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Posted by: didenpx Oct 5 2024, 02:06 PM

I’m a newcomer to the air cooled world. I picked up a 1975 914 1.8 project car last Fall that I’m just now beginning to work on. It seems to be mechanically stock and structurally sound and has ~120K miles on what appears to be the original engine (it doesn’t look to me as if it’s ever been pulled).

I found it on Craiglist in Maine where it was in the hands of a VW bus/bug enthusiast who was the third owner and had decided to focus his energies on a bus restoration instead. It was last registered an on the road in 2017 when the second owner had it. When I bought it it lot drove and came with an assortment of Restoration Design repair panels, several spare doors from earlier cars, some foglight front bumpers, spare seats, etc.. In a first for me when it comes to project cars the electrics all function properly and appear never to have been monkeyed with. Lights, blinkers, engine heater fan, hazards, everything.

Photos below tell the story but the worst of the rust appears to be in the aft section of the LH outer longitudinal. I haven’t pulled the battery and ECU out yet, but from what I can see underneath the car, inside the engine bay, and between the quarter panel and the engine compartment tin the hell hole appears solid (but I’m prepared to find surprises). The rear of the car seems worst off with rot from the foam above the tail lights partially cut out and partially corrected (I’ll be cutting that all back out and starting the job fresh). It was also hit from behind on the LH side and although I haven’t measured everything out yet, from what I can see underneath things don’t seem to be out of whack (maybe wishful thinking as the panel gaps for the rear trunk are uneven). The trunk lid itself somehow didn’t rust out along the rear edge, but it’s suffered a lot of abuse in the form of a now missing luggage rack and a black fiberglass spoiler that had been attached with wood screws. The front of the car doesn’t show any signs of impact damage but the trunk lid sits high when latched on the LH side.

My plans are to do a driver quality restoration (between a Hagerty 2 and 3) and get it on the road where I can enjoy it; I’ll cut out and weld the rusty sections, do as much of the body work myself as possible (thankfully it is very straight and the paint meter indicates there shouldn’t be a lot of bondo hiding under the old re-spray) and get a professional re-spray at a local body shop. I’ll either farm out or attempt to DIY the engine work myself. Since I’m assuming the engine will need a rebuild (see below) I’d definitely like to increase the displacement while staying with the stock FI setup.

I just started assessing the car in the last couple of weeks and have focused on the health of the engine. It’s still got the original L-jet FI (which I intend to keep). When I got it, it fired up easily but was extremely lumpy and stumbled badly coming off idle. After fixing vacuum hose routing (mostly anyways), adjusting points, doing timing, and adjusting valves it idles well at 850 rpm, sounds much healthier, and revs up from idle nicely (all this is based on stationary testing as the car is not on the road).

Today I warmed the engine up and did compression test (throttle propped open with screwdriver) followed by a leak down test. I think the results tell me that I have a tired engine needing rebuilding:

Cylinder Compression Leakdown
1 105 15%
2 105 20%
3 105 21%
4 105 23%

I didn’t crawl around under the car to listen for leaking valves, but for each the cylinders I could hear hissing in the crankcase as soon as I pressurized the cylinders, which I assume is a bad thing. I’m going to discuss rebuild options at a local multi-generation family garage that started out as a VW shop; if they can do the work within my budget then I’ll probably go that route. I plan to drop the engine sometime late this month.

One thing I need help on at this point is figuring out the remaining vacuum lines. I have a large inlet on the air box that looks from the diagrams as if it should go to the charcoal canister but there was no hose on it when I got the car and I don’t know where it should be routed, or even where the canister is (is it that plastic contraption sitting on top of the fuel tank!?). And just yesterday I noticed there is another nipple on the metal thing that the coil bracket attaches to…what’s that supposed to go to??

Looking forward to sharing my progress. This is a great forum that I’ve already learned a lot from!


Attached image(s)

Posted by: Montreal914 Oct 5 2024, 02:21 PM

Best place for anything 914!

Unfortunately your pictures link doesn't seem to work. You can post pictures directly here but make sure they aren't large phone pictures (3meg+), reduce them to ~300k and you'll be able to post many in one post.

Good luck with your project!

Posted by: didenpx Oct 5 2024, 02:45 PM

QUOTE(Montreal914 @ Oct 5 2024, 02:21 PM)

Best place for anything 914!

