Southern California '75 914 repaint and refresh, Finally started after 33 years of ownership. Options

[drem914]

Well its been over 33 years that I have owner this car as the 3rd owner.

I have finally broken down and am getting the surface rust repaired and having the car fully resprayed. I am told it should be ready by Mid August. The car was torn down this week and the good news is that after 33 years of mud and dirt in the rockers that there is no rust. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) Surprising, as the car first came in to the country in Chicago and wound up spending time in San Francisco before I got it.


The rest of the car had a few rust bubbles at the base of the windshield and on the passenger door along with the usual dents and dings that come with keeping a car in a garage with little kids opening the car door next to it or traveling the So Cal freeways and picking up misc. road debris impacts.









The car is going to stay its' original color "Ancona Blue" along with all of the appearance group finishes.

As progress continues I'll continue to update.Thanks for looking.

[Tom_T]

Well its been over 33 years that I have owner this car as the 3rd owner.

I have finally broken down and am getting the surface rust repaired and having the car fully resprayed. I am told it should be ready by Mid August. The car was torn down this week and the good news is that after 33 years of mud and dirt in the rockers that there is no rust. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) Surprising, as the car first came in to the country in Chicago and wound up spending time in San Francisco before I got it.


The rest of the car had a few rust bubbles at the base of the windshield and on the passenger door along with the usual dents and dings that come with keeping a car in a garage with little kids opening the car door next to it or traveling the So Cal freeways and picking up misc. road debris impacts.









The car is going to stay its' original color "Ancona Blue" along with all of the appearance group finishes.

As progress continues I'll continue to update.Thanks for looking.

Make sure that your body shop looks into the area behind the doors below the sails and on the fender sides around the taillights for rusting from the factory foam in those spots holding moisture & rusting from the inside out. If they find any, then have them cut out the rusted sheet metal & the foam there so it won't reoccur, & then patch in 19 GA sheet metal to match the original body panels (or get the RD patch panels.

Same thing around the windshield, cowl-to-fender seams with the rubber gasket on top, bottoms of the doors under the outer door seals, up under the steering rack L & R where the MC &/or windshield washer bottle/hoses can leak down & rust trough the bottom floor of that well - which is where your steering rack attaches to the unibody, & in the hell hole & lower lip/shelf in the engine bay - especially behind the sound/heat pad.

I could go on & on, but you can use Jeff Bowlsby's checklist too - as if you're buying it all over again & doing a deep PPIn...

http://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/zTN_Gen_914CAF.pdf

You &/or they should do a thorough look through & check out all of the nooks & crannies for any rust evidence, as you did behind the rocker covers.

I (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) Ancona Blue! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif)

Happy 4th! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/flag.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[drem914]

Make sure that your body shop looks into the area behind the doors below the sails and on the fender sides around the taillights for rusting from the factory foam in those spots holding moisture & rusting from the inside out. If they find any, then have them cut out the rusted sheet metal & the foam there so it won't reoccur, & then patch in 19 GA sheet metal to match the original body panels (or get the RD patch panels.

Same thing around the windshield, cowl-to-fender seams with the rubber gasket on top, bottoms of the doors under the outer door seals, up under the steering rack L & R where the MC &/or windshield washer bottle/hoses can leak down & rust trough the bottom floor of that well - which is where your steering rack attaches to the unibody, & in the hell hole & lower lip/shelf in the engine bay - especially behind the sound/heat pad.

I could go on & on, but you can use Jeff Bowlsby's checklist too - as if you're buying it all over again & doing a deep PPIn...

http://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/zTN_Gen_914CAF.pdf

You &/or they should do a thorough look through & check out all of the nooks & crannies for any rust evidence, as you did behind the rocker covers.

I (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) Ancona Blue! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif)

Happy 4th! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/flag.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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Thanks Tom. we are doing that now, but by all acoounts I have some minor surface rust in the trunk back by the lights, under the spare tire and at fender-to-cowl seam on the passenger side and that is it. The car has been garaged since I have owned it and i think that has helped alot. Everything else is good. The painter just finshed up another 914 (his own) a few months ago and is well aware of the other spots that can be problem areas. Even the hell hole is good. Dirty, but good.

[Tom_T]

Thanks Tom. we are doing that now, but by all acoounts I have some minor surface rust in the trunk back by the lights, under the spare tire and at fender-to-cowl seam on the passenger side and that is it. The car has been garaged since I have owned it and i think that has helped alot. Everything else is good. The painter just finshed up another 914 (his own) a few months ago and is well aware of the other spots that can be problem areas. Even the hell hole is good. Dirty, but good.

Assuming it turns out as well as you expect, then you might want to share the shop recco with others in OC/SoCal who may be looking.

As for me, I'm spending the day deconstructing the irreplaceable & unmatchable 1921 ceramic tile around our kitchen sink, so that I can carefully remove it & install the new repro one, then reuse the tile surround to finish in the sink & still match the counter's tile.
Very slow going! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

PS - With the darker colors, the OE big bumpers tend to look pretty good, as well as adding some protection from low speed bumps, so you're smart to leave them.

FYI - the reason you don't have the "mini-tits" (bumper warts) on there is because it was originally sold in a state other than CA & MD - which were the only 2 states requiring them in 75-76 MYs.

That also means it legally doesn't have the power robbing CA required emissions eqpt. & crapalytic converter (as well as being smog test exempt) - so it has a tad more HP than the CA GC 2.0s.

Enjoy your 4th! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/flag.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/jsharp.gif)
Tom
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