lived in Austin for 3 years in the '90s,

but this time around it's looking like Dallas/Ft. Worth.


getting a bit off topic here.... pardon me,

but speaking of cracked firewalls, what a petulant bastard.

https://rennlist.com/forums/politics...rning-joe.html

I would unplug the computer before welding to be safe

Yes, it's VERY hard to see anything in this area, with all the cables, vacuum lines, etc. in the way. You might want to take a small pry bar, and wedge it between your clutch master and (memory is a little foggy here, and I'm not at home so I can't check) the top lip of the firewall - definitely not the firewall itself. Gently pull back on the pry bar. If you can easily move the master cylinder, try to see if you can identify the origin of the movement. As I said, with mine, it was coming from where the firewall and the left inner fender intersect, and it was actually pretty minimal. If you don't see any movement there, then it's possible the source of the movement is an actual crack in the firewall, in which case it would probably be best to have an assistant get in the car and press the clutch while you're under the car with a good flashlight, looking for the source of the movement. Maybe if your assistant shined the flashlight against the firewall where the clutch pedal is located while he's pressing the pedal, some of the light might shine through when he presses down on the clutch, which would help you identify the source.

If you can convince yourself you don't have an actual firewall crack, you might want to consider a brace as a preventative measure. I realize there's a strong anti-D1R sentiment among many on this site, and the last thing I want to do is stir that pot, but as an impartial customer, I have to say it is a very well-engineered piece. But you do have to buy his strut brace, as the firewall brace is designed to work with his strut brace brackets.

If you don't want to go the D1R route, I'm not aware of anyone else who makes a brace like this, so if this is indeed the case, maybe some people on this site could come up with a design for one. But whatever route you take, I'd say this in enough of a weak spot on these cars that some sort of preventative measure would probably be a very good idea, as the repair if a very expensive ordeal. Best of luck, and keep us posted as to what you find.

Best way to see if you have a flexing issue that can lead to cracking is to have an assistant operate the clutch/brake to the floor a couple time while you watch the clutch/brake. Watch for deflection or flexing of the wall where the components are nailed down.

Lol, you hijacker! :rolleyes:

So assuming I do the additional checks with an assistant depressing the clutch/brake & no flexing is noted, where would I find info about purchasing the D1R firewall & strut braces?

Turn left past the three headed dog, it's on the right.

Ha! ok, I found it, I think:
http://shop.design1racing.com/968-Fi...Rev-2-FWB2.htm

I agree. I remember now that I did the pry bar method while the engine was out of my car. I took a look, and there's too much stuff in the way to do it now. So yes, it's best to get an assistant to press the clutch while you watch for signs of flex.

The firewall brace might be a nice piece but the strut brace is a total piece of crap. That thing flexed like a bow in my hand. So, you have to buy a piece of crap strut brace to get the firewall brace?
Looking at it, I would say, there has to be another way to stop the firewall from flexing. The issue is not the soft firewall. This becomes on issue when you have other problems. If you clutch is buttery soft as it is supposed to be, you will never exert enough stress to the firewall.
All the people that are having this issue are seeing results of a malfunctioning clutch setup. Either the slave is not working properly, hence all the boosted fluid is not making it down, or either your clutch system has some other issue, like lack of lubrication. Often, people opt for aftermarket pressure plate, which would also add to this stress.
Raj

The Raj has spoken!:corn:

And you beat me to it!

Well I wondered about that cause I haven't noticed the clutch being difficult to depress. It seems relatively easy, or at least fairly normal to me. But I'll start paying much more attention to it going forward & listen for any squeaks too.

Oh, and I think if you install an overspec pressure plate it will also cause flexing.

Yes, that's probably true. It's even more confusing with so many people (including the previous owner of my car) having installed the incorrect "blue stripe", stiffer pressure plate, instead of the correct "green stripe" version, which is becoming difficult to find. i don't quite understand the mechanism, but I believe the blue stripe version, which is actually the 964 plate, has a stiffer spring, but because of different leverage of the 968 mechanism relative to the 964, the increased stiffness doesn't translate to more force actually being applied to the disk. I'm sure there are nuances to the situation beyond this simplistic explanation, but the net of it is that there are probably a lot of 968's running around with overly stiff pressure plates, which are no doubt contributing to the premature demise of a lot of 968 firewalls.

But regardless of how it is happening, it is a real problem. It is with extreme trepidation that I bring up anything related to D1R on this site (I'm neutral here - I just want to enjoy the widest possible knowledge base for the 968, so I participate in all the availabe forums, with no biases toward one or the other), but as far as I know, for those in the situation where their firewall is beginning to flex, but isn't bad enough to require welding, a brace would seem to be a very good idea, and I'm not aware of anyone other than D1R who makes one. If anyone knows of another one out there, please let us know, because this would provide an option for those who for their own reasons would prefer an alternative to D1R.

The D1R firewall brace will work with the KLA strut brace. You just have to drill a hole in the upright in the proper location, source one slightly longer bolt than what comes with the kit, and add a 1/4" or so stack of washers between the end of the firewall brace and the upright. Mine's working fine.

I do still have some minor flex when I hit the clutch pedal - even with my newly installed 2500 lb. pressure plate from RS Barn - but I've confirmed that it is not the firewall, it's from the assembly under the dash that holds the clutch and brake arm pivot points. It's a bit annoying, but I'm unsure if there's a fix for this. Anyone know?