DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

This morning I released the clamp of the heel mat and had a good luck at the hole repair in the mat. All looked good. I put a final layer of PU adhesive on the rear of the mat just to tidy all the frayed ends and left for work while it dried.



During lunch I visited the car in storage and picked up a few bits and bobs I had taken off and put in the boot, plus arranged times to work on it at the weekend.

This evening when I got home I started on the heel mat part of the hole repair that will be seen. The mat has a very specific texture/moulding finish to it which I needed to replicate if the hole repair was going to be invisible. I decided to take a cast of the heel mat in a position where it was in good condition.
I made a small contained area about 2” x 3” (just bigger than the hole repair) using masking tape and then coated the heel mat in the middle with a little liquid soap using a modellers paint brush working it into the pattern. Next I cut some more small squares of scrim tape and lit a large candle. Carefully dripping candle wax into the contained area and adding scrim tape in layers I made a cast of the heel mat textured surface.



Once cool it easily lifted out. I put it in the fridge to set solid while I had dinner.
Next I mixed up some light grey and black PU adhesive to as close a match as I could to the original dark grey. More liquid soap was brushed into the wax cast and the PU carefully applied to the top part of the hole repair.
Pressing in the wax casting as I went along creating the exact pattern in to my repair area. I was careful to line up the pattern for a matching repair.



The PU adhesive dries to a tough flexible rubber so should be long lasting. I intend to get some aftermarket tailored overmats for the car and the originals will be protected. I just feel better that whenever the new overmats will be lifted out for cleaning I’m not met with a gaping hole

The PU on the mats had set solid this morning and the gloss had faded to a satin matt sheen which made it blend in even more to the original.

Today was a typical manic Friday at work and I had to work through lunch and stay back a couple of hours this evening. I did manage to call Porsche Centre to check if my angle drive seals were in and left a message with the reception but no one got back to me? I’ll try them again in the morning.

This evening I started to strip down the FI throttle body. There is quite a bit of wear in the butterfly spindle so I need to see if just a new shaft will sort it or whether I need a new shaft and sleeve the body. Looks like it’s 40+ years of fine desert sand again getting into the gap between body and shaft and grinding it away. All made worse by grease or oil put on by the PO helping stick the sand in place to make what can only be described as grinding paste.

Today was a wonderful sunny March day, blue skies not a cloud in sight so I just had to get some of my cars out and blow off the winter cobwebs.
I called Porsche Centre just as they opened and was told all the parts I had ordered were in.
I juggled a few cars around and took one out to pick up the parts. After clearing out the building into the car park I had a good chat with everyone and discussed my passion for cars and Porsche and 914’s in general. Ash the parts chap knew I had a Delorean back home but NO-ONE at Portsmouth Porsche Centre knew that Porsche actually built the first "Delorean design" prototype on a 914/6 platform, so I just had to tell them the whole story!

Back in the late 1960’s Giorgetto Giugiaro had designed a sports car for the future. Following talks with Porsche & BMW, Porsche built the first incarnation of Giugiaro’s design on a 914/6 platform. This was in 1970 and was part of a plan to replace the 912. It wasn’t until 1976 that John Z Delorean signed up to the design and it was reworked to be built on a Lotus chassis (modified prototype Esprit) and became the Delorean DMC 12. Ironically Giugiaro was then employed to design the Esprit body too.
I think the history is truly amazing and the connection to the 914 should not be forgotten. Porsche kept a lot of Giugiaro’s style cues and they evolved into the 928. Just look at a 928 in side profile and compare it to a Delorean.
Giugiaro’s Porsche version was called the Porsche Tapiro.



And John Delorean with the prototype DMC 12 (with even the same tan interior as the Tapiro).


I thought I’d share that with you too.

Anyway, after picking up the parts this morning I got home and started moving a few cars around and took another one out to Machine Mart and bought some car skates, got back home and spent an hour putting them together before lunch so that I could spin yet another car around.
A van then pulled up and delivered these…..



