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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 21 2004, 11:25 PM

Hey everyone. A friend of mine has a 71 914 (1.7), and just bought a 76 (2.0) that he's swapping the engine out of. The 76 has a pretty bad hell hole, rusted longs, and rusted suspension console. The car has been sitting at a shop that normally restores Jags and Corvettes. They got the floor pans replaced and seem to have lost interest from there. The front end looks like it's in good shape, and there's just a little bit of rust in the rear trunk. Being in the midwest, it's not like i can just go to the 914 store and pick up a new tub.

The way I see it, i have two choices. Take this rusty tub for free and learn how to repair rust, or find someone willing to deliver a straight roller (or just a tub) and start fresh.

The idealist in me is saying save the rustbucket, and learn how to do it all... The practical side is saying run away screaming.


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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 21 2004, 11:26 PM

another pic.


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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 21 2004, 11:27 PM

right rear wheel well...


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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 21 2004, 11:28 PM

hell hole... couldn't get a great shot of it.


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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 21 2004, 11:28 PM

wheel out of whack because of suspension console


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Posted by: GWN7 Aug 21 2004, 11:34 PM

Free? If that's your starting point add in what the replacement metal from Restoration Design will cost, plus the tools to make it happen (welder, air tools, ect.) and go from there.

Do you have space to store it and a place to work on it ?

The worst thing that could happen is that you will loose interest in it and someone else will buy it from you and carry on.

Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 21 2004, 11:48 PM

I have a welder, and have access to any other tools I'll need. I figured if I put the 914 on rollers I can fit it in my garage sideways and still have room for the 44 and other car, so that should be okay.

Pricing Resto Design parts...
Inner & outer longs for both left and right: $440
Jack plates: $25
battery tray & support: 52
Suspension console $200
Inner wheelhouse (top and right): $190

So the total for those major pieces is going to be about $900. Not an unreasonable amount of money at all. I can fab whatever other small metal pieces I need to patch the minor holes. I planned on learning how to paint next month on my dad's car anyway, so by the time the '14 is ready for paint I should have at least a little experience.

Posted by: trekkor Aug 21 2004, 11:58 PM

If you are up to the challenge...That rust looks fierce. The rust is falling of the car in piles.

I'd hate to see the car flattened, but.

Maybe you would be better off with a different starter and this as a parts car.( is that even possible )

Seems like an awful lot of work to be sure.

I think, save your money and find a straight runner.

KT

Posted by: GWN7 Aug 22 2004, 12:01 AM

So for a $1000 (and your time)you will have a (what looks like a "not bad on the outside") car.

Need more pics of the outside.

Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 22 2004, 12:08 AM

Right now the car's sitting in my friend's garage, 60 miles away, so next time I get down there I'll take tons more pics. Here are a couple more that I got this evening.

Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 22 2004, 12:09 AM

interior. Jon's taking out the parking brake handle. There is a small bit of rust in the corner by the battery tray, and just a little rust on the driver's side along the edge.


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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 22 2004, 12:12 AM

a farther away shot of the front. In this garage, there are 2 914's, three motorcycles (2 Moto Guzzi, one Kawasaki KZ650) and my little trail 90. Oh, and two riding lawnmowers and one push mower. He's definitely a 'project guy'


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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 22 2004, 12:14 AM

Here's the front trunk area. No rust to be found in here... yet. I punched everywhere with an icepick, and this area felt solid. Sorry about the glare


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Posted by: Andyrew Aug 22 2004, 12:17 AM

Is that a dash cover? Or a good dash?

Looks like its at least a very nice parts car....

Here in cali its a parts car... But you... eh... You got 1000 bucks (or more) to fix that? If so... Go for it!

Posted by: McMark Aug 22 2004, 12:34 AM

Does it need both longs replaced? Usually it's just the passenger side. It's do-able, but it ain't gonna be easy.

Posted by: GWN7 Aug 22 2004, 12:41 AM

Ignore the people from the land where everyone has a 914 (or two) These cars are not found on every street. I've only seen 2 others on the road in the last 3 years.

Looks like a good candidate for a project car. The interior looks like a wire wheel would clean it up good and recoat with por15...same for the front trunk. If you learning how to paint, those are a good area to start on (paint wise).

Car looks good

Posted by: vortrex Aug 22 2004, 08:21 AM

if it were a six, sure go for it. why put that much money and effort into a four chassis!? the things are a dime a dozen and in 10x better shape than this one. spend the $900 for shipping a roller.

Posted by: trekkor Aug 22 2004, 09:27 AM

Where were you earlier in the year, Bryan?
With the help of this boaed it took a week to GIVE AWAY FREE my '74. Virtually rust free. Nearly complete roller.

KT


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Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 22 2004, 09:34 AM

Ahhh!! Where was i?! If you hear of some more of that action, let me know please! We're looking for rollers right now... Ebay has a few that might be going somewhere... dunno yet.

Where's the best place to look for a good roller?

Posted by: seanery Aug 22 2004, 09:35 AM

for the money you'll spend on panels you can get a very nice roller.
I wouldn't do it. The rust on that thing scares me!

Posted by: DrifterJay Aug 22 2004, 10:44 AM

put the crack pipe down and step away from the little girl

Posted by: sanglee007 Aug 22 2004, 01:16 PM

Hey! That fool looks like me stealing that red 914!!!

now...if I can get some time to get my 76 running...or get a chassis from a 70-73 (smog sux) for my parts, then I could actually drive my 914 more than a block at a time... the problem being that my 76 has was looks like a really good chassis, only rust so far is surface and the rear part of the back trunk, which of course can be poked through.

oh well...

