This morning I tried like hell to just get everything done but didn't quite wrap it up like I wanted.
I took the notch I cut out of the bar and slowly fit it back into place. The engine tilt ended up leaving a larger gap on the driver side so I wanted to add back in as much material as possible. Even with the bar clamped to my welding bench it kinda sprung and bowed a little bit. I should have slowed my welding down to avoid that.
Holes were drilled for the removable mount while the bar was still clamped to the bench. I'm pleased to report they work as intended.
The rigid mount is mostly welded but still needs the gussets discussed earlier in this thread added.
After letting it all cool down I figured I should at least check to see if it will all bolt back in place or if I'm going to need to tweak it. Everything bolted back in without a hassle but it does feel a bit more snug than before.
That's when I decided to call it for the day. I didn't feel like cutting or welding anything else and quite frankly think it's time for a break. Motivation will be at an all time high when I get back from our trip. I'll have quite a few days to tinker before going back to work so I think it's best to walk away for a breather.
I also may need to jump to something else for a little while to try and break things up. I've got brakes, fuel lines, coolant lines, wiring, etc. that can all be messed with to take a break from fab work.
Of course I took zero progress pics other than to show how little the trans mount will be visible if at all. The rear roll pan isn't installed and once the muffler is in place it's all invisible.
Here you can kinda see the bolts for the removable mount.
And a side view. No trick photography here folks. That engine and trans are supporting themselves!
It's nice to see the rear drop down a little now there's weight added.
captainawesome said:
In reply to fouckhest :
I need to check and see if I have anything larger for MIG in my cabinet. I'm almost done with the thicker metal welding but could be handy in the future.
Keep an eye out for HF coupons, their welding wire is decent, thats what I've been using
I just bought an 11lb spool from HF in the .025 size just a few days ago, works really well even in my 35 year old Mig welder. However, it was the last one they had, and it had been sitting in the back for a long time - had a thick coat of dust on the package! Point being I think they've all moved to .030 now.
Well I couldn't just stop for the day. After cleaning up I decided I could at the very minimum cut out some templates for the driver side mount and last patch for the oil pan notch. After that I decided I might as well cut them out and shape them in metal. And of course might as well tack them in place. Which then led to me finish welding all of the driver side mount and oil notch.
After tacking in the lower gusset I decided that would be more than plenty of structure so for now I'm skipping the upper gusset. I could tell the gusset plate stiffened up where it bolts to the block a bunch. I did however add a little leg of square tube since this arm is so long.
Last photo dump until I get back from the trip.
I plan to fully weld the passenger mount when I pull the whole drivetrain back out. I want to keep it bolted to the block to keep everything aligned.
I got back in late Thursday evening from the Spain trip. It was nice to get away from everything including this project.
Today I decided to start tinkering again. I didn't want to do any cutting or welding and since I now have a located transaxle, I can start figuring out axles.
I've got some 986 5 speed axles that came with the trans. They have 100mm inner CVs with 28 spline inner shafts. The inner CV bolt size is 10mm vs the usual 8mm which is puzzling. The good news is that there are lots of 28 spline axle shaft lengths available for the 930 and I think I know what length each one needs to be now. More on that later.
One of the biggest hurdles with Boxster axles is that the outer isn't technically rebuildable. The metal flange is fused so you can't really open it up to remove the circlip. That's sort of true. I found a thread where someone cut the flange lip and then threaded some holes to bolt the cover back on. I thought that seemed reasonable but now after cutting it off it seems like more work than necessary. Pretty sure I can just use a larger diameter boot to replace the metal flange entirely.
So that's what I started to do. Here I cut around the flange until the flange let free. Oddly enough there's a lip there with a large o-ring sealing this internally as well. I happened to cut right next to it. After removing the rest of the fused part and the o-ring I should have a great surface and sealing lip for the new larger boot. You can kinda see the o-ring next to the cut.
