Hello to everyone. Last week I was given a 74 2.0 that has been sitting for at least 10 years. I was told and from what I can tell it is a LE. The car is in pretty bad shape. Most people I have showed it too say I'm wasting my time but I just cant let this car go . I am determined to bring it back to life.Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment
The outside looks pretty bad but is salvageable its whats underneath that worries me.
Click to view attachment Click to view attachment
This isnt even the worst of it. The entire passenger side is rotten from the door back underneath, the firewall is pretty bad and so is the floor pan. I'm just looking for advice and help before I get in over my head.

This is a long term project. Even if you do the welding yourself, it'll be countless thousands in materials. On the plus side, the talent that is on the board can get you through. And, it's an LE car which was only made in 1974 so it'll be worth it when finished. Good luck and

That's an LE but... run to VIN here to be certain. I'm sure Jeff will chime in.

Worse have been brought back to life. Do it and do it right and you'll be rewarded (maybe no monitarily but...)

When I bought it the guy told me it was an LE and the vin seems to match . The guy didnt really know much about the car other than what he had been told when he bought it so I dont believe he would try to mislead me on anything. I'm prepared for long-term work. Until 3 years ago I was driving a 78 malibu since high school that had been an ongoing project, for now it is parked until I'm ready to rebuild it. This is my project for now (my wife is more interested in the 914 than the malibu). Money may be an issue. I may have to fabricate most of the parts I need to save money. I just need to know what guage sheet metal for the different parts I have to make.

SAVE THE LE!!!

This restore thread is going to be fun to watch with a great ending! Another LE restored!

The engine and mechanicals can be replaced fairly easily , ( little bit of $$ ) the body work will keep you busy for a while and usually is the most time consuming. Trunk lids can be swapped out with no damage to the LE thing , If you are serious about reworking the body , look into a rotissorie ( spelling ). Check out some of the restore threads on here in the restoration section , it'll give you an idea of what others have done with similar and worse projects . The main thing is your body working , welding skill level or the opportunity to learn and increase that level . Make your self a list of tools that you have and a list of what you think you need . Before getting on to the project , what is the titling situation , what does your state require and are you good in that dept , if good go to it , if not all the work you do may have to wait until you remedy that part of the car. Good luck , and there is a great welth of knowledge here to help you along.

Jack / Jaxdream

I have a signed notarized title and bill of sale so im good on that end. My welding skill is fairly novice but i'm learning. The thing that hold me back some there is I only have a 110 flux welder. I can get a bottle and upgrade it to a mig and thats probably what i'll do. I can work with sheet metal some. I've had practice with that. I believe the engine and transmission will be fine with rebuilds, i don't really have the money to replace them. One thing that may cause some problems later on is all the brakes are completely frozen. I can't even roll the car around and I need to get it in my garage to work on it.

I believe 18-22 gauge is most of the outer body panels. Some of the stronger sections like the longs and floor panels maybe 16. The rear sections of the longs are double walled for strength. Of course, If I'm wrong someone will correct me. If money might be an issue, that maybe too big of a project to handle now even if your handy with a welder and can make your own parts. You still have alot of money in paint and body work and we haven't even discussed the engine, transmission, fuel, and electrical systems. Check out Jeff Hail's thread and his rustoration.

Just pop a wheel off & pull each brake caliper. They need rebuilt anyway so just stick them in a box. With a little work you can get them off no problem. That is a huge undrtaking for sure. Nothing compares with the feeling of bringing one back though

Long term project but its a Real LE with that spoiler! Careful with that as they break easy, (I me how I know). Pull that and the calipers so you can roll it around.
Carefully strip the car of parts, bagging and photographing each piece BEFORE removing it for a record. When you are re installing parts you took off 3 years ago you won't have any idea how or where they went.
Use that trashed rear hood for metal for welding and use a MIG with gas setup as that is easy to learn and do good work on bodywork repairs. Lots of the panels you can fab except a few like the engine shelf etc that are really tough to fab at home. Long repairs you can fab and install pretty easy.
You can rebuild the tranny at home using DrEvils DVD I am sure.
The engine you can rebuild using Raby's Bug Me DVD videos.
Brake calipers go to Eric Shea for a proper rebuild.
Here is a shot of Rich's LE that took him, what, 5 years to do.

