racer

In light of the thread about making this area more active :

Well.. as I make my recently acquired '76 2.0 more track friendly, this past weekend I removed the original backpad (pad between and behind the seats).

Removed the 4 bolts holding the two seats on and carefully removed them from the car. Removed the 4 screws holding in the center tray. Removed the 4 screws holding the base of the back pad.. prooded and pryed... only to find two additional "hidden" screws - D'Oh! Removed those two screws. This removal was made a bit complex because the car already has a welded in roll cage with "v" bracing in the middle. And the part that always messes me up is trying to get the pad off around the engine compartment pull. Gosh i hated that part.. plus, the rollbar limits access to the pull to begin with.

So. Prodded and pulled and got the piece out. Disconnected the light. Only then did I realize that, from behind, the back pad is actuall made of 3 pieces screwed together. Removed screws and put all 3 pieces into storage. Also put the passenger seat in storage.

Vacummed under the seats. Found some pencils, some loose change too.

Then it was time to remove the harness guide bar. As mentioned, the car has a rollcage. Behind the rollcage was the, what i call "old school" harness guide bar. Located too high for the new seats I am getting (Kirkeys ) I had to remove the bar. The cage actually blocks access to the mounting bolts of the harness bar, so out came the hacksaw. About 30 minutes later, harness bar was in two pieces. About 1"- 1 1/4" in total thickness, the walls were about 3/4" in thickness. This was a very heavy bar... maybe 20lbs? Well. Cut in two, I was able to unthread the bar (the ends are threaded to allow for expansion and snug fitment)

With the bar removed, seats out and backpad out, it was time to improve the aesthetics, so, I installed some Perlon Felt (think trunk carpet material). Using a likely very toxic spray adhesive, the perlon was installed and trimed. No, its not a professional look, but on the other hand, if you don't look to closely you think "wow, that looks really nice in an OEM kind of way "

So. Part 1,2 and 3 of interior overhaul have been done.

Furute interior projects include:
1) Kirkey seats and Harness installs
2) New high Density padding for the cage
3) Need an adaptor/extension for the steering wheel

Sorry I didn't post pics (i didn't take any, but I could) but I haven't looked into those image hosting site stuff...

Van

Sounds like plumbing pipe!

I'd love to see a picture (if your picture size is under 140k, you can use the "manage attachments" button at the bottom of the "advanced reply" screen to upload pictures).

Slantnose!

Wow...you are moving really quickly.
When is your first track-event?
Nice idea using the Perlon stuff.

racer

1) First event should be Potomac PCA in April at Summit Point. Hopefully 1 or 2 autocross events by mid-late March if everything is done in time.

2) The perlon is a nice touch

Lots still to do though.. Need to get my Minilites ordered (6.5x15s) and my R comps (205-50-15); General tune up (plugs, points, valve adj), Oil return tubes /(pushrod tubes?) New stainless brake lines, track pads (I can't believe how tiny 914 brake pads are ) and brake fluid flush of course.

Van

Have you thought about the BMW 320 front caliper upgrade? That's an easy one.

racer

Not really interested in that. I've read a several articles that have come to mixed conclusions. Yes, the caliper is larger and yes, the pad is larger, but now you are putting all that additional heat and stress into the same stock, non-vented rotor. To me, great pads, great fluid, lots of air and "less braking" will be my goal to brake longevity

Jay Gratton

Matt Romanowski ran a pad in his HOT 4 banger that was amazing for him and he had VERY good luck with. Hmmm, maybe send him a PM and ask him what pad he ran but I know he loved it and he never had brake fade. I'll ask him as well. I would play with brake pads before do a major up grade.