Olympic Blue / Silver metallic 1972 US Import 1.7L

[Mr Pharmacist]

Those bushes stink when they burn don't they!?

[LMR]

Even with a bad cold and wearing a filtered dust mask, I have to agree. Definitely an outdoor job!

[LMR]

My new die grinder turned up, so most of today has been getting the engine bay ready for paint. But I have taken the time to fit these.



I considered the pro's and con's of gas struts for quite a while. I am not sure I would have made the change if it wasn't for the fact I had to remove the tension springs to paint the engine bay.

I also did a check to make sure the targa top will still fit

[LMR]

More prepping today. One of the repaired panels needed a hole cutting in for the drain pipe. Rather than drilling lots of holes and joining then up, I bought a hole cutter. Simply drill a pilot hole, tighten the two parts together.......



and you have a perfectly formed hole without having to resort to lots of drilling and filing.



And just because I cannot resist a photo of a shiny panel - the boot floor. Nice and solid

[LMR]

I had booked a day off today, but due to a pulled muscle in my chest, I couldn't progress as planned.

I did manage to collect some parts from the platers. I will cover the full list when I get around to fitting stuff, but as a quick example, below it the fuel filler cap as removed from the car



And after the parts were cleaned and plated



and reassembled



I am just waiting for the seal to arrive, and that is another part completed - I know it is only minor, but it is progress

[LMR]

I have deliberately limited the number of photos of bodywork preparation, but progress has been solid. I now have nightmares about olympic blue. I have spent hours with thinners soaked rags getting the paint to lift before rubbing it off and then preparing the surface. Anyway, enough ramblings, the car is now is in primer in the boot area, engine bay and fuel area. Hopefully, paint next week

[Darren C]

Looking GOOOOOOOOOOOOD

All these 914's in new paint is going to be a very nice sight to behold

[LMR]

I was about to comment it is 914 paint week!!

[chief]

Awesome Phil!
We need some pics of that lovely powder coated suspension as well please...

[LMR]

So, Chief had a sneak peak of what I picked up yesterday.....

I know some people want originality, but as the photo below shows, whilst there were factory markings on the trailing arms, there was also missing paint.



As I have said before, I am a fan of powder coating. But I also know from bitter experience that it is a pig to remove from areas where you don't want it. The area I was most concerned about was the bearing housing. After considering various options, I decided to leave the existing bearing in place. But I covered each end, one with a sheets of aluminium.....



.......and the other end with an aluminium disk, with a bolt in between



When I stripped them off, it had worked a treat, the plates, covered, but nothing on the bearing or the mounting faces



So I popped the bearing out. In situ, the bearing didn't feel too bad, but once out, I could feel movement in the bearing when I gave it a shake. And it looked pretty ratty next to the new one.



So, this morning I reassembled the trailing arm. New bearing (kept in the freezer overnight), poly bushes, and components zinc plated



Reassembly was uneventful, but very satisfying!





Both done in no time at all



These are now bubble wrapped and ready to refit.

I also picked up some other parts

[chief]

Class Phil, class....

[LMR]

Blooming cold today, which limited my time at the workshop. When stripping the car, whilst lots of it was better than I expected, I was occasionally amazed at some of the areas where rust has broken out. The gauges being a case in point



The back of the instrument was no better



I did contemplate just addressing the front of the instruments. Retaining the rear as was would have kept the date stamp. But I am not about to put corroded parts back onto my car, so I have had the cases plated.



And painted the dial surrounds



They look much better but not perfect. I was contemplating getting new bezels, but couldn't find the part numbers. Has anyone else done this?

[LMR]

Whilst having a tidy up, I found the original tool bag. There are tools in the bag, but I don't want to force it as the material feels fragile. Does anyone have any tips on how to restore the material (which I assume is plastic)?

[Darren C]

Cif & soft tooth brush for the vinyl.

Boiling water in a mug with clothes washing powder to soak tie up tapes for an hour then gentle tooth brush scrub.

Rinse & dry

Maybe a light spray with armoral plastic UV dressing on the vinyl once bone dry.

[chief]

Phil,
It worries me that your phone is in an evidence bag......