How scary is fixing this properly? Options

[Dave_Darling]

Big project. A couple of the areas you show are straightforward. Some are signs that there is Bad Stuff going on underneath the paint, and that you will likely turn up a whole lot more rot once you start digging.

--DD

[Spoke]

Run away.

Find a nicer, less rusty 914.

[Tdskip]

Great discussion gentlemen.

Couldn't I drive this one and pick off one area at a time?

I mean, do they all have to be beautiful?

I do see your point Mark (and everyone else with more of a brain than I am demonstrating).

[sixnotfour]

east coast not that bad,,,west coast pretty bad..

[Larmo63]

All kidding aside, I'd pass on this car and look for something more solid.

There is most likely more cancer there, but that remains to be seen.

(Under the rocker covers......?)

[Tdskip]

So this raises two questions ;

1) when is a car too far gone to be driven as a rolling restoration?

2) at what point does a driving assembled car become worth less than its separate parts?

I want to acknowledge that the device I'm being offered here is excellent, and I'm not turning a blind eye to it.

[mepstein]

Great discussion gentlemen.

Couldn't I drive this one and pick off one area at a time?

I mean, do they all have to be beautiful?

I do see your point Mark (and everyone else with more of a brain than I am demonstrating).

My 3.2 car is sort of ugly but solid. I shipped it from CA. The problem with rust in a unibody, especially on cars like a 914 with such thin sheet metal is you don’t even know if it’s safe to drive. My recent acquisition ‘70 (lifetime east coast car) looks really nice but I was able to pull the seatbelt mounting point out of the longs by hand, still bolted on to the seatbelt. So if I had it running, the seatbelts were worthless.

It’s cheaper to look for a good one than fix a rusty one.

Funny thing is, if it was an early 911 or 356, it would be a score.

[Tdskip]

My 3.2 car is sort of ugly but solid. I shipped it from CA. The problem with rust in a unibody, especially on cars like a 914 with such thin sheet metal is you don’t even know if it’s safe to drive. My recent acquisition ‘70 (lifetime east coast car) looks really nice but I was able to pull the seatbelt mounting point out of the longs by hand, still bolted on to the seatbelt. So if I had it running, the seatbelts were worthless.

It’s cheaper to look for a good one than fix a rusty one.

Funny thing is, if it was an early 911 or 356, it would be a score.

Yikes! Pulling a seatbelt melting point out with my bare hands would scare the heck out of me.

[Mark Henry]

So this raises two questions ;

2) at what point does a driving assembled car become worth less than its separate parts?
When you get a better 914.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Tdskip]

So this raises two questions ;

2) at what point does a driving assembled car become worth less than its separate parts?
When you get a better 914.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Ha!

Seriously now...

[Lucky9146]

So this raises two questions ;

1) when is a car too far gone to be driven as a rolling restoration?

2) at what point does a driving assembled car become worth less than its separate parts?

I want to acknowledge that the device I'm being offered here is excellent, and I'm not turning a blind eye to it.

Practically speaking I don't know how you do a rolling restoration unless you have done such a feat before and there is some trick you know to do it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Cutting and welding requires removing "stuff" to do it so as not damage it or burn it. How much trouble are you willing to go to? To weld a floor you have to remove some interior = not a "driven as a restoration" immediately. So, you fix the one floor area, involving cut, weld, grind, prime, sand and paint. Oh and watch out for that fuel line running from the front to back. Unfortunately, once you get into it you will likely find more rust, then what? Keep driving it? Or fix the next area next month after you have put the interior back in? Hate to sound like a debbie downer but have to agree with others. Find a better car if you can unless you want a long term permanent project for years to come. Best of luck with what ever you choose to do and please post your progress/ decision. My 2 cents (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/white914.jpg)

[Tdskip]

Practically speaking I don't know how you do a rolling restoration unless you have done such a feat before and there is some trick you know to do it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Cutting and welding requires removing "stuff" to do it so as not damage it or burn it. How much trouble are you willing to go to? To weld a floor you have to remove some interior = not a "driven as a restoration" immediately. So, you fix the one floor area, involving cut, weld, grind, prime, sand and paint. Oh and watch out for that fuel line running from the front to back. Unfortunately, once you get into it you will likely find more rust, then what? Keep driving it? Or fix the next area next month after you have put the interior back in? Hate to sound like a debbie downer but have to agree with others. Find a better car if you can unless you want a long term permanent project for years to come. Best of luck with what ever you choose to do and please post your progress/ decision. My 2 cents (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/white914.jpg)

Hi there-thanks for the note.