Unfortunately your pictures link doesn't seem to work. You can post pictures directly here but make sure they aren't large phone pictures (3meg+), reduce them to ~300k and you'll be able to post many in one post.

Good luck with your project!

Posted by: technicalninja Oct 5 2024, 03:41 PM

You have a running engine...

And you going to need a bunch of rust repairs...

I'd not worry so much regarding the engine.

If it has been in non-use for some time you need to put it under load to help everything reseal. Just warming it up doesn't clear all of the problems.

Drive it around like you stole it and I bet your numbers will improve.

Having all the compression numbers exact says two things. It's in pretty good shape AND your valve adjustments are consistent.
The biggest factor that effects compression readings is intake valve closure point and yours are all damn close to each other.

My 75 1.8, that sat 33 years, and really has less than 32K on it hit 120 on all cylinders but leak downs were 4-12%. This was cold but you can see you are close to my numbers.

These engines are now EXPENSIVE to rebuild, and it appears few machine shops can complete the machine work properly.
Even Ian Karr's Bumble Bee had trouble and he's a "cost no object" type of guy.
His videos are all worth watching...

https://www.youtube.com/ @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=18749

In your shoes I'd concentrate on body stuff and educate yourself regarding an improved engine. Often times buying a stalled project can reap dividends.

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=12023 kicked ass recently on a stalled project and scored a 3.2 911 engine with a shitload of other stuff. He is currently selling off the un-needed parts and vastly improving his project.
At some point he may have a serious T4 for sale that might fit into your plans better...

A recent thread showing excellent metal work can be found here.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=368359

The fact that Fred's doing this in his backyard just adds to the WOW factor.

Having a project that can move under its own power is a nice luxury to have.
You have that NOW!

Posted by: fiacra Oct 5 2024, 03:48 PM

Welcome. Looks like you have some work ahead of you, but sounds like you're up for it. Lots of resources here, but if you haven't discovered Jeff Bowlsby's website yet it is worth exploring. https://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/. You can find the vacuum diagrams there. Just click on the "tech notebook" section and keep scrolling down. You'll find it. I have a really nice very original 1975 1.8 and can get pictures of things if you need them. It's at my other garage right now but when I get a chance to get over there, maybe even tomorrow, I'll take a picture of the hose routing you asked about. The charcoal canister on the 1975 should be attached to the battery tray. It is black plastic. The "plastic contraption sitting on top of the fuel tank" you are referring to is the expansion tank for the fuel tank. Pictures of things you are asking about are always helpful in getting the correct answer.

Posted by: 930cabman Oct 5 2024, 04:54 PM

Welcome to the madness. Great looking example and she runs! Keep us posted with your progress

Posted by: didenpx Oct 5 2024, 05:18 PM

This is encouraging and unexpected feedback; I was expecting to hear that engine removal and rebuild were a must....so this is making me re-think things.

Should I instead just do the body work (what I'm facing here is trivial in comparison to a Volvo 1800E that I resurrected), reupholster the seats, get a re-spray and drive it?

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27135 and @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=22920 : thanks for the links and suggestions which I will study. I've already been carefully watching Ian K's excellent YouTube videos.

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=22920 very much appreciate the offer of photos of a living breathing 75 1.8: thank you! The two vacuum ports that I referred to in the earlier posts are these (note the blue silicone plugs):






And here's what the engine bay looks like near the battery - no charcoal canister apparent, so I guess I need to source one of those??



I definitely like the idea of less $$ investment and sooner enjoyment factor....

Paul

Posted by: Montreal914 Oct 5 2024, 05:23 PM

I hate to break the news to you but I can see a full-on rustoration ahead. Once you start opening this, there will be a lot more rust.

Good thing the car came with the RD panels. Plenty of excellent restoration thread here including Fred’s one.

Welcome to the madness!!

Posted by: didenpx Oct 5 2024, 06:26 PM

QUOTE(Montreal914 @ Oct 5 2024, 05:23 PM)

I hate to break the news to you but I can see a full-on rustoration ahead. Once you start opening this, there will be a lot more rust.

Good thing the car came with the RD panels. Plenty of excellent restoration thread here including Fred’s one.

Welcome to the madness!!

Posted by: technicalninja Oct 5 2024, 06:52 PM

You have enough engine to get it through the resurrection...

