shea]

Nice tub and work.

yellow isnt always faster:confused:

Thanks...

I know huh. In the Roy G. Biv world I believe "Rasberry" is right up front! :D

[Eric_Shea]

Not too much to report today.

I didn't have a camera with me.

One cowl tray is fixed... one to go.

The passengers side harness hoops are in... drivers side tomorrow. We drilled, installed (and welded in) crush sleeve's and welded on backing plates. A lot of work for a couple of hoops. Thanks J.!

The roll bar is welded complete and bolts in and out with little effort.

Film at 11:00...

[Eric_Shea]

OK, got the Polaroid fired up again.

I recently received some harness hoops in the mail via the "GT Underground Syndicate". They were beautiful reproductions. Here are a few posts that only the true GT Geeks can appreciate... harness hoops.

Not as easy as you might think. You can't get by drilling 8 holes and bolting them in. These are safety devices as much as the roll cage. First we measured my shoulders to see where the harness would lie. Then we measured, marked, drilled and began the welding process. But, even before all of that, we had to fab some rear mounting brackets.

When you drill the holes, you realize that a. ) you're drilling through thin sheet metal and b. ) you're drilling through two layers. To do it right you'll need crush sleeves inserted and welded into the void and you'll need the sturdy backing plates welded on.

I didn't have the camera around so you could see the sleeve weld but, we tacked an exposed part that is elevated between the ridges that the backing plates straddle. Then we welded the backing plates on and cleaned everything up with a burr and this is what you get. The shiny areas are where we removed the backpad tabs:

[Eric_Shea]

...man what a pain these things are. If you're familiar with the construction you'll know that 5 pieces of sheet metal converge upon this area and, since conception and birth, it is their job to contemplate how best to rust!

The task was to cut away all of the rusty layers and get down to bare metal. Once that was accomplished an new cowl piece was welded in from inside the fender well. After the cowl piece was welded in the matching fender piece was tacked in using the same method. Both pieces were then butt welded to form the new corners.

It's nice to know this was done right... what a pain though.

[Eric_Shea]

We also cleaned up the engine access panel. I opted for the smaller panel I'd seen on a few GT's. Today's clean up process involved welding some 1/4 - 20 T nuts on the backside and finishing it off with oval heads and dress washers. This will be covered in felt, as will the backwall.

[Eric_Shea]

Update:

Hood pin mounts finished. Drivers cowl done. All basic metal work done. Back on it's wheels and off to be soda blasted first thing in the morning. Trunks, engine compartment, longs and aprons will be cleaned.

[JKH]

There won't be much Yellow left ?:eek:

[PJenkins]

Eric,

I sent you a PM...

Peter

[Eric_Shea]

Today was a full day of soda blasting. I woke at 6:00AM and got ready to haul the car to the lot behind their shop where he blasts.

We loaded the car in a trailer and then rolled it into the middle of the lot. Laid down some plywood and proceeded to jack her up and take the suspension off. We contemplated the rotisserie but it only took about 30 minutes to crank off the suspension bits and pieces.

Let's start with my thoughts on soda. I personally feel it's the very best way to strip a 914. I DO NOT like acid. I've done acid on one of my cars (a 1965 911) and I saw it on a friends car (914-6). Here's my list of problems with acid:

1. Heater Tubes - Those reside in your longitudinals and must come out or they will turn into an acid soaked mush in your longs... great idea.

2. Cutting your Longs - To get at those heater tubes... your longs are literally the spine/backbone of your 914. Another great idea.

3. It weeps - Yeah, neutralize it (whatever) it still weeps and weeps and weeps. There was a spot in the passengers foot well that wept for years in my 911. The 914-6 had acid weeping out of the seams.

Soda blasting leaves the metal just as fresh as acid.

Everything has it's limitations though. Soda is not perfect. It can't get at major rust issues. Luckily there really aren't any on this car so we're good there. There are enough so we can see the limitations however. There was a spot on the drivers engine shelf that will be a simple fix but, we could see that the soda could not get it. You will need Garnet, sand or slag to really get a tough rust spots (best bet is to cut it out and replace it anyway).

It won't take off the caked on seam sealer of the later cars. I'd be willing to bet it would probably tackle most of the spread on stuff of the early cars but... probably not those big blobs around the access panels. Again, for us, this wasn't a problem. We wanted to keep all of that intact because this car is really really clean. There's a tremendous amount of really good metal on this car... I feel blessed frankly. It's a rarity in our world.

It was a long day and he spent a good deal of time in all of the nooks and crannies that we've come to know as a 914. Trunks, engine compartment, aprons, longs and all wheel wells are now devoid of paint and undercoating. Next is the factory stiffening kit. It will be nice to have clean metal to weld to.

Have a look.

[JKH]

WoW thats a clean tub.

btw I contacted a local that had a S console, he said you had contacted him a 1/2 hour before I did, keep diggin.

[PJenkins]

Is that Lorne's second console gone that you are referring to? I sent Eric his way. I know it was in pretty rough shape.

Peter

[JKH]

yes thats the one

[South Elgin 914]

The soda blasting looks great. About how many hours went into this? How much soda was used?

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks!

These tubs are difficult for sure. I'd say a good part of the day was spent on this. He started blasting around 10:30 and finished around 4:30ish so let's say 4-5 hours counting other customer interuptions and lunch. I think he used 5-6 bags.

This will leave you with a factory finish on the metal. Actually, not "a" factory finish, "the" factory finish.

If you've never seen soda at work before you will simply be amazed at the results. It's like turning the "Way-Back Machine" 35 years back. You can see where they had huge runs in the primer in the engine compartment... as you blast through that you can see the scratch marks from the stamps that pressed out the panels. You can see the spot welds that got hotter than the rest and left a blue hue around the weld. You can see the hand welded sections of the suspension ears and the corners of the engine compartment... those are all still blued from the extra heat as well. When you touch it and feel it, there is no texture, you're touching the metal the way it was when they built the car.

I guess you can tell I was pretty psyched about it but I did learn it's limitations as mentioned above.

It does not do rust well.
It is manually applied (leaving room for... "oops, I missed a spot.")
It generally won't eat through seam sealer.

[South Elgin 914]

Thanks Eric

Looks really nice. I also noticed in a couple of pictures of him blasting the rear trunk that he was pretty far away with the nozzle. When sand blasting, I am usually pretty close. Was he really that far away or was he out of position when the picture was taken. If he was that far away, he must have a really huge air compressor.

[Eric_Shea]

He was that far away... I noticed that a couple of times from my vantage point. When I looked at what he was doing you could see the paint just melting off.

He got close for trouble spots and angles. For the most part he was 3-4 feet from the car.

You can see the compressor on the trailer in front of the car. It is a very large commercial unit...Diesel. The nozzle was "jet engine" loud.

[Frenchyves]

excellent result for this soda blasting.
It is the 1st time I ear this kind of blasting, it seems perfect.

Lot of chance for the future with your 914.

Yves _ France

[Lavanaut]

Sweet, looking good Eric! I can't wait to see fresh paint on her. Any decisions been made yet as to color?...or you just keeping quiet and letting the suspense build?! :)

Not sure what the "S console" is that I saw a few posts back (too busy today to reread through whole thread), but if you'd like another set of eyes on the 'net helping you find something, shoot me a PM. As you know, I like scouring for stuff...

Reid

[Eric_Shea]

Well, this week began the body work and panel fit. Tuesday we had a few areas to hit with the sand blaster. Remember, the baking soda just doesn't cut rust. It was basically confined to the front weather strip tray and a few spots on the firewall that "spidered" under the paint. Really weird stuff.

The first skim coat was applied to the passengers side. About 90% of this will come off. If you look close, you'll see the door is actually bonded to the body under the handle. This is one of Troy's tricks to keep the panel absolutely still while he works across the 3 areas.

Front cowl came out exceptionally well.

We just started to fit the rocker after I took the pictures. These fit "suprisingly" well. All of the flare ends lined up. The only problem was... they do not reach the 3 factory mounting holes under the rocker. They both have to be extended.

By the time I left it was fitting fairly well but, we do need the bottom holes to make everything right. Forgot to get more pics.

Roll bar is done and back from the powder coaters. I've installed the foam but I'm just waiting on the 13" cable ties.

[Eric_Shea]

As mentioned above. The roll bar is done. 45 pounds. Here's a few pics.