This was the shortest of the axles but was still about 10mm too long for the passenger side and 50 mm too long for the driver side. I still hold out hope they can be shortened by Dutchman which would cost about $150 for the pair. That doesn't include shipping.
I had it all torn down but failed to snap a pic. The axle length here is 21 3/4". My quick math says a 21 3/8" would be good for the passenger side while the driver side will need a 19 1/4" if I buy aftermarket units. I'll have to double check measurements before ordering. Most vendors list as matched pairs so I'm hoping to find one that will sell different lengths as a pair. I can order custom for around $500. Funds are tight right now so shortening what I have would be the budget solution if possible.
Here's a couple pics of how the splines and grooves are machined. There's no way this could really be shortened ~10mm but it could be the 50mm I need for the driver side. The other shaft I have is considerably longer but plenty of meat to be shortened for the passenger side. They are hollow but the same inner ID throughout with a larger OD at the center of the shafts.
Have you looked at Vw /Audi drive shafts like A4 Passat platforms for length
I'll get a look at my Tiptronic 986 axles. I know that one side is short compared to the manual axles.
In reply to Arosa14tdi :
I have. In fact I was hoping VW would have me covered but not finding anything that's 28 spline in my searches. Still looking into it though. Just knowing what axles have 28 spline would help a ton. The one database I've found is mostly cars that use tripod inners so the shafts wouldn't really work for my application anyway.
Edit: Audi axles run tripod inners when using 28 spline. I think the only other shafts I have to choose from are Boxster S, some Boxster base models around the same year of my trans donor, early 911, and 930s. Unfortunately the measurements I have found so far are too short for the passenger side. I haven't found any measurements of the Boxster axles with 28 splines since they are considered non-rebuildable this isn't surprising.
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
I have your Tiptronic axles. Unfortunately they are too short on both sides. I can technically get one to stretch into place but then there's the problem with the cv flange using 8mm vs the 10mm that's on the output shafts of the trans.
In reply to captainawesome :
Right, I forgot. I have a few other axles from Audi and VW, but probably all 36(?) spline. I'll check.
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
I also have the pair of late 914 axles from the parts car with the same issues. Wrong spline count and flange for CV isn't the right pattern for the output flanges.
I've considered the idea of moving the whole drivetrain over ~10mm towards the driver side to only have one custom axle. That seems like a lot of work though now that the engine and trans are basically located where they need to be. If I can confirm Dutchman can shorten what I have for around $150 it seems worth the money since I only have $100 in this pair before buying new boots to fit.
Unfortunately I don't think these can be shortened. After taking both axles completely apart to do more measuring, I looked through all of the Dutchman info. At first I thought I was golden since there's plenty of material to work with, but that is actually the problem. They won't take off more than .100 of material due to heat treatment and I would need at the thickest part around .1397 to be removed, possibly more. I still plan to call them tomorrow to triple check but it may just end up being custom axles in the end. Frick!
Here you can really see how much material would need to be removed. I'm afraid it's just too much.
I'm heavily considering moving the whole drivetrain roughly a 1/2 over towards the driver side. That would allow me to use one of these without shortening. The other I may be able to find an off the shelf one. The other option is to move everything over a an inch which would then give me even length axles. I'd need to find something that would work first of course. Lots to ponder.
Somewhere in 500 pages of AngyCorvair's build, he had axles custom fit by cutting and sleeving - if I remember right. Ask him.
In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :
I recently went from beginning to end of that thread and recall most of the axle details. I believe they were farmed out to a local GRM welding guru. It's still possible to go that route and if they can't be shortened a temporary solution while I collect funds?
If I move everything over 1/2-3/4" I could probably use a Tiptronic on the driver side and the driver side axle from the Boxster transaxle donor to the 914 passenger side. I think.
