1st Irish Bumblebee Options

[ddire333]

Going to start this tread by saying thanks to those who helped or gave advice so far and please keep it coming.

About 8 months ago I decided it was time to get a 914, friend had one when i was in high school (80's Ontario) and it was so different to anything else I had driven i have never forgotten it. I'm in Ireland many years now and 914's where never sold here, looked at few in UK but prices where high for not much car, it was a project I was after. Joined 914 world and put a wanted add up, was considering few cars regular members had for sale, but then someone who had just joined made very low key contact, just saying they had a 74 2lt LE they wanted to sell. I thought it it was likely a scam but decided to go along, how wrong I was.

First I got few photos, still skeptical, but slowly as i asked for more detail it was all forthcoming, i was buying sight unseen, but after a few calls with the seller (Tom) all seem good and we did the deal, had the car collected just before Christmas. covid and brexit lead to shipping delays, so the car just arrived this weekend to its new Kildare home. Anyway Tom is a gent and an Ohio petrol head who just needed to thin out projects, he had had the car since the 90's but had been off the road a few years after a stalled restoration.

So the car is an Ohio car all its life, with.... a very solid body. I started stripping today and outside, the rear jack points and thresholds its very very good so far. Hell hole is solid from the top and had good photos of underside from Tom, so hopeful.

Engine needs a full rebuild (its in boxes) as does suspension, fuel, brakes and and a full respray. The interior is original and in great shape. Plan is to have a driver which is as original as possible, like what Ian is doing on youtube, but with a bit less budget.

I will undertake all but the respray myself, I had a garage to work in lined up but unexpectedly lost it, oh well real men work in the drive anyway. I had to laugh when I took the seats out today, I had restored the ones in my 928 last year and it nearly killed me lugging them about, I don't think both the seats and all the carpet in the 914 equaled one 928 seat. It going to be fun having the two ends of the spectrum to drive.

I will put updates on the thread as I go, but for now here is the original window sticker
and a couple of pics.

[ddire333]

Well, car was off to paint last week, and today I have a shiny new shell back in the drive, very happy with the result. Particularly happy with the final look of the repaired door jam, good weather forecast so plan to do rear suspension this weekend. I progressed the engine build in the week it was away, will post some pics later but all going well I will get be putting case 1/2s together in the next few days as well. its great motivator to be putting things back on the car now!