Anything can be saved with enough time and money. But.. Damn! That is not going to be pretty when you start tearing it down. Does it pass the big butt test? Or would conducting the big butt test just cause the car to fold in two.

Zach

cool. I'm in a similar boat, kindof inherited a buddies old 914, that may or may not be an LE.


the question comes up, are you going to "restore" it

or just fix it so it's somewhat safe and driveable...

option A costs about 50 times more than option B, and unless you do it perfectly, it still won't be considered much of a restoration...

which is why I'm going for option B. patch it up, zap in some sheet metal and enjoy driving the damn thing....

although I said this very thing once about 6 years ago, and then the 914 when back out behind the barn again...


cheers,
ryan

I don't think you have to go to the level of concour restoration to have fun with the car but consider it a learning lesson in taking the steps so you can put it back together and everything works.
Painting is a pain so stripping the car like in you pics is a waste of time. With that amount of rusty panels, have it bead blasted not sandblasted. Then you can repair the rusty parts welding in the new metal and restore the car. Then you can paint it yourself with a inexpensive HVLP set using epoxy primers and all the steps yourself. Wow, once you are there its then the process of cleaning up all the bits to the level you are happy with. Lots of metal pieces can be restored without rust by using a tank with a battery charger and baking soda to clean the parts back to bare metal. Buying a nice crashed parts car is a good way to go to obtain quality nice used parts for your restoration as JRust and Rich have done. Buying everything at AutoAtlanta new will destroy any budget so consider the parts car option. Its also a good way to get good metal to be welded into your 914.

The 110V welder will be ok for all the welding you need to do on this car. The heaviest metal you would need to weld might be 14ga for some supports. Most metal is 16ga and 18ga so your welder will work out fine.

I knew nothing about welding when I got mine and now I'm still bad but I feel confident to weld anything on the car.

By all means, get the bottle so you can do MIG welding.

Only about 1000 LE's made total, so that's 1/3 the number of 914-6's, which ultimately should make LE's more collectable long term (yeah - I know - in the long term we're all dead), so it's worth the cut-n-paste (weld) to preserve an original LE & to do a concours level resto on it.

You can find another donor roller or shell (or several) to cut good body parts to replace the rusted & damaged ones on the LE, as opposed to fabricating everything - esp. where you'll need large panels with compound curves &/or angles/pieces.

So long as you're tearing it all apart & spending so much time - why do it half-fast!!??

.... welcome to the insanity - it's addictive!

Your determination is admirable. I don't want to sound negative, but research carefully before you leap. The pictures you posted are undoubtedly tip-of-the-iceberg for rust damage. Was this car submerged during Katrina?

LEs are desirable and collectible in stock condition; far less so when modified or not repaired to the highest standards. I doubt LEs will ever approach a factory 914-6 in value simply because the drivetrain and Porsche pedigree will trump an unusual paint scheme everyday.

For a dose or two of realism, here's a couple of impressive build threads that may reflect your future:

Veltror

michelko

You could have an incredible learning experience in front of you and a fairly rare car at the end of the rainbow. But it will take massive amounts of dedication, perseverance and $$$. Good luck.

A decent roller can be had for cheap. Heck, we cut up cars here in CA that are 100 times better than yours. All the usual rust spot areas are available as repro panels from RD:
http://www.restoration-design.com/index.html


If you need inspiration as to what can be done to bring a rusted heap back to life, read through this thread. Not for the faint of heart ...
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=84350

Andy

That LE is in slightly worse condition than the 77 Westy Camper I restored. Now, that was alot of work but getting it running and cleaned up made it bearable to have sit while I restored it over 4 years in stages. Now its done and worth it, but its still a big task to do on a 914.. Find a good parts car to transplant stuff from..