I had to order some 13" ties to go around the padding:

[Eric_Shea]

...getting there.

Jeff, that piece of hard line is in the center. I'll send it up if you could use it.

I need to figure out what else I'll be needing.

[gms]

Eric here is a picture of the oil lines, let me know if you need any dimension on this stuff :D

[gms]

this little guy will be the hardest to repro

[PJenkins]

Eric,

Did you find both the oil filter console and the thermostat??

What about the oil filter console spacer???

Peter

[gms]

the hard oil lines should be easy to repro

[gms]

What about the oil filter console spacer???

This should be easy to repro too

[Eric_Shea]

Arrrrrrrrrgh... what have I gotten myself into? :D

[Eric_Shea]

I found out yesterday that the car was primered. I've been very sick with the flu since Sunday so, I grabbed the camera and as much energy as I could muster and went and took a few pics this AM.

It's the thick poly top coat kind of primer. A close look will show pox. It's laid on thick and again, most of it is sanded off.

Here's you'll see the drivers front fender has yet to be sanded. The drivers door is being finished and the rear quarter is done. The passengers side has been sanded out.

Also took a better picture of Troy's little trick to keep the panels in line while he works them... crude, simple. Bond the door to the body.

The glass has required quite a bit of work to get it to fit properly. I bought this stuff years ago from Rennspeed and it was aweful. Understand that if you buy cheap glass you will spend just as much trying to get it to fit and look right. Luckly I sourced my hoods separate. They are basically bolt on. The glass has moved over the years, which is good... it's probably settled a bit but, the hoods will be great.

Here's some pics:

[JKH]

I've been very sick with the flu since Sunday
I feel for you man, I was sick friday through today I feel pretty good.

Car looks great :D

[draperjojo]

Very nice Eric!!!!

[Eric_Shea]

Let the wet sanding begin. Not too much to describe here. A guide coat was sprayed on the body and the entire thing was wet sanded to perfection. Some shots with the guide coat on. The 3 holes are for the rear fog.

Next the entire car will be shot with one final primer coat before final.

The final primer coat will cover the trunks, engine compartment and wheel wells. While Troy was busy wet sanding, I was down below welding in the stiffening kit.

Welding upside down sucks. Welding on stiffening kits sucks. Welding with crappy gloves is a no-no.

A weld splater went in my glove and attached to my wedding ring. I do believe this is the worst I've even been burned. Ummm... ouch.

[South Elgin 914]

[QUOTE=Eric_Shea;4833

Welding upside down sucks. Welding on stiffening kits sucks. Welding with crappy gloves is a no-no.

A weld splater went in my glove and attached to my wedding ring. I do believe this is the worst I've even been burned. Ummm... ouch.[/QUOTE]

Ouch! I agree about using gloves. I was reminded recently I need to use sleeved shirts also. I got a pretty good "sun burn" form some welding the other day. These burns usually don't tan afterwords.


Your car is looking great.

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks,

Yeah... that was not fun. The good thing is, no pain. The honeymoon period I guess. What you see is where the ring fused to the skin. When I ripped the ring off, all the skin came with it.

[Eric_Shea]

Welcome "Rio" (River) to the Shea family.

He's a Mother's Day present as our 10 year old lab is now starting to have hip issues. :( This little guy will one day rule the roost. :eek:

[carr914]

Holy Smooley, Another Male in the Shea House - what is this world coming to :rolleyes:

T.C.

You got my brakes Eric?

[Eric_Shea]

Brakes are here. Fronts are torn down. Rears you want GT corret?

Good news (kinda). The 10 year old lab is in perfect health. Just has a buldging disc in his back causing the hip thing so... yeah, one more boy. We out number the girls now if you count the hamster... LOL

[draperjojo]

Eric, I'm starting to get the shakes......could you post some more pics! :D

[carr914]

Brakes are here. Fronts are torn down. Rears you want GT corret?

Good news (kinda). The 10 year old lab is in perfect health. Just has a buldging disc in his back causing the hip thing so... yeah, one more boy. We out number the girls now if you count the hamster... LOL



Yes, the rears to be GTs like my last ones

T.C.

[Eric_Shea]

I went over to Troy's to visit the car and do a little sanding on the trunks (sanding the baking soda off etc.).

I ended up making the mount for the thermostat and watching some of the glass work on the front end. The passengers side has been fit to the body. Today Troy was working on the drivers side. I told him he didn't have to go too crazy on this stuff (factory glass ain't that purdy) but again, he's kind of a line freak.

The hood was put back on to work and line up the glass and basically... all of the ends on the bumper needed to be worked... heavily. You can see the slice in one of the shots. Then there's pictures of the backside as he laid in more glass.

We both got kinda burned out today so not much else done. Maybe a few more pics tomorrow...

[Eric_Shea]

All primed. I'm off to get some Wurth and then it's paint this weekend (tomorrow)

[Lavanaut]

Looking good Eric! So...what was the final decision on paint? Mauve? :D

ps: i'm thirsty now

[Eric_Shea]

Stopped by today and yanked the front suspension and prepped the wheel wells. I also had to make a trip to Layton to grab 2 liters of Wurth underbody spray.

We're looking to apply the Wurth to some weld areas in the front and rear trunk and match the sprayed on seam sealer. I want it to look like the tire mount was factory applied in the front and the rear roll bar supports and the catch tank supports in the rear. The idea was to then apply to the underside of the fenders to cut down on stone damage (the car will be driven). I wanted to leave the body side of the wheel wells devoid of any undercoating and a fairly clean body color look.

As mentioned before... she's all primed and ready for paint. Troy used a durable epoxy primer in the trunks and engine compartment The body has been wet sanded for the final time and... if we can get the Wurth on this afternoon, tomorrow will be color... yellow. Chrome Yellow.

Yes, I was "really" tempted to do a 98 Raspberry but after going back and forth a million times I really decided against a color change. Plus I felt the Raspberry may have been a fad type color and it's appeal might have worn off after a couple of years. Yellow. Safe, still quite a vibrant yellow.

Stay tuned.

[JKH]

Looks like you have planned well,catch tank, emblems/hold down holes.
Are you planning for the GT headlight risers ?

Armando has the dimensions for the factory style on his site.
I have a spare pair of the brackets you need to weld on before paint if you dont have the kit but want to plan for it.
no rasberry:( 70's will live forever.

[draperjojo]

I guess Salmon wasn't a color option???? :)

[Eric_Shea]

Raspberry would have been as close to salmon as I could get.

I'm afraid that group buy has soured me on the GT headlight kit... 2 years? Really?

Anywhooo... Steve said it bolts in. If it ever comes it may go on. If I have to weld something I'll sue! LOL Otherwise, I'll enjoy the convenience of automation. :)

[Eric_Shea]

Running about 1 day off now. Troy sprayed the Wurth today vs. yesterday so... we'll have to wait for it to dry before we squirt the color. Because it was laid on thick in the seam-sealer mode it will probably be a day.

He sealed the rear sway bar strengthening plates and the catch can mounts in the rear. He sealed the engine compartment below the shelf. In the front he sealed the body lines that the factory missed due to the spare tire supports that were there (that I removed). He sprayed the ends of the suspension cross bar and the new collapsable spare tire mount which was salvaged from the GT cooler cutout.

As described in the last thread, wheel wells were sprayed but I wanted the body side to be left clean and body color. I think it will help to have the Wurth on there for road debris etc.

(Mr. Rio is growing considerably)

[PJenkins]

I'm afraid that group buy has soured me on the GT headlight kit... 2 years? Really?

Anywhooo... Steve said it bolts in. If it ever comes it may go on. If I have to weld something I'll sue! LOL Otherwise, I'll enjoy the convenience of automation. :)

Was there ever a target price for Steve's kit?

A kit from Mittlemotor just sold for $590 on eBay last week!!!

Peter

[Eric_Shea]

$399.00 is what I was told.

[JKH]

Is steve doing the ralph meaney version or the factory version ?
As he owns the ex maxmoritiz/meaney car.

[Eric_Shea]

I believe he took it off the 19 car.

[PJenkins]

Is steve doing the ralph meaney version or the factory version ?
As he owns the ex maxmoritiz/meaney car.

Are there significant differences between the two? Any parts changeable to make it factory?

Peter

[gms]

the hood shocks :D

[JKH]

Are there significant differences between the two? Any parts changeable to make it factory?

