This thread is to document the restoration of the newest member of my family. After my 1973 914 2.0L was totaled a month ago I was heartbroken, but out of the ashes(and insurance money) rose Calypso.

She is a 1974 2.0L. It is not fully loaded(no sways, chrome bumpers, or aluminum sills) but is COMPLETELY original. It has a few blemishes that I have found so far, and certainly I will find more as i get to know her better.

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Not bad... time to take everything apart and put her on jackstands!!

Notice the original strut factory paint on the top nut.... don't see that too much anymore....

still more. This morning I put in all new vacuum lines from AA. tomorrow I will be replacing all the rubber brake lines with DOT approved SS from Pelican parts. Everything is in good working order but the engine continues to rev after the throttle has been let off. It is not a sticky pedal, so I am thinking AAR or the decel valve, but I have no experience with fuel injection.

-Ross

I had noticed that as well. that shows that the shocks on the car are certainly original, but the question is how well they are working after almost 40 years. It is tempting to swap in my newish koni adjustables, but I am also thinking about turning this into a concours car since it has such a rare color.

Build it to drive it! Or... do what ever you want

Oh, it will be driven! But probably not raced. No performance bits, just cruises and twistys. Oh, and the original mileage is just over 67,000.

I love that color

Nice car.

If the engine is revving high, then there is a vacuum leak somewhere. Could be AAR or any other vacuum line.

Wow! It is the interior that is blowing me away. One small blemish in the seat but other than that looking like it came out of the showroom.

You will find the vacuum leak easy enough. If it is really high it is either a connection come loose (I keep bumping off the connection in front of the plenum). or the AAR. Looks like it has been sitting for a while so money is on the AAR. Easy to check.

It certainly is beautiful. However--are the seat inserts original, or recovers? I have the tan corduroy inserts on my teener, but mine are so thrashed, I don't know what they really would have looked like new. The ones on this car almost look like velour though, at least in the pics. Thoughts?

You are right about the seat inserts. They are a velour type texture, definitely not corduroy. I am not sure if they are original or not, but perhaps they were a dealer installed option?

The only non-stock parts I have found so far are the monza exhaust, the shift knob, and the tires.

On the revving issue, the idle isn't high, it just is slow to decel after the gas is let off. I just replaced all the vacuum lines in the engine bay.

Wow, awesome color/interior/graphic/wheels combo. Score
Care to share what level of $$$ was exchanged?
My vote is keep it as untouched and OEM as possible. Upgrades for safety. MAYBE front anti-roll bar, as those are oh so nice for pushing the limits in corners.
Take it to a concours now and see what the judges have to say, then you got your "To Do List."
Thanks for sharing

My 2 yr old granddaughter saw the pictures and said:

"Oh my gosh, pretty car. I want to ride in it"

She loves my 914 and can point one out in photos, etc. Afflicted since birth.

Very pretty car! Very nice find also.

You found a nice clean car, good luck on refurbushing what needs to be, I like the color also. John

For a "Northern" car, it really looks in great shape! You did good!

I am going the untouched route as well. Next order of business is brakes from Eric Shea! I bought it for 8000.

Thanks! A wasn't sure about the color originally but is has really grown on me. The part that needs the most work is the engine compartment. All the engine tin needs to be repainted and in general cleaned. I found a mouse nest in the driver's corner this morning! Even the windshield is original though!!! I do need to figure out a way to play my iPod through the stereo. I'm thinking of replacing the stock speakers with upgraded units and perhaps the "simple stereo" unit hidden in parallel with the stock radio.

All new brake flexible lines installed, and venting clearances adjusted. Next to bleed the brakes and !

A pic of the installed period Cibie headlights

just two more.

Wow I just noticed that your VIN and Prod date are incredibly close to mine

Mine was also born 10/73 with same starting vin ending in 6663

Definitely a good month for 914's!

I've never seen this color. What's the official color name? It's a great looking car too. Good luck with the restore.

98 - Ice Green Metallic

Do you have that listed in the documentation somewhere?


I'd like to add that one to the list of known 98 colors!

Agreed! I check my chassis number and discovered that it was the first off the line that Wednesday!

Andy-I am working on getting the color verified through PCNA over the phone before I splurge on a genuine COA-especially since I have the original owners manual with chassis, engine and transmission number verification. The color is certainly the original color(painted in places no sane person would repaint, like under the undercoating) but I don't know if it is officially "Ice Green Metallic" I am really hoping it is a one-of-a-kind color. It'd be cool to have the only one of the world.

She is running pretty well but still has a few things that need taking care of:

I checked the AAR today and it is not closing as the engine warms up. I've heard that PB blaster can loosen it up, is that kinda like generic brake cleaner?

The brakes need to be bled again as the pedal is pretty spongy.

She made a 105 mile run today with no troubles whatsoever. The oil temp gauge was sitting right along the first leg of the m on the 74' gauge.

I have the feeling that all she really needs right now is a lot of . So let the fun begin!

