advice on 914 restoration Options

[JayKoit]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum, but I'm a long time Porsche enthusiast, and I'm looking for some advice.

I'd like to purchase and restore an old Porsche 914, or possibly a 912. I did a '73 Super Beetle restoration about 12 years ago and loved it, and I'm hoping some of what I learned in that process will translate over to a 914/912 restoration, at least in the powertrain dept. Not sure if anyone on this forum has 912 restoration experience, but my main question is: if i'm on a budget, and my only experience is restoring a beetle, which one would be a better fit for my wallet & experience level, or are they about the same? Also, is there a notable difference in insurance premiums between the two? Finally, if I find a good, mostly rust free roller without engine or tranny, what would a ground up restoration cost on a 914 if I just went with standard engine, tranny, suspension, etc?I love both models equally, just wondering if anyone would be willing to give me feedback on this. Thanks!

[76-914]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum, but I'm a long time Porsche enthusiast, and I'm looking for some advice.

I'd like to purchase and restore an old Porsche 914, or possibly a 912. I did a '73 Super Beetle restoration about 12 years ago and loved it, and I'm hoping some of what I learned in that process will translate over to a 914/912 restoration, at least in the powertrain dept. Not sure if anyone on this forum has 912 restoration experience, but my main question is: if i'm on a budget, and my only experience is restoring a beetle, which one would be a better fit for my wallet & experience level, or are they about the same? Also, is there a notable difference in insurance premiums between the two? Finally, if I find a good, mostly rust free roller without engine or tranny, what would a ground up restoration cost on a 914 if I just went with standard engine, tranny, suspension, etc?I love both models equally, just wondering if anyone would be willing to give me feedback on this. Thanks!

If you buy a roller w/o engine and tranny you will drop about 900 - 9000. There is/was a 1.7 running engine advertised here for 350 this week. Or you can buy one of Jakes creations for 7000 and up. Best buy = McMarks (one of our members) 2056cc. Good tranny's 200 and up. Suspension/brakes can be what you want it to be; 50 - 1200 stock configuration. Interior; I'd buy one mostly complete. It's a PITA trying to have a seat/windshield shipped. Be patient and wait for a min rust (the only remaining rust free model belongs to the tooth fairy) 73+ model that is running. If it runs you can check out the brakes, suspension and tranny and eliminate the guess work. BTW, you'll want a side shift tranny which would be std eqp on 73+ models. Depending upon the degree of head work and if your crank is good expect 1000-1500 to rebuild it yourself less P&C's.