First Post: Disaster, crashed my '75 yesterday Options

[Whitney Mic]

I had hoped that my first post would be to show off the cool new sound system I hoped to put in, but life had other ideas.

As far as accidents go, it was good, everyone walked away okay. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Earlier, I had a case of food poisoning and was on the way home from the hospital (already a really fun Saturday), and didn't make it back... and because I was ill when I left for the hospital, I forgot my phone, so I can't post the grisly damage pics. I will update tomorrow with pics after I get a ride to the body shop where the car was towed after the accident.

I swerved to avoid deer around a corner on highway 9, instead, I hit a Jaguar parked on side of road. Almost no damage to the Jag, my front end is pretty well crumpled up. If the car isn't salvageable as a whole, I want to see that as much of it as possible can get put to use on other 914s.

The problem is that I am living in an apartment and don't have a place to store the car. If "totaled" I will need to sell it; if so, I really want to sell to someone with an interest in parting it out in the local to Santa Cruz/ San Francisco bay area.

If anyone local is interested, the car is a White '75, L-jet, 1.8 liter engine. I bought it from my brother (mechanical genius, he will be part of the team building the giant Tesla Coil at Burning Man in a month or so), who had updated to a stiffer suspension. I was not only upgrading the sound system, but was just starting to get after the always ready to attack rust monster, but I think the body parts not damaged in the accident are in fairly good shape. Doors, windows, rear trunk all fine. one of the rear Targa top latches snapped it's pin off, I think the right front fender is straight as well. The engine and tranny are well used, but serviceable. There are a lot of stock interior parts, some in better condition than others. Mostly in good shape except the seats and upper console, both of those are worn. I had been planning on getting replacements from 914 Rubber.

If anyone needs something from my car, you can email me. Once I have an idea of the damage, I can let you know if parts are available from the car. Also, anyone in the area that can help me make those decisions is welcome to contact me as well. I am out of my knowledge zone here, this was my first accident, and frankly, am not the best mechanic.

osyryousartis@me.com

Wish I had better news for my first post to the forum.

If my 914 is done, I will be looking for another one. I am very impressed by the way this one took the damage but kept me safe.

--Whitney Mic

[Chris H.]

Do both doors open and close OK? How does the top fit?

[Whitney Mic]

Do both doors open and close OK? How does the top fit?

The right door seems okay, the left seems to have dropped about a quarter inch in the back for some reason. There are small spots of surface rust just starting to show, but I see no bubbles or other sign of serious problems.

The Targa top is in fairly good shape, but the driver side rear lock lever snapped the holding pin in the accident, which also tore up one of the new, expensive rubber replacement Targa top window seals I bought from Bontempi a couple of months ago.

The chrome around the engine bay and windows is in very good shape as well, just putting it out for all to see... The windshield has wiper scrape marks, I think they are just from years of rubber wearing on the glass. I don't know if that can be polished out.

About ten years ago some idiot my mom was with saw the *original* under door trim panels off the car because my brother was working on the Teener, and during a yard clean up the boy friend helpfully took the panels from beside the house and put them in the dumpster. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif) They were gone before my brother came home from his gig at the Tech Shop.

I am still hoping to hear back from the prospective buyer I have been talking to on the forum, and I promised him first refusal if he wants to buy the car. IF I make that deal (and I will do whatever I can to make it happen), I will let him know if you are interested, and you can work it out with him. I don't want to profit from the sale, in the hope that the parts that are usable from the car go to people who need them for their restoration projects at a fair price from the person that does buy the car. The buyer has said he wants to take a few parts and pass the car on to another owner with the same mind set, to let them can get what they *need* and sell to the next owner, cycle to repeat until as much of the car as possible is back on the road, making the recipient cars that much more beautiful, more loved, and more fun to drive.

I don't want to disappoint you, but I know that I can't deal with parting the car out without any storage available.

I don't want to take anything from the car as a whole that will make the car less attractive to someone who wants to buy the corpse whole.

If I can sell the car here in the communal garage, I'm sure you can work a deal with the new owner to get what you want.

--Whit