-Ross

PB Blaster is one of the better penetrating oils. Aero Kroyl is one of the other good ones.

WD-40 is not.

--DD

Young kids! music, music, music

Learn your 914 music,
troubleshooting be a breeze if you notice something sound out of order

Nothing sounds bad Kev, but the engine floats after I let off the gas. Probably a 1-2 secOnd delay before the rev's drop. I know the aar is staying open, but the decal valve could be stuck too. Exercise is key to staying healthy though right?

I really meant about your concern for some music from the "radio"
is that still a term? LOL!
You have yourself a real beaty!
and if ll the cruds underneath is just tins, you're golden!

Love that Ice Green & Beige interior combo!

That is the AMCO shift knob sold by dealers & direct from AMCO back in the day - $5!!! .... I have an ad for them in an old magazine.

By the 74 MY the 2.0s had to be ordered with Appearance Group & Performance Group (sway bars) separately as extra cost options, and IIRC the chrome bumpers were an extra as well even with the AG.

Also by late 73 MY all the thresholds were changed to the black plastic & the aluminum ones were no longer used (see the Sahara Beige late 73 2L in the O&H nailed topic "The few, the rare...."). So it wasn't a missing option on your new (to you) 74 2L.

Geez, for $8k for a low mile 73-74 2.0 in Alaska or Marathon Blue & Beige interior in relatively easily restorable condition & solid/rust free & never whacked - I'd drop my own 73 2L's resto & switch direction! Great find!

EDIT - I see the dealer did the ole steal the spare's Fuchs & swap in a steelie trick on yours too! Find a 5th 2L Alloy Wheel for it too.

as a matter of fact, I do have a 5th Fuchs wheel that was given to me with the sale! There isn't a tire mounted on it, but is in pretty good shape.

I caught that pic of it in the F trunk after I'd added the edit.
... old & very tired eyes at that point!

At least the PO/seller was thinking ahead, & all you have to do is renew/refurb/resto the wheel a bit & transfer the spare tire (assuming it's in good shape).

Looking forward to your finding out if it was indeed a 98 Ice Green special order by the OO/new buyer.

Try calling PCNA's Customer Care > COA dept. and tell them that you will order a COA through PCA (they'll give you a $20 or so discount), but that you want to verify your new 914's special order color - if it's shown on their microfilmed/digitized Kardex build record. Also, if you have the window sticker &/or other Porsche+Audi distributor sales info sheet, dealer BoS, etc. original documents - then it may show up there (or not), plus PCNA gives an additional discount ($20?) if you send in a copy with your COA form from PCA.

If you're not already a member - PCA is $42 a year, and the $20 discount, 20% off on parts/accys. at dealers a few times a year, the Panorama & local Regions' magazines monthly more than offset that cost, plus some good events for everybody.

Beautiful car-I noticed your gauge cluster is from either a 75 or 76. 70-74 had a silver center on all 3 gauges. I apologize in advance if this was already noted.

Not entirely correct - only the very early 74 MY still had the silver button gauges until they used up the 70-73 MY stock, then they switched over to the later 74 - 76 MY black button type. His is a 10/73 build per the VIN sticker, so we know that the black buttons started sometime that month, since this is an original 914 for the most part 99%.

More info here - http://www.p914.com/p914_gauges_cluster.htm

Mine was born same MO/YR and also has black centers in the gauges...The are the originals. My 1st 914 born on 03/74 was also equiped with the black centers.

Really seems like the silver centers went away with the close of the '73 model year.

I've seen a few Aug/Sept 73 builds with the silver centers, but I have no pix handy.

What really PO'ed me was that they went to a single turn signal indicator light for both L & R on them for 914s 74-76 & they were $9k+ by 76!!!!
..... as well as doing so on all VWs up until I don't know when.

In the meantime VW tried to market themselves as upscale German Engineering (Fart-fig-newton ) with minimal guages & that single indicator light! I mean really - REALLY! - our 88 Westy had a $28k+ sticker price & that stoopid single indicator & minimal gauges, while a competing & better equipped Dodge/Chrysler minivan was $5-10k less!!!! Only the Westy CamperGL package won it over for us - as well as it being the only car our then toddler daughter didn't scream & cry incessantly in!!!!

I noticed the same on the other 74' I parted out a year ago. That said, I do prefer the silver button, but I'm not about to mess with the original mileage...

-Ross

And on that note Tom...how many 88 Dodge/Chrysler minivans are still on the street...or to be more exact on the street in working order! Worth the extra $? You bet!

I agree - a great month!

10/73
4742907041

Maybe we can re-aquaint these long-lost cousins this Saturday at Garrold's!

OK, here is my chassis code: 4339501
which I decode to be that my car was "born" on Wednesday, the 24th of October, 1973 and was the FIRST car to roll off the line that day. Meaning either everyone was sharp witted on the first car of the day or was still asleep from too much juice in the biergarten the night before!(Terrible tuesdays)

Actually Eric, there are probably about the same percentage of total production