"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.

[KELTY360]

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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