There's a Tiptronic axle with the 108mm flange that looks to be the same or similar length to what I have here. I think it's a 28 spline since it's an S model, so I could swap the inner CV to the one I have. If it's a little short even after moving 3/4" over I can buy a small spacer for the flange to help. At least that's what seems logical in my head.
I'm glad the reference isn't "AC did it this way. Don't be like AC!"
Axle cut and splice talk starts on this page
my axle shafts were solid, and different ODs, so we machined sleeves to accommodate the different ODs and welded them together. We square cut the ends which is worst case for concentrating the heat effected zone. This method is DIY-able vs cutting new splines, and with slash cut sleeves it'll be plenty strong.
I haven't put enough abuse through mine to say whether or not square cut sleeves are terrible. 😢
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
I've got someone that could do the welding for me but he's usually swamped with work. These axles are hollow which I'm not worried about since I could put a solid rod inside with the rosette but welding and keeping these straight without warping takes patience. I'm probably not the best for the job. I also have the luxury of LEGO parts to make something work.
I called Dutchman and the gentleman on the phone said the information about the axle thickness being too big wasn't an issue with CVs. That info was geared more towards c-clip or straight axle shortening. He didn't sound initially enthusiastic about my planned shortening but that it might be possible? He said to ship them in and they could look them over. I asked if I could send pics of my axles and maybe based on those he could say with more confidence whether it's worth shipping them or not. After receiving the pics, he seems confident it won't be an issue at all! That's still not a guarantee but it's hope and I'll take that.
With my newly found optimism I'm going to find some material (pretty sure I have some PVC in the attic) to cut and mock up the lengths I had planned to make sure they will fit within the space with room for expansion or collapsing properly. I don't know the amount of gap a relaxed CV axle has or stretch in relation to the output flange, but usually there's enough slack to remove one. Say 1/2" an inch or so?
Maybe early BMW axles? T think that I remember then having different width spacers . . .
In reply to MuSTANK :
Sadly I had some old e21 axles I tossed a few years ago that may have answered that question.
In reply to captainawesome :
Take the boots off and cycle the suspension to make sure the plunging joint doesn't hit its stops. If you can find a PVC pipe that is a nice snug fit in the joints, that will make life a lot easier.
An aside, I would use new plunging joints if possible. They wear at the plunge depth at normal ride height. It's not uncommon with used joints to get a righteous shake under load after changing the axle plunge (by alignment or ride height change) because now the rollers/balls are moving in and out of the worn area.
Orrr... you can flip them left for right. SAAB 900 guys used to do that. I guess they made their inner joints out of peanut butter and they'd wear quickly.
Anyone else tired of talking about axles yet?
I've spent more hours taking apart and reassembling cv joints than I ever thought imaginable the past couple days. I've learned a lot about how they go together and function. For a while I was learning how to reassemble them incorrectly. That was neat.
I've also gone through every conceivable option that would net the cheapest and still somewhat serviceable axle set possible. There's a lot of different parts that can be cobbled together but it all adds up fast in cost. The inner CV needing to be a 100mm OD with 10mm bolts kinda complicates things. So the stuff I did find was going to be $200-400 for just the CVs, and two of them would need drilled for the 10mm bolt holes. Then an additional ~$350-500 for axles at the right length. Oh and this means running 25 or 33 spline because there's NOTHING in 28 spline with a 100mm CV joint that is affordable because they typically are 108mm. I could use 108 but that would require adapters to the 100mm flange which aren't cheap either.
I mentioned this before, but I wanted to unbolt the engine/trans and slide it towards the driver side a 1/2". I had a suspicion that would be enough to fit the axle and still allow full movement throughout the range. This would also confirm my PVC measurements. After moving it over, I quickly confirmed I was on the right track. I kinda hoped the 1/2" movement would then allow me to fit a newer Tiptronic axle to the driver side without any shortening. Unfortunately the Tiptronic would still be too short by an inch if not more. I have yet to find anything that's the correct length so I'm going to commit to shortening these. I also wanted to keep the length as close to equal as possible for driveline angle.
