How to inspect the underside and longs without a lift, now the Not another novice project thread Options

[seanpaulmc]

I've just purchased a '73 914 and owned it long enough to ship it to Orlando and take it to go get titled. With only having it for this short period my list of concerns is growing. I have no intentions of driving the car around until I can assess how rusty it is. I appreciate the support and responses to the questions about transportation and engine identification. This is a superb community.

What advice do you have for lifting the car to inspect underneath and such without having access to a lift? I have read some of the build threads on here and you guys have some amazing shops and do incredible work! ...one day. But, at this point I don't have that.

For now I'd like to lift the car, take the wheels off, and take the longitudinal covers off to get a good look at the structural areas of the car. However, I have concerns because this is a snowbelt car and I've read the stories about putting a floor jack through a rusted out car. Where should I lift with the floor jack (trust the jacking points?, other areas) and where should I put the jack stands so that I can poke around some and get pictures?

Merry Christmas!!!

[seanpaulmc]

I finally got some time and pulled the covers off the longs, and Branston, thanks for your pictures because it looks a lot like what I found. The pass side had been off before because of the hardware used to reattach it but the driver's had not. I drilled out the rivets and broke all the undercarriage bolts when taking off the driver's side cover.

I also started pulling out the carpet, interior, and began chipping away at the floor pan on the passenger side. Not liking what I'm finding. When I get back to it I'll pull the plugs from the insides of the longitudinal but for now here are some pictures of what I'm finding.

So, what does the group think thus far?

Passenger side:







Driver side:







Inside:












A few questions/observations:
1. Are those unconnected wires laying at the back of the tunnel (brown and black) for the light that is supposed to be in the backpad? (Missing)
2. Any idea what the little brass metal piece laying next to the wires is for? It doesn't seem to be for the light.
3. Looks moist and nasty inside that tunnel.
4. How is the pad affixed to the firewall? How is it removed? Should it be retained and reused?
5. Behind the driver's seat you can see three new wires (black, green, and blue) going through the floor to routed to the engine bypassing whatever original equipment isn't working.
6. After chipping away at the loose material on the floor daylight is observed along the passenger long.
7. Retaining bolt for the passenger seatbelt at the floor was a total PITA to get out.
8. How does the wooded piece on the passenger footwell come out? Seems brittle.

Thanks in advance!

[Dave_Darling]

A 2x4 can distribute the load from the jack across a larger area of the floor pan. You can try that if you want to lift the car.

A few questions/observations:
1. Are those unconnected wires laying at the back of the tunnel (brown and black) for the light that is supposed to be in the backpad? (Missing)

Yes, that's what they're for. Tape up the black wire to keep it from shorting to ground; it should be "live" all the time.

2. Any idea what the little brass metal piece laying next to the wires is for? It doesn't seem to be for the light.

It isn't for the light. Not sure what it might be for, possibly something inside the turn signal switch mechanism? There is an angled brass piece in there that loves to go AWOL when the steering column is taken apart.

3. Looks moist and nasty inside that tunnel.

Kinda typical. Worse than most I've seen here in CA, but we are a bit less rust-prone than many other areas.

4. How is the pad affixed to the firewall? How is it removed? Should it be retained and reused?

Which pad? There are three that I can think of.

1- The "back pad" that is the upholstered part that sits on the firewall. The interior light snaps into this part. It is held on by a pair of clips and four screws. The screws are about 6" up from the floor, I think, two in each seat well. Remove those screws, remove the engine-lid pull knob and the "escutcheon" around the knob, slide the bottom of the back pad forward and push the top of the pad down. It should come away from the firewall. (The seats need to be out, obviously.)

2- The tar insulation on the interior of the firewall, that is uncovered when the back pad is removed. This must be scraped off, like the other insulation.

3- The heavy rubber-covered mat on the engine side of the firewall. This is held in with a combination of glue and screws with very large plastic washers, and metal tabs on the edges. The actual function of this pad is to trap water against the firewall, leading to rust perforations. Ditch it.

5. Behind the driver's seat you can see three new wires (black, green, and blue) going through the floor to routed to the engine bypassing whatever original equipment isn't working.

Learn the acronym DAPO. (The PO stands for "previous owner". I'll let you guess the rest.) You may wind up using it a lot.

6. After chipping away at the loose material on the floor daylight is observed along the passenger long.

Never a good thing. I see door braces and welding in your future...

7. Retaining bolt for the passenger seatbelt at the floor was a total PITA to get out.

Penetrating oil, like PB Blaster or Aero Kroyl, can help a lot. WD-40 is a lousy penetrating oil, BTW.

8. How does the wooded piece on the passenger footwell come out? Seems brittle.

Wooded? Do you mean the styrofoam plug in the front of the passenger footwell? I think that may be glued in--I haven't messed with it myself, but have seen several out of the car.

The wood floorboard on the driver's side is held in with two or three bolts (likely Allen-head) and has to be turned to a fairly specific angle in order to maneuver it off of the pedals.

--DD