DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

When oh when are we going to have a day without horrendous wind, rain and hail?

It’s been a week since my last update, and I’ve been (and still am) manic at work. I hope to get my Christmas holidays the end of this month, but the way its going I might have to wait until February to get a week off.
Anyway having got soaked 3 times today and having to work in darkness at 1:30pm in the afternoon, I managed to make up a new “ported” vacuum pipe out of 4mm copper pipe.
This is to be a permanent pipe to replace the loose rubber hose I ran last week while tinkering with timing and vacuum advance.
I got the parts delivered through last week and brazed on a Tee pipe next to the dizzy and sleeves on each end to increase the diameter to 5mm at the Carb ends to match the Weber ported vac tubes. The pipe was purposely chosen at 4mm diameter to match the port on the dizzy diaphragm.
The outer diaphragm port is 4mm the inner diaphragm port is 5mm. Keeping them factory sizes stops anyone (or even me in a senior moment) getting them mixed up.
Like the first pipe I made for the manifold vacuum, I painted it a nice satin black and carefully bent it to follow the contours of the tinware and held it down with stainless P clips.
Running backwards and forwards down the street with tools, pipe and stuff I got soaked in the heavy rain which wasn’t funny the 3rd time after changing my clothes twice already!
Having pressurised the washer system last weekend (in its first test since rebuild) I had a leak from the Schrader valve core in the hose nearest the bottle. Again I’d pick one up during the week from the tyre fitters so got to change that over today.
Lastly I managed to source some olde fashioned black cloth woven wiring loom insulation tape on line last week. Today I finally managed to re-bind the “Tee” part of the engine loom at the base of the bulkhead in front of the engine fan for that OCD factory fresh look.

This weekend was a bit of a landmark date in the restoration of my 914.
After working in the engine bay, fettling, tweaking, imagineering vacuum pipes and tuning to get the engine running well; I finally fitted the last part back on the car……….The engine lid.

A new set of stainless bolts and stainless washers (made on my lathe) were used to hold it in place.
A good amount of adjustment was needed to make sure it was centralised to give an even gap on each side. It also needed adjustment forwards and back to line up exactly the thin seal between metal panel and grille of the lid, to the two fixed matching bits each side of the opening. Too close to the glass and not only is it out of alignment but the lid catches on the hinges and won’t open fully. Too far back and the rear boot lid catches it when opening.
After a bit of faffing around and in between setting the height of the rubber bump stops it was all aligned nicely.
The final job was to fit the striker pin (purposely left until last so while all the adjustments were going on, there was no risk of snapping the lock shut and not being able to open the engine lid if it was misaligned).
Again the striker pin was set to hold the lid down sitting flush on the bumps stops so it wouldn’t rattle with the minimum pressure to help it “pop” up when the cable was pulled, but not too much so as to jam it.

With the lid fitted the car looks instantly complete for the first time in 12 months.







Lastly this afternoon I took the jack out of storage and started to give it a clean up and repaint ready to go back into the boot.
All that’s required now is to sit tight for some nice weather so I can drive it around the block to see if there are any last niggles and MOT here we go!

Well done Darren - it looks fantastic. Bet you can't wait to go for a spin

Simply a knock-out restoration.
I have had some measure of inspiration from your efforts to restore what I have rather than to simply replace old with new because new is available.
Ive applied this to my winter hobby of restoring 2 wheels, namely my Honda CB175 classic bike this time round.
My wife thanks you!

Look forward to a selfie and a cheesy grin with 12 months all passed ready for spring.

Great thread, thank you for recording it for us.

It looks stunning in every way, a true credit to you Darren.

Thanks for the kind words guy’s.
It’s been fun writing, taking photo’s and updating the thread, and I’m sure to add a few more posts once the winter breaks and the car gets out and about.
In the meantime, a small update today….

Finishing off a few final bits and bobs I repainted the Jack earlier in the week. I also had the old tool kit cleaned up and took the box spanner wheel nut tool, the open ended spanner, tow eye and shaft for the screwdriver down to my local electroplaters.
This lunchtime I collected the tools looking all shiny and new again.
The vinyl roll (late type) was missing from my car presumed lost, so after a bit of searching I only came up with some nice (but wrong) early basket weave ones for sale. Studying a few pictures on line the roll I needed looked very much like my old Boxster one. I got one off ebay for a few quid and it scrubbed up really nice (thanks Cif). Albeit it has more pockets than the 914 original its not a bad match overall and comes with a sewn on tie tape rather than a rubber band (plus it's genuine Porsche)

This evening I lightly oiled my newly plated tools and popped them into the tool roll.



Kev, I’m sure you’ll tell me I’m missing something for 74 model year…

But the real originality question I have is….where does the tool roll sit in the car?
Inside the upturned spare wheel or to the side of it, or elsewhere?

Lovely.
Are you keeping the tits then?

Since October the doctor put me on a Gluten & dairy free diet. My man boobs have gone down two cup sizes already.

Darren C wrote:This evening I lightly oiled my newly plated tools and popped them into the tool roll.



Kev, I’m sure you’ll tell me I’m missing something for 74 model year…

But the real originality question I have is….where does the tool roll sit in the car?
Inside the upturned spare wheel or to the side of it, or elsewhere?

Darren You are missing the hub cap puller, even though the steel wheels changed from the 74 model year and had small plastic centre caps the hub cap puller was still included in the kit for the large metal hub caps.
From the 73 model year the tool roll was replaced by a black plastic bag with no pockets.
When they relocated the jack mounting position from the left rear inner wing at the very end of the 72 model year as the friction jack was replaced with the winding handle type, the plastic wallet tool kit would sit by the jack and held in place with a rubber ring round the jack.
The box spanner in your tool kit is completely wrong and not looking similar to the originals like the toe eye; the box spanner for the wheel bolts should be a short single ended 19mm.

Love this thread - the car looks gorgeous

Worth remembering the starting point

Beautiful Darren, you've done an awesome job on that car.

Keep it away from that nasty salt

Thanks again for the praise; as much as it pleases my egotistical personality disorder, I do truly hope that the restoration of my 914 provides pictorial and written information to help, inform and inspire others (but please feel free to keep telling me how good I am)
Kev, thanks for your advice on the tools. The box spanner was causing me some suspicion as the tommy bar is a loose fit in the hole through it. I’m inclined to think it may be a 924 one. It’s 19mm at one end and 17mm at the other. Is the 914 one just a single ended 19mm box?
An old factory reference photo of tools strapped to jack would be nice if you have one?

When are you going to get to drive it?!

Today was a landmark day for my little 914.

I’ve been holding out for the good weather and Spring to arrive for the MOT. Not only to allow all the salt on the roads to clear, but also to ensure the anniversary of the MOT will fall again next year in the Spring. From experience I don’t like having MOT’s due between November and March. The weather is always cold and miserable and if any prep or remedial work is needed then your out in the cold and dark trying to do it.
So today after a good week of dry sunny weather I drove my 914 for the very first time to the MOT Station.



It got a thorough going over…


The rebuilt and RHD converted headlights were aligned….



It’s PASSED

The brakes just squeezed in, over the minimum level, but to be fair with all new discs, pads and callipers a 3 mile drive wasn’t enough to bed them in, they started to get better on the way over to my friends workshop afterwards.

Finally this afternoon we set the wheel alignment, to complete the landmark day. The first time in many years the cars been driven, and the first time I've driven a 914.



Filling in the V55/5 this evening so hopefully straight in the post tomorrow morning to DVLA.

Looks gorgeous and a tribute to all your hard work
Well done!