Interior refinements

[BKOMAR]

I must say that after driving my new (to me) 911 for the last month, then getting the 914 out... the thing feels like a tin can! The 911 doors close with a solid "thunk" and averything feels tight and secure. The 914s doors close with a clang and everything feels "loose" What have you guys done to "modernize" and "refine" your interiors? Dynamat in the doors? Padding under the carpeting? The car is basically my wifes car now (part of the DEAL in getting the SC) so I would like to make it as hospitable as possible. I plan on recovering the door panels and replacing the plastic sheeting underneath...I think that will be a start. Thanks, Brian

[BKOMAR]

Obviously, by the looks of the cars that I have, I like my 914's so I am not trying to bash em! It just dawned on me that when these cars were new they had to be more solid (or else they wouldn't have been able to sell em' in the first place). There is only 5 years difference between my 911 and my 914 and I felt that the quality should be similar. It has never really been a problem with me in the past, until I got the 911 and it sure changed the "feel" of the teener. Not trying to make it a 911 but, I'm sure there are ways to make it tighter and more comfortable. Thanks, Brian (feeling as though I must clarify)

[roadtrp204]

Time to "blueprint" your 914. This works wonders on all cars and can make them feel like new. The process involves cleaning, lubricating, and adjusting.

For example: seat tracks- remove the seats off of the tracks, clean off 30 year old dried up grease, apply fresh grease and reinstall seats.

Doors are the biggest problem, dried gease in the window regulators, drivers' door suffers from wear due to useage, while the passenger door usually suffers from lack of use. Weatherstripping also plays a big role in the feel of how a door closes, as it breaks down there is less tension being applied to the catch mechinism. The door hinges and post catch can be adjusted for gaps and proper latching.

Another big one is just to tighten any screws or bolts that have come loose.

Just spend a weekend tinkering with the car, you might be amazed what a difference a little tightening, cleaning, lubricating, and adjusting can do.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

IMHO, you are at least partly equating "quality" with what I think of as "excess weight". The solid-sounding "THUNK" that you hear in the 911 is the result of having a door that weighs about 4x as much as a 914 door, due to extra insulation, more metal, power windows, yadda yadda yadda.

The 914 is a lightweight sports car. By the mid-late 70s, the 911 had become a comfy "touring" car with some power and that handled pretty decently. They are built differently, for different purposes.

The extra rattles in the 914 can get annoying, true. Fixing them is a matter of tracing every individual one down and dealing with it.

--DD

[John2kx]

Brian,

I recently purchased a '73 914 and years ago had a '72 911. I'm a little surprised at what you describe because just the other day I was impressed with how solid the doors sound when shutting the 914.

Maybe you do need some adjustments....maybe some new seals. My seals are not new and can't say if original or not. The plastic is missing between the door panels and doors but all the original hardware (nuts, bolts etc.) are there.

I've witnessed these rattles over the years with various cars and think allot of this has to do with who has been there to make repairs and how they actually performed the work. Over and over again I have found various pieces of hardware missing when working in this area of old cars. Amazing at what you will find at the bottom of door area......guess the PO was too lazy to retrieve the part and just buttoned everything back up thinking this non critical part will never be missed.

One thing is for sure........the 914 doors are easy to work on. I've been through the doors on mine making repairs to door handles, door stays and rekeying locks. I'll have to rank them as the easiest to work on of all the cars I have owned.

[BKOMAR]

Agreed guys, thanks for the input. I realize that the 914 is a lightweight sportscar and that my SC weighs more etc. (although it packs 2 1/2 times the HP). I think of the 914 as a quality car and just wanted to make it feel a little bit more that way. Actually, I have an alterior motive. If my wife drives the 914 for a while and we happen to go for a ride in the 911 and she realizes that the 911 is more comfortable then she will fight to be able to drive it! So... I plan on making the 914 a little more "chick friendly" to head off the fight at the pass. She already loves the attention she gets in the car which is a plus but i want to hedge my bet a little! Thanks, Brian

[Joe Ricard]

Yup the first time I closed the door to my teener I had a flash back to my 74 super beetle. Virtually the same sound. then I fired it up and the Bursch muffler sounded just like that pumped up 1915cc heavy breathing type 1.
Hmm could it be that these two cars were probably sharing the same roof during construction?

The whole feel is so pleasingly different than the 928. AKA super sonic vault.

[pbanders]

If you want your 914 doors to have a solid "thunk" when shutting, here are a few suggestions.

Remove the door panel. Make sure that all of the hardware for holding the door pocket or handle is in place and is secure. Remove the vapor seal. Remove any debris in the bottom of the door and make sure all of the window seals and hardware are in good condition and tight. Replace any degraded seals. Check to see if the rubberized damping sheet is present on the inner door metal - if it's as hard as a rock or missing, re-line it with a section of Dynamat or thick tar sheet.

Toss the old vapor seal, replace with Dynamat. It will add a grand total of maybe 2 lbs to your door. Replace your door panel, making sure all the clips are in place and are fully engaged.

Check the condition of your door edge seals, replace any that are degraded. With the roof off of the car, check to see if the window seals properly against the roll bar seal. If not, use the adjusters on the bottom of the door to reposition the window until it engages the seal from top to bottom. Note that it is often necessary to remove the seal and to re-position the channel to get the seal tight. Make sure that the windshield seal (the expensive one) is in good condition and that the little "flaps" are touching the window when fully up. If not, adjust the window some more until it does.

Roll down the window, replace the roof, roll the window up. Using your breath, check to see if you can "fog" the inside of the window by breathing on the edges and corners of the window. Make sure when the window is fully rolled up that it engages the targa roof seal. Take a test drive and note any air ingress, and readjust.

When you get it to where there is no leakage, try shutting your door now - I'll bet it has a much improved "thunk".

[BKOMAR]

Thanks Brad and all that replied....much appreciated! I was not aware that you could adjust the window and mechanism. I am sure that the windows do not seat against the targa seals and I thought it was just the seals but there is a large gap there and I figured the seals was not all of the problem. I have cleaned everything out but I do also have some problems with the clips/ nuts that hold the door handles on. A couple of them have popped out and the areas that hold them in have gotten wollered out. I have access to a welder and I think I will weld them into place. Looks like I could spend a whole weekend working on the doors....but I think it could be well worth it! Thanks a ton, Brian. I will pass on any insights when I get it all done!