Settled - Side Valences are affixed with plastic button head rivets, 'Rocker panel' rivets Options

[JeffBowlsby]

We know of two docmented original 914s, both have side valances attached with plastic buttonhead rivets, not aluminum rivets.

Black rivets for cars with black valances
Clear rivets for the 1974 LE cars with the yellow or orange valances

PET also only lists the plastic button head rivets.

All the photos of 914s with aluminum rivets are not original, are commonly available and have been replaced at some point.

Thanks to George Hussey, Steve Gaglione (2nd owner of very orignal Sahara Beige) and Alberto Favilla (original owner) and to Rich Daunhauer (914Werke) for their knowledge.

[wonkipop]

as a comment to @JeffBowlsby .

now mr b.
you do realise your argument can equally be applied to owners having taken rockers off early on years and year ago and having replaced the rivets with "correct" plastic rivets.
thinking metal rivets were wrong. these cars might have had rockers on and off a half a dozen times in their life up until now. talking 74s here.

S.G. 74 car in originality section is illustrative of that.
there is a car that is held up as the benchmark of originality.
yet the owner admits he restored the rocker panel rivets on the advice of dr. 914.
and those rivets were not on it when he obtained it from the original first owner.
they were metal. and he though they were original. and he states also that he believes the 914 he bought new back in the 70s had metal rivets.

so its a funny one.

dr. 914 is not infallible.
he was incorrect about the distributor vac hose set up on 74 1.8s.
he had it down as a production date change.
it wasn't.
on the + side, he is not wrong about much.