It has a staggering 70-80 hp and, if you've ever driven a modern car, won't be enough!

You end up with this cool little sportscar that is slower accelerating than almost ANY new car made today.

That's not my "cup of tea"!

I researched the high power T4 route pretty hard.
I've purchased most of the core parts I need already. Couple of 2.0L T4 cores, bunch of intake stuff, both FI and IDF (40 and 44s), cams, distributors, etc...

After a year of being on this site, due to the issues I've seen others report, I've decided to NOT walk the T4 path.

I'll be doing a swap in my near perfect 75.
Current candidates are 99 Boxster 2.5L/ 5 speed (I have a complete donor car that runs) or a 3.6L GM LGX V6 / Boxster 6 speed

But, my drivetrain runs too and the T4 will power it long after I return it to service.

Look at Freds thread to get some idea of what you will probably be looking at.
Freds car is a SE so it was worth saving (maybe!!).
It is FUN to watch Fred fix it; I have called him a masochist in the thread.

My background is Automotive Technician 40 years, and I restore old sports cars, mostly Japanese with a sprinkling of German.
I have extensive engine/manual transmission building expertise.
I have an Automotive AC specialist shop now and still wrench for my dinner...

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 5 2024, 07:22 PM

QUOTE(didenpx @ Oct 5 2024, 05:18 PM)

This is encouraging and unexpected feedback; I was expecting to hear that engine removal and rebuild were a must....so this is making me re-think things.

Should I instead just do the body work (what I'm facing here is trivial in comparison to a Volvo 1800E that I resurrected), reupholster the seats, get a re-spray and drive it?

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27135 and @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=22920 : thanks for the links and suggestions which I will study. I've already been carefully watching Ian K's excellent YouTube videos.

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=22920 very much appreciate the offer of photos of a living breathing 75 1.8: thank you! The two vacuum ports that I referred to in the earlier posts are these (note the blue silicone plugs):






And here's what the engine bay looks like near the battery - no charcoal canister apparent, so I guess I need to source one of those??



I definitely like the idea of less $$ investment and sooner enjoyment factor....

Paul

Posted by: fiacra Oct 7 2024, 06:40 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27556

I haven't made it over to my second garage yet, although I plan on going tomorrow. However someone else just posted pictures of the engine bay of another 1.8 and I think these will answer your question about those two ports. The one near the coil does go to the charcoal canister. Not clearly pictured, but "reconstructing" the pictures the port off the airbox also goes to the canister. See post #17. I'll double check tomorrow.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=371864&st=0&gopid=3171678&#entry3171678

Posted by: bkrantz Oct 7 2024, 07:09 PM

Welcome! And good luck. I agree with others that you have a fair amount of rust to deal with already, and will probably find more. I recommend you do a complete search for rust before getting started on anything. And then you might decide how (if) to proceed.

Posted by: didenpx Oct 8 2024, 09:55 AM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=22920 thanks again for the offer of photos but the link you provided and one earlier tell the story; as you say the port I was wondering about should connect to the missing charcoal canister.

I appreciate the admonitions about rust but I'm remaining optimistic. I pulled the battery yesterday and disconnected ground straps in preps to begin some welding. There is a fully intact battery tray and battery tray support that looks to me as if they've never been replaced. I also don't see acid corrosion in the other places associated with hell hole problems. Maybe the massive quantity of Ziebart goop over this entire side of the engine bay protected it?

Based on what I've seen so far I expect the biggest rust work to be in the driver side inner rocker area. There's also some evidence of previous work on the driver side rear suspension ?console? (not sure if I am using the right term). I'll detail these as I get to them.

The remainder of the rust that I have identified looks like non-structural and not very extensive....but it's all a PITA to address, regardless. I have started on the patching in the nose area because it seems very straightforward....but of course cutting and shaping small patch pieces is time consuming, unless you do this sort of thing for a living.

Posted by: dr914@autoatlanta.com Oct 8 2024, 10:18 AM

we are doing a bunch of metal restoration on a 74 914 right now, started in the right front of the engine compartment and now onto the left front of the engine compartment

QUOTE(didenpx @ Oct 5 2024, 01:06 PM)

I’m a newcomer to the air cooled world. I picked up a 1975 914 1.8 project car last Fall that I’m just now beginning to work on. It seems to be mechanically stock and structurally sound and has ~120K miles on what appears to be the original engine (it doesn’t look to me as if it’s ever been pulled).