Peter


yes and I dont know ,their appearrance is totally different

[gms]

maybe the pull cable

[Eric_Shea]

Well... ta-da. Chrome Yellow it is and, I'm actually quite happy about it. I think it will really pop with the black. It's quite a loud yellow.

He had to pressure pot this one because of all the weird angles etc.

All that's left are the hoods and the semi-gloss black (and the buffing and sanding of course). Through this process we got in good with the Wurth guy. I told Troy that their semi-gloss seemed to be "the" stuff so, we'll see if Bryon can deliver.

Troy said "ready by the weekend". I'm scheduled to head over there tomorrow and bolt the suspension back on.

Ahhhhhhhh... putting this chapter behind me is quite a relief. The boys in blue even celebrated with a fly-over (ceremonial fuel tanker says "your 2.5's a pig!")

Enjoy.

[Lavanaut]

*WOW*

This car is going be be ridiculous. I've never had a car painted personally but I'd imagine it's very exciting. That yellow is gorgeous...and I couldn't agree more, once you introduce black, look out!

Congrats on the progress Eric, looks fantastic.

Reid

ps: raspberry hood? :)

[South Elgin 914]

Your car is looking fantastic!

[draperjojo]

Outstanding!!! and I have an idea for a license plate too!! :D

[gms]

Eric it looks great!

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Gang...

I went over today to bolt the suspension back on and roll it out of the booth. He'll be shooting the hoods and the black tomorrow.

I walked in and almost started to work on the suspension then it hit me... it was buffed out. Simply amazing. Troy does flawless work. Lundquist has two "Restoration Car of the Year" awards from the national Jag club and they were booted from the Corvette circuit because one of their cars was "too perfect" LOL! The vette judges were serious. "No vette ever left the line looking like that" Funny now but they were pissed at the time.

Anyhooo... more paint to squirt tomorrow. Very happy camper.

We rolled her out to meet her brother. Kinda like 7lbs. He's currently carrying her heart. I need to get cracking on the 3.0 MFI for the 911 so I can put the 2.5 in the 914. Those are my dream cars... nuff said.

Laura entered her school science fair with a "Simple Machine". We chose the "wheel and axle" (ya think?) I got her one of those 914 cutouts and we cut the wheels off and used bottle caps and coat hangers to make it roll. Fun stuff.

Oh... for the plate, I was thinking VWPORSH not what you were thinking Dave! :P

[JKH]

Nice Eric .

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Jeff.

Gang... where does one find those thick rubber washers for the valance and rockers (besides George)? Nothing spec'ing out on McMaster (suprisingly). Scratching my head on this one...

[JKH]

black nylon/ nylatron , lathe ,drill ,part off, how many ?

[Eric_Shea]

2-4-6-8

I think 8 huh? 4 for the rockers and 4 for the valance?? Sounds like a lot of work for some spacers though. Do you have any old ones for samples? I think I have one but it's kinda scruntched over the years.

Actually... 12.

[Eric_Shea]

Last of it has been squirted.

I hate satin finish paint. We didn't go with the Wurth yet tried another method, a satin clear over black. Not exactly what I'm looking for. We're looking to shoot the rockers one more time and if that doesn't work then I'll try the Wurth.

Here's some pics. We had a rather fancy parts hanger as well! LOL

[Richard Casto]

Car is looking great Eric.

Yellow just looks so right on a 914. I have a replacement front trunk pan from a yellow donor and even it looks good. It makes me almost consider doing a color change.

[JKH]

10 min. dont sweat it , yes I have a couple of samples.
I also have a pile of gold tubing , but I have a deadline on a paint project for my mom. 71 years old and finally retired and wants her 914 back. lets see 2.4-6 to 2.0 t-4 , bang fenders back to stock ,put rubber bumpers back on .full repaint.

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Richard!

Long weekend hey Jeff? :D

[JKH]

Long weekend hey Jeff?
Im done, its in the body shop.

[Eric_Shea]

Body Shop? That's cheatin... wait a minute... oh... nevermind.

Satin did not turn out. Too glossy. I saw it last night when I took the pics but we thought it might settle down when it fully dried. Nope.

What did anyone else use? Peter? Jeff? I'm ready to call the Wurth guy again because I've heard good things but, satin is so personal and touchy. Looking for "the" GT black.

Help.

[Lavanaut]

Hey Erik, you might run that one by Steve Gaglione (sp?)..his tangerine M-471 car has those black stripes which to me look very much like "the" GT black you're talking about. I also get the impression he's an originality buff. Just a thought.

[Eric_Shea]

Good idea. Thanks.

[JKH]

flattening agent to the clear.

[gms]

Hey Erik, you might run that one by Steve Gaglione (sp?)..his tangerine M-471 car has those black stripes which to me look very much like "the" GT black you're talking about. I also get the impression he's an originality buff. Just a thought.
I believe Steve said the stripes are made of vinyl

[Eric_Shea]

Yes, they're vinyl.

[JKH]

Kevin says its a patented satin black , see the video , well at least for the 917 frame.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fJSJPId7eo

[Eric_Shea]

Fine for them but, I don't want any 917 crap on my 914. :D

We're going to squirt Wurth this week. ;)

[carr914]

Eric, Did you get my letter?

T.C.

[Eric_Shea]

Well, she's home, bought and paid for. I've been more busy on the home shop making it a worthy spot for her to stay.

It will be little things from here on out. I need to get calipers out the door and whatever time is left will be bolting on bits and pieces and odds and ends.

Can sombody say "too many projects?"

Speaking of T.C. Yes Sir... got the envelope. Many Thanks!

(let's play "spot T.C.'s struts in the picture")

E.

[lou w]

Sure looks good.:)

[Lavanaut]

Eric, stumbled across this today, is this the look?

http://www.dantedesign.ch/index.php?id=13

[Eric_Shea]

Body color on the hoods...

I saw a link to that restoration somewhere herein I believe. There were a couple things about the way they did it that I wouldn't have done, but, very nice nonetheless.

I got to some bits and pieces over the weekend and I had a question (or two) so I'll post some pics later today. Got the hood pins in and the mounts riveted to the hood. Got the body tag back on as well... it was a riveting weekend!

[Eric_Shea]

I was able to get a little bit done over the weekend.

I got my version of the GT hood plates installed and a few other goodies. Front apron plugs are in. As mentioned, the build plate has been put back into place.

I got started on some of the headlight mechanism. Happy to find these lights in my bits & pieces. Various parts are off to the platers and should be back for a next weekend install. One question; Is the headlight stop installed properly? I don't remember if the 13mm nut is in the bucket or outside.

[Gustl]

very nice details !!!

[JKH]

13mm nut outside (back side)

[Eric_Shea]

Kinda figgered...

That way it can all be adjusted from inside the trunk.

Thanks!

[Lavanaut]

Sooo clean, wow. Love these pics.

I'd be interested to know what you used on the headlight surrounds, as that's a project I have on my list as well.

[Eric_Shea]

Finally got the right sheen on the black... They call it flat, we call it semi-gloss. Regardless, it's done and perfect in my book.

Rear rubber tie-downs are on. Ring badge had to go on. Gas tank is back from powdercoating. Filler neck and gasket are bolted in and... the guest room has been taken over by black stuff! :eek:

[carr914]

I'm liking that Gas Cap :)

T.C.

[Eric_Shea]

Little secret on that...

I bought an old bug tank and cut the neck off (perfect length). The I got the cap for $15.00 from Wolfburg West. Polish the cap on a buffing wheel and you're good to go. The tab is another story...

Here's the funny thing... the 100mm filler fits inside the stock splash guard (barely). Everything was bead blasted then the bug neck was JB welded into place. After that, everything got a coat of semi-gloss powder. What's funny? I left the stock filler inside. This way you can go to the pump and insert the nozzle as usual. All the overflow stuff is in place as well.

Total poser move. :D

[dug]

Yeah, I love that cap too. I want one:)
dug

[JKH]

eric adjustable pressure relief, way cheaper than the factory one,
I have been doing something.

[Eric_Shea]

Fill me in...

I, on the other hand, haven't been doing much.

I guess I'll have to hit the shop! :D

[Eric_Shea]

I final had a little time to work on "my" car. Today I decided to play with the lighting.

It's all fairly self explanitory but needless to say it took a while to get the fittings right. I'll still have more adjusting to do once the hood is set in place (hinges are not finished or bolted up yet).

