newby questions Options

[ckk]

Hi,

Sorry for the newby post, but I'm thinking about getting a 914 as a weekend car. I might take it to the track once or twice (since the local PCA requires driving a p-car for your first few events), but I have a dedicated non-porsche track car that will do most track duty after that. I've seen the buying guide on the Pelican Parts website, and I still have a few questions for the experts (is there a 914 world buying guide, btw?):

1. Generally, how easy is it to work on one of these? I'm comfortable doing interior trim, wiring, suspension and brake work on mid-80's and newer cars, along with minor engine work (belts, alternators, fluid flushes, etc), but I don't know how to weld, paint, or do major engine work. So if a major engine repair is necessary it would be my first time pulling off a head (as an example). I plan to do most of the work myself. Also, are parts generally available?

2. In a similar vein, if the car seems to be running well, and drives well, are they generally reliable given regular maintenance? Are there any major engine issues to look for? (Specifically on a '75 1.8 with the stock fuel injection -- I will look at one of those this week).

3. Lastly, on rust issues -- I'm really not an expert at checking rust. How can I tell if a rusty area is just surface rust that needs to be scraped and sprayed with rust inhibitor or if it's worse? Would I lightly scrape with a screwdriver or something, to see if I hit metal quickly? I'll check all the areas listed in the Pelican buying guide.

Thanks for any help, and sorry again for posting something that has probably been beaten to death!

--C

[trojanhorsepower]

I agree with what everyone else is saying. I have never driven mine.... so I have no experience, but the mechanical stuff, people can help you with remotely, but not body work. If I ever got another one, I would not worry about if the motor ran, or if it even had a motor, rust is the only thing that would matter to me. I believe (for what that's worth) most all the other issues can be dealt with in your garage.

But what do I know, mine is still in 914,000 pieces. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

-Peter

[RiqueMar]

I don't mean to self promote, but certainly check out some of the build threads. Mine is not a good example of checking for rust because I have a desert car, but there are certainly members that are/have been in.... trickier situations.

This is my first car project and (IMO) if you do your homework you get what you put in.

As for the year of the car MOST def go for a pre-75 in California. It's worth the searching for. Also, as far as parts are concerned, I think some investigation is needed, but nothing is 'impossible' to find.

Oh, and (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)