Rear Suspension Console Reinforcement

I've heard horror stories of rear suspension consoles tearing  - especially on higher horsepower cars, or in competition especially with slick tyres. I've had advice from the guys on 914World to beef up the 'arms' that connect the rear suspension ear to the main chassis as this can be prone to failing so here's how I did it...

Here's the area in question..

I fabricated a plate with cuts in it to fit around the larger arm..

This was then tack welded along one edge..

Then the plate is carefully hammered and folded over the arm..

...clamped and welded down..

You can see I did the same for the shorter arm nearest to the camera in the pic above. I also added the regular plate to the chassis itself and welded it all up. Again, I was really careful to weld around the suspension so I didn't build up too much heat in any one spot. I also cooled each weld with compressed air.

Here it is after all the welding's done..

You've got to be aware that the Trailing Arm will need to clear all the added metal so I was careful to grind the welds flat where the Trailing Arm is bolted.

Job done...hopefully it won't break and I won't have to eat my words!

Tangerine Racing - Suspension Ear Re-Inforce - Drivers Side

Super quick then as I've done this before for the other side of the car. Here's the reinforcement of the Driver's Side rear suspension ear..

Here it is paint free and cleaned-up. I was relieved this one was even better than the passenger side ear. I guess the inside has surface rust but it's fine on the outside.

Here it is with the Tangerine Racing reinforcement welded into place..

I was very very careful to weld a bit at a time and cooled each weld with compressed air to avoid warping the Suspension Ear.

tags porsche 914 rear suspension ear tangerine racing chassis reinforcement upgrades

Spring Garage Clear Out

After stripping all the black stone-chip off the bottom of the car; and the various floor pan repairs, the garage was a royal MESS!

We've just about finished a large extension to the house which has given me a large piece of Lino that had been on our kitchen floor. I laid it out on the stones in front of the garage and merrily wheeled the car out on the Rotisserie. Now I can get rid of all that crap in the garage without covering the car in 'too much' dust.