Basically a lot of cleaning and bolting the freshly plated bits on.

[Eric_Shea]

Back at it today for a bit.

I installed the rear housings and lenses and finished up the fronts.

Everything went quite smoothly. I had some old Euro lenses laying around for probably 6-7 years. Still look new. I kept them in their boxes and kept my hands off them. I'm still trying to decide what to do with that old rallye plate. I think it may get rivetted to the rear deck lid.

I also finished up the other side on the fronts. There will be quite a bit more work in the fit and finish dept. but everything went together well.

[JKH]

hey, you missed 3 holes in the back panel.:p

[Eric_Shea]

That's for Pat Garvey's Fog Light!!

[draperjojo]

Its looking very nice Eric!!

[Eric_Shea]

Decided to get dirty this weekend.

The suspension has been used as a roller from the paint shop etc. I didn't have a donor suspension to roll it around on so this one had to do. It needed to come off and have the bearings repacked (FreeMotion stuff), get cleaned up and put back on. It also needed to come off to finish the bottom of the car which is tremendously clean to begin with.

I wire brushed the entire underside and applied new Wurth black. Then I turned my attention to the front harness.

For the harness I re-taped everything with a cloth tape. All of the electrical up front is back on and plugged in now.

I also took the time to re-install the 18mm bar.

Enjoy.

[dug]

Looking good.

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Dug,

Thinking now I should have run the fuel pump wiring in that harness. Doh!!

[JKH]

Making things right, metric bungs

[JKH]

Choose youre Knurl

[Eric_Shea]

Door #1 looks awesome!!

[Eric_Shea]

Bunch of little things happening:

H3's for some 914 fogs (wondering if a different lens is available for these now). The bodies are off being powder coated and the other various bits are being plated. I've restored a set of these in the past (chromed them for the 911) so this should be a snap.

I think I found the magic bullet for my vintage rain hats. Yeah! I always wanted the tea baskets but I couldn't rationalize the lack of filtering and, it was tough to find a way to attach them. Enter the Redline stack screens and filters. I think they're a whopping $14 bucks a pair. What you see in the package is a piece of scrap paper over the screen so the shrink wrap doesn't foul them. Simply slip these over the stacks and then slip the tea baskets in on the top (plenty of room). Now... I don't think these will give me the filtering that a factory paper element would or even the K&N Watersheds but... I think I can feel comfortable driving to an event this way.

Got the neck for the 80mm cap. This is the beginning of the Oel filler and... test fit the bumper.

[Eric_Shea]

Some things ya just gotta love...

[JKH]

like this ?
here is my gas cap.

[Eric_Shea]

Awesome... I guess I'm buying the beer.

[Eric_Shea]

Mounted the rear fog. Still not sure if I'll use the black base with the euro lense or the chrome base. The chrome didn't turn out well so, I'll either look for another chrome or use the black. The black one on there now is a standard 911 unit that you can buy new I believe.

Also mounted the GT engine grill. I still need to pop off the side grills and get the paint under there but, they're just resting on there for now.

I'm playing around with a few fog light options. I have the H3 kits and I'm thinking of using the tinted reflectors vs. the tinted lenses. I like the looks of a clear lens. If it comes together like I think it will I'm going to convert my 911 thru grills back to the clear lense and a tinted reflector. I'm still waiting for the mounting bases to come back from soda blasting.

Any thoughts on what lenses were on the euro T4's with the H3's?

Koni decals came in this week. I can't find the pair of new ball joints I have stashed away so I ordered another pair. Once those arrive I'll throw the front end back on.

Working on recreating 908 calipers... stay tuned. They're at the machine shop now getting the top radiused. 4mm is coming off and the holes are being opened up for the 910 quick change pins that were on the first 908's. Film at 11:00

[Robby]

Nice E,
I just read through the entire 13 pages... Great attention to detail. Are you going to street drive this? It looks like it because you are keeping the lighting but the 2.5 sounds like a high winding little beotch... Oh wait, I remember something about your gearing for a highway 5th. Street driven. Check.
I am feeling the itch for a mild six build. 3.2 with all of the EFI intact maybe...
Nice thread. Can't wait to see it completed!

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Rob. Good to see you here. I can't wait to see it completed as well. I'm literally in the middle of installing the windshield. Pics to come. I also want to bolt on the front suspension again today.

As long as I've owned 914's this has been the car I've wanted. The idea is to build it as close to a GT as possible within the parameters of what I have to work with (74 tub etc.). It will be a street driven car but it will also see battle at local autocrosses or DE days at Miller Motorsports Park. The gearing is MSX with a ZA replacing the X. I literally had to go ZA so I could still stay on the cams if I needed to get up some grades on I-80 and I-15 without going into that low 4th.

May be ready for either Lake Michigan or Lake Tahoe or... both! :D

[Robby]

I finally got so lonely for you that I came over and had to remember my damn screen name and password... :)

When Dr. Evil comes out in December, I will be changing my Guard TB diff to MSX gearing.

I just got an interesting offer at the Sacramento Porsche Family Reunion. One of the guys who always shows up has a motor he will loan me if he can co-drive the car at events. There used to be a guy here in Sac named Dwight Mitchell who was tight with the factory and had a shop called Autosport that is now my friend Ron's IPB Autosport. He built this engine as a BSP motor and it runs stock DJet injection. I would have to guess it to be a 2056. Mitchell motors are blueprinted to some very tight specs and are very good autocross motors.
I need a motor and I am tired of waiting so I may have a motor by next weekend.

Windshield? Did you put your dash in? I thought you had to do that vinyl inside the windshield before the windshield and dash could go in???

By the way, I told the guys at the Sacramento Porsche Family Reunion about RoadGlue and this thread so expect some more traffic.

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks again Rob, keep us posted on your motor situation. Sounds like a winner. I hope to see some of the gang weighing in here.

Yup, got the windshield in. The dash and the dash seal are in. I cleaned the dash and used some back to black on the vents. Seems to have worked for now.

I installed the new clips which at first seemed a bit difficult. Once I got a 6mm socket on my 1/4" driver it was a snap. So... clips in, butyl tape (not sure why they call it tape, it's a gummy/tarry strip) down and bottom spacers in place... windshield on. Thanks Dave for coming over and lending a hand! :)

Also tattooed the shock towers. One of those things... I think I stumbled onto the perfect finish. It looks spot on identical to what I remember on my six. Basic flat black enamel from a can (thank you Home Depot) and a really cheesy 1" yak hair brush. It took two coats so what you see here is a progression. The last pics show it still a little wet but completely covered. It somehow feels like she got indocturnated into the secret society... LOL :D

Front suspension goes back on tomorrow.

[draperjojo]

Lookin good!!!!! :)

[Robby]

Somebody has got to do a video of window installation. Particularly that damned back window. In fact, a video how-to section hosted by RoadGlue... Hmmm.... Randy? How big is your server space? ;)

[Eric_Shea]

Here's a bit of today's labor of love.

Got the top mounts in. The rear secondary engine screens came out nice. Spent more time hunting torque specs from the factory manuals than I did actually working. LOL

Once the tops were in I pulled the struts in. New ball joints etc. Loaded the brake discs and hubs. Installed the calipers. Torqued down the wedge shaped mounting pins. Torqued on the tie rod ends.

Torqued on the banjo bolt to the caliper and cinched up all the brake lines. Passengers side is in. On the drivers side I'm going to bench load the strut with rotor, caliper and all and then bolt it on.

I took all of the FreeMotion bearings out and cleaned them in gasoline. This was to remove any of the leftovers from the soda blasting, sand blasting and body work. I've packed them with ProOne (the blue stuff you see) grease. Pretty sold on the stuff.

[Eric_Shea]

Just a couple shots that were in the camera.

I think I like this light look for the fogs.

Too much in the way of spacers?

Wheels are on.

[quicksix]

Hey Eric, who makes that sway bar on your car? My six had one just like it, never found out who made it.
Thanks,
John

[Eric_Shea]

Hi John,

That is a factory bar. Hang on to it. I've seen complete set-ups go for $600+

It's a one year only 930 bar that came on the 1976 car. That was the only year they went "through-body". After that they went "under-body" like the rest of the 911 line.

