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Posted by: alfadoc Nov 12 2015, 03:33 PM

Posted last week that I was considering buying a local car. It will go into dry storage awaiting restoration. Thought I'd share a couple of pics.

Stuck a battery in it. No starter engagement and no fuel pump whir. Maybe I just need to jump the seatbelt relay. Fingers crossed. It's not home yet, so I haven't really had a chance to wrench on it.

Really checked out the floors, and they are absolutely solid in passenger compartment and trunks. The battery tray is crusty and there are a couple of little bubbles in the adjacent side panel. Everything I can see and feel below the battery tray is solid. No rust on the battery tray support.

Under the jack points there is an area about 1" long where the seams come together that you can stick a screwdriver through. otherwise solid. It does have this one odd rust area on top of the rear quarter. Likely the result of a poor bondo job. Anyway, I can't wait to get this in out of the elements. My first 914. I don't think I did too badly for $1500. Oh, and bonus, it has Konis and a Bursch street exhaust with a cat delete.

Posted by: Racer Nov 12 2015, 03:37 PM

Congrats!

Posted by: veekry9 Nov 12 2015, 03:45 PM

The car of the future,impact bumpers design to meet the then new standards.
Aiy,that's a lot of work,but ok.A bodyman you must become,or farm it out.
The paint code looks like Bahia Red,it will keep for a few years and tears.
Having fun is it.

Posted by: SirAndy Nov 12 2015, 03:58 PM

No

No


Sorry to be a bit harsh here but both of your assessments are likely to be false.

- If you have a 1" spot around your jack post where you can stick a screwdriver through you WILL have a lot more rust in that long and most likely also in the floorpan and rear firewall section close to that spot.
It's there, you just haven't found it yet.

- The spot on the back fender is well known and unfortunately that means the whole section is completely rotted.
There's a cavity that was sealed by the factory with foam and seam sealer. Once the sealer is compromised, the foam will soak up water and it will rust from the inside out. You'll need to replace the whole rear section of the fender and most likely also parts of the trunk wall.
I would also check the other side more closely. Remove the foam from the inside and look for rust there too.

Posted by: mepstein Nov 12 2015, 04:08 PM

once you go over your car with someone who knows 914's you will find a lot more rust.

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 12 2015, 04:52 PM

Well, I guess I'm in for an education and a lot of work. At one point I swore I was never buying another car that wasn't galvanized. What happened to that?!

Posted by: Chris H. Nov 12 2015, 05:08 PM

You never know what you'll find. Just have to dig in and take the rockers off, interior out, etc to see the extent of it.

FYI if you still have fuel injection the fuel pump will not run until the starter is engaged (1.8L L-Jet). Check the fuel lines before you try to start it up. Fuel pressure is fairly high. Don't want any fires. Your car is a '75 so the color is either Malaga Red or Scarlet Red. Looks like Malaga in the un-faded areas.

Have fun with it!

Posted by: jor Nov 12 2015, 05:30 PM

Sir Andy's right, but there is hope. Well, some hope at least. My 914 had the same 1" of rust under the jack point on the driver's side and, expecting the worst, I found that the rust, miraculously, was limited to that spot. It wasn't in the long and it didn't get into floorpans (under the tar, which hides rust) or into the firewall. That's really rare, but it could be possible on your car too. The only way to tell is after disassembly. I hope that you have the same luck (or better) than I had!

That rear panel, though, doesn't look promising at all.

Enjoy your purchase!

Posted by: Porschef Nov 12 2015, 07:20 PM

Jeez Andy, what a buzzkill! WTH? Couldn't you at least have waited till he got it home before dropping the bad news? Anyone buying a 914 for the first time deserves at least 24 hrs of bliss before reality sets in.

Posted by: ThePaintedMan Nov 12 2015, 07:22 PM

Those seats look interesting... not Scheels, but nice bolsters.

Posted by: PlantMan Nov 12 2015, 07:31 PM

Congrats!

Unfortunately everything that the members here say about the rust is true!
Regardless, it is still fun!!!

Posted by: wndsnd Nov 12 2015, 07:44 PM

Posted by: bandjoey Nov 12 2015, 09:14 PM

Commmmon Guys. It has a right hand mirror and a cassette player. What's a little rust?
Congrats on the car. You will learn a lot, be a better man (or lady) after the car is up and running. Yes, find someone in your area to look the car over and give you a list of things to do in order of importance. Drive it. Then the repairs look minor.

Posted by: hot_shoe914 Nov 12 2015, 09:22 PM

Take it down to ScottyB in Richmond, he rusty 914s.

