"New" 914. Is it worth restoring? Options

[Lemmonhead]

New member to the 914 world. I just bought this car yesterday as a project car for me and my son and now wondering if I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I am mechanically inclined and do most of the mechanical work on the cars I have owned but this may be a little more than my pay grade. I have never welded or done body work.
It is a 1972.
I purchased it from an older lady for $1000, it belonged to her son who passed away about 5 years ago. She needed the money and I initially thought it would be a good project. It has been sitting in the elements and baking in the hot sun of Las Vegas for the last 5 years, so every piece of rubber and the interior is shot. The engine is there but I have no idea what condition it is in. She thought it may have ran when it was parked but is unsure. No keys to the car.
We are on a budget and would like to bring the car back to a daily driver status. What do you all think?

She tried to cover the car with tarp and tape it down with duct tape but that didn't last long.

[JeffBowlsby]

With all that context...sell it or part it.

It will cost more than the car is worth to bring it back...and cannot be done correctly on a 'budget'.

[Gustl]

With all that context...sell it or part it.

It will cost more than the car is worth to bring it back...and cannot be done correctly on a 'budget'.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)


and of course:


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) ... from far, far away (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[JoeDees]

I think it really depends on the condition of the longs and what you expect out of it. There's plenty there for you to make a profit parting it out, but it may not be completely out of the question to make a good driver. I think one can nearly always expect to buy all new rubber for a 40 year old car. 914 rubber's seat and carpet kits isn't that expensive. If the engine isn't too bad you can get that going without much problem. Redoing the brake system isn't overly expensive. And if the body is rather straight and you're willing to do a garage paint job with Tractor Supply paint that's not too expensive either. Really it all comes down to rust and what you want on the finished end on if it's worth the money.

[JoeDees]

Also, if it is somehow rust free, the tub could be used after finding a rusted out component donor. I think there are way too many unknown variables to instantly write the car off.

[KELTY360]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

First off, it looks like there are plenty of parts there for you to recoup your $$ and then some. Before you make that decision, you and your son should dig a little deeper into the project. Determining the amount of rust in critical structural areas is step one. Take the rocker panels off to look at the longs. Look for the battery tray on the passenger side of the engine bay. If it's still intact that's a good sign. Look at the area under the battery tray where it meets the firewall...is it intact or rotted away? Look for rust around the base of the windshield, the base of the targa bar near the door jamb and the floor of the rear trunk. Those spots can tell you a lot about the structure of the car. It will also help you and your son learn about the 914.

Even if you decide to part it out, it can be a great father/son project. Dismantling a 914 can give you a great education about these little cars and you might earn enough $$ to find a better project.

Who knows, maybe after a close inspection you'll discover it's better than you think. Good luck and use this site as a tool to deal with the idiosyncracies of the 914. They are great cars.

[lcjo73914]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

First off, it looks like there are plenty of parts there for you to recoup your $$ and then some. Before you make that decision, you and your son should dig a little deeper into the project. Determining the amount of rust in critical structural areas is step one. Take the rocker panels off to look at the longs. Look for the battery tray on the passenger side of the engine bay. If it's still intact that's a good sign. Look at the area under the battery tray where it meets the firewall...is it intact or rotted away? Look for rust around the base of the windshield, the base of the targa bar near the door jamb and the floor of the rear trunk. Those spots can tell you a lot about the structure of the car. It will also help you and your son learn about the 914.

Even if you decide to part it out, it can be a great father/son project. Dismantling a 914 can give you a great education about these little cars and you might earn enough $$ to find a better project.

Who knows, maybe after a close inspection you'll discover it's better than you think. Good luck and use this site as a tool to deal with the idiosyncracies of the 914. They are great cars.

I agree

[lcjo73914]

I think it really depends on the condition of the longs and what you expect out of it. There's plenty there for you to make a profit parting it out, but it may not be completely out of the question to make a good driver. I think one can nearly always expect to buy all new rubber for a 40 year old car. 914 rubber's seat and carpet kits isn't that expensive. If the engine isn't too bad you can get that going without much problem. Redoing the brake system isn't overly expensive. And if the body is rather straight and you're willing to do a garage paint job with Tractor Supply paint that's not too expensive either. Really it all comes down to rust and what you want on the finished end on if it's worth the money.

