Month: June 2011

Old Cars Suck Sometimes

peter

My wife pointed out that the brake lights are very dim on the 914, and I had to agree.  Since I’m using LED light bulbs, this shouldn’t be happening.   It’s odd, though, the bulbs have between 11 and 15 LEDs but only the center LED is on.  I checked the voltage, and it seems ok (13.2 volts), so it must be a current limitation somewhere in the system.

Apparently, the 914s have a weakness in their electrical system at the fuse box inside the main cabin.  The wires get old and break, or the connectors lose their grip, or the wires get crushed by the fuse box and the insulation starts to go.  Or all the above.  Sparky is going back to the shop to see about fixing this very, very soon.

Crouching Rubber, Hidden Rust

peter

I finally got tired of the rain pouring through the roof (even with the targa top on) and got Sean to replace all the rubber seals in the roof.  Naturally, he had to take the seats out to do this, as it requires clambering about inside the small cabin.  Of course, when he did this, he checked for rust (this is something you should always do with an older car, especially one without rust protection).  Of course, he found rust.

Of course, he fixed it.  AND added in a frame stiffener (914s are a bit weak along the cabin frame).  VERY nice work.

Rust under the driver seat.
Frame stiffener and insulation.
More padding/insulation. Notice - no rust!
Cabin re-carpeted. No sign of Sean's work.
New rubber seals - apparently a major pain to do.