I think it depends on what's required, right? The passenger side rear jacking point doughnut I don't think really requires much disassembly, that seems like you could knock it out in a day. Floors and especially longs for both kids stuff gets very involved very quickly I'm sure ( I have not had to do any of that yet) but how much disassembly is really needed for those problem areas I pointed out?

[bandjoey]

If you got the car priced right take six months and part it out and double or triple your money and then buy a good driving car

[thelogo]

First of all - thanks for all of the responses. I very much appreciate people here taking their time to look and respond.

I kind of expected there to be a diversity of opinion on this one, but interesting to see the thoughts ranging from not that bad to run-Forrest-run!

Depends who is doing the work and how much you can afford. You are in the land of nice cars.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) because of your location.

This is a project that will most likely take a couple years. You could get a loan and after a few years the project would have cost the same money (with interest) as the sorted car. With the added bonus of driving it that whole time.
Someone from the rust belt will be happy to buy your project. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Id buy a roller and start building before something like this (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif)

[Mike Bellis]

These scare me. If this is rust related or metal fatigue, run away. Find another car. The amount of time and labor are not worth the repair. Plus you are in SoCal and that's where most of the 914's are located. Should be easy to find a replacement.

[Tdskip]

These scare me. If this is rust related or metal fatigue, run away. Find another car. The amount of time and labor are not worth the repair. Plus you are in SoCal and that's where most of the 914's are located. Should be easy to find a replacement.

Hi Mike. That caught my eye too. Metal looks to have torn there.

Is that likely accident or body fatigue?

[Mike Bellis]

These scare me. If this is rust related or metal fatigue, run away. Find another car. The amount of time and labor are not worth the repair. Plus you are in SoCal and that's where most of the 914's are located. Should be easy to find a replacement.

Hi Mike. That caught my eye too. Metal looks to have torn there.

Is that likely accident or body fatigue?

Based on how far the adjustment is forward, I'd say it got hit and fatigued.

Pull the good parts and find a rolling shell. Not worth the heartache.

[Mike Bellis]

The amount of rust on the bottom makes it look like a flood car from Katrina.

[bbrock]

So this raises two questions ;

1) when is a car too far gone to be driven as a rolling restoration?

2) at what point does a driving assembled car become worth less than its separate parts?

I want to acknowledge that the device I'm being offered here is excellent, and I'm not turning a blind eye to it.

Practically speaking I don't know how you do a rolling restoration unless you have done such a feat before and there is some trick you know to do it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) Cutting and welding requires removing "stuff" to do it so as not damage it or burn it. How much trouble are you willing to go to? To weld a floor you have to remove some interior = not a "driven as a restoration" immediately. So, you fix the one floor area, involving cut, weld, grind, prime, sand and paint. Oh and watch out for that fuel line running from the front to back. Unfortunately, once you get into it you will likely find more rust, then what? Keep driving it? Or fix the next area next month after you have put the interior back in? Hate to sound like a debbie downer but have to agree with others. Find a better car if you can unless you want a long term permanent project for years to come. Best of luck with what ever you choose to do and please post your progress/ decision. My 2 cents (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/white914.jpg)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) 110%. I'm having a blast restoring a car that a sane person would have parted out, but I have my doubts about being able to pick away at this car while driving it. It just looks like repairing things right are likely to sideline that car for months or more. Don't get me wrong, if the price was right and you want the challenge of doing rust repair, this might be a fun project. I just don't think it's the best candidate for a rolling restoration. The deal killer, as you and others pointed out, is that strut tower. I agree there is a good chance it was hit and/or the metal is fatigued. If that is the case, even I wouldn't touch it.

[horizontally-opposed]

First of all - thanks for all of the responses. I very much appreciate people here taking their time to look and respond.

I kind of expected there to be a diversity of opinion on this one, but interesting to see the thoughts ranging from not that bad to run-Forrest-run!

Depends who is doing the work and how much you can afford. You are in the land of nice cars.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) because of your location.

This is a project that will most likely take a couple years. You could get a loan and after a few years the project would have cost the same money (with interest) as the sorted car. With the added bonus of driving it that whole time.
Someone from the rust belt will be happy to buy your project. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Sound advice above.

Marathon? In SoCal? Not worth fixing—yet.

I'd look for a better car and head for the hills and some (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

pete