Newbie Intro along with some questions Options

[billy mild]

I would like introduce myself. My name is Jeff. I live in Kansas City, MO. I haven't even thought about a 914 since I was 17 years old when I got my first Porsche the 924S "Parts car". I did a lot of work on that car. I sold that this past year and I sometimes get bored and look for Porsches. I remember 914's being really cheap a few years ago. I saw this kind of rough 914 "Project Car" on Craigslist. I decided to check it out. It was much more than I could take on it needed floor pans and some other body panels. Anyways I going to start my search for another Porsche. Whether it be a 944 turbo or a 914 project.

Where should I start to look for 914's?

What are some signs that I do not want to mess with a car?

Give you background on what I have done. On my 924S when I got it the car only ran on 1 cylinder, it had no fuel filter or air filter. Had a serious vacuum leak. I cleaned the fuel injectors by hand with a 9 volt battery and carb cleaner. I then changed all the fluids myself. I did some body work but nothing more than using a dent puller and some body filler. I have done some electrical work/interior stuff. I have also replaced the transmission in that car.

I'm not an expert on cutting out rust and replacing body panels that need to be welded in. I can handle motor work as I have worked on many motorcycles, and cars alike.

What kind of car would I be looking for?

Sorry for the long post.

[billy mild]

I don't mind a project. Thats what I going to be able to afford, but like I said I don't know much about welding and what not. What I am wondering about is the structure and what not? I have seen a note somewhere about shock tower failure? How do yo check for that? Can it be fixed.

My ideal car would be one that is a decent condition structure wise maybe some dents and stuff. Not so good paint, and a motor that needs some love. How much would something like that run?

[SirAndy]

I don't mind a project. Thats what I going to be able to afford, but like I said I don't know much about welding and what not. What I am wondering about is the structure and what not? I have seen a note somewhere about shock tower failure? How do yo check for that? Can it be fixed.

My ideal car would be one that is a decent condition structure wise maybe some dents and stuff. Not so good paint, and a motor that needs some love. How much would something like that run?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

Never seen shock tower failure ...


The three top most things to look out for when buying a 914 are:

- Rust
- Rust!
- RUST!!!


Now that we have that out of the way, there's a few areas that are rust-prone.

- The "Hell Hole"
That's in the engine compartment, passenger side, under the battery tray (if that hasn't rusted away yet).
Battery acid drips down on top of the longitudinal (your cars spine) and over the years eats through it. Some lucky ones only have surface rust, but most cars have serious cancer in that area.
If it's bad enough, it'll eat away the complete long in that area, including the lower portion around the jack-post.
You need to bring a screwdriver and do some serious poking in that area. Take off the pass. side rocker cover and poke around the long in the rear and next to the jack-post.
Also inspect the pass. side engine mount and trailing arm mount as they can be affected by the same rott. The trailing arm mount usually rips due to rust and you can easily spot the crack (or worse).

- Floor pans
Mostly due to leaking rear windows, the floor pans are often rotted away. Move both seats forward, lift up the carpet and inspect the pans.
The usually 'look' ok because the factory used tar mats glued to the floor for sound deadening and painted over them. So the floor looks solid because it's painted over the tar. But in reality, the only thing left is the tar holding the rust underneath together.
Poke with a screwdriver and do the "crunch" test. Press on the lower recessed portions of the floor boards and listen for a crunch noise. That's rust under the tar.
I have seen many supposedly solid 914s where you could easily punch through the floor pans with your finger.

- Rear trunk floor
Mostly due to leaking seals around the tail lights and the upper trunk seal. Usually the rear edge of the floor in front of the rear panel has rusted through.


The good news is that there are new patch panels available for almost all of these areas, but you need $$$, a experienced welder and a lot of time to fix this right.
Some more difficult areas, like the rear trailing arm mounts, require a jig or bench to do correctly.

Bottom-line, buy the most rust-free 914 you can afford and worry about anything else later.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif) Andy