Ooooooo they do look nice, absolutely fantastic refurbishment (thanks Kev for recommending the service) can’t wait to get them back on the car. Problem is that Berlyn Services STILL haven’t got my new discs and wheel bearings yet. I did call them last week, but was told they are on transit from Germany. I can only presume they are being delivered by tortoises not hares.
I found a set of NOS front calliper piston retaining plates (the ones that sit behind the pads) calliper bolts and new lock tabs on US ebay in a kit for £6 a few evenings back so hopefully they’ll arrive next week. New pads and refurbished pins waiting, new handbrake cables fitted, it’s just the discs now that’s holding me up.
This evening I loaded my V70 up with tools and parts ready for a full day under the 914 tomorrow

Enjoying your posts! The Tapiro still exists in the Giugiaro museum. It was sold to an industrialist who had a dispute with his workers, they took revenge by setting the car on fire. The car now sits on a stand with the back still burnt out. Would be worth a bob or two if they ever restored it!
http://drivr.be/wp-content/uploads/2010 ... tapiro.jpg

Thanks for that last post... I had never joined the dots between the 914 Giugiaro concept and the Delorean. So obvious now you see them together.

Also enjoying your thread....who did your calipers - Classic Car Automotive? Made a good job of mine.

Yes Dave, the same place as yours. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for and they have done a superb job.
Thanks for the update on the Tapiro, Aberdonian. It's such a shame how it ended up....maybe one day it'll be restored.

Today I have mostly been underneath the car.

With the callipers done, pads and pins done, I thought they look so good that I simply couldn’t leave the disc backing stone covers looking their age. So the first job this morning was to take off all 4 original discs and remove the backing plates (and tie bar from the rears). I’ll drop them off tomorrow with the bead blasters and get them cleaned up and powder coated ready for when my new discs arrive.
I had to put the old discs back on again afterwards so that the car is still mobile.
Next I finished off putting on the tinware under the engine and replacing all the slot head screws with stainless steel.
I then took off the old damaged heater hoses, cleaned up around where they attach to the car and cut my nice new hose to length. These were then fitted with new stainless steel jubilee clips.



Next I sorted out the heater flap box cables and fitted them to the operating levers. After a bit of a fiddle, I managed to adjust them correctly so that the lever in the car opens and closes smoothly and fully.



I’m still waiting for my new speedo cable from Roger Bray, 10 days lead time has turned into 3 weeks and still no sign of it. The old one is still in the car and shown in the photo’s but will be changed as the sheath is very badly damaged.
Can anyone tell me if the speedo cable and clutch cable should sit in the groove in the small bit of tinware under the pushrod tubes? Looks like it should (to match the gear linkage on the other side) but the clutch cable seems to be too long to wrestle into the groove of the tinware and wants to naturally sit lower than the engine, forced into its resting position by passing through the hole in the engine cross member?
The old clutch cable was cable tied along its length to the speedo cable before I replaced it but this is obviously not how it should be. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Next the gearbox oil was drained out. (Top tip…always make sure you can get the fill plug out before you take the drain plug out). The oil was a little dirty but nothing to worry about. There was a small amount of sludge on the drain plug, but nothing metallic so hopefully the gear change won’t give me any issues just yet.
While the oil was out I decided to change the angle drive seals. Since cleaning the gearbox off the other weekend I could now see that it was the source of a leak as expected. I got the “O” seal, aluminium washer and lip seal from Porsche all for a tenner so set about changing them.



(don’t panic, the vice is lightly holding the drive while I hooked the old lip seal out, not squashing it)

Once cleaned up I rebuilt the angle drive a fitted it back into the car. The retaining bolt was inserted by hand so that I could feel it locate correctly before a spanner was used. Nipped up and as said before “the wobble is standard” but at least it’s not leaking now and wobbles far less. All in all it looks a lot cleaner under there now (compared to even the picture on page 6 of this thread when I had already cleaned for several weekends)
Finally I topped up the gearbox with nice new oil before I called it a day.