Sang

Posted by: thesey914 Aug 22 2004, 05:11 PM

probably the worst rusted longs I have seen....

Posted by: URY914 Aug 22 2004, 07:32 PM

RUN!!!


Too much work. Part it out or save it for your own parts car.

Paul

Posted by: Lou W Aug 22 2004, 07:37 PM

Wow, Parts car maybe?

Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 22 2004, 10:07 PM

I'm getting the impression GWN7 is either the only one crazy enough to encourage or take on a car this far gone, or he has some dislike for me and is trying to sabotoge the rest of my life by encouraging this...

What I'm going to do for now is get the car to my house, and at least get the rust off of it. If it turns out to be too much, which it probably will, he'll take the car back, and I'll I'll be out is some of my time... no big deal.

if anyone sees a good roller in the midwest, or knows of someone coming through Nebraska with a truckload of tubs... email me! That would really help my final decision

Posted by: seanery Aug 22 2004, 10:16 PM

Brad Roberts is coming from California to Indy in October. He's looking for someone to pay for gas by hauling a car/tub out.

Posted by: rick 918-S Aug 22 2004, 10:26 PM

Brad has cars and has offered to haul one to some lucky club member. He has everything from real nice to roller. He even posted he has a silver car. Save the one pictured here for parts.

Posted by: bryanthompson Aug 22 2004, 10:33 PM

Thanks guys, i sent brad an email. Hopefully he can hook me up

Posted by: SpecialK Aug 22 2004, 10:42 PM

I'll take six of them, where do I send the nickle!

Yeah, that one is way worse than my '75. I had to drive all the way to Lexington, KY to get my rust-free CA car

Posted by: GWN7 Aug 22 2004, 11:08 PM

Nope not crazy (well not compleatly) and I never met you.

It sounded like you wanted to save it and all I did was point out the $$ involved. The rest of the car looks in not bad shape from the pictures shown. It sounds like you have the skills to try and save it and were looking for a project, so I said go for it.

No it not a "6" or a special car, but as it has been pointed out before there are less and less of these cars around due to there age. Some cars aren't worth saving, they are just too far gone. The salt/rust demons have taken the heart out of them and it is a case of "where would you start" to repair them. From what we have been shown, this one looks like a candidate for redemption. Once he gets into it, it might not be.......

I bought a fairly rust free roller in Nevada 2 years ago for my V8 project. The car cost me $440 and another $1000 or so (I don't include what I lost at the tables while in Nevada) to go get it and bring it home. Along with 8 days in the truck or so, there and back.

Figure out the materials cost (done) add into it the tools cost (done) and add your time to do the work (?) Add the pleasure you will get once it is finished, knowing you did the work and compare it to buying a roller and having it delivered. I'm betting cash outlay cost will be the same or close and you will have to do a lot of work on the new car also.

If you decide you don't want it, let me know and I might take it off your hands. I'll stick it up at the farm with the 71 and work on it when I have time and room at home.

Posted by: jwade Aug 22 2004, 11:59 PM

Along the same lines, I saw a straight apparently rust free tub at Alden Bros wrecking
yard in Sun Valley Ca the day before yesterday. It had a nice set of fiberglass flares
and the cutouts in the front trunk for a Renagade conversion. Everything else was
already gone.

It looks as though someone put a lot of work into the flares and then got tired (or died)
and the car wound up on the junk heap.

What a shame! Too bad someone couldn't save it. I wish I had the time/room/money to
do it myself.

john

Posted by: indydad Aug 23 2004, 09:03 AM

John,
You have an opportunity to learn a lot of skills and have something the "Check Writer" collectors can't understand. Something YOU did and the pride in doing it. The nay sayers may be passing on their experiences and are valuable to consider, but they are NOT you and they do NOT live in YOUR world.
GO FOR IT
Learn
Experience
Create
LIVE YOUR LIFE
GOOD LUCK

old dan in INDY

Posted by: indydad Aug 24 2004, 05:34 AM

There................I killed ANOTHER thread. What a bunch!

old dad is OUT

Posted by: bryanthompson Mar 1 2005, 07:57 PM

I finally did something!

From my http://bryan.e4industries.net/:

I spent 45 minutes today building a brace to keep the dimensions of the car while it's up on stands and I'm cutting the rust out. I used some of the small rectangular metal pieces that you use in fencing welded onto a turnbuckle. The whole unit is welded from a door bolt to a seatbelt bolt.

My welds were pretty sucky at first, but once I got a little practice and got the CO2 flowing, they cleaned up a bit.

Next step is to get it up on all 4 stands high enough that I'll be able to get to everything I need to. It's a little difficult finding places solid enough to support the stands, but I'll make something work.


Sorry, the picture's not the best... It's dark out there now and there's not a ton of room to maneuver yet.

That's all for now. I'm gettin' a little more motivated, boys!

Posted by: scotty b Mar 1 2005, 08:07 PM

EASY GOING on the welding. You do too much at one time and you'll end up with a Porsche pretzel! Bad part is, you won't know it till you go to hang the doors on it and BAM all that time wasted

Posted by: xsboost90 Mar 1 2005, 08:46 PM

i always thought that the best car was a rusty car, you can just cut it out and put in perfect new panels w/o regret...my car has very little rust left and it still drives me nuts! Little tiny holes in the darndest places. If you are up to it get started.