Time to dig in...softie conversion

[speedo]

Time to close up the front fenders...lights, horn grills and turn signal housings/lenses.
First the wiring. I already installed the outer front harnesses to the inner fender walls. I have never figured out how to dis-assemble the headlight harness without cutting the wires...the plug is too big to get out of the hole at the bottom of the headlight bucket...no big deal, just clean everything back up and reconnect.


New halogen bulbs with the bulb assembly "roughly fitted"...minor bling

Scored some new sugar scoops. The indent plastic ages poorly, this looks nice.


More bling...replated horn grills

And minor voila! Everything assembled!


Aaahh...success


Ok...enough shiny bling. Furry bling (carpet set) next whoohoo!

[mikeferg75]

Sweet!!!

[speedo]

My fault. I put the ignition key in a safe place...yeah where was that . I had the key I used to rekey the door handles, but the ignition key was a separate key and I checked all of the familiar places and I could not find it. On a separate thread I asked the board for suggestions. Answers I got ranged from...
1) get the vin number and call Porsche as they will cut you a key
2) buy a new or used replacement ignition switch with a key and use that
3) take the ignition out of the car and have a locksmith make a key
4) get the keycode off the ignition and have a locksmith make a key using the code
It gets better before it gets worse...at least for the entertainment factor
When the key was in the ignition, I could turn the steering wheel. Now that the key was removed (and safely stashed) the steering wheel is locked. Oh good I have a steering wheel lock on my ignition. See...told you. This got better before it got worse.
Ok, now it is worse. Removing the ignition switch without steering lock is easy. Removing the ignition with steering lock is a whole new ball game. Waynes book (thanks Wayne ) addresses tis problem but the chapters that deal with this are thin and focus on later cars...I'm on my own here. So I check old threads to see what kinds of problems people have had with steering lock ignitions...and how they dealt with the issues. These helped a bit...
Ignition switch - inside to fix START lockout
Ignition switch fix--mechanical
can I rekey ignition switch
But I still need to address my other options listed above before I have to dive into pulling the switch with steering lock. So answers to the above questions...
1) forget it. Porsche doesn't keep track of vins and keycodes that far back
2) new ignitions are $675 and used ignitions that are pulled from cars were pulled for a reason...hmmm
3) I don't want to do this yet
4) the keycode was printed on a small piece of paper and glued to the steering lock shaft 42 years ago. Think it is still there under the dash after all this time? Do I even bother to look? Hell yeah!. So off to the shop, crawl under the car and pray that the sticker is still there...please. Who was I kidding. That small piece of paper was long gone.
Good news :Thank god the car is on wheel dollies so I can move it around the shop and don't need the steering rack to work.
Bad news :I am going to have to pull the ignition regardless, and this excites me very little.

[speedo]

So I will try to summarize what is needed to remove and rekey a locking ignition switch for a 70-71 car. This might help idiots like me that lost a key, someone with a key broken off in the ignition, someone that has an issue with a rogue steering lock problem, or somebody that failed watch repair.
First step is to get it out of the dash. As my dash and knee pads are recently new...I am going to make it more difficult and intentionally not remove these. Three bolts hold the ignition in place...two behind the dash bezel that are shear bolts, and one pinch bolt that holts the locking mechanism into the steering column. The shear bolts heads torque off when the correct torque is reached when they are installed leaving a head that looks like a large rivet

I will drill out one of the rivets that (is actually a rivet) holding the face plate to the dash, and use a dremel to give me "purchase" to use a flat head screwdriver

With those removed,
[/img]http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/313197-can-i-rekey-ignition-switch.html
I loosen the pinch bolt through the wiring spaghetti

Disconnect the electrical connections

And wrestle the sucker out of the dash. It was not easy. My aluminum dash facia covered with new basket weave vinyl covered up the top right rivet on the face plate which meant the face plate didn't want to move enough to the left (west for me) to pull the ignition out...but I am determined and I won

Besides, lying on my back underneath the dash gave me a chance to collect any of the stray media from the sandblasting...still up behind the dash...in my eyes and mouth.

[speedo]

Working with the threads posted above and words of caution from Waynes excerpts in the 101 manual...paying careful to the phrases cautioning would be home mechanics that a mis-step may result in needing a replacement switch, I dove in. The pin that needs to be removed to separate the switch into the pieces necessary to attack the tumblers, is tiny. I was able to carefully work it to the surface like a bad splinter in your hand


This took a while, but I didn't need to drill holes in the housing, so I won't need to fill or repair those later...little pin. Remember these ignitions were not meant to be taken apart, they were essentially disposable.