I will buy the front spoiler when decide to part it out.

I don't know you or know your skill level but my recommendation would be to find a much better tub that has way less rust. Cut the stamped vin numbers out of the car you have and move them and the tags to the tub. take pictures of both cars and show them to whoever is thinking of buying the car in the future. That will be a much cleaner redo and it won't be original but neither will the car you have. There is no way I would buy a car with that much metal gone and replaced. If it was done by a professional maybe but noone could justify the new parts or labor. The repair panels done by a learner will be obvious and the intergrity of the car questionable 10 years after it is done in my opinion. Unibody cars are hard to repair with longterm good results. I'm not saying you won't become a expert by the time you finish, you might, but my bet is you will never finish a project this daunting, it is a extremely hard job for a beginner to the 914. Do you have a place to store all the parts and still have room for the tub and will you ever need this room for other everyday repairs on other things? Storing stuff outside in New Orleans isn't a good idea as I'm sure you know.

vin swapping is illegal.

I've been looking for a roller or even a a decent body for parts but there aren't any to be had anywhere near me or at least I cant find them. I may really need one if I'm going to do this car right. With my skill and budget I may be in over my head with this car. I have considered that I may not be able to do this car the way it should be done. I even considered that this car may be better off in someone elses hands who is more capable of giving this car the treatment it deserves. However I don't feel I can let this car go. I considered trading it for one in better condition but I don't feel I can imagine this car in someone elses hands. I am determined to try my hardest to do what I can to restore this car unless I can come up with something better, which I just can't see happening, so I am counting on all of you to help me through this and get this car to the condition it should be in.

I will get this car done by any means. If I feel I'm not up to the task with the welding then will recruit my friend who is a professional. It may take longer to get it done if I have to rely on him but I know that he can make it look like the car is original. I also have my dad for help. He has rebuilt and even built cars from almost nothing. I have resources available to me to get it done right but I was really hoping to tackle this one on my own. I have helped rebuild a few cars before but not at this level. I'm not a complete novice. I have rebuilt my Malibu a couple of times but never to completion because it was my daily driver and I could never leave it laid up long enough. The only reason I am doubting how this car will turn out is because I'm not sure I can get to work on it fast enough and get enough parts together to save it before it gets too bad. I'm just going to start with what I can do and see how much I can get done on my own I really want this to be MY project to prove to everyone that I can do it no matter what anyone else says.

You just like us here in the Northeast finding a good roller usually means it came from the West coast or Texas and the southwest.

One last place to look for condition is under the rocker panels to see what the longitudinals look like. Also check under the seats under the mats for condition of the floors.

It is tempting to jump into a car you can feel and touch but yours shows a lot of work to be done. If you are with limited budget, it might be worth looking for a better car somewhere.

The other thing to ask yourself is "Do you want to drive a 914 or work on a 914?". I personally would rather drive a 914.

Just the simple work I'm doing on my 914 (swap engine; not rebuilding, some mild to significant rust repair around the longitudinals and rear floor) is now going on 2 years without the car moving. Your car is in a lot worse shape than mine.

Don't mean to pee on your parade but just be careful of what you get yourself into.

I do want to drive one but I don't see that happening in the near future, unless I can find another car in better condition. Even if I found one I don't think I could get it, the only thing I have that I can let go of is this car. So for now i have no choice , so we'll see how everything goes.

Do you have access to such equipment as a sheet metal brake? It'll make it a lot easier. Five years ago I bought a 911 that was in part-out (or take out and shoot) shape but decided to virtually cut it in half and replace everything that it needed. I have increased my skill set tremendously during the build and encourage you to do the same.

I love New Orleans . . . but would definitely get that thing into the shade before turning a wrench on it. I'll bet it's getting warm down there.

Warm does't come close yesterday it crossed the 100 mark for the second day in a row and today promises the same. I plan to put it in my garage as soon as I get them both cleaned up some.