I found it on Craiglist in Maine where it was in the hands of a VW bus/bug enthusiast who was the third owner and had decided to focus his energies on a bus restoration instead. It was last registered an on the road in 2017 when the second owner had it. When I bought it it lot drove and came with an assortment of Restoration Design repair panels, several spare doors from earlier cars, some foglight front bumpers, spare seats, etc.. In a first for me when it comes to project cars the electrics all function properly and appear never to have been monkeyed with. Lights, blinkers, engine heater fan, hazards, everything.

Photos below tell the story but the worst of the rust appears to be in the aft section of the LH outer longitudinal. I haven’t pulled the battery and ECU out yet, but from what I can see underneath the car, inside the engine bay, and between the quarter panel and the engine compartment tin the hell hole appears solid (but I’m prepared to find surprises). The rear of the car seems worst off with rot from the foam above the tail lights partially cut out and partially corrected (I’ll be cutting that all back out and starting the job fresh). It was also hit from behind on the LH side and although I haven’t measured everything out yet, from what I can see underneath things don’t seem to be out of whack (maybe wishful thinking as the panel gaps for the rear trunk are uneven). The trunk lid itself somehow didn’t rust out along the rear edge, but it’s suffered a lot of abuse in the form of a now missing luggage rack and a black fiberglass spoiler that had been attached with wood screws. The front of the car doesn’t show any signs of impact damage but the trunk lid sits high when latched on the LH side.

My plans are to do a driver quality restoration (between a Hagerty 2 and 3) and get it on the road where I can enjoy it; I’ll cut out and weld the rusty sections, do as much of the body work myself as possible (thankfully it is very straight and the paint meter indicates there shouldn’t be a lot of bondo hiding under the old re-spray) and get a professional re-spray at a local body shop. I’ll either farm out or attempt to DIY the engine work myself. Since I’m assuming the engine will need a rebuild (see below) I’d definitely like to increase the displacement while staying with the stock FI setup.

I just started assessing the car in the last couple of weeks and have focused on the health of the engine. It’s still got the original L-jet FI (which I intend to keep). When I got it, it fired up easily but was extremely lumpy and stumbled badly coming off idle. After fixing vacuum hose routing (mostly anyways), adjusting points, doing timing, and adjusting valves it idles well at 850 rpm, sounds much healthier, and revs up from idle nicely (all this is based on stationary testing as the car is not on the road).

Today I warmed the engine up and did compression test (throttle propped open with screwdriver) followed by a leak down test. I think the results tell me that I have a tired engine needing rebuilding:

Cylinder Compression Leakdown
1 105 15%
2 105 20%
3 105 21%
4 105 23%

I didn’t crawl around under the car to listen for leaking valves, but for each the cylinders I could hear hissing in the crankcase as soon as I pressurized the cylinders, which I assume is a bad thing. I’m going to discuss rebuild options at a local multi-generation family garage that started out as a VW shop; if they can do the work within my budget then I’ll probably go that route. I plan to drop the engine sometime late this month.

One thing I need help on at this point is figuring out the remaining vacuum lines. I have a large inlet on the air box that looks from the diagrams as if it should go to the charcoal canister but there was no hose on it when I got the car and I don’t know where it should be routed, or even where the canister is (is it that plastic contraption sitting on top of the fuel tank!?). And just yesterday I noticed there is another nipple on the metal thing that the coil bracket attaches to…what’s that supposed to go to??

Looking forward to sharing my progress. This is a great forum that I’ve already learned a lot from!

Posted by: didenpx Oct 9 2024, 04:04 PM

Been plugging away on the right hand wing rot between the side and headlights. My plan is to start at the front and move toward the back of the car. I think I'll strip the paint on my way back to make sure I'm not missing any bad spots; would appreciate advice on approaches. I'd like to avoid using messy chemicals and am considering (even messier) flap wheel disks.

Posted by: didenpx Oct 26 2024, 01:07 PM

Nearing completion on rust work in the right front section of car.

Cut out and patched the rotted metal on the nose underneath the right front headlight area. It is an area where several panels overlap and seem to have received a lot of spot weld heat during construction...not to mention lots of mud, water and probably salt.







