SWB 911R...the beginning

[speedo]

Love hate relationship with wiring diagrams continues. I am using four sets of wiring diagrams...
912 early(whatever that means)
911 early
911S
911 up to the "waterfall diagrams"
In the rear...
...the challenge is to rewire the engine harness to match the car harness. I find that there are several differences between the early 65-67 cars and the 70-73 cars. I won't go to detail, and if you have questions, email me. Suffices to say...takes some thinking. Grady offered to counsel my schematic...fortunately I got a passing grade
I now need to go back and make some changes to the recently rewired engine harness...I really do enjoy doing things twice. This will provide for a REALLY simplified
engine harness. Jury is still out as to whether I use a 14 pin harness , or two or three seperate 6 pin old school connectors.
In the front...
Less has changed...but I start with this
Looks like a box full of snakes. I have replaced some instruments still need to find a green faced gas level gauge (left side smallest) and an oil combo gauge (next to gas gauge...larger)...here's the important part...from an early car, maybe an early S. So if you have them and want to part with them let me know.
I am making some progress...unfortunately the wiring diagrams are not as easy to read as the waterfall later versions...and the color coding (between 912-911) is not as consistent as I would like....
As tempting as it is to just bolt everything back in...it is important to "layer" the installation correctly so that I don't impede the next object(s) that need to be reassembled. The instruments go in first, next the wiring
And done...sort of.
I have decided to mount the Odessey 680 in the smugglers box with the brake fluid resevoir...and maybe the wiper fluid tank. I will need to weld up a bracket for the battery...I know there are already aftermarket battery holders...But I have something in mind


On another note, during my dilemna with the re-keying of the ignition switch...I had separated the switch from the tumbler. During my electronics reassembly fun, I grabbed the ziplock bay with the switch assembly and it had REALLY become disassembled. The Porsche manual did not expect the technicians to work on this stuff...but just replace it. It looked bleak
I managed to get it back together correctly
I spent some time installing the front sway bars (rears don't go in till the engine / trannie get installed...shortly.

[gestalt1]

I learned about wiring from my 73 rsr clone. I used a painless universal harness and adapted the turn signal, wiper and ignition to it. what a pain. the painless harness sells itself as simple - it is if you can figure out how to lay it out to a rear engined car. it would seem simple but it was not. all the diagrams in the instructions are meant for a muscle car. when i wire my 68 911r i'm going to start from scratch, figuring out an original harness seems crazy. good luck Lars!

[Matt Monson]

Lars,
I may have the gauges you are looking for. I know I sold a couple off of my '65 but I think at least one of the two you are looking for hasn't been sold yet. I'll check today when I get to the shop. I can also help with wiring if you want more assistance. Can't be much more difficult than making an old VW think that it's a WRX.

[Duckworth]

If I ever tried this, my thought would be to create all new layout of relays and fuses. And forget all about the original wiring. ...Unless it would devalue the car too much.

What I'm saying is that I would gladly give up the ignition switch dilemma for a simple push-on starter switch that just about anyone ( bit cary) could light the engine. Then, some kinda hidden kill for the pump to deter theft.

In other words, an antique looking electrical system. Some fuses, 4 - 5 relays, and aircraft toggle switches spread about the cockpit.

Yeehaw !


___________

'82 Targa

[speedo]

I wanted to stuff the battery in the smugglers box. There are a lot of nice after market kits, but I wanted to make a simple vibration resistant setup. The little beast, and some aluminum and steel flat stock
The design evolves
and
cleaned and painted
assembled
I hung the support on rubber bushings and padded the surround with rubber also as these little 680s don't like vibration (I guess thats why they are used on motorcycles and ATVs?). I pulled battery cable back up into the smugglers box via the hole into the tunnel and drivers foot well
Bolts that side support the side bracket
installed
And done...nice and tight

[speedo]

I need to create a very simple console for the CDI, the VR the coil and a way to attach the 14 pin..plus a terminal for the lead from the alternator back to the battery.
I will not be running the yellow(trigger) and large red (battery hot) across the front of the engine to the starter as these leads are dropped out of the early harness at the starter already. All I need to do is convert the 912 engine compartment harness to a simple harness that will mate with the engine harness. I had already wired up the engine harness, and figured out the engine compartment schematic. I made the mistake of showing my engine harness to a friend (Grady) who had some other suggestions... minimize. While I didn't incorporate all his ideas, in the interest of simplification I did reduce the complexity in the engine compartment by half. Console first...started with a 77 console
first rendition
cleaned up and the bracket for my hot terminal
everything mounted for a first fit
engine spagetti
I decided that a 14 pin connector was going to be overkill. I sorted though a couple early harnesses and found what I was looking for ...early 6 pin connectors
Perfect, now how to adapt them...

[speedo]

I saved some of the sacrificial 77 electric console
shaped it
this will be mounted behind the coil and underneath the VR. The engine is now rewired and the male side of the plug
the bracket fitted on the console
temporary fit of the plug male-female
and all wired up

engine console is done...need to install the rear shelf sound insulation material, and an aux engine breather . I also need to reinstall the rubber trim around the engine compartment that slides in the grooves on the bottom of the longitudinal that seals the out the heat from the exhaust.

