things to look for, 1970 914 Options

[Jimbo409]

Thinking of buying a 1970 914, my question is it hasnt run in 4 years according to the owner it is relatively rust free. the battery area is looks fine and so are the rockers with the covers off. what else should i check when i go look at it. im not familar with fuel injection so dont know how hard it would be to get it running again. any help would be appreciated

[914sgofast2]

Thinking of buying a 1970 914, my question is it hasnt run in 4 years according to the owner it is relatively rust free. the battery area is looks fine and so are the rockers with the covers off. what else should i check when i go look at it. im not familar with fuel injection so dont know how hard it would be to get it running again. any help would be appreciated

Check the rear window to see if it is loose. If loose, then the window has been leaking water into the cockpit, so you next need to remove seats and examine floor plans under seats for rust/rust out. Water pools under the seats and rusts them out along the seam at the bottom of the firewall.
With regard to the fuel injection, it will probably need all new fuel hoses and the plastic lines replaced with metal ones. It’s likely the fuel injectors will also need to be replaced due to leaks as well, once it’s running again. Fuel filter will need replacement and gas tank may need cleaning out if gas has gone bad or inside of tank rusty.
The Fuel injection system will also be much happier if you clean the corrosion on all the connections and make sure the 3 ground connections on the top of the block under the air cleaner are clean and tight.

[ctc911ctc]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[bkrantz]

A quick look at a few of the rebuilding threads here can give you ideas about what else to look for, including all the typical (and not typical) rust spots, mechanical problems, and other things that might cause trouble (and take your time and money).

[jhynesrockmtn]

Thinking of buying a 1970 914, my question is it hasnt run in 4 years according to the owner it is relatively rust free. the battery area is looks fine and so are the rockers with the covers off. what else should i check when i go look at it. im not familar with fuel injection so dont know how hard it would be to get it running again. any help would be appreciated

Others have mentioned rust areas to investigate. I just went through a mechanical refresh of a 1970 with about 125k original miles. My car had generally been well cared for by two previous long term owners but had sat with the previous owner for long periods of time.

Over the last few months here is what I did to make the car run and drive safely. It runs well now but still needs a bit of FI fine tuning at some point. The idle is still a bit high. I still need to tackle some oil leak issues.

* Refreshed braking system with new MC, new soft lines and rebuilt calipers from PMB. I also removed and cleaned the pressure regulator to the rear lines. Rotors measured fine and are true.

* Fuel system refresh. I pulled the tank and had that redone at the local radiator place that uses the Renu system. New SS fuel line kit from Tangerine racing, new rubber hoses and new two port fuel pump relocated to the front. New vacuum lines. The original owner had someone relocate the original pump up front but they did a crap job. My fuel tank was slightly rusty inside. Enough that gunk was plugging up the screen in the tank. It would run but not well and then die. I still need to pull the injectors and replace or send them out but it runs pretty well now.

* I had to do the heater cables. One side was broken. That job was a PIA.

* Shifter bushing install. Mine is still a tail shifter and there was no finding any gears. All of the shift rod bushings were literally dust. That was a fun job :-)

* New tires on refreshed wheels. The tires on the car when I bought it looked new but were 25 years old and hard as a rock.

* Parking brake handle repair with small part from Tangerine racing. My handle wouldn't stay up which is a common issue. Research that. It requires removing the seat, handle and welding a small piece onto the handle. The part was $25.

To do's in the future:

Neither air fan is working. Heat plumbing is all intact so I get heat but not much at low speed. No fresh air fan.

Some dash lights are out.

Passenger door handle is broken, can't open the door from the exterior. Both door locks are gummed up. I need to get the door panels off, clean and lube everything and fix new plastic bits to the door handles.

Interior generally needs some help. The vinyl is pulled in some places, dash vinyl has curled, etc.

Mine's a driver. I have no intention of trying to make it concours correct at this point.

I'm no mechanic but I aspire to learn more and have the luxury of having a small shop and lift at home. If no lift I'd get some high heavy duty jack stands to tackle these jobs. There was a lot of time spent under the car.

[fixer34]

Thinking of buying a 1970 914, my question is it hasnt run in 4 years according to the owner it is relatively rust free. the battery area is looks fine and so are the rockers with the covers off. what else should i check when i go look at it. im not familar with fuel injection so dont know how hard it would be to get it running again. any help would be appreciated

Whereabouts in Illinois are you? Couple of us in the Chicago area/suburbs. Mister '914 parts' Garrold Shaffer is in Portage, IN.

[Jimbo409]

Thinking of buying a 1970 914, my question is it hasnt run in 4 years according to the owner it is relatively rust free. the battery area is looks fine and so are the rockers with the covers off. what else should i check when i go look at it. im not familar with fuel injection so dont know how hard it would be to get it running again. any help would be appreciated

Whereabouts in Illinois are you? Couple of us in the Chicago area/suburbs. Mister '914 parts' Garrold Shaffer is in Portage, IN.

im in the nw suburbs barrington area