This morning before work I did a little tin bashing in my shed on the removed brake backing plates. They were a little out of shape and the edges were battered flat in places. I had a rummage around in one of my sheds and found some old discs off one of my other cars that were a perfect diameter (just a little larger than the 914 ones). I clamped one in the vice and used it as a former to get the backing plates back into shape using a range of panel beating hammers (so as not to get half crowns in them).
I then went to my friends unit and moved the car out into the compound so that he could start work at 7am.
During lunch I went over to the powder coaters and dropped off the backing plates for blasting.
Tonight when I got home (after mentioning it yesterday) there was a packet waiting…New Speedo cable….if it had only arrived on Saturday I could have fitted it yesterday! Hey ho, that’s how it goes sometimes.
Anyway; tonight I needed to do a bit of work on one of my other projects so I ended up siphoning very nasty old fuel out of a fuel tank. Boy did the fumes burn and inevitably I ended up with a gob full a couple of times. I’d tried to run the car on Saturday and it wasn’t happy on 2 year + old fuel, so it had to go.
Back on track with the 914 after a cup of tea (for mouthwash) I went online and ordered a few bits ready for next weekend. I really hope the Discs turn up this week as I’m itching to get them on so that I can fit the callipers and finally get some long awaited fluid back in the system.

Today I have mostly been collecting more shiny parts

I had a card in the post yesterday when I got home (another parcel that required a signature). I was waiting at the sorting office door again this morning to collect when they opened.
It was my Front Calliper service kits from US ebay.
During lunch I called in at the nut & bolt specialist and got some new M8 x 10mm bolts to hold the disc backing plates on when they are back from the powdercoaters.
Tonight I started on fitting out the callipers with my nice new bits.

Here’s the old refurbished Pins and the new clips I sourced earlier.



Following the superb refurbishment of my Calipers I still needed to find new calliper piston locking plates for the front (the ones that stop the pistons turning and sit behind the pads) and the long locking tab washers for the calliper mounting bolts.
Both parts no longer available I eventually found them on US ebay using a Porsche Part number search.
As said before they were NOS and contained all seals, clips and rubber gaiters to rebuild the front callipers. Having just had mine done I only needed the missing parts below.



The rest of the parts (calliper piston seals, dust gaiters & clips) I’ll keep for the future. Not a bad kit for just over £7 a side, even comes with new High Tensile mounting bolts!
Tonight I assembled them into the front callipers using a light smear of Mintex Cera Tec special brake anti corrosion grease.
Still no sign of the new discs and bearings…..can’t understand how I can get parts “no longer available from Porsche” from a chap in Indiana, USA within a week and after 3 weeks still can’t get "in stock" parts from Germany via Berlyn Services???

Dee Fifti-neen in the Big Bother Hoose……

Today I have mostly been….cleaning up stuff.
Despite a manic day at work in my lunch break I managed to pick up a new pair of Track rod ends from my local Motor factor, some more replacement nuts & bolts and speak to Berlyn Services about my brake disc order. It transpires that after FIVE weeks the discs are “lost in transit” from Germany? All I can do now is sit and wait while they are either located or another set is sourced. So I don’t think with all the will in the world I’ll get them in time to fit this weekend.
Resigned to this fact, I decided to look at what other stuff I can get done, hence getting the track rod ends.
This evening I started cleaning up more FI bits. Still have a major problem with the FI wiring loom and throttle body, I priced up replacement parts (hoses, injectors etc) and tonight I have to admit I got my Weber Carbs out of storage and had a good look at them.
In between all this I had to put a few hours in on other car club stuff. I’m event organiser on one club and on the committee of another, so have plenty of tasks needing completing, plus I’m also involved in the BBC Children in Need Carfest events. I try to organise all my outings for the various clubs in a way that supports one charity or another and between them all I average £5-10K per year in money donated.
My next event is a private workshop visit to Spellbound Cars of Farnham on Saturday April 11th. (pm me if any of you would like to attend) Again the majority of the event fee, once food is covered, will go to charity).
Ok promo over, the remainder of this evening I sorted out some spare cardboard boxes and loaded up all parts refurbished & newly acquired into “everything needed to change specific parts” on the car that I’ve started to date. Since I’m limited to working on the car at weekends only, I’m trying to be organised to make best use of that time. This involves counting out bolts, washers, nuts, split pins etc and bagging them up so everything is there. I created brake backing plate sets tonight with everything needed to fit them, minus the plates which should be ready tomorrow.
Plus talking to Kev who's help is invaluable.

