New Member Intro - I Finally Got One! Options

[Forge]

Hello all - I want to first thank all who help provide this awesome friendly 914 resource! My name is Eric and I am located in the mountains near Asheville NC. I have been a VW fanatic since 1996 and have owned Bugs and Buses and Things and Ghias and Squarebacks. I have always wanted a 914 and finally got one! I found this 1975 through a VW friend in TN. It had been sitting in his barn since 2004. It appears to be a very complete car with a (very neglected) stock looking FI system intact. Unfortunately it has bad rust in the Hell Hole that the PO neglected to tell me about (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) These cares are EXTREMELY rare in these parts so I really would like to bring this one back from the dead...

Photos oldskool style (sorry) here:

Where to start??? I need a good battery for it so I can start to see what I have got myself into. What Sealed AGM batteries do you all use? Also what about the color - is it original? And those wheels - anyone know if they are OG?

Thanks!!!

[Spoke]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

If this were my car, the first things I would do is clean everything.

Check tires for cracks; check the brakes for wear and operation.

Then check the electrical system by turning things on/off and see what works.

Clean out the gas tank and drain the fuel system; Check all fuel lines for cracks, wear, and dry rot.

Try to get it running.

Unless the rust in the body is so bad that the car might break in half, get it running first, then decide what to attack. If you attack all rust at once chances are you won't be driving it for a while. "A while" could be a couple of weeks to a couple of years or never.

Do you know about the big-butt test? Take the roof off and have a friend >200LB sit in the passenger seat. Look for flex in the chassis when he (or she) sits down.

Good luck.