I didn't even know I loved 914's, 'Till I bought one in August '11 Options

[Germancar-Junkie]

Hi All, I am new to the world of car restoration and 914's. While cruising c's list I found a deal I couldn't refuse, and the rest is history. She runs, but she's rough. I trailered her home, drove her throught the neighborhood a few times then put her in the garage and have spent a few weekends chipping away at the cosmetic flaws. There's a lot of rust. But not in the places that I keep reading about (hell hole, floor pans, etc.) Currently, I'm torn. Do I put band-aids on the boo-boos and spend 7 months out of this year driving it like I stole it? Or start the grueling project of disassembly, rust repair and re-assembly? In the case of the latter, I won't get to enjoy her for a couple years... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[Germancar-Junkie]

Remember when I said she was shot???? Well, here are some pics of the ugliest driverside long I've seen. A sincere thanks to those that sugggested I look into it a little further. The words "death trap" come to mind.

From a distance, it looks bad. But just keep reading, it gets so much worse. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)





In Allentown, PA this is how they fix longs. Just fill them with spray foam. (I'm pretty sure this car came from Allentown based on a box of parts found in the trunk with a name and address on it.) This is just a quarter of the spray foam I dug out.



I trimmed off the bottom of the long to show how rusted out this thing really was. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

Yep. That's my hand. I'm female, but my love of cars runs deep. And I'm doing all the work myself, except for the welding, hubby will help on that.

Call me a fool, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif) but I'm going to rebuild her. I'm naming her Austin, as in "Steve Austin" the six-million dollar man. That might be how much I end up having tied up in her by the time this is all finished.

Porsche purists, do not read the following: Since this amount of rust is something I didn't bargain for, I have a solution to get back on the road. This car doesn't have a lot of life left. So, after some extensive rust abatement, I'm going to use some chasis tubing left over in the garage and make a sort of exoskeleton for the underside. There's a 50/50 chance I'll get away with that.

I know there are rust free specimens out there. But this one is mine. If I can bring "Austin" back from the brink, then I've made a significant accomplishment in my book. If I can't...there will be a parts listing posted somewhere in the future.

I'll post my progress, unless the general consensus of the replies to this entry suggest that's something no one here would have interest in. Then I'll keep it to myself.

Let me know what you think.
Thanks, Dawn

[ClayPerrine]

Yep. That's my hand. I'm female, but my love of cars runs deep. And I'm doing all the work myself, except for the welding, hubby will help on that.

Dawn,
I want to introduce you to my wife, Betty. She is a 914 addict, and has been one for 26 years (And she is the one who got me hooked!!!). The 74 1.8L she has is the first 914 I ever drove, and has 300,00 + miles on it. It is her daily driver, complete with functional Air conditioning. She gets out in the garage and does a lot of her own work, but most of the time she lets me do the work, as I am faster at it.

And as for "Austin", don't give up. Betty's car burned to the point where the windshield fell in, and we were able to restore it. I would suggest you go to the local community college and take a welding course, then get the needed sheet metal from restoration design or equivalent. You will end up with a nice car, and you can tell the boxster and 911 drivers "You bought yours, I built mine" with pride.

If you need encouragement, we can help. If you were closer to us, we would help that way too.

And welcome to the madness that owning a 914 brings!