Possible 914 owner - questions and photos Options

[skaufmann]

Previous Porsche owner - my first car I bought when I turned 16 was a used 1985.5 944. I loved it.

I now have an opportunity to acquire another porsche from a family member who is the original owner. I'm expecting a ton of work to get it in working order. The car is in Los Angeles, I'm in San Diego so I can't see it in person, just photos that I've attached.

Here's the deal:

-1972 1.7l
-VIN 4722913284
-OD says "01187" (I'm assuming that's 101,187 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) )
-It's been sitting covered for 15+ years
-Interior appears to be in decent condition
-Exterior is in good shape, paint looks to be fading
-I was told it was a custom color... gold?
-Some rust in the trunk and up the driver's side *post*
-Was running when last driven but was having a carburetor/fuel issue

Based on the attach photos, can anyone give me more info about it? Also, the driver's side post (sorry, don't know what its called - the side of car that support the roof behind the driver) is painted. I normally see this with black vinyl or something similar in other photos.

Like I said everything is original. The family member who owned it is too old to do anything with it and looking to pass it on to someone else in the family. I'm thinking of acquiring it and trailering it to San Diego and see what it would take to get it running. If it's too much I'll probably sell it for parts.

Any info would be great.

Scott

[Mike Bellis]

Poke around under the battery and check for rust. If it's cheap enough, buy it. It has some good parts. Rust repair can be expensive.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[Michael N]

Cool radio. What dealership is the license plate frame from? It looks like San Francisco but I guess it could be San Fernando if the car is in LA.

[SirAndy]

Based on the attach photos, can anyone give me more info about it?

There are 3 major problems with 914s:

1. The rust they left the factory with
2. The rust you can see now
3. The rust you haven't found yet

I'd be most worried about 3. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)


From the pictures, it looks to be in decent shape for having sat so long.
However, you will have to carefully check for rust inside the engine bay under the battery tray. Also called the "hell hole". Do a search here for that term to see some examples of how bad that can get.
Then you need to remove the passenger side rocker panel and poke for rust behind that.
And then you need to move both seats forward, remove the carpet behind the seats and poke around the floor pan. Don't let the looks of the floor pan fool you, the factory painted over the sound deadening material and what often looks like a solid floorpan is in fact the (nicely painted) sound deadening holding the rust together ...



Good luck and (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[Eric_Shea]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) That looks to be a very complete original car. Good on you.

Learn to look for the danger areas:

1. Look underneath the side rockers at the jack post area. Those longitudinals are the backbone of the car.

2. As Mike mentioned, poke around the battery tray area. If the battery tray is rotted it will point to more rot in what we call the "hell hole". Look down beyond the battery tray where that engine shelf dips into the longitudinal and meets up with the firewall. Rain can wash in and pull battery acid over this area. Leaves often block the drain holes and... the hell hole is born. There's another one on the other side as well... check there.

As you can see from the trunk photo, there's usually a foam pad in there resting in the back 1/2 of the trunk. That pad would get saturated when water leaked past the bad tail light seals. You can see a decent amount of rust there already but... it doesn't look too bad.

IMO, that could mean your longs and your hell holes might be in decent shape. That and the fact that this was a Cali car all it's life. You just may have something here.

I wonder what it would look like with:

1. Buffed out paint.
2. New Sail Panel Vinyl (it had vinyl at one time)
3. Blasted and repainted wheels

I'd venture to say there's more gold there than meets the eye. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

[Tom_T]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) ... with the above,

plus also pull the outer door seals out of the channels & check for rust & along the bottoms of the doors & the door jambs front & rear on both sides;

pull the seals out of the channels in the front trunk & front fender to cowl seals & check those for rust, & the front trunk floor;

as well as remove the front steering rack cover & check all around that area for rust damage, cuz both the windshield washer bottle & lines and the brake fluid reservoir can leak don, sit & rust through below;

also pull the left outer rocker cover below the door (as well as pass. side noted above) & check both longitudinals & behind the jackpost supports for rust, as well as the inner longs & floor panels from the inside (note the tar is also painted over on the floor there.

Gold was one of the available colors for 1972 914s, although black & all metallics were an extra charge option (about $270 IIRC). Look on the drivers front door jamb for the Karmann Plate & it should have a L97H there if it was a factory paint (vs. a later dealer or owner repaint which were common - my 73 914-2.0 was repainted to Gold at some point prior in 12/75 when I bought it).

If it's a different number code, then you can look at the site linked below for what it is & sample 914s, although there is also a color chart under the 914 info link at the top of this page.

You can see color codes with sample 914s in many of those colors by clicking on the 914 outline for any color:
http://p914.com/p914_paint_72.htm
http://p914.com/p914_paint_L97H_71.htm

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[Madswede]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) I definitely agree with what everyone else has posted here already. Speaking from a guy in the middle of a major rebuild from a California-delivered and California-lived car (until I brought it to the desert here in New Mexico), rust is your major enemy. I was lucky to get one with very little rust, but even then it still had some (including a substandard hell hole repair job that needed to be repaired)

In plain speak, pay attention to what everyone has said here so far and think long term about what can be done, is my advice. I was very lucky to get a car that lived most of its life in CA. I got it semi-running for $6K and yet it was in better shape than some cars that have become legendary in their re-builds. So your car has some serious potential I think.