As I was working on the nose patching I noticed that the passenger side shock mount was skewed....hmmm. Turns out the car was in what seems to have been a minor right front corner shunt. The structural piece that the bumper strut mounts to was pushed about 1" or more toward the outside of the car. Someone dealt with it by putting a bunch of spacers between the bumper strut and the panel. I managed to get it mostly straight by fashioning a crude puller. It's not perfect but it will have to do.









I also realized that I didn't carry the patch of the area between the turn signal and the inner lip of that panel in the headlight bucket far enough. I took a lot of measurements using the driver's side as ground truth and will need to make a relief cut in the top of the patch that I welded in and shift things between 1-3mm inwards. Probably the first of many stupid mistakes to come.



There are probably about six or more small spots in the frunk weather stip channel that must have trapped water and rotted through over the years. Most seem to be on the LH side, but there was one in this area as well. Got that patched up this morning.





Once I get the relief cut and welding done I'll be cleaning up the underside of all of the welds, seam sealing, undercoating, and then moving on to the LH front welding. The rot between the directional light and headlight there is not as extensive. Same goes for the rot on the bottom of the nose section behind the bumper. Aside from in-filling a bunch of frunk weather stripping channel rot-through areas there, the most annoying fix will be the cup-shaped depression where the captive nuts are for the frunk release handle; water had been pooling up there and there is probably a quarter-sized hole that will need to be patched. It's not a great spot to get to with a mig welder...at least with the frunk lid still on.

Posted by: friethmiller Oct 26 2024, 05:56 PM

Hey @didenpx! Welcome to the fun

I like the way you are diving into these small repairs. This is obviously not your first rodeo. With that said, the stuff you're doing I consider to be the easy repairs that I typically do at the end of the body restoration process. I'd evaluate the hell hole damage, both longitudinals, and the rear suspension consoles to get a sense of the condition (might need to clean/remove paint/undercoating). I think mounting this on a rotisserie or at least a body cart might be warranted. Again, if this was me, I'd drop the engine / transmission and leave them for later. My focus would be on the body. I would be glad to help out in anyway I can. Keep posting photos of these critical areas. I'd like to see how much work might be in store for you.

Fred

Posted by: didenpx Oct 27 2024, 02:23 PM

Fred,

It's been a number of years since I did any welding, which is why I chose to start with some smaller and simpler stuff before I have to tackle the sills.

But your (and others') comments warning about getting into the project only to find major structural rot later caused me to pause and do some more investigating.

The driver's side inner rockers obviously need patching. When I get to that point I plan to cut out the rusted parts enough to clean up any scale inside the structure, coat them with the Eastwood Internal Frame Rail coating, and seal them back up.

[attachmentid=926707]








Some work has been done to beef up/repair the LH rear suspension console. It seems solid and I'm inclined to trust that it is ok as is (should I?).











I did a thorough investigation of the hell hole area and finally took out the seats and carpets to get a look at the rear firewall.

From underneath I was able to see perforation of the engine shelf near the hell hole.



Once I got the interior out I found a perforation in the lower corner of the firewall next to the door jamb that allowed me to get direct eyes on the hell hole/longitudinal. I think what I found is a good news story (is it?). Based on what I saw after grinding off scale, I'm thinking of further cleaning, patching pin holes, and possibly ply welding another layer of metal on top of the long. Based on scraping and banging the long seems solid to me.







I also found rot where the floor pan ties into the rear firewall, but I assume that's pretty usual when the rear window gaskets fail and leak. I know mine is leaky as I discovered someone feebly attempted to seal the bottom of it with a long strip of electrician's tape.




I found this between the center console and rear firewall padding. It feels pretty flimsy and doesn't have any mounting tabs on the back so I'm guessing it's not authentic...but nice artifact anyway.





I got so involved with the hell hole investigation that I didn't take a lot of photos of the RH inner rocker. The worst part of it is near the jacking point, but it's also perforated in the front of the car, about the same as the driver's side. Again - it doesn't look very concerning to me (am I in denial?).

Posted by: 930cabman Oct 27 2024, 02:47 PM

" Again - it doesn't look very concerning to me (am I in denial?)."

This will be an adventure for sure, but it seems as though you are into it. I have a set of Chris Foley's door braces that allow to stabilize the chassis while the structural work is being completed and allow the doors to remain for checking as you go.