Next with the pin out the chassis for the lock slides out and the tumblers can be removed




So far I have not lost, damaged or ruined any part of the switch, so I called it quits to soak in the satisfaction of garage mechanic's luck.

[speedo]

Running on juvenile confidence...I went after the tumbler. All the treads caution against removing the key with the tumbler separated from the housing unless you are very careful or have twentysix fingers. I was careful.

I won't go into the detail of the rekeying...but for simplification, there are five different pins that by swapping them around you will get close. Then you can file any pins that are "proud" very carefully. A lot of file and fit and file and fit. Be very careful keeping track of all of the pins and springs behind them. I am ready to try to reassemble this puppy

There were some issues with reassembling the tumbler and the housing...but they will be difficult to describe in print. Pretty much trial assembly and disassembly and repeat several times till things work together well. PM me if you have specific questions. Again...these were not intended to be repaired, so we are somewhat "cheating the system" by doing so

Once reinstalled...I am over simplifying again, the steering lock works well, and the switch works great. The attempt was not so much to save $$ as it was to get an understanding as to how the system was installed, how the lock mechanism works, how to fix it in the event of a failure, and to give myself something to do while I try to remember where it was that I stashed that key

[merbesfield]

Lars, that looks like it was a complete suck ass job, but as usual you did a great job. Now, if Murphy does his usual little tricks, you will find the key tomorrow. I too have often worried about losing keys and in fact did lose one, but fortunately had a spare. I know I should take the time to get spares made. Hum, maybe next week.

[preston_brown]

Nice work! Loved little tedious jobs like this when I restored my 356...

[speedo]

Several in fact but the current list is what I have to do before I install the rear window. And most of that long list entails installing the interior stuff that needs to go in before the side rear panels and the rear shelf. And that basically means the carpet set. Which in and of itself has a chronological order...which is basically start up front and work backwards. Kick panels are at the top of that list. My side first..

While I'm in there the tunnel and side seat rail mounts get final color and fresh hardware



With both kick panels in place I can move to the longitudinals

And done...both look good with the sill trim


Moving back towards the rear seats

Feels like it gets easier back here

[speedo]

But I didn't. It won't get used...there are no seat belts. But with the seat backs laid down, it is in a sense "a shelf". Pretty much a 1) lay it out to check the fit 2) apply the contact cement to both surfaces and 3) go slowly when laying it down. And remember...kind of like "rock-paper-scissors", carpet with edging goes down last.
Setting the stage



This worked out well

These go in next, or trial fit before the soft window gets permanently installed

And it is almost time to create the frames to mount these. I had forgotten how nice the contrast between the perforated and basketweave looks


I'm psyched...side panels, rear shelf and side trim and I am ready to conquer the bows and soft window

[merbesfield]

Lars, looks nice, but I think you forgot to black out the seat belt mounts before carpet install. Get out the tape and plastic

[speedo]

Ok fine...I will use photoshop to clean them up. Jeeze...got those solexes dialed in yet?

Speedo

[speedo]

Rear seat back mounts....happy now?

Kind of feel like I am stalling on the soft window bow install. One side of me justifies the procrastination buy doing small jobs that are leading up to the "real deal" with the excuse that things need to be done chronologically so that I don't have to undo something. The other side of me is a bit nervous that things won't fit...after all of this prep. As such I'm moving closer, figure a day away from actually having to confront the vinyl and bows. There, I did it...ultimatum time. First step is admitting you have a problem, right?
I really want to install the seats. But it makes zero sense to do so until the interior is completely installed. They will just be in the way. I can however sort of justify making the seat brackets for the pair.

And here they are. Look good huh? Hey, have to start somewhere...