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 12 2015, 09:43 PM

Thanks everybody. And you know, not my first rodeo. Wrenched Italian cars for a living for many years, and British before that. Bought the first Porsche 10 years ago; been driving a 944 daily during that time. I'm excited for this project. Good group here, makes the experience so much better. I'd never have survived a 944 daily without the good folks on Pelican. Makes a big difference to have so much collective experience.

Posted by: 76-914 Nov 13 2015, 08:57 AM

and enjoy your project. FWIW, my 2nd 914's rust was isolated to the R rear trunk area and firewall. Thought I'd find more in between those 2 points but I didn't.

Posted by: Andyrew Nov 13 2015, 10:13 AM

You've got a great start!

Rust will be your biggest issue. I suggest tearing the engine out and taking a look at these items before you continue. Repair as needed immediately since your enthusiasm is high right now.

I just did a quick rust repair similar to the car you are describing.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&showtopic=267385&view=findpost&p=2255525
I spent less than 20 hours repairing this in a manner befitting a driver.

Posted by: whitetwinturbo Nov 13 2015, 10:35 AM

...........where is that "foam" in the rear that can be torn out to check for water/rust?

Posted by: SirAndy Nov 13 2015, 12:06 PM

See that large rust spot on his back fender?
The foam is right behind that in the cavity above the tail light.

Remove the rear wheel, get a good flash light and have a close look at the foam and sealer.

If the sealer looks cracked, it's a good idea to remove all the foam and sealer and clean out the rust.

Posted by: whitetwinturbo Nov 13 2015, 01:25 PM

Thanks for the tip.....

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Nov 13 2015, 02:17 PM

Congrats on the purchase! Dig Alfas, and dig 944s. You're going to like the 914 when it's all dialed in. They really are like nothing else on four wheels.

Yeah, Andy likes to give people a hard time.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&showtopic=80724&view=findpost&p=997926

Thing is, he's spot on (post 46 will show you what you're dealing with):
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&showtopic=80724&view=findpost&p=1005327

Posted by: jimkelly Nov 13 2015, 04:24 PM

it will either be fixable OR a parts car. either way nice find.

a semi rust free west coat tub can cost $2000+- plus $100 shipping BUT you would be way ahead of the game over repairing tons o rust.

Posted by: 76-914 Nov 13 2015, 04:47 PM

You ain't gonna ship that SOB 6 blocks for $100.00, Jim.

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 13 2015, 05:22 PM

Damn, I don't even have the car home yet. Y'all have already turned it into a parts car and are telling me to buy a body shell from the west coast. What a depressing lot this is.

Posted by: Andyrew Nov 13 2015, 05:59 PM

Pretty sure he was missing a 0





alpha, dont worry everything is repairable. Just takes time and effort.

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Nov 13 2015, 10:49 PM

Don't let the peanut gallery get to you. The same folks will also go above and beyond to help you out. Just wait and see.

Looking at the pics, what looks like a straight car with honest, tired paint, what may be good gaps, no cowl rust I can see, and, yes, a corner of a back fender that should probably be replaced wholesale. The good news is, that corner is out there. So is whatever you need around the longitudinals if you need to do any major work on those.

Keep us up to date on what you find, and enjoy the ride. Again, there is nothing like a 914. It is one of Porsche's most clever designs, and one of its lightest street cars.

pete

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 14 2015, 12:05 AM

I put a good sized friend in both passenger and driver's seats, and the door fit was unaltered. That was encouraging. If I need to replace a section of fender, so be it. I was looking to improve my welding skills.

Looking at the junk that's out there in this price range, I still don't feel too bad. That this is a one owner car, and comes with full service history means a lot to me. Maybe I've been fooling around with 911s too long. That sort of thing doesn't seem to be so important in the 914 community.

I'm breaking all of my"buy the best one you can find" rules with this one. I guess I just feel like this needs to be saved. We'll see how it goes.

For the record, here are the other two:

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 14 2015, 05:14 AM

Thanks for the links. That really helped me understand the whole foam and sealer issue.

Posted by: somd914 Nov 14 2015, 06:27 AM

Don't let the crowd get you down - they mean well, and there are a fair share of inexperienced buyers who end up buying more of a project than they ever envisioned...

I'm sure some would have steered my PO away from saving her - she was filled with rust in the sails, hell hole, right long, and some spots around the tail lights, but everything else was surprising solid. And then there were the mechanicals such as a seized engine...

Sure, not a perfect car and still fighting some minor rust issues 11 years after the rebuild, but glad to see she is still on the road rather than crushed for scrap metal...