Posted by: seanpaulmc Oct 27 2024, 04:28 PM

There’s more there to cut out and replace than you think. Ask me how I know?

It’s rewarding though. Looks like a nice one to get back on the road.

You will definitely need to do door braces and fix those areas in the longs. I’ve done a lot of the same repairs on my project. I may even have some of the metal you’ll need. You’re in good hands with Fred looking over your shoulder. You may want to consider adding a stiffening kit to the longs for added piece of mind.

Take a look at my thread, you can find it with my name seanpaulmc, and you can see the same repair areas. I was trying to minimize how much I cut out, not always successful, but Fred is on a different level with his LE resurrection.

Have fun.

Best,
Sean

Posted by: didenpx Oct 27 2024, 05:18 PM

Sean, I've referenced your thread a few times to get an idea what sorts of things to anticipate.

Can't wait to peel off those inner rockers and see what I'm dealing with! Probably looking at sometime in December. Maybe I can make an Advents calendar out of the rusty patches that I cut out.

Paul

Posted by: friethmiller Oct 27 2024, 06:41 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27556 - yep gotya! Thanks for the additional pics! I'd always assume the P.O. did a sh*tty job until you can prove otherwise . Look, you've got a good car here. It's going to be some work but its totally savable. I'd brace the doors and start on the passenger side longitudinal. Be prepared to cut the front of the rear fender out. It'll give you better access. Make sure you cut high enough to get to the hell hole area. My advice is to focus on just the longitudinal / jack point area, fix it up and then attack the hell hole. If needed, do the suspension consoles after that. Replace the lower fender and then move to the other side and repeat the process. It's all up to you and how you decide to go. That's the best part of YOUR restoration. Remember, don't get overwhelmed. As they say... “Eat the elephant one bite at a time”.

Having the car up and up at a 45 degree angle is where I like to have the car most of the time. If you want to know more about how to make a rotisserie let me know. I have built two in the last 6 years

Posted by: didenpx Jan 4 2025, 09:37 AM

An update on the project….but first an admission that my description of the work at hand as “trivial” in comparison to a previous Volvo project was a bit optimistic.

Nevertheless the car is structurally sound, though needing a lot of attention in LOTS AND LOTS of different places.

I re-awakened my welding “skills” by concentrating on the nose section first and that’s done-ish until body work begins.



Next I dug in on the LH longitudinal. Initially I was thinking I could get away with simply patching, but after cutting it open a bit and getting a better look at the inside I decided to open it up from aft of the A-pillar backwards. I used Tangerine Racing chassis braces to stabilize the structure.

Sections of the inner rocker, especially the section behind where the jacking point used to be, were badly compromised, but inside the inner long section was not too bad. there was some surface rust and scale on the bottom of this section which I cleaned up and then sealed.








After I got the middle part of the long sorted out I sectioned out the piece that goes behind the jack point (the part with the two circular holes, into one of which the jacking box section protrudes). This was weak/rotted away on the lower section below the holes so I patched it up with 16 gauge material.

I also found some rot on the interior the part of the long that starts kicking up and inward toward the engine, so I fabricated a stiffening piece and welded that in before priming everything. I also used Eastwood frame sealer to treat the upper portions of the interior of the long in the trunk/engine bay area. Hopefully this will stabilize things for as long as it will be relevant to me.

Once this was done I welded back in the patched section that reinforces the area behind the jacking point and then welded in the aft section of the inner rocker.

The most time consuming part came next; fabricating a patch for the inner rocker skin over the rear part of the long where it starts to kick up/in and covering the area where the jacking point attaches. I ultimately used 20 gauge steel which I cut and formed to fit the shape of the area. Where the jacking box section goes through the skin I spot welded in a piece of 16 gauge backer. This repair section was plug welded to the pieced behind and spot welded to the flange of the inner long section.







Now I’m moving on to the front section of the long including the bottom part of the A-pillar. Got that all peeled apart and the inner part of the long here looks solid with just surface rust and scale which I will Ospho and then seal before closing things back up.













After this it’s on to patching up the front fender and then back to the sail panel rot and replacing the LH door jamb.

There’s so much more yet to do that it seems pretty daunting….thank goodness for all of the Porsche resurrection videos on Youtube! When it all seems to much I watch one of those and think to myself “one patch at a time.” Still hoping to have all welding done and (stretch goal) body work complete by the time the salt is off the roads in New England.