What is unique is; 18mm bar and the angled gussets welded in to the arms for added strength. I've heard that an 18mm bar in factory metal is more like a 21-22mm aftermarket bar. Not sure I buy into all that but, I have the same bar on my 911 and l-o-v-e it.

[JKH]

Yours on the right the one I bought from VP ont he left.

[Eric_Shea]

At least "someone" is working on my car! LOL

Looks awesome!

[Robby]

Is that a stock sway bar E? Are you trying to stay away from modern stuff like Tarret and such? Oh, never mind. A 930 through the body bar. Sure, use rare stuff... I have named your car Tweety Bird and she shall have all that is rare and unobtainium!

[Eric_Shea]

Yes Sir, and yes Sir.

I'm trying to stay with period type stuff. I'm hoping to have "Tweety" (pa-lease, we can get a little manlier than that can't we?) ready so I can camp out in Glenn's backyard in the burbs or maybe make a "Lake" trip next year... never know.

[Eric_Shea]

Yesterday was a busy day.

Previously I sprayed the Wurth "High Build" black on the front and center pans. I am so blessed with this tub as there's hardly even a scratch or bump on the bottom of this car.

I had the rear pan to finish as I was waiting to get the front suspension on the car before I pulled the rear. The rear had to be pulled and the bearings had to be cleaned and re-packed (sand and body shop grundge and... they hadn't been sealed yet).

I finished up the front by sealing all of the bearings with Black RTV. I also finished up all of the wiring to the turn signal buckets and bolted on the wheels and dropped it down. On to the rear.

Both arms came off and were cleaned and the bearing re-packed. I cleaned the bearings in gasoline and repacked them with ProOne grease.

The shocks were freshened up and new logo labels put back on. Everything was bolted back together and put back in the tub.

The calipers and rotors came off and stayed off for now. I'll do a final bit of cleaning and another freshening up of the calipers. They were freshly rebuilt but, I wanted to change the color to yellow as I feel it's proper and, I have a set of stainless steel pistons (first set off the line) for the 914-6 caliper. More on those later.

Today I bolted the rear sway bar back on and installed the banner on the windshield and then installed the new windshield trim. With the sway bar, I used a glycerine lube on the bushings and Mo2 on the drop links.

McMark sent a new black background for my letters which turned out perfect (thanks Mark!) The lettering was precut and actually going in the wrong direction so... each letter had to be cut and separated and installed one at a time. I installed the letters with a solution of water and hair conditioner. It stays on the glass and allows you to position the vinyl.

Windshield trim is a "p-a-i-n". ;)

[Eric_Shea]

Got the oil tank in and... I need to get some new brake hard lines made for the back. I moved the saftey shut-off valve over due to the engine mount (this is a late 74 with a 75-76 style mount which had to come out). I'm about 2" off the old style location. (Rob, that's the piece that wioll go in the mail tomorrow... the one on top).

I got the fog light flanges back from being stripped. Ready to be riveted back into the shells I had powdercoated. Qarl is sending the last pair of lens seals so they should be here early in the week. I'll probably get those built next.

Have to throw in a few shots for Dug and an obligatory Pat Garvey rear fog picture. :D

[dug]

Awesome! So the 5mm spacers are going to work for the 6GT calipers the same as the 4 banger calipers?

cheers,
dug

[Robby]

That is kind of what I envisioned after you PMed me. I was totally baffled though. Three lines and only two inlets! I will shoot you some sheckles for shipping... and a beer or 10 ;)

[Eric_Shea]

Since Dug shamed us all into working on our 914's today, I gathered up my fog light goodies and began taking a tally. I had to kiss a lot of frogs to get a decent batch of parts but it's all coming together.

Next I'll get my rivets and get the mounts back on the body. The rest is just snap and go after that. I'm still waiting on seals from Qarl but they should be here any day.

I've decided to go with the clear lenses. It has a more subtle look vs. the yellow lenses on the 911. The reflectors are yellow and the lenses clear.

I've gone into this before in this thread but, these are H3 modified units. Once these are done I can button up the front end and get the final fit and finish on the bumper and the lower valance.

I originally had some pilots on there but, I like the more original aspect of this application.

[gms]

They are going to look sharp!

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Glenn,

Basically done. Seals haven't arrived yet but I can bolt the housings up and get them wired now.

Rivets are in and that's really the final step.

[dug]

I really like your yellow reflectors! I have a set of NOS Carellos that are 7 inches that have that look. They make the optic effect of the lens pop more. I think they'll look great hanging off the bumper inboard of the driving lights.

I also have a set of the euro spec H3 driving lights. I didn't notice it before, but you mentioned an H3 kit, did you convert these from USA fogs?

My H3 lenses are in pretty good shape. Are those new ones you got driving light lenses? It's pretty hard to tell in photos. Some people thing the USA fogs only came with the split lens, but I have seen both. Is there a thread about that in originality yet? Quit slacking off Glenn:)

cheers,
dug

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Dug,

Those are converted USA lights. I think I'll be putting the kits together. Those were WAY too expensive for what they are.

The lenses are the only ones available now. No more split lenses. Nothing fancy just off the shelf stuff.

E.

[Eric_Shea]

Took the car out for a little sun today.

Front bumper and valance are on. New lights are buttoned up etc. Rockers are on for now. We still need to get the hood mounted and then line everything up. A little more painting before we do that though...

I pulled apart my calipers yet again. I'll be plating them in yellow. Doing a full rebuild on them (handbrake system and all) and I'll be using these stainless steel pistons for them. We had these commissioned so... if you feel the need. The only other stainless pistons on the market are the Ferrari pistons and, while they are 38mm, they are much thicker and use a different internal (that of the late model 914-4).

Trying to get the spare spruced up and mounted as well.

[Gustl]

very nice !!

[Eric_Shea]

Finished the Fachs wheel today for my spare.

Not much to behold. Tape. Tape. Tape. Prep. Prep. Prep. Paint. Paint. Paint.

[Robby]

E,
Are you putting some graphics on this or is it just going to be blazing yellow? I looked at one of your pics of it in the driveway and I have to tell you. The scenery around your house is beautiful! I would have a view like that if it wasn't for the smog...

[Eric_Shea]

Blazing Yellow no graphics other than the windshield banner.

The scenery is just getting good here. The scrub oak is turning red in the mountains and the aspens are going yellow at the tops. I would imagine next weekend will be perfect for an Alpine Loop run and lunch at Sundance.

Wanna see smog? Hit SLC duing a 30 day inversion. The smog is 5x worse than LA... seriously.

[Robby]

Too bad. Yopu is bothering me to get out of California and she was looking over my shoulder at that pic... She likey!!!

[Eric_Shea]

Rare but... it happens. Come on out!

[Eric_Shea]

please try to contain yourselves...

Had to bribe the wheel guy (well... had to put up with his $hit) in order to get it mounted. Seriously, just take my money and mount it. I need not hear the reasons why you "shouldn't" and/or are "not allowed to" when you're going to do it anyway... save us all the bad vibes! LOL

[Robby]

Nice... I can't count the number of times I say "just do what you were f'in told" under my breath in a day.

[gms]

please try to contain yourselves...

Had to bribe the wheel guy (well... had to put up with his $hit) in order to get it mounted. Seriously, just take my money and mount it. I need not hear the reasons why you "shouldn't" and/or are "not allowed to" when you're going to do it anyway... save us all the bad vibes! LOL

What were you doing that you shouldn't???

[Robby]

What were you doing that you shouldn't???

All of those wheel shops try and tell you that they don't mount alloy wheels because they can't be responsible for scratching or gouging them. I am sure Eric was just trying to get him to do what he would soon be doing anyway which is mount the tires!

[Eric_Shea]

He said they are not allowed/supposed to mount and dismount collapsible spares. They have to stay on the rim they came on. :D

[gms]

He said they are not allowed/supposed to mount and dismount collapsible spares. They have to stay on the rim they came on. :D
ohhh I see now

[Eric_Shea]

I put a new rear top seal on today and began digging into general top issues. Took the front and rear latches off and cleaned everything up.

The rear top seal wasn't as simple as I would have liked it. It seems my side strips are molded into the factory piece. They needed to be cut out which looks a lot easier than it was. These are pretty tough stainless pieces. A little Dremel work, a little hack saw and a little bench grinder and they look perfect but man... probably should have sourced and earlier piece.

