New to 914 World, not 914s Options

[driftingcloud]

Hi all,

I've lurked here for years, but I finally feel the need to post a formal hello and thank the group for contributing so richly to my 914 education over the years.

I currently own two 914s (both mostly updated in the VIN database).

1. 1976 2.0L, nepal orange, numbers matching CoA car currently undergoing a full bare metal restoration back to factory perfect. Advertised as rust-free (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), not really rust free (gasp!). Lots of minor, time consuming issues, nothing major. There's no such thing as a rust free 914 anyway, right? After a couple of months worth of work, this 914's tub is now perfect, and it's getting ready for paint. My only two significant deviations from stock on this car are going to be the engine and exhaust will be done like a '73, not a '76 (though I have all the emissions stuff), and I'm going to use black aluminum "914" and "2.0L" badges instead of the cheap decals Porsche was using by '76.

2. 1975 1.8L, diamond silver metallic, probably numbers matching (no CoA), truly rust-free (other than a few places of simple surface rust, no perforations) that I bought from the second owner who's had it for the last 30 years (in PA no less!).

It's car number 2 that's got me scratching my head... It's got a rough respray of the original color. I was originally planning on doing a very nice 914/6 conversion (maybe GT) using a rebuilt 2.7L I have. As I've been stripping it down, I'm kind of stunned at the quality of this car. While I would certainly make a high quality conversation (no shortcuts), I've really been wondering if it's worth preserving a late model 1.8L? I know in the not so distant past most would carve it up and hot rod it in a second, but now... I don't know. I'm still thinking.

Here are pictures of both cars as I received them.