Posted by: didenpx Apr 28 2025, 05:55 AM

OK, the dream of a quick refresh and recommissioning is dead and this has become the full blown restoration project that I swore it wouldn't. Readers probably are not surprised.

My intent all along was to leave the drivetrain in the car as it was running and driving. My logic was that I could fix what needed fixing on the body and get it back on the road quicker.

That began to go out the window once I found that an old rear impact had gone so far as to start crumpling the crumple zone. Off came the LH rear quarter to sort that out. In the close up photo below you can see that the inner quarter was trimmed back extensively near the tail lights, presumably to cut out metal that was too mangled to make look right. In the photo I'm holding the repair piece in its proper position on the outside of the inner quarter.

I knew all along that I'd need to replace the rear of the trunk floor and the rear panel (badly repaired after collision and bodged by PO who had mounted a 911 "Porsche" rear panel).

This weekend I pulled rear panel and started looking at structure and how the transaxle is mounted and started thinking that maybe it's just ridiculous to try to do all of this work around the drivetrain in situ.

What's the advice of the experienced who have worked through similar problems? Are there any pros to going with my original plan? Was I crazy to formulate it in the first place?

In other developments: originally I was going to keep the car as stock as possible (read: keep the BUBs). I've now decided to ditch that plan and backdate the bumpers. I figure the weight savings on a stock 1.8 will be helpful and I have always really liked the look of the early bumpers. It also helps that going this route will let me use the RD rear trunk floor pan piece without modification.

Posted by: Geezer914 Apr 28 2025, 06:25 AM

Welcome to 914 World! That's the problem buying a car from Maine. Rock salt and snow. You have your work cut out for you but you are doing a nice job on the restoration. Hope you got a good deal.

Posted by: friethmiller Apr 28 2025, 07:38 AM

You are the owner of this car. If you want to backdate the bumpers... go for it. For me, I'd leave it what it is... a '75. But don't let anyone tell you which way to go. It just a choice that you need to make. Regardless, you've got some fabrication work ahead of you. Nice! What you've done so far looks great. Keep it up

Posted by: didenpx Apr 29 2025, 06:41 AM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=10179 the rust isn't as bad as you might expect...it's the old collision damage that has slowed me down the most. I think I got a decent deal on it....$5,700 running and lot driving with a bunch of spare parts and some new replacement sheet metal from RD.

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=22863 thanks Fred...I lurk on your thread in the background and am amazed at what you are doing there. If this were an LE I'd obviously be going for bone stock, but I don't think a base level 75 1.8 is ever going to have any real collector value (unless it's an unrestored survivor or something).

Posted by: friethmiller Apr 29 2025, 07:03 AM

QUOTE(didenpx @ Apr 29 2025, 07:41 AM)

Posted by: burton73 Apr 29 2025, 01:16 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=27556

You have a lot on you plate and it looks like you have that handled but, you may need to address the pan on your car. After you remove the tar, poke the metal hard because it can look good but may have rust in the channels on the pan. This is my 6 run from 1970 to 1986 till it could not pass smog. It is a Los Angeles car with no rust except what you see. (The red on pan) I personally stripped the paint down to metal. The PO told me he used to take it to the snow to go So California skiing.

Best Bob B

Posted by: didenpx Apr 29 2025, 03:06 PM

Thanks @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=7414 . I have found a few very small holes in floor pan so far. I’m looking forward to getting the big stuff done so that I can get to finishing touches like that! Maybe by the late Summer or Fall…..

Posted by: didenpx Oct 2 2025, 05:11 PM

Finally have made some progress in piecing together the rear of the car. It had been in a LH rear impact that was serious enough to start to fold things in at the crumple zone and hadn't been properly repaired (there's another thread on the crumple zone damage specifically). Once I got that pulled out I still had a lot of fixing to do. I knew things were off kilter because I had 1+ CM gaps on the LH trunk lid to quarter and on the RH side the gap was basically non existent.

I reluctantly gave in and dropped the engine so I’d be able to get into the engine bay to use a ports-power to “persuade” shift things around and after some pushing and pulling I was able to get the inner quarters roughly to where they should be, using two parts cars to get reference measurements.