After the side pieces were fabricated it was a breeze. These are Mark's seals and they all really seem to fit well so far. I'm using an engine lid to glass seal of his. Went together great.

[Eric_Shea]

I love my vinyl so... back on it went.

Most of the time was spent prepping. Everything has to be tapped off and wiped down with cleaner.

I sprayed on 3 coats of glue to the back of the vinyl and the car. Each coat was in a different direction.

Once the glue was set, it was vinyl time. I would caution anyone attempting this to do a mock lay-up before you glue the pieces. Each kit seems different and this one, which I got from Craig at Camp914, was literally almost cut to fit. Nice but, it doesn't leave room for placement. You have to get it right the first time.

The vinyl looks amazing though. It really has the right look. Once it was pressed into place I did end up doing a small amount if trimming and double cutting of seams etc.

I set the bottom trim pieces and laid the others on to see how it would look.

Kind of a major milestone done.

[Robby]

I love the vinyl too... I ended up having to do it twice for exactly the reasons you state. The kit was practically perfect and I went a little too forward and had a nekkid spot. Good thing the vinyl kit is cheap!

[dug]

Oh man, that looks sweet!
dug

[jhora]

Perfect!...Very Nice

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Guys!

Got busy on the rear harness today. Pulled everything through, cleaned everything off and re-taped with the cloth tape.

The most difficult part of the task was getting the harness gasket into the rear trunk area in place. After that it was threading the foglight harness through the gasket... EXTREMELY tight fit.

The good thing about being anal is, you get to keep all those plastic tube tab covers, clean them and put them back on when you're putting your harness back in! :D

Now I need to figure out the taillight wiring. Rear trunk/engine compartment light is in place as well. Even put a new piece of black cloth tape over the top so it doesn't shine up.

Next I'll plug in the lisence plate lights and mount the rear bumper for good.

[Eric_Shea]

Had to re-rebuild my rears. I decided to install the stainless steel pistons and change the color to yellow as they belong.

[Eric_Shea]

I put a set of these on the RS car this weekend and have a set reserved for the GT.

(check the classifieds).

[Lavanaut]

The great thing about taking a break from the sites for a while is coming back to a bevy of awesome pics! I don't know how you find the time (or maybe it's motivation) to keep up with project updates like this, but we sure do appreciate it! :)

Car is looking amazing. You've reminded me that I need to do my roll bar vinyl project, but honestly it scares the shit out of me because I have to redrill the holes for the trim that some PO filled in. I've read your write-up on the topic probably a dozen times but keep coming up w/ ways to put it off. So here I am a year and a half later, still with a 916-looking ride. "It's really grown on me" I tell people. Mm hmm.

Actually, a question along those lines - how hard is it to get the trim piece clasps out/in with the oil tank in place?

Keep up the great work!

[smontanaro]

That's very nice work, but I thought GTs used a mechanical cable contraption to raise the headlights. What's the motor for?

Skip

[Eric_Shea]

When teaching negotiating we call the word "but" an eraser. It erases everything previously said. "However" works just as well. :D

GT's had keys on the left too... no air vents in the dash. Many had mechanical headlights, some didn't... some didn't have headlights at all (one here in UT). Skip, you really don't know what the motors are for? There's an entire post that shows me installing them and hooking them up to the headlight armatures. I cleaned them really nice if that counts. :D

The motors are for me and for the fact that the group buy on the Meaney recreations has taken 3 #*&%ing YEARS!!! (There... got that outta my system.) I thought about the Mittlemotor kit but, honestly, I'm not that worried about it right now.

I may go with a GT cable/hydraulic system someday... I may not. Probably won't. This car will be so incredibly, blindingly, freaky fast that I will need to add all the weight I can to help slow it down. Also helps counter the weight of a dead body in the rear trunk.

[Eric_Shea]

how hard is it to get the trim piece clasps out/in with the oil tank in place?

Thanks Reid,

I don't think the bottom pieces are a pain at all. The main clasp at the bottom of the rear trim piece is tough but I don't think the tank is in the way (if I recall). Just a long extension with an 8mm on it. Works best with the wheel off.

How did they fill yours? Depending on the thickness of the panel now, you may have to relocate some of the holes slightly as those smaller clips are fairly specific for what they do.

[Eric_Shea]

Thinking about making this...

It is a bolt in and, from what I can tell, it uses the tongue from the front latch then pulls tight in the back. It bolts to the roof using the stock latch holes and, is rumored to be a factory piece.

I've never seen one before. Has anyone else seen this and, can you verify it as a factory piece?

I have more photos so the fab should be fairly straight forward. I might have roll bar issues at the back latch though... :(

[jim dorociak]

I thought I saw something like that on a friends car, but it was fiberglassed to his top, then bolted in. Jim

[Eric_Shea]

I found out a little more about this brace, it was in the car that Porsche gave to their Photographer/Graphics/Poster designer Erich Strenger (staring to make sense?). Erich sold the car to Gerhard Blendstrup who sold it to... as we know, Steve Gaglione.

I wonder if Steve has the brace.

[Eric_Shea]

Let me know what you think.

[JKH]

I think you should weld it in , but allow the roof to come off and leave the skeletol structure. (halloweenish desc.)

[Eric_Shea]

Cars already painted... you could concievably unbolt the roof from this and have it in place. The more I think about it, the more I like it. This is doable. I just need to check the top/roll bar clearance.

The guy I got the pictures from said it is indeed a factory piece. I've never seen another.

[Gustl]

I found out a little more about this brace, it was in the car that Porsche gave to their Photographer/Graphics/Poster designer Erich Strenger (staring to make sense?). Erich sold the car to Gerhard Blendstrup who sold it to... as we know, Steve Gaglione.

I wonder if Steve has the brace.

just to make some minor corrections ...

Erich Strenger was the 4th owner of this car, he bought it in May 1973 from Strähle (Porsche dealer; known from the Strähle GT); following history correct and well known;
the brace was used when the original engine got replaced by a 2.4 Liter six

from my best knowledge, Steve doesn't own it ... but maybe he would comment on his own

[Eric_Shea]

Cool... that was the history as told to me. I'm not into that stuff so, I'll trust your account.

So... do you think it's a factory brace or something Strähle may have made up? Under who's watch was the 2.4 installed?

[JKH]

skeletor

http://www.pbase.com/9146gt/factory_9146gt_race_cars_sn9140430181

http://www.9146gt.co.uk/index.html

and simple brumos

[Gustl]

I really don't know, but I could imagine that it it a Strähle built part, inspired from the bolt-on factory GT roof reinforcement
as we know, Strähle used some self constructed / built parts in his GT - for example the 2 chamber Tank (instead of the 100L GT tank);

but ... as wrote above ... just speculation, no proof :)

[Eric_Shea]

I've seen all the factory braces but, the more you dig into them the more you see there's a lot of variations. I've never seen this bolt-on type before which has intrigued me.

I'm going to do it. Not now but, when the car is running so I can take it over to Troy's shop for the welding and fitting.

[Robby]

Thanks Gang....

Oh... for the plate, I was thinking VWPORSH not what you were thinking Dave! :P

How about INDAMDL or SLMNBOY?

[914 Magazine]

Very cool, Eric. Been a long time since I have been able to catch up on this thread. Can't wait to see it running.

[gms]

I've seen all the factory braces but, the more you dig into them the more you see there's a lot of variations. I've never seen this bolt-on type before which has intrigued me.
Eric, I agree...the more tops you look at the more you know there was no specific design just a bunch of one offs.

[jhora]

I guess all the different race shops had their own variation...this last bolt in one is very interesting....keep digging guys I know you will come up with more designs and photos

[Eric_Shea]

Long time no update.

I picked up my seats today. The work on these is simply amazing. Very happy camper. I had to wait a long time for them but, in the end it was worth the wait.

I guess I'd better get crack'n on the interior. The only thing holding me back is routing the fuel pump wire. I have the wires and plug in the rear attached to the main harness. I guess I need to snip the plug and pull those out and through to the front. Has any one ever done this?

Anyhooo... enjoy the seats... 914.521.303.71 and 914.521.304.71 :D

[Eric_Shea]

These complete the picture...

[Robby]

E,
Are you planning a complete interior? I always figured I would go minimalist if I did a GT. Carpet back pad and carpet in a lightweight...

[Robby]

Whoops! Double posted - BAD ROB!!!

[gms]

Anyhooo... enjoy the seats... 914.521.303.71 and 914.521.304.71 :D
Where are the seats from?