More running around today tracking down a few more bits and bobs.
I’m looking for a single air deflector plate if anyone has a good used one? So far I’ve had no joy finding one. Part No 914.559.163.10. It’s one of the little black plastic flaps that hang down under the car at the base of the rear bulkhead (in front of the engine). Any leads to where I can find one would be greatly appreciated.
Today I picked up some new spring washers for the rear calliper bolts and spent this evening painting the new track rod ends.
They arrive in bare metal and would corrode in time so I mixed up some black & silver in an old spray can lid to match the cast steel colour and gave them a coat of paint. You’d never know they were painted to look at them but hopefully it’ll slow down the rusting process.
I’ve also been discussing with Kev the speedo cable routing under the car. (Due to fit my new one on Saturday). We’ve both learnt something and hopefully Kev’s going to post some pictures to help explain.

You do realise Kevin will strike you off his Christmas card list if you put carbs on instead of FI?!?
(He does get over it........... eventually)

jackstowers wrote:You do realise Kevin will strike you off his Christmas card list if you put carbs on instead of FI?!?
(He does get over it........... eventually)

Sssshhhhhh,

Don't tell him...........I've been looking at my Weber jetting charts and also investigating Cam lift & duration of the stock 2.0L.

This morning before work I gave the Track rod ends a coat of clear lacquer over yesterdays paint.
During lunch I picked up the disc backing plates. Tonight is food shop night so after getting home later than normal and filing up the cupboards I went off to the shed.
As soon as stuff comes back from the powder coaters I tap out any threaded holes. With all the will in the world masking stuff up, the powder coat process is electrostatic so it creeps into the smallest gap.
Threads cleaned out and a little copper grease applied, they’re good to go for assembly over the weekend. Considering what the backing plates looked like beforehand(rusty dented and bent out of shape) they are flawless and BETTER than new now
The discs still haven’t turned up, so I may have to take the old ones off and back on yet again just to fit the backing plates.



The track rod ends x-ref to Firstline part No FTR4252 £21 each

I will try and look out my spares box of 'stuff' that came in the boot of my 914 when bought for restoration. Could be wrong but think I may have a spare air deflector plate lying around. Will revert once I have checked.

Did someone mention Carburettors for a lovely standard 2.0 instead of the factory fitted fuel injection?

Darren C wrote:I’ve also been discussing with Kev the speedo cable routing under the car. (Due to fit my new one on Saturday). We’ve both learnt something and hopefully Kev’s going to post some pictures to help explain.

Darren asked me the routing of the speedo cable to the gearbox as he felt that the factory would have routed it through the channel in the air guide plate and wouldn’t have used cable ties to hold it against the clutch cable as his one was.
I went through lots of factory photos to find where they routed it in 73-74 and if they used a cable tie or two.




From the outer firewall it goes over the engine mounting bar above the clutch cable; in doing so will rest against the cooling fan housing.
The cable is then tired with a 100mm fat cable tie to the clutch cable just before the air-guide plate, it then curves with the clutch cable leaving an access to remove the oil filter then across the air-guide plate; just after the air guide plate another fat cable tire is fitted.
The cable then runs behind the clutch pulley wheel bracket to the gearbox angle drive.
If the speedo cable is sagging, pull more into the cab to take the slack out.

Good luck fitting the speedo cable.
How did the GEMO replacement cable compare with the factory one that was removed, as the original speedo cable is very expensive from Porsche?

Darren C wrote:spent this evening painting the new track rod ends.
They arrive in bare metal and would corrode in time so I mixed up some black & silver in an old spray can lid to match the cast steel colour and gave them a coat of paint. You’d never know they were painted to look at them but hopefully it’ll slow down the rusting process.

OM make of track rod ends is LEMFÖRDER and they come ready painted in black and are the same as a 911 65-89. Cost around £20 each from Eurocarparts, GSF who stock the OM brands used on Porsches.