Part of the challenge involves re-constructing the rear-most section of the inner quarters which had suffered from the crash damage and also had rot between the inner and outer where the white factory seam sealer was used. I got a good clean repair section from another member quite some time ago and used that to get good patch pieces for the LH inner and RH inner/outer quarters. Right now the LH patch is tacked in, the LH outer quarter is dry fitted (self-tappers), and the RH patch piece is dry fitted (Clecos). Thankfully the RH and LH gaps between the quarters and the rear trunk lid look decent.

I’ll be tacking in the RH patch panel next and then fitting the tail panel before moving on to the trunk floor pan repair panel (thanks to Restoration Design for both of those pieces which are excellent!).

Photos follow.....

Posted by: didenpx Oct 2 2025, 05:13 PM

Posted by: didenpx Oct 2 2025, 05:15 PM

Posted by: didenpx Oct 2 2025, 05:17 PM

Posted by: didenpx Oct 2 2025, 05:18 PM

Posted by: Root_Werks Oct 3 2025, 11:30 AM

Some impressive metal work!

Posted by: friethmiller Oct 3 2025, 01:06 PM

I love this! Keep up the great work!

Posted by: didenpx Oct 3 2025, 03:08 PM

Thanks Fred and @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=2105 .

Got a couple more hours in today and was able to fit the rear valence (which required more tweaking of the fender gaps) and also loosely fit the trunk floor pan just to see how well it is lining up with the inner quarters and rear valence (pretty well!).

I'm using a diagram of average panel gaps that I found on a thread here somewhere and printed off; I'm not sure who produced it, but it is very handy. It also relieves a lot of stress over them not being perfect of exact...since they apparently never were to begin with.

Next week I will start welding in the RH rear quarter patch followed by the rear valence. Still lots of cleaning and prep work to do but at least I can see the light at the end of this particular tunnel!

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Posted by: didenpx Oct 3 2025, 03:09 PM

Posted by: didenpx Oct 18 2025, 09:20 AM

Good progress this week. The quarter patches are welded in and the rear valence is welded on the RH side; prepping for the LH quarter install and once that’s done I will start welding the inner quarter/rear valence/outer quarter sandwich on the LH side….hopefully early next week.

The RH inner/outer quarter patch came out ok except one low spot on the top of the fender and the vertical part dropping into the weather stripping channel not lining up. I tried to work the metal but this was the best I could get. I am considering using body panel adhesive and glueing a metal strip on that vertical area leading toward the tail to even things out.

Still in the process of removing tail light mounting brackets, trunk lock latch bracket, and the corner brackets from the 1975 rear valence that go on either side of the latch bracket and connect the valence to the floor.

Definitely back-dating bumpers.

Once all of this is done I still need to weld in the rear door jamb panel and work the gaps between the rear quarter and the door opening, stitch together the RD sail panel and my quarter panel, and weld in the door threshold. As things are lining up now (i.e. tip of LH rear quarter coming flush to the end of the trunk lid) the gap is looking too big…

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Posted by: seanpaulmc Oct 19 2025, 11:26 AM

Paul, this has come a long way. You have some great skills!

Would you have any more pictures of where the top corner of the tail panel comes together with top rear corner of the fender/quarter?

I understand this to be a leaded joint from the factory so it gets smoothed out but I’m not clear on how the panels meet and connect.

Thanks in advance if you can.

Again, great work!

-Sean

QUOTE(didenpx @ Oct 3 2025, 05:09 PM)

Posted by: didenpx Oct 19 2025, 12:36 PM

QUOTE(seanpaulmc @ Oct 19 2025, 11:26 AM)

Paul, this has come a long way. You have some great skills!

Would you have any more pictures of where the top corner of the tail panel comes together with top rear corner of the fender/quarter?

I understand this to be a leaded joint from the factory so it gets smoothed out but I’m not clear on how the panels meet and connect.

Thanks in advance if you can.

Again, great work!

-Sean

QUOTE(didenpx @ Oct 3 2025, 05:09 PM)

Posted by: trojanhorsepower Oct 19 2025, 06:26 PM

Looks familiar.
Great work.

Keep after it. It will end eventually. I think. Still not there personally, but I have heard that rumor......

Posted by: seanpaulmc Oct 20 2025, 05:20 AM

Paul, thanks for the additional explanation of where the rear panel and quarter panel come together. That is what I needed.