[Eric_Shea]

Are you planning a complete interior?

I have a full felt interior basically:

Felt backpad covering.
Felt long covering.
Felt tunnel covering.
Rubber GT mats.
GT door panels.
And... those seats.

Where are the seats from?

Porsche... :D

[Eric_Shea]

Did a little bit over the last few days.

Started by getting the rear rotors and calipers on. Still a tiny bit more to do here for a perfect fit (Dug, I think I want to shave the spacer by 0.5mm which is what has been holding things up a bit). The first shot is a 5mm spacer for under the rotor hat. I may have to take a tad off to get a perfect alignment of the caliper. I want to load the drivers side before I make a final commitment. It's fine with no rubbing as is but, the caliper looks slightly off center.

Rotors on, longer rotor attachment screws for the spacer. Axles are in to tighten up the bearing to check runout on the rotor. Calipers are on.

[Eric_Shea]

Got the suspension/bulkhead braces bolted into place.

Put my first sticker on...

Installed the door catches on the door jam.

[Eric_Shea]

Installed those unbreakable handles for the seat rails. I had the rails plated and the old handles melted away. I wasn't really torn by the fact as... I honestly like the replacement handles better.

This involved drilling out the copper rivets with a 1/4" drill bit and simply screwing the aftermarket handles on.

Where are the seats from?

Porsche...

OK... So, I'm generally not this ambigous. I was just having a little fun. The numbers are bogus as you probably guessed. They are factory Porsche seats so, at least I wasn't lying. Does the included picture give anything away? :D

Yes... they're 914 seats. We took measurements and molded copper tubes off the side bolsters on my factory Recaro's that I have in the 911. We also used photos off Mr. Armando's amazing site to try to replicate the GT seats...

I hope you like them. I do. They're a bolt in seat that will use the original rails etc.

[Eric_Shea]

I had the seat rails plated as I thought they would be a little cleaner that way and would slide better.

I test fit the passengers seat in the car. There's still a fitment issue with the seat slider that has the handle on it. It seems to catch a tad. Not sure why but maybe the catch rail has a little bend in it.

Seats slide smoothly on the plated rails though...

Got my MFI back for the 911 engine. The 2.5 will be out soon.

[Robby]

E,
I am trying to get some perspective on where you mounted that battery shut-off. Is it up above the battery inside that back window area? I cannot tell from the pictures.

Also, those suspension braces are nice. Is that a vintage design or something you came up with?

[Eric_Shea]

I don't have an original bone in my body... LOL

The battery cut-off is on the drivers windshield cowl where most of the GT's I've seen have it.

Suspension braces are from GT's as well. If you spend too much time on Armando's site, this is the kind of $hit that happens to you (that's kind of a warning). :D

[dug]

Your suspension braces look great. Tangerine Racing sells a kit for reinforcing the rear suspension that includes very similar pieces. Or you can even just get the braces for cheaper.

http://www.tangerineracing.com/chassis.htm

dug

[jhora]

If you spend too much time on Armando's site, this is the kind of $hit that happens to you (that's kind of a warning). :D

Isn't that the truth! I can spend hours just looking at all the GTs and interesting things people did to make their 914-6 GT unique...
The car looks great Eric...

john

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Guys!

Dug... I saw those literally a week after I got these. These are a little more original but Chris' really look nice and, he makes good stuff

Edit: I don't think he had the heim rods available at the time I did these... that's a nice kit.

[Lavanaut]

Eric, you must've known how busy I've been and decided to hold off on further progress until I was able to return - much appreciated! Now please, carry on...

:D

[Eric_Shea]

I know... slacker. :(

Busy building other peoples stuff. I can take some nice pictures of a couple complete 356C caliper sets or... a nice set of Magnum PI calipers. Maybe some some reinforced powdercoated arms for our rally friends in the UK? ;)

[Eric_Shea]

Well... I finally had enough time to spend on my bucket this weekend. Not much, just a little.

I removed the rear wheel and test fit it on the 911. I'm going back to rubber gang. I have 50 series on there now and I'm not happy with the ride. The tires that were on the 914 fit well on the 911. I had to pull the 7mm spacer on the rear but, that's OK. I think I'll yank them off the wheels and send the wheels to Harvey and then use them on my 911.

Well, after that it was off to the local tire store for a dis-mount/mount session. Then back home for the trial fit.

Before I could fit the tire under the flare I had to pop the rear bar and yank the lower shock bolt. This basically allowed me to play with the ride height and watch the camber swing on the arm.

Depending on the final ride height, it looks like they'll work. I lowered the car to 22" which looked fairly low to me but, I'd appreciate it if anyone (with a split-pea soup colored car) could tell me where the ride height stands in the rear on their GT. :D

I have plenty of room in the back side so, I could feasibly take the 5mm rotor spacers off and attempt to space the calipers back if need be.

[JKH]

my tires are shorter so , in general I like em about 3/4 inch above the rim, reguardless of tire diameter.

[Eric_Shea]

That's "about" where I am... The first picture you see is a bit higher. I then lowered it some more and took the picture with the tape. The cool thing about these is, they're 25.5" in diameter so, just about spot on for a stock diameter.

Except, now I can't say "my speedometer must be off officer". :(

[JKH]

ya might want to grind the "not for highway use " off then.

[Eric_Shea]

...she's a jackstand queen. :(

Old tires are off the wheels and the wheels are off to Harvey. I "hate" jackstands. Probably a phobia related to 914's. Once they go on jackstands they never seem to come off which is why I do my damnedest to keep it rolling! :D

Hurry Harvey! :D

[dug]

So it is spacing the calipers back instead of a spacer under the rotor then?

This is with 15x8 fuchs with a Goodyear 15x9.0 tire right? What is the actual measured section width on those?

How much negative camber did you have it start with at that ride height?

thanks,
dug

[Eric_Shea]

Still not sure. I have 1/4" now but I'm not sure that will stand the rigors of the road. I can easily see some body sway and bam... tires rubbing. If I took out the spacers it would be roughly 1/2" or, an index finger which I would be comfortable with.

The section width is 10.6" on an 8" wheel. That's what "they" say as well. All of these things can be fluid. I didn't measure it or my camber at this time. I just bolted the arms on with no shims, took the lower shock bolt off and dropped the car down over the wheel/tire combo. My wheel well measured 11.25" from stiffening kit to inner fender lip.

So... I "think" the spacers may go away with these tires. It will be difficult to space the calipers back by 5mm though. I may have to grind a bit on those inner adjustement tubes.

I did some more measuring on the caliper fit for you as well. If you decide to go with these spacers we may only need to take 0.3mm off to make them perfect.

[dug]

Cool, thanks for the attention to detail on this!
dug

[jim dorociak]

Eric - you are killing me -- please post a picture of something to keep the rest of us excited. Thanks! Jim

[Eric_Shea]

:D Actually, this was a good weekend to finally do some stuff for "me".

I goofed on some stuff so I had to back-track a bit to get some things done. Today I installed the oil cooler, oil cooler shroud, fuel pump wire and a fuel filter. While the bumper assembly was off I also installed the shields in the fog lights that I forgot to do last time.

I put some black 1/4" x 1/2" weatherstripping foam around the mounting surfaces of the cooler shroud and then mounted the cooler in the shroud. While mounting the shroud in the car, I needed to weave the new fuel pump wire in the loom... forgot to do that last time. I had to re-wrap about 3-4 sections of the loom to get it in. I left enough hanging out to install the plug. Now was the time because I wanted to mount the shroud with some loom keepers at the top.

I also mounted a fuel filter to the bulkhead. This is a VW Rabbit piece and should be fairly straight forward. I'm debating if I should add a second fuel pump.

Onward.

[jim dorociak]

Eric - did not mean to shame you into something I know you wanted to do. Thank you for the pictures. Your car looks great and I really appreciate your attention to the details. Jim

[dug]

Who made the oil cooler shroud?
I like your prop rod.
dug

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Guys,

Rod is SienSystems (?) and the shroud is Rennspeed fiberjunk. ;)

[Eric_Shea]

Is there supposed to be a rubber drain plug here?

I seem to remember discussions about this and it having a 356 part #?

Anyone?