I sort of have an idea of what they will look like in my head

I am using 3/16 x 1 1/2 flat stock and the standard tunnel and side longitudinal mounts. My modified Recaro E30 seats are still heavy, but lighter than the factory stock "bench" Recaros (I'm not going to miss that crunchy horse hair feeling), and maybe lighter than the Recaro sport seats. I don't have a set nearby to weigh, if someone wants to go to the effort to weigh one and report back...I will weigh one of these and we can compare notes. These Recaros don't tilt on their sliders the way the early sport seats do, but they sort of rotate forward on a parallelogram chassis. First stab at the crossmembers


The spacing on the E30 seats on each side is a few inches shorter than the factory mounts, so we'll need to accommodate the spacing...this should work

[speedo]

Roughed up for sizing

So we test fit the brackets...and measure for the set attach points and to make sure everything will clear dimensionally

So far so good...drill, fit and hit repeat for the drivers side

I'm done...prime and paint

And set them aside till the rest of the dang interior is done
Speaking of which, I have a day (today) to get everything wrapped up. Here goes...This is going to go quick. Side panels first, then rear shelf, then side panel tops, then rear seats right? Wrong...I'll explain later. These measurements are needed to know where I have to perforate my new shelf for the tie downs. I will be blind so I need to be able to triangulate to know where to go "in".


Done...almost

[speedo]

But still a screw up. Problem area is right here...anybody notice anything wrong?


I do. Can you say seat backs? As it has been a while since I disassembled the car...(can I still blame the painter ) I forgot the reassembly sequence. The rear seats have a flap that is tucked back up underneath the bottom of the lower vertical face of the rear shelf...hidden as it were. I spaced and installed the shelf first. No big deal, just need to carefully remove the edging trim screws and lift the lower edge up enough to tuck those flaps in place. Now we are done...correctly.


Tie down brackets in place which help to secure the shelf to the ...well the shelf.

Came out nicely.

Side panels all trimmed out with the belt guide in place...man, it seems like I have been working on getting these side panel and the belts sorted for a long time,
But it worked out ok. And I am glad I went the "belt upgrade" route.

The dreaded bows...

[Kidasters]

This is coming along great.

I remember when I re-did all of the carpet in my car. It took me 7 months. And that's with re-wrapping all of the rear interior panels and rails with new vinyl.

I would have left the middle brackets for the rear seats blue though.........

[Jays72T]

Always impressive work. Thanks for taking the time to post your projects.

[speedo]

[QUOTE I would have left the middle brackets for the rear seats blue though.........[/QUOTE]

Ok...we have seat police and mirror police and bumperette police...never thought we would have rear back seat mount color police. I need to move this thread over to the ESR where it seems like this stuff matters...Mark are you listening
So I attacked the soft window today. Were it not for curtisaa's help, It would have been more arduous than it was. So I am going to rip through this as it has been done before. Only difference as I see it is I made my bows and attachment fitting as opposed to using factory bows from another car...and this had me worried. I feel as though I am a good fabricator, but it is one thing to restore or replace a one dimensional part. The bows were complicated and this is where the rubber meets the road in terms of how things ultimately line up and fit.
Here we go...
My rear bow is two piece which makes it easier to insert into the vinyl, but more difficult to assemble the hardware once assembled. Let the vinyl sit in the sun to warm up for a while...looks like a gapping sharks mouth...with vinyl goggles


Ok, we install the big bow first

The holes for these in the bows need to be located and installed...I take my rough measurements


And commence the countdown. I am confident I will be installing and un-installing this all afternoon

I was right. With the rear shelf in place, I spent three hours trying to convert my fingers to a set that articulate backwards, could see in the dark and had mammoth strength. No way to find the holes to match up the catches on the rear shelf with the eyebolts attached to the rear bow...just no way. I decided after becoming completely frustrated to remove the rear shelf (which I really didn't want to do as I was of the impression that it was going to be impossible to reinstall after the soft window was installed) and after I did...attaching the bolts securing the rear bow was easy...I could actually see them

I was able to easily reinstall the rear shelf...partway there


I'm not going to lie and say that I only had to dis-assemble the top bow from the targa bar three times to get everything right.

[speedo]

Latches and receivers installed for the fourth time


Now with the rear shelf reinstalled...Mom, "I think we won"

Man...this was tough. My fingers, hands and arms are sore. I see why the big guys...Autos Inc (where my tonneau is coming from) etc, get the big bucks for a job well done. The rest of us hacks do the best we can


I'm beat. I need to roll the car out into the sun for the vinyl to heat up and find some equilibrium...it has beat the crap out of me and I have stretched the heck out of it...we are both worn out. My hat is off to all who have gone before me and installed softies on hard window cars. My hat is further off to anyone who has converted a targa without factory hardware

Speedo

[merbesfield]

Lars, I'm listening. Thank goodness you got that ever important detail taken care of, now I can sleep tonight. You have real perseverance I must say. That top looks like a complete *****! Blame it on the painter. Great job as usual.