Besides the inevitable hell hole issue (which can be fixed to a certain extent), look for rust on the frame rails and anywhere there is something to do with load-bearing. The worst killers are the members of the frame just in front of where the power goes to the rear wheels. (I am not probably using the exactly correct terms in the interest of simplification) I think that that is the worst-case, no-can-do-a-rebuild location for rust, though there are probably others.

Oh yeah .... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[Madswede]

Oh yeah I just saw that you're a 944 fan. I'm a proud owner of a 968 myself, and as the final evolution of the 924-944 line that replaced the 914 line, I have to say... rock on dude! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif) These cars have the potential to run right up with there with the (over)venerated 911s!

[warpig]

Previous Porsche owner - my first car I bought when I turned 16 was a used 1985.5 944. I loved it.

I now have an opportunity to acquire another porsche from a family member who is the original owner. I'm expecting a ton of work to get it in working order. The car is in Los Angeles, I'm in San Diego so I can't see it in person, just photos that I've attached.

Here's the deal:

-1972 1.7l
-VIN 4722913284
-OD says "01187" (I'm assuming that's 101,187 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) )
-It's been sitting covered for 15+ years
-Interior appears to be in decent condition
-Exterior is in good shape, paint looks to be fading
-I was told it was a custom color... gold?
-Some rust in the trunk and up the driver's side *post*
-Was running when last driven but was having a carburetor/fuel issue

Based on the attach photos, can anyone give me more info about it? Also, the driver's side post (sorry, don't know what its called - the side of car that support the roof behind the driver) is painted. I normally see this with black vinyl or something similar in other photos.

Like I said everything is original. The family member who owned it is too old to do anything with it and looking to pass it on to someone else in the family. I'm thinking of acquiring it and trailering it to San Diego and see what it would take to get it running. If it's too much I'll probably sell it for parts.

Any info would be great.

Scott

i am also in SD and fixing up a 914 that sat for years up in LA county. if you can get it to run cheap while fixing it up, it is definitely a fun project. If not let me know I could use some of the parts if you part it out. Oh ya these guys on this site are the greatest. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

[skaufmann]

WoW you all are nuts, in a good way!

All is extremely helpful even if it feels like drinking through a firehose. After thinking about it overnight and the things you all have told me to look for I'm going for it.

My initial goal is to get it driving again. I figured its best to enjoy the car as much as possible right out of the gate and then let the love motivate the rest of the restoration. All the tips on looking for rust lead me to believe I'll likely have a good amount of body work if I decide to fully restore this thing... the thought of a full restoration scares me at this point as I've never taking something like this on.

I'm not necessarily always a purist but the fact that this is almost all original really wants me to try and stay true to its origins. We'll see how that turns out though.

Thanks for all you tips. Anything else is greatly appreciated. I'll make sure to update once I get the car and post new photos.

[sean_v8_914]

do a post requesting a PPI from one of the LA guys here. if you buy it, bring it over to my shop. I'll put it on teh lift for free and we can ogle your 914 score

it has been sitting in that spot for a long time. the tires look to have sunk into the terrain. it will have alot of surface rust on the belly parts but that is not the scary stuff to run away from.

[rohar]

the thought of a full restoration scares me at this point as I've never taking something like this on.

Don't get too overwhelmed. It took over 30 years to get to it's current state, if it takes 30 years to get it back, you're ahead of schedule!

Get the important bits sorted and drive the snot out of it. Nobody likes a teener on jack stands.

[skaufmann]

do a post requesting a PPI from one of the LA guys here. if you buy it, bring it over to my shop. I'll put it on teh lift for free and we can ogle your 914 score

it has been sitting in that spot for a long time. the tires look to have sunk into the terrain. it will have alot of surface rust on the belly parts but that is not the scary stuff to run away from.

Thanks! I live in North Park and I see your shop is close. I may take you up on that offer. I'm working on getting it now.

Does anyone know of a good service to trailer it from Los Angeles to San Diego?

Also I just found this site with on a well documented 72:
http://californiaclassix.com/archive/72_Po...e_914_c569.html

One thing I noticed is the car on this site, which is all original, doesn't have vinyl sails. Mine doesn't either, they are painted the same as the body. Just curious if this is correct. I assume so.

[skaufmann]

I may have figured out my chrome/no vinyl sails question...

Chrome bumpers and having driving/fog lights, etc. indicate it *may* have the "optional appearance group" package which it then should also have the vinyl sails. I'll have to investigate the vehicle further when I get it see if it fact has the other pieces of the optional appearance package.

[mepstein]

Do whatever you can to take Sean up on his offer to get it on a lift. Sean knows these cars and can tell you how much rust you have and if a restoration is worth pursuing and how much $. Good information to have before you spend time and $ getting it running. Good luck, Mark

[rick 918-S]

72 Appearance group. Sail vinyl likely shrunk and curled up off the trim and someone just peeled it off. Factory color. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/assimilate.gif)

[wndsrfr]

It'll be a nice project if you like projects and will grow on you....as will the addiction to 914World forums--not a bad habit all in all....

Don't go for another color before really appreciating the gold metallic--like the underside of the hood shows...

Here's a couple of pics of how mine ended up...

John

[skaufmann]

John - she's beautiful. With as original as most, if not all, this car seems to be, I wouldn't dare change the factory color.

Thanks for the photos. It's hard to find good examples of the metallic gold.