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Posted by: messick Jun 29 2020, 12:57 AM

Hello All,

My name is Nick. There is a chance some people here might remember my father, Tom Messick, who did 914 stuff back in SoCal about 20 years ago.

More people probably remember this car though, a ’70 with a 3.0L motor from a 911SC, named the Rocket. My dad bought it from a dude named Mike Z, who used to post on this forum, but not sure if he’s around still.



It hasn’t ran in a while. And since I’ve recently bought a place in Orange with a garage, and my dad has other projects these days, last week I put it on a trailer and brought it over.

A quick history of its last decade and a half:

After buying the car from Mike, the car was my dad’s daily driver for 5 or so years. I don’t remember any real issues. It wasn’t garaged, as his original 914 (a blue 72 1.8, I hazily remember) was constantly having problem that required it to be apart.

In 2005 it picked up some sort of vacuum leak that caused it to rev at 3k. This was either caused by, or had caused, an air box leak. At the same time, my boss wanted to sell his 1 year old Audi S4 with 11k miles. My dad had recently changed jobs and had a 55 mile commute, so he picked up the S4 and went to and from in air conditioned, 350HP luxury. The Audi became the new daily driver, and the 914 went into a garage at a rental. Since the S4, he had various cars but the last 4 have been EVs (Geo Storm that’s now gone, Chevy S10 he’s putting a Leaf battery pack into to replace the lead acid setup, an E Golf, and now an E Tron.

Well, sometime in 2010ish, some thieves broke into the garage and tried to steal the 914. They were pretty industrious as they brought their own Bosch fuel pump, and had even pulled the tank and fixed up a rotted away full line. However, they didn’t notice the battery master cut off switch was removed. They tried a bunch of things, but eventually they used a slide hammer on the ignition and attempted to directly hot wire the coil. Well, they learned the hard way that’s a bad idea since they (hopefully) got a face full of burning PCB oil ax the coil literally exploded. We are guessing whatever happened was pretty traumatic since they went through all that and didn’t just push it onto a trailer. They did steal the battery, amp, and head unit. For the next ten years it sat there until I trailered it home.

Here's a what a blown coil can look like. Hard to tell, but like 6ft of wire blew out of it as well.
Near terms plans are to change the oil, and then replace the battery and coil and see what we got going with the rest of the ignition system. Then I was thinking making sure the fuel stuff isn’t going to burn my house down. After that, vacuum hose replacements. After that brakes, as pedal goes right to the floor. After that, clean up mess the thieves made under the dash and with the ignition switch.

Please let me know if I should do things a in a different order. I didn’t see a thread about “This is what you should do if your car has been sitting for 15 years”, but maybe someone can point me to one.

Rust wise, the hellhole has some problems. Although, pulling off the rocker panel it doesn’t seem super terrible from the outside. Maybe someone can take a look at my pictures and tell me if the car is literally going to catastrophically fail if goes back onto the street in that condition. It has lots of stuff welded onto the bottom since it was an autocross racer, so not sure if that's hiding rust and/or mitigating it. The jack point cone thing definitely has a bunch.










My plan is to get it running and on the road so I can have some fun, but I am looking forward to (eventually) doing a full restoration. I literally have zero welding and auto body experience, so that part I’m going to have to work up to. Also, it will be easier to sell my wife on the garage getting taken over for an indefinite amount of time as an auto shop if she can at least drive around in the car first, heh.

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll have a billion questions, but figured I’d introduce myself.

More pics of rest of car in an album: https://imgur.com/a/v0gWS5R

Posted by: abes914 Jun 29 2020, 02:17 AM

You came to the right place. Lots of SoCal teener here.

Posted by: dt4 Jun 29 2020, 03:42 AM

Wow, to break in with all the parts they had certainly suggests they knew their way around and knew what to do (to a point)
They must have know it was there and been in and out a few times to figure out what was needed?

Great project, good luck with the journey

Posted by: sb914 Jun 29 2020, 05:23 AM

Mike z is still around . @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=5

Posted by: Cairo94507 Jun 29 2020, 06:25 AM

Looks and sounds like a very worthy project and I am sure your dad would love to see it running and driving again too. Plenty to do to get it to that point. Be methodical and patient and come up with a punch list and just work away at it one item at a time and then move to the next. The alternative is to just pull the motor and go bananas on the entire car all at once. However, cars tend to sit for very long periods when that approach is tackled.