I agree

[barefoot]

Remove the rocker panels and look for rust where dirt has packed up under there and around the jack posts, then under the battery tray. Can't see from photos, how are the rear door gaps. With doors open, jump up & down on the door sills to see if it appears solid.
If the top has been off without the tarp, there's probably rust on the floors particularly under the seats. Remove seats and scrape off some tar on the floors before you write this one off.
I was able to find one being parted out and got seats, back pad, door panels, targa top, sections of the floor around the emergency brake and lots of other bits that mine was missing for $400.
Good luck !

[blackmoon]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Good luck with this endeavor, not for the faint at heart

[Lemmonhead]

Remove the rocker panels and look for rust where dirt has packed up under there and around the jack posts, then under the battery tray. Can't see from photos, how are the rear door gaps. With doors open, jump up & down on the door sills to see if it appears solid.
If the top has been off without the tarp, there's probably rust on the floors particularly under the seats. Remove seats and scrape off some tar on the floors before you write this one off.
I was able to find one being parted out and got seats, back pad, door panels, targa top, sections of the floor around the emergency brake and lots of other bits that mine was missing for $400.
Good luck !

Thanks, this answers some of the questions I was going to ask.

[lcjo73914]

New member to the 914 world. I just bought this car yesterday as a project car for me and my son and now wondering if I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I am mechanically inclined and do most of the mechanical work on the cars I have owned but this may be a little more than my pay grade. I have never welded or done body work.
It is a 1972.
I purchased it from an older lady for $500, it belonged to her son who passed away about 5 years ago. She needed the money and I initially thought it would be a good project. It has been sitting in the elements and baking in the hot sun of Las Vegas for the last 5 years, so every piece of rubber and the interior is shot. The engine is there but I have no idea what condition it is in. She thought it may have ran when it was parked but is unsure. No keys to the car.
We are on a budget and would like to bring the car back to a daily driver status. What do you all think?

She tried to cover the car with tarp and tape it down with duct tape but that didn't last long.

Welcome to 914world
I bought mine last year, and did not know anything about porsches compared to a lot members so, I stared asking and I was able to get the engine running. I bought a welding machine at Harbor freight, sheet metal at HomeDepot, and my neighbor game more sheet metal, yesterday I went to the Flee Market and found an dewalt orbital sender for $20 bucks after negociation(Lol), and every day I do a little bit.
My is 1973, and I bought another one that the owner was going to part it out, because it was not registered, but it is in good condition. So I sent question, about registering it, and had the answer, I called the DMV, and they helped me as well, and I am going to finish one as quick as I can, so I can start the other.
You can get a lot of help here, and as matter of fact, you already started being helped. Keep sending question, and you r going to have this ready as faster than you think.
Don't give up.

[rudedude]

How old is your son? Mine started on his 914 project at 14, learned to weld, do body work, paint and engine rebuild and reassembled to drive on his 16th birthday and is still driving it now 11 years later. It can be done.

[mgp4591]

Patience is definitely the key here. If the car is an original Vegas car, you may not have terrible rust issues. The sun will bake ANY interior in that extreme heat if not protected. This car need more inspection which is what you'll need to do even if you start parting it out - if you don't know what you have, you can't really determine what it's worth. Tear it apart, check all the aforementioned areas, then make an accurate assessment of how to proceed. If the metal is good, you're golden. If not, upping your skill set is a challenge and a good thing!
Whatever you decide, good luck. These little cars are a blast to drive and if it helps you and your son work together to a good outcome, that's a bonus that's hard to put a price on!
Oh, and..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[PanelBilly]

Go for it. Don't spend any $ and just have fun taking it apart and studying the stuff you find. It doesn't every need to drive again to be a great project. And maybe if you're lucky, it will turn out to be a good candidate for a driver.

[Lemmonhead]

Thanks for all the responses, help and suggestions so far.
Which son? Lol. I have 5, but 3 are out of the house. I have a 15 year old and 4 year old left at home. I wanted to do it with the 15 year old. Budget wise I wanted to stay in the $4-5,000 range Max.
What to do about the seats and door panels? Look for replacements or reupholster? All of the seals and rubber is going to add up quick.

[Cairo94507]

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Regardless of what the end result ends up looking like, the biggest asset will be the time you spend working with your son. Maybe your youngest will watch and start to catch the bug too.

As many have said assessing the extent of the rust on the chassis is the biggest issue you will confront. Get it up in the air, put some jack stands under it and start poking around with a pick or screw driver looking for rust issues. Remember to wear eye protection.

[Mark Henry]

Since it's a LV car the chassis may be in surprisingly good condition.
If it is.. first thing I'd look for is a donor with a bad chassis but a good interior.

Good luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[Mark Henry]

dp

[JoeDees]

If the chassis is solid, you can do it for $4-5k.