'73 914 2.0....what to do first?, New to a project like this...where to start? Options

[AKFish]

HI there, my name is Dominic and I have an avid reader of this forum for nearly a year, now its time to get rolling on my project...

About this time last year, I purchased a 1973 914 2.0. The previous owners bought it as part of a bundle of 914's and only kept a couple.
I have some documentation from when the car was first purchased, but the more recent owners have proven elusive. It was owned by a member here named "kurbfrog" but he/she has not responded to my contact attempts, so recent history is a bit murky. Sounds like the guy I really want to talk to, headed south of the border in a bit of a hurry.
I acquired the car in a partially disassembled state. The engine, a 2.0 with it's original FI still attached, is out and pretty much everything is removed from the engine bay and the interior. Many of the removed parts are carefully bagged up and some even have labels. On the whole, the car is in pretty solid condition, however, there are some of the typical rust issues.....
The engine shelf has been cut for A/C and there is rust in the hell hole and I can see rust developing in the outer long (I think that's what it is called). My reading here would suggest that there is a lot more than meets the eye.
What I would really like to do is find out if the engine runs...and if so, just put the car back together and drive it for a while. I could decide after that, if a "rustoration" is right for me...I have zero background in fabrication/welding.

Question: What are the MUST DO items to perform on the engine while it is out, to give me the best odds of getting the car going again?

P.S. My car came with this 1975 Roller that is pretty well gutted.

[bbrock]

Nice Car! Right year. Right engine. And right color! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

I think the first step should be making sure the chassis is still safe enough to drive before thinking about putting the engine back in. That means making sure your rear suspension points are still solid and there isn't any flex in the body. I'd go after the rusty spots on the longs with a screwdriver like I was trying to murder it to make sure you still have solid metal there. Somewhere there is a procedure for testing for flex but I couldn't find it. If it checks out solid enough, might as well drive and enjoy it. Warning: to drive it is to want it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Honestly, what you've shown so far doesn't look to bad to me. Don't get me wrong, repairing just what we know is rotted is going to be a big project and there are probably more surprises inside, but it's doable. Fixing the engine shelf where the AC was is pretty easy. Restoration Design makes nice engine shelf replacements. Worst part will be fixing the rot under the battery because that will be a fabrication job. And, of course, whatever surprises are waiting for you inside.