Posted by: VegasRacer Jun 29 2020, 07:41 AM

Rocket.

Posted by: campbellcj Jun 29 2020, 07:53 AM

Hey hey hey, I remember that car from way back! (20-ish yrs ago) Used to go on fun runs and autocross and so forth with Tom first then MikeZ when he was in Santa Barbara. Looking forward to seeing it back in action - whereabouts in SoCal are you?

Posted by: messick Jun 29 2020, 10:06 AM

I'm in Orange, right where the 91/55 meet.

Posted by: ndfrigi Jun 29 2020, 11:44 AM

wow you are just in the middle of many 914 owners. You should join one of the comining weekend 914 meet.

Posted by: 914Timo Jun 29 2020, 11:59 AM

Pink bunny ears ??

Posted by: VegasRacer Jun 29 2020, 12:11 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=5

Posted by: campbellcj Jul 1 2020, 08:12 AM

From some drives and swap meets in 2001 -










The 73 2.0 I had at the time -

Posted by: get off my lawn Jul 1 2020, 04:04 PM

We be neighbors. 91 and glassell.
and BTW that was the first 914/6 I ever rode in.

Posted by: Coondog Jul 1 2020, 06:18 PM

Geez I hope you guys have pics of my car in twenty years......
Congrats, there are more 914s owners within 90 miles of you then anywhere in the world.

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 19 2021, 05:35 PM

Wondered where it went. Anyone know if it’s on the road?

Posted by: burton73 Jan 19 2021, 06:11 PM

I say to do the brakes first because as soon as you get it running you are going want to test drive it and you need to fix them. It may be a small matter.

It does not look that bad and you can take it to any level. You will get the answers
To the questions in a search Engen like Google and ask a question and end with 914world

When you can, always show pictures.

Welcome to the world. The place to be for 914 people

Bob B

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 19 2021, 06:27 PM

When I sold it I mentioned that the passenger side rear suspension had a less than permanent repair. Aka the hell hole. Along with the air box repair it would be prudent to pull the engine. Fix the suspension point properly. Last time I did it I needed a Cellette bench.

Clean up the oil triangle of death. The engine should be in great shape otherwise. Before selling I did a valve job and replaced the head studs and installed a 964 camshaft.

The trans was rebuilt with a taller 5th and has a Quaiffe LSD. ALL the brakes are machined BMW 320i calipers. I may have used 911 SC front suspension. Can’t remember.

I sent a PM to the OP with my contact information.

Good luck.

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 19 2021, 06:28 PM

Oh yeah. No ebrake.

Posted by: get off my lawn Jan 20 2021, 12:28 PM

It needs a "save the naugas" bumper sticker.
Whatever happened to malmzzzz, anywho?

Posted by: get off my lawn Jan 20 2021, 12:35 PM

...


Attached image(s)

Posted by: campbellcj Jan 21 2021, 07:55 AM

Good question - I totally fell out of touch with malmz and haven't seen any trace of that 914ZX car in eons. I bet a lot here don't even know there's a 914-280Z swap rolling around.

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 21 2021, 08:11 AM

His website is inactive.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Jan 21 2021, 01:01 PM

It was a VG-30 V-6 out of a 300ZX. The inline six in a 280ZX would never fit in a 914 engine compartment.

Posted by: get off my lawn Jan 21 2021, 01:27 PM

And ya can't turbo a 914 either

I agree that it wouldn't fit WELL, but .......

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 21 2021, 01:35 PM

If anyone looks for him his last has no “Z” on the end.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Jan 21 2021, 02:20 PM

I have LOTS of experience with the Nissan L-28 engine. The length of the L-28 block alone is 30 inches, without pulleys or flywheel. It is almost the length of a 914 engine and transmission combined. You would have to stretch the whole 914 chassis to install it.

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 21 2021, 02:30 PM

So if you laid the Nissan block on its end it would be......

Posted by: pete000 Jan 21 2021, 02:31 PM

I miss those early days of Porsche lifestyle before they got out of control. You could get great deals on parts, no hipsters at meets, the 914 was the unloved hated little secret. Keep posting pics of the good old days !

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 21 2021, 02:53 PM

Izzat you Sammy?

Posted by: Joe Bob Jan 22 2021, 04:04 PM

BTW. How many 914s have a hidden trailer hitch in the trunk?