Anyway I have settled on measurements for the axles and it's only an 1/8" shorter than I thought from the beginning for both sides. 21 1/4" passenger and 19 1/4" driver side, so a 2" difference between the two exactly.
I still need to track down the outer boots that originally were fused to the joint, but I think it's 90mm outer ID with 34mm inner ID and length is roughly 100mm.
Axle shafts shipped out yesterday to Dutchman so I can start moving onward elsewhere.
I need a fuel system to run. So it's time to start tackling that. I purchased new stainless fuel lines that run through the tunnel back in October but have yet to install them. There's a little bit of firewall repair needed in that area before I can send them through.
Those two wonky grommets are where the lines go.
The blob thing is where the clutch cable tube resides. It appears this is a common tear out or failure from fatigue over time. Until the engine is out again I'm going to hold off on doing anything here since it's way too tight.
What I can focus on is the fuel tank. It had quite a bit of old sediment from dried up fuel maybe a 1/4 tank height? Most of it suctioned out with the shop vac. With some poking of an aluminum piece of strap and a long wire brush I was able to break more of it loose. It was too cold out to do any powerwashing so after another shop vac I dumped in some Metal Rescue and Evaporust. It wasn't enough to cover all of the surface but with days of moving it in specific directions I think it will clean up easy.
Here's when I dumped it in. I tilted it to cover the baffled area first. I should have got a before shot with it dry but I'm an idiot.
After sloshing it all around for a bit I settled it back towards the sump area. Since this stuff is really only active around 70 degrees I set my garage heater with 4 hour timer pointing directly at it before bed.
When I woke up this morning this is what it looked like.
Looks like a few hours here and there should get it converted easily from crap to cleanish. I'll keep moving it around to get the gross spots over the next couple days, then powerwash what's visible. A soapy rinse, then follow that up with alcohol.
My only goal for today was to get the pedal box and master cylinder out. I've been dreading this because the gas pedal bolts looked like most has disappeared so I've been soaking them in PB Blaster for a while now.
A 10mm slid over the bolts but was loose. I hammered a 9mm socket on and hoped for the best. Much to my surprise they both broke loose and came out without much fuss. This thing is crunchy inside the rubber so a new one will be ordered at some point. Luckily they aren't that expensive.
With that out of the way I removed the nuts holding the brake master cylinder and pedal box in place. No drama here either which was nice.
I guess there is some drama. Whatever accident this car was in had the steering rack or front suspension beam shove the master cylinder into the floorpan which bent the flange of the pedal box. It also did the same to the floor pan. I took a wood block and hammered it back flat on the floor pan but the metal must have been fatigued from brake work and stretched so much so it cracked at the mounting holes. I'll make a reinforcing plate after welding this back up.
I didn't take any good pics of where the pedal box flange is bent, but you can see it here.
Since that was all I planned for the day I decided to call it good. Tomorrow I'd like to remove the rest of the wiring harness from the dash area and heater system.
Also I'd like to point out I really am an idiot. I've been working on the interior area this whole time with the targa top on. WHY? I remembered to take it off today and it made life so much easier. I can actually see stuff really well without needing a couple lights in my way.
Are you going to do a cable throttle or drive by wire? If dbw, I think you'll need a different gas pedal altogether.
In reply to Lof8 - Andy :
There are ways to do cable throttle with drive by wire. Some Odysseys used a throttle cable to go to an underhood APP sensor, looks really slick for drive by wire conversions if the computer is happy with its sensor outputs.
In reply to Lof8 - Andy :
Going cable since the 750 Elite doesn't support DBW. I saw you had to trim the throttle linkage a hair for the clutch master. I haven't looked into what I'll need for a cable setup yet. Did you modify the stock 914 cable to work?
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Oddly enough the TSX uses the same setup or similar. If I ever go DBW with this car that's probably the setup I will use to convert.
