NEED HELP, Put Husband’s Car Back Together Options

[PDrinkwater]

Hello Everyone, I don’t know if this is the right venue or if I am doing this right but I am looking for some help to put my husband’s 1974 914LE Porsche back together. Here is my story. I am a Widow, who lives in Fergus, Ontario, Canada,. I lost my husband in 2017 from cancer that he got having volunteered in NY during 9/11 for the Red Cross for 5 weeks. We found out in 2014 that he had it and he fought and we thought we had it beat but then in April 2017 we found out it came back big time and in June my husband lost his battle. During the time that he was ill he started to work on his Porsche to distract himself from what was going on, but didn’t have the chance to put it back together. I have tried over the last three years to find someone to help me to put it back together with no luck. They have either misunderstood and thought I wanted to sell it, or wanted to charge me a lot of money just to come look at, or bring it to them to look at, or said yes they would help but have never shown up, Or too busy to help, or not interested in helping, or friends (or so I thought) who accepted over $1000 worth of my husbands tools and promised to help but hasn’t shown up and now ignores my phone calls and emails. I am asking for help on here now because I am down to the wire. I have just sold my home and have to be out by Oct 2 and I need to be able to move my husband’s baby as he left it to our daughter and I would like her to have it. The car is not completely torn apart. The wheels are off, the two doors, and hoods are off. The motor is still in. I’m sure other things are off but I don’t know enough about it to tell you, and with just sitting for these years I don’t know what that does to a car. Everything that he has worked on is on shelves right by the car or in the car. I know with COVID it maybe difficult but the car is in my husband’s shop, which is on our property so no one else would be around. Please I need help and I don’t know where else to turn. I know my husband was on Porsche forums, because every time I would come n to check on him when he was suppose to be sleeping he was talking on them. Lol. Maybe if a couple of you guys could work on it, it would get done with ease. Please I would really appreciate help, this car meant a lot to him and I just don’t know where else to turn. Thank you for listening to me. I hope one or two or however many of you can help me.

[G e o r g e]

Sorry for you loss.

DR914 gave you a high estimate on value at 15K.

biggest issue is rust and the repairs to rust that have already been done.
I see the longs have been worked on.

I would list it on here, Pelican, and Craigslist

Biggest value is it's LE status.

Emphasize that it is a Bumble Bee.

Good luck with what ever you do.

[PDrinkwater]

Sorry for you loss.

DR914 gave you a high estimate on value at 15K.

biggest issue is rust and the repairs to rust that have already been done.
I see the longs have been worked on.

I would list it on here, Pelican, and Craigslist

Biggest value is it's LE status.

Emphasize that it is a Bumble Bee.

Good luck with what ever you do.

Good Morning George, thank you for your advice. I actually bought the car for Keith as a gift but was never told of the "Bumble Bee" status. Can you tell me what that means? Also I don't see any rust on the car, if you can see it in the pictures can you tell me where it is in case someone asks?

[VaccaRabite]

Good Morning George, thank you for your advice. I actually bought the car for Keith as a gift but was never told of the "Bumble Bee" status. Can you tell me what that means? Also I don't see any rust on the car, if you can see it in the pictures can you tell me where it is in case someone asks?

There were "special" 914s built in 1974, the CanAm cars. Your husbands car was a Bumble Bee meaning it had black paint on the body, and yellow on the wheels and the rocker panels under the doors. Mechanically they were just regular old 914s, but the special paint job makes them desirable since they were pretty rare.

If it were me, I'd have the car towed to your new home. I'm sure you could bolt some wheels on it and have it towed. Trying to sell it quick is going to cost you on the sale. If the car is rust free (and that's a significant IF) anything you can do to get the car running is going to make it more desirable to the next owner. Try as best you can not to get rid of any of the parts.

Sorry we aren't being super helpful. With travel discouraged and everything else right now its hard to get help.

In normal times you would offer to throw a party and people would show up to help build, but this just isn't normal times. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

If there is any way you can move the car to the new house and tuck it away for a year, thats going to pay off for you and your daughter.

Zach

[Superhawk996]

I'm sure you could bolt some wheels on it and have it towed.

I think the issue there is that the front rotors are off the spindles - not a quick bolt up that a tow truck or flatbed driver can do. I can't tell from one picture but I'm not convinced that both front struts are in the car. I can see one but not the other. Front rotors are sitting in the trunk. Sort of stright forward assuming the bearings are there and can be located.

I'm about 4 hours away in Detroit and in normal circumstances I'd be happy to help. However, COVID insanity limits me from crossing the border.

I'm hoping that you can find a couple local Ontario 914 guys to help. I'm game to help if we are allowed to cross border but I don't see that happening before you move date in October.

As suggested by others, good pictures and getting it sold may be your best bet given it's status as a Limited Edition. I fully understand the sentimental desire to pass along to your daugther but in it's current state this is a lofty goal.