I have a question for all of you. If you had this car would you modify it in any way or just put it back to its original condition? I friend suggested that I put some flares on it with some wider tires and some nice paint, maybe silver or green. My concern is that it is an LE and I'm not sure that I want to stray from its origin. I have thought about his suggestion a couple of times but I just cant decide if that is something I should do with this car. I have begun to work on it but I'm still just taking it apart so no pictures yet but when I start putting it back together I will show you my progress.

Why go through all the trouble to save a LE and then not restore it back to original?

If you want to drive a GT clone, buy one already done for less money it'll cost you to restore this one ...

Andy

Sell it. It will be money saved in the long run. Put that money down on a base car that has more of what you want done to it.

Make no mistake; this car can cost you over $20,000 to restore properly... if you do it yourself. There's a lot of nice 914's out there for well under $20k

I know that I am going to be giving you advice that is contrary to nearly everyone else here.

The car you have is a parts car at best. It is not a viable restoration candidate unless you have serious skills, tools, or money (pick two). Unless sales for these cars shoot up quick - and I don't predict the future very well - the cost to restore this car back to decent stock condition will be more then you will be able to sell it for, probably by 2X. A stock car is usually worth more then a modified car, so converting it to a GT clone and selling it would probably be a 4X loss.

If you have restored other cars before, and know what is required, then you are probably able to do this. But that does not sound like it is the case.

Using myself as an example. I bought a car that needed relatively little, in the grand scheme of things. It needed a little rust removal, paint, and I wanted to do a hopped up T4 engine and cockpit. I had helped restore 4 other cars before I bought one of my own so I had some skills, but not the full suite. It took me 3 years before I drove the car, and 4 years before I could confidently drive the car.

Your hull is an LE. But the condition is such that I would pull the still good LE bits and sell them to raise money to buy a much stronger candidate car.

I wish you the best, which ever way you go. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the car saved. But I'd also like to see an owner happy and not frustrated from blowing holes in rusty metal for a few years and then scrapping the project.

Zach

I do understand te work required to restore this car. I'm not looking to build a gt clone. I was trying to get a feeling of what other people thought about the worth of an LE. If i was going to build a custom car it would only be for my enjoyment i don't really care what its monetary value is just its value to me as something I built to enjoy. I'm prepared for a long term project that I may have to call some favors in to complete properly but I don't give up on cars. I just can't let them go. I have read many of the serious rebuilds on this forum and i'm confident that this car is in much better shape than many others that have been fixed. The only way I will let it go is if someone trades me for one in better shape. I don't see that happening so I wil work on this car till I am satisfied with it.

Well prepared six conversions are still selling for much more than a well prepared stock 4 in equal condition.

That said, it sounds like you've made your decision. I'd strip it to bare metal via soda blasting and start cutting all the bad metal out. It's all uphill from there!



You're support group stands ready. Maybe we can form a metal bank and start saving pieces for you.

Well, I finally jumped on here and have a few thoughts (don't I always).

1st the questions.

You say that you don't give up on cars. That said you are in for a long haul. I would say 5 years minimum. I'm the Poster Child for ADD and it's killing me that my GT is now 2 1/2 years in without and end in sight. Can you stomach the wait & work involved?

Do you have indoor storage & workshop? Without it in the Big Easy area, you will kill yourself and the car will re-rust before you are done.

How deep are your pockets? While I'm not a Fan of the LE's ( they are nice cars, but I just don't the enthusiam for them - at least yours is a Bumblebee), but if it gets restored, I think it should be done right, not patched. That said, you will have to buy about $2,500 of parts from Restoration Design & AA. In the end I would suspect that you will spend $25,000 for a $10,000 car.

Now the suggestions

It is an LE, so don't try to make it anything else. While I said I'm not a Fan of the LE's, there are plenty of people that are.

In the end it's your car and you can do anything you want, but the money spent will not come back to you.

I'd sell and buy another in much better condition.

Good Luck,
T.C.