3,800 Mile 914 - Preservation Ideas, How to maintain low milage 914 Options

[914x2]

I’m looking for some advice on how to “preserve” a very low milage 914. The car has 3,800 miles on it. I purchased it from a Porsche collector who bought it at this auction:
https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo17/lots/r...porsche-914-18/

For background, I purchased my first 914 for $600 in the 80’s at age 14 with five years of lawn mowing savings. The car didn’t run, had a lot of damage and was riddle with rust. My father and I spent a couple years getting it running, repaired the rust and “restored” it. I’ve owned old Porsches ever since.

I drive all my cars and frowned upon the idea of just displaying them in a garage. However, I now find myself feeling a bit like a caretaker of this car as it is likely one of the most original examples in the wild. So, I’ve morphed into the “display it in the garage” guy with this one.

I am looking for advice on how best to keep it mechanically sound while limiting miles. It is in a climate-controlled garage (always has been) with fluids changes every year. I use ethanal free gas as did the previous owner and I am removing the gas every year by pumping it from this car into my wife’s SUV. I take it on a 10 mile drive every 6 months.

I’d appreciate thoughts on anything I should, or should not, be doing to achieve the goal of preserving the “originality” of this car while still exercising the mechanicals.

[JeffBowlsby]

@914x2

I recall this car from many years ago, it was owned by a gent here in the SF bay area. 100% sure its the same car. It had ~2,000 mi on it at that time. Compare the details of my photos with your car. Drivers side front wheel weights, the black adhesive residue on the engine bay firewall pad pass side and others, same-same. Sorry I have no contact for him, nor recall his name.

He sent me photos then, posted to my page here: https://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/Exceptional914s.htm

It is listed as "Sunflower Yellow" (apparently incorrectly. Same color, but Sunflower name was 1973-74, Summer name was 1975-76) a VIN. It did not have the side stripes at the time, and it did have AC, in fact I recall him telling me that he was going to carefully remove the A/C from the car. Any telltale indications the car had A/C at one time? Front trunk floor, unused open holes (or with plugs) in the chassis here and there, passenger side engine tin pieces original looking?

For unknown reasons there were several yellow '75 1.8L cars from the bay area back then, even a couple from the 1976 model year (calendar 1975 Q4) those that I know about (on same webpage above) are very low mileage original cars.

Wish I had the exceptional photos of this exceptional 914 as are on the Sothebys page.

[wonkipop]

@914x2



It is listed as "Sunflower Yellow" (apparently incorrectly. Same color, but Sunflower name was 1973-74, Summer name was 1975-76) a VIN. It did not have the side stripes at the time, and it did have AC, in fact I recall him telling me that he was going to carefully remove the A/C from the car. Any telltale indications the car had A/C at one time? Front trunk floor, unused open holes (or with plugs) in the chassis here and there, passenger side engine tin pieces original looking?

jeff - one indication i can see of the former AC is the relocation of the ECU to the rear firewall of the engine bay. every 1.8 i have seen that has the original AC system seems to have required the L jet ECU to be shifted from its original position beside the battery. most often dealers seem to have placed it above and near its original position on the passenger side firewall. other aspects of the AC that involved modifying the cooling tin apron appear to have been rectified back to original.


@914x2 - its an exquisite car. and belongs, one day, in the porsche museum in stuttgart.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[914x2]

@JeffBowlsby

Thank you very much for this background. Yes, indeed this is the car! I’ll print out your post and place it in the “historical folder.”

Note, I did not buy it from the SF owner you met. Rather, I purchased it less than a year ago from the person who bought it at the Sotheby’s auction. That owner put about 400 miles on it.