A little more electrical work to rewire the ignition and light switch, and then the brake switch, and windshield pump...and I'm ready to move past the electrics . I am burnt on the electrics.

[Flieger]

Good work. Electrics and wiring can be so frustrating.

[Macroni]

Lars.
You do nice detail!
Luke

[speedo]

In addition to the one of the POs hacking the wiring...they also threw me for a loop. The "headlight switch I was working with (4 blade) wasn't a headlight switch. It had a light switch knob...but the switch itself...was a defroster switch I'm embarassed to say. I found this out after looking at many early car light switches. The sticker on the side identifying the switch should have rung a bell, but didn't. Goes to show you that things are not always what they seem. Interesting to know...that if you are in a pinch...you can use a defroster switch for lights
Im all ready to install now that I am correctly rewired.
I laminated the dash with my fresh cut aluminum, and decided instead of purchasing a better knee pad than I had...or paying an upholster, I was going to try to do it myself. Started here
Yuck...looks like it spent time under water
I have a nice roll of black leatherette and fortunately, the roll is wide enough
I cleaned and prepped the steel. As bad as it looked, It was still solid...por15'd

[speedo]

I used the old cover as a template...but decided not to cut it out. The old cover was stretched and deformed, so I felt it would be better to trim as I went along
The horsehair padding was still in decent shape, so it got reused
I stretched it lengthwise
And the other way...Barqs contact cement...love the fumes, and it sticks well too
And done

Went from this
To this
There is a tiny bit of surface irregularity due to the horsehair padding...I refer to it as "upholstery patina"...hey , it's period correct.

[RWebb]

looks good & may flatten out more with time...

how long did it take to diagnose the headlight switch swap?? I'd be tempted to hunt the PO down and kill him...

[Fishcop]

Great stuff Lars!

I'm currently repairing my badly abused wiring looms - it's hard work Can I respectfully recommend that you look for a better product to bind the wires other than electrical tape?

PVC electrical tape deteriorates quickly in the auto environment and quickly loses its "stickiness" leaving you with grotty and gungy looms that attract dust. I've gone with a black and ribbed split tube product that looks very good and still allows you access to individual wires at a later time.

Just a thought

Cheers

[gsmith660]

Your attention to detail is fantastic, good work!

[ShakinJoe]

awesome stuff

[speedo]

Hate the inherent slop in the 901 shifter and I have rebuilt a few and tried to tighten them up. I love the trannie and the shift pattern though. I used a Seine Systems gate shifter (uses a 915 and converts it to use with a 901-911 trannie) in my race carand really like how it tightens the shifting and establishes a "standard 2nd-3rd" plane. I had planned on using a Seine System 915 shifter and convert it for the clone, but a month ago I bought waht I thought was an already converted 915 shifter to the 901 pattern. Turns out it was a 915 shifter that had been cut at the base and rotated 180 degrees and rewelded. Essentially swapping the reverse position from lower right to upper left. Looks like it will work...it was suggested that Milt used to do these conversions...maybe he'll weigh in.
Anyway, the problem with jettisoning the 901 shifter was that it housed the lever for the activating the heat ducts. If I replace it, I have no way to open or close them...hmmm theres a better way. Herre are the two shift housings...the slot in the 901 is where the lever pokes out
And here is the apparatus that holds the lever in place underneath the shift housing. I'll need to measure and exactly slot the 915 housing...first pass

better
Attached but not secured
Roughed in....
Bolted up to check operation...seems to be fluid
Tightened up
Works great...nice and tight . The second -third plane feels so much better than the stock 901 shifter

[kenikh]

Great job...was thnking of doing the same to add this as the witch for my cold start solenoid on my '69S.

[speedo]

I have stretched out the repro carpet set to get rid of the folds. I have a roll of vinyl ready to use to replace a lot of the trim rails that are 40 years old, sunbleached and cracked. The interior rail for the quarter windows are toast
The metal was good, like the knee pads, but needed to be cleaned up
Rough cut ready to start gluing
Done and installed

Carpet install was pretty straight forward...just time consuming
The question area is the dash. I had decided to make it simple and cover it in the same carpet weave as the interior...then I decided to replace the dash with a decent used one. I realized that the really early dashes have peculiar vent positions, so I would need to find a NOS early dash $$ or go back to the carpet idea.
First plan of attack is to eliminate the unneeded speaker hole

First fit

[speedo]

The completed dash with edging

Stealth defroster slots

Interior completed, with all the new trim installed...here are the door posts

Carpet set installed...shifter looks right at home with the heater lever


I need to shape the rear glass/lexan first, then get the glass installed...one of the next steps. Quarter windows are cut and ready. Windshield will be new...shortly.

[cool5]

Great work Lars. I was going to do the dash in my car with felt also. Where did you source the extra felt material and edging?

Using the 915 shifter is a great idea. I prefer the 901 pattern too, but it does tend to be a little sloppy, so if I understand correctly, that 915 shifter was cut completely at the base of the housing (aluminum?) then spun 180 degrees and rewelded?

Any choice on seats yet?

Love that 10,000 RPM tach too.