[JKH]

911-025-612-00

http://www.stoddard.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=1012

[Eric_Shea]

Thanks Jeff,

On order... considering ordering GT rear rotors. $238.00 EACH!?! (debating)

[JKH]

I have 3 sets you should have at least 1
Really ? Why ?

BTW I am crawling out from my rock . back /leg are healed up and got some work done.

[Eric_Shea]

I should have a least one of your 3 sets? I agree! :D

Where ya been Festus? What happened to your leg and back? Suss put a beat'n on ya? ;)

I did a tiny bit today. I took a page from Jeff Hailpen's build and "circulated" my front hinges before Troy squirts them. Also, had to have a 1970 LeMans Parking pass for the ride:

a ) It's yellow
b ) Something about 1970, LeMans and 914-6/GT's :confused:

:D

[Eric_Shea]

Got my dizzy back from Aaron at Rennwerks in Camarillo yesterday. Mr. Jeff did a fantastic job of milling the body and shaft on this 2.7 dizzy and Rennwerks put an RS+ curve to it that should match the dyno sheet I sent him for the engine. Hopefully my dizzy woes are behind me. Big thanks to Jeff and Aaron (and not to Barry at IAE...) :mad:

I got some goodies from Ira as well. I immediately took them apart and had them plated :D

Ira send shims for the arm but, I measured with the calipers and it looks like the 18mm bar is the same size so, no shims needed (I think)!

(I'm a Tarett dealer now BTW...) :eek:

[gms]

I got some goodies from Ira as well. I immediately took them apart and had them plated :D


Nice shiny gold :D

[Eric_Shea]

Turns out there's a slight issue.

The bar is 20mm and the arms are 3/4" (19.12 or something like that). Now I have to open up the arms a bit to get them to work because I'm not shaving the factory 18mm bar. :(

[Eric_Shea]

Better than Christmas for sure. You know the feeling when "those" boxes arrive??? Well... I got that feeling this AM when the UPS truck arrived.

Harvey's a master craftsman and a great guy. We chatted for quite a while last week about anodizing finishes. All secret recipe type stuff but, I have my anodizer busy on the next pair of S-Calipers.

Enjoy these pics. Not only do the wheels look perfect but, it's a smoke'n sunny day here in Sandy, UT.

Thanks Harvey!

[Robby]

Better than Christmas for sure. You know the feeling when "those" boxes arrive??? Well... I got that feeling this AM when the UPS truck arrived.

Harvey's a master craftsman and a great guy. We chatted for quite a while last week about anodizing finishes. All secret recipe type stuff but, I have my anodizer busy on the next pair of S-Calipers.

Emjoy these pics. Not only do the wheels look perfect but, it's a smoke'n sunny day here in Sandy, UT.

I have chatted anodizing with Harvey and Al as well. His anodizer guy is local to him and does some government stuff for NASA IIRC. I know the secret but not the details about the secret.

[gms]

Better than Christmas for sure. You know the feeling when "those" boxes arrive??? Well... I got that feeling this AM when the UPS truck arrived.

Harvey's a master craftsman and a great guy. We chatted for quite a while last week about anodizing finishes. All secret recipe type stuff but, I have my anodizer busy on the next pair of S-Calipers.

Enjoy these pics. Not only do the wheels look perfect but, it's a smoke'n sunny day here in Sandy, UT.

Thanks Harvey!

They are very nice!

[Ferg]

Macy's must be having a sale on pastel colored Polo shirts or something, where's my update :rolleyes:

[Eric_Shea]

I know... I know...

I'm dragging on this right now. :(

Waiting on a few things, front sway bar bushings are on order from Germany. Trying to get lines in the tunnel (glamerous stuff).

I just need a jump start to get back at it and... moreover, I need time. I have 3 pair of GT calipers in-house. 2 Ferrari jobs, tons of 911 stuf and more 908 calipers. Pays the bills so... I'll shut up now!

Hey, I gots an idea. I'm headed for Brazil Monday night why don't you call one of those makeover reality series and have them sneak over and finish my damn car while I'm gone? :D I'll buy you a cup-o-Joe at the next Devner C&C event!!

I'll leave a detailed list of to-do items in the front trunk just in case. ;)

[Ferg]

Sure, just leave me the keys so I can break it in while you are gone :cool:

[JKH]

Bring me back one of these (or a vanesa clone) and your golden:

[Gustl]

I always loved the SP2 ...

[gms]

Hey, I gots an idea. I'm headed for Brazil Monday night why don't you call one of those makeover reality series and have them sneak over and finish my damn car while I'm gone? :D I'll buy you a cup-o-Joe at the next Devner C&C event!!

I'll leave a detailed list of to-do items in the front trunk just in case. ;)

I will call chip Foose so he can put some 20" chrome wheels, maybe some gullwing doors and paint it 2 tone pink and orange (signal orange of course)
they will probably throw in a kickin stereo and a 50" plasma in the trunk :D

[Eric_Shea]

That's just mean... actually, I have so had that thought many-a-time while watching one of those shows. "What if my wife did something like that while I was gone and I come home to a Foose two-tone monstrosity in the garage!?!?!" :eek:

Came to a final conclusion on the rear rotors and did a little work as well. This should be an important post if you need to make the very most out of your rear fender well clearance issues.

When you run a vented rotor you either have to put a spacer under a 911 rotor (uses 5mm of your tire territory), space back your calipers (that can cause them to hit the arm) or pony up nearly $600 worth of factory GT rotors.

There was a rumor that 944 rear rotors would fit as they do on the very early 911S vehicles and, the GT rotors have a 901.352 part number. I tried a pair today... no workie. The offset is too far outward and would require me to either mill the calipers or the arm mounts, neither of which I was prepared to do.

I was going to go with the 914-6/GT rotors because, $600.00, while expensive for a pair of rotors, isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. Before I did that, I checked the clearance of the calipers against the arms with the spacers in (spacers under the caliper ears that is). I could get them on but, they definately rubbed. So... it was one of those "while I'm in there" moments. I got out a bur grinder and took about 5mm of the handbrake adjustment tube down. Each car is different but, these arms had a ton of tube sticking up on this side.

Once the tube was trimmed, I painted it with a Testor's touchup stick and it was good as new. Calipers fit like a glove. I had to play with a few different washers on each side to get a perfect fit. It ran between 4.8 on the drivers side to a full 5mm on the passengers side. Rotors spin with no interference. I guess I should have set the venting clearance while I was in there... ;)

Dug... I threw the extra washers in your box so you can go this route if you need to.

[dug]

Awesome, thanks Eric! I don't know if I will have the same tire issues you do. Those Goodyears have some fat sidewalls.
cheers,
dug

[Robby]

I can't wait to see those wheels on the car, on the ground... Talk about lost in an era! That will look so 70's.

[gms]

That's just mean... actually, I have so had that thought many-a-time while watching one of those shows. "What if my wife did something like that while I was gone and I come home to a Foose two-tone monstrosity in the garage!?!?!" :eek:
I have warned family and friends that it would not be appropriate to have them touch any of my cars, although i have never seen them do a euro car.

[Eric_Shea]

Off to Brazil Gang... I'll be back on the 8th.

[Lavanaut]

I was going to go with the 914-6/GT rotors because, $600.00, while expensive for a pair of rotors, isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.
I'm very familiar with this logic. Once? Twice? It applies well. It's after the 18th application where it begins to fall apart! ;)

The wheels look absolutely killer!

Off to Brazil Gang... I'll be back on the 8th.

Hope you brought your galoshes, yikes! :(

[Eric_Shea]

Behold...

St. Pete is shining on me!

[Eric_Shea]

Weeeeeeee...

[Eric_Shea]

I had to hurry and put them on...

[gms]

I had to hurry and put them on...

Nice, I have only found 1 side

[Eric_Shea]

These are brand new. They are supposedly the last pair in existence. A Porsche dealer found them in the inventory and ordered them. They were part of a complete set of taillight housings and lenses. I got the lenses... very lucky I guess.

[al weidman]

You will be at WCR, right? I would sure like to see that car. Al.

[Eric_Shea]

I'll be there. The car is another story. Still at least two months out. Looking forward to meeting you and Harvey though!

[Eric_Shea]

Rear end is coming together nicely. Bumper isn't bolted up just yet.

[Robby]

Eric,
Are those rear fogs still available with their mounts? What trunk hold down are you using? Just something from Pegasus or is it a GT specific part? Love to piss Garvey off! These might be must have parts for that!