I wanted to touch on 2 subjects for this newsletter to shed some light on what is really going on behind the scenes of our Interior program and the 914 Resins program.



Interiors



As many of you may or may not be aware, we started making door panels almost 7 years ago. We had backed off on production of these due to the amount of labor they took to construct and the need to harvest some of the existing hardware from the old door panels. I am pleased to announce this is no longer the case.

 

We now fabricate this hardware and it comes standard with all of our door panels, including the cage nuts. We have also included all 18 door panel clips needed to mount the new panels to the door frame.



Note that the holes necessary for mounting the door pockets and pull handles now come pre die-cut. These are also shipped with the door cups to make this ready to install out of the box. Our goal is to make installation as painless as possible. 

We are currently building up some back stock and will be relaunching these in the coming months. The new listing will also have a few “custom” options that will include plaid, houndstooth, and even GT door pulls. We had to slow down on production to get these back on line in a manner that yields a better product.



We have also just completed the upholstery mounting clip sets for the seats. These are critical for making the seat side bolsters and center sections stay in place. In most cases, many of these are completely rusted away or missing as they were never available directly from the factory for replacement.

These will be sold as a set per seat basis and will include the pop rivets necessary to mount the clips.



We are committed to providing you with what you need to make your car look good. We look forward to sharing more information about future items that will be available in this category soon.



Resins



We had the opportunity to mount the complete trunk assemblies for both the front and rear trunks lids. The front trunk springs really have more pressure than they need to open the hoods so we are actively sourcing a better option for use with the resin hoods.

 

Fitment is looking good currently but we are making some adjustments to the metal that gets embedded into the hoods to give them more strength.

 

The front hood with headlight delete should be ready this before August, the alignment is good and only needs some minor changes. A few of the molds have some imperfections in them that are minor, but keep them from being 100% perfect and ready to start using. There are some “hot spots” in the molds that will require glazing putty and some block sanding to remove. They are minor, but we believe in full disclosure. We are looking at the costs to finish them completely in house as an option.



Finally, we will also have replacement front valances available this month. The steel ones are hard to come by, so if yours is undamaged why risk it? 



Stay well and try to get in some quality 914 time, 'tis the season.



 Remembering Roxie

I’m sad to report that my faithful friend and frequent shop dog Roxie passed away this past Wednesday. She was with us for over 14 years, just last week we were commenting that she may have a few more years left with us because she seemed so healthy.

I'm glad she got to spend one last brisket filled holiday with the extended family this past 4th of July. We already miss you girl.

 
 

Please submit your image and a brief summary to 914rubber@914rubber.com. If we select your photo for the newsletter you can win a $15 914Rubber gift card!

Introducing 914RR - 914 Rubber Resins

We have been dabbling in fiberglass for over 10 years now. The LE front spoilers, door cards, and door pockets were where we first dipped our toes into the water.  

We have now taken on the commitment to manufacture many new products after Jim Sheridan decided to step away from the 914-fiberglass business. We had the opportunity to purchase his hood molds, door skin molds, fender flare molds and more. The Sheridan hoods were known to be very spartan, perfect for race-specific applications that only required a skin.

We plan to take these products to the next level, starting with the hoods first. The first modification will involve producing an internal structure that will allow them to mount just like a factory hood. We will then offer 2 different types of fiberglass; a standard E-fiberglass (think Economy), and a more robust fiberglass commonly referred to as S-fiberglass (think Strong).

The S-fiberglass looks and feels exactly the same as E-fiberglass. However, it is made from a higher-strength glass fabric which gives it approximately 40% higher tensile strength, and a 20% higher modulus. This fiberglass has a greater strength and abrasion resistance when used as a composite reinforcement. Additionally, all of our S-fiberglass cloth feature an aerospace grade Silane finish. This helps create the most durable fiberglass option without the added expense of going to carbon fiber.

For those who do want carbon fiber, we will soon have the capability to produce these in carbon and even Kevlar fiber. Kevlar fiber will give more abrasion resistance while maintaining high tensile strength. We will be offering the carbon fiber in a clear gel coat and our standard primer gray gel coat.

These are just a few of the items coming soon. Look forward to seeing more information on these exciting new products in future newsletters and don't forget to checkout our LE Front Spoiler and Rear Valance.

We love seeing what exciting projects our customers are currently working on. Every month we showcase a couple of cars in whatever state they are in - on the road or on the rack.

 

This months winner is Dan Whitlock. His fuel injected 1.7 L was originally purchased new in Van Nuys, CA. The car then moved to Washington in the late 70's where it changed hands 2 times before Dan bought it off Craigslist in 2006. Six layers of paint and primer were sanded off the chassis and revealed only a minor spot of rust under the battery box. The car is currently being primed at Rillos Restoration in Kent, WA and the original engine is being rebuilt by Chris Goodwin Motorsports in Seattle, WA. It is shaping up to be a great restoration and we hope to see more. Thanks for the submission Dan!

Please submit your image and a brief summary to 914rubber@914rubber.com. If we select your photo for the newsletter you can win a 914Rubber gift card!