Good luck and welcome to the "World".

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 25 2015, 05:30 PM

Forgot to mention, actually ended up at $800 purchase price.

One owner car, came with full service records since day one. went through the 2" stack today. Complete engine rebuild in the 90's. About five clutches (WTF?). Konis. A body restoration in 1991 that included sail panel replacement, work on the longs and replacement of the battery tray and support. Generally lots of good stuff, a really conscientious owner. I'm encouraged.

This made my day:

Happy thanksgiving everyone.

Posted by: 914Sixer Nov 25 2015, 08:56 PM

Go for it! Car probably has LOTS of potential. At $800 you made out like a bandit. You cannot buy parts cars for that price anymore. Worst case you have a fine parts car.

Posted by: falcor75 Nov 25 2015, 11:31 PM

You learn something new every day. i've read this site daily for the last 3 years and this is the first time I've heard of this foam thingie...

Posted by: ntmatter Nov 26 2015, 12:40 AM

Don't be discouraged, I bought my own $1400 project, and they will always have twice the amount of work to be done than you'd hoped, but even scary projects can be done one bit at a time. It's only metal - the rust can be fixed and it's not as tough as you fear.

Final thought - it's good to have a brutally honest assessment of the potential problems now rather than later - it'll be easier in the long run to get it all upfront now than discovering it after you've done your first repaint.

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 26 2015, 12:53 AM

Really, not discouraged at all. I've now read a bunch of looong restoration threads on this great site. I think I have an idea of what I'm in for. Looking forward to making this worthwhile car right, and improving my welding skills.

Posted by: RobW Nov 26 2015, 07:08 AM

You may have some nice seats there....

Posted by: RobW Nov 26 2015, 07:12 AM

$800! You win.... Check out some of the restored Bahia Red cars. Its a great color and with the history and prior maintenance, you may just pull out a winner despite the rust challenges.

Oh and

There are lots of great folks here, including Andy.

Posted by: alfadoc Nov 26 2015, 08:26 AM

It's actually Malaga Red. Hard to tell in it's current state, I know.

Posted by: jimkelly Nov 26 2015, 08:52 AM

pls post pics of the rusty areas as you find them. we are all curious and interested in keeping up to date on what you find and your progress. rust repairs require, skills, tools, parts, money and time. if you have these, you'll be golden

Posted by: Chris H. Nov 26 2015, 09:33 AM

Great color. Can't go wrong for $800.

Posted by: alfadoc Dec 7 2015, 04:35 AM

Brought my $800 gem home today. Got it in the shop, had it running and took a drive within 1.5 hours. Corroded contacts in the relay block were the culprit as far as the initial no-start condition. Love me some Caig De-Oxit spray. Sure enough, the fuel lines were a fire hazard. A little trip around the block produced a big fuel leak. Glad I didn't set it on fire! At the car wash:
[attachmentid=530
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Posted by: Philip W. Dec 7 2015, 08:28 AM

awesome buy, ive paid 2x that for a project car that would need some work, I have a rust spot on that car on that rear quarter too, but other than that is a very solid tub , its the one im doing for my build-off contest build, . once you dig in you may find more , but really awesome you have all those records and the window sticker, it tells a story and it says the car had owners that cared, makes a big difference. Good luck and enjoy! get those fuel hoses and lines replaced and get your brakes a working out/flush fluid for sure, etc, then drive it like you stole it!!1

Posted by: jd74914 Dec 7 2015, 09:28 AM

That does look like a good buy!

Could you post a picture of the seats?

Posted by: Chris Pincetich Dec 7 2015, 01:03 PM

Running already, you da man!
Get those fuel lines replaced, brakes done, all safety stuff checked, and have fun!

Unless the car is folding in half, those rust spots add character

Posted by: alfadoc Dec 13 2015, 11:27 PM

Started digging into it and documenting:

RF wheel arch



LF wheel arch



RF fender


Front of floor pan


Master cylinder area

Posted by: alfadoc Dec 13 2015, 11:34 PM

Continued:

Rear passenger long


Rear driver long-the worst rust I've found


Hell hole


Front trunk-it's totally surface rust


Overall, as good as it runs, I'm pretty pleased with the car. Folks have rebuilt FAR worse 914s.

Posted by: Chris H. Dec 14 2015, 12:00 AM

Yeah that's not terrible at all. There's probably plenty more under the rockers but it's fixable. Floor pans look decent from a distance. At some point you might want to scrape the undercoating off. That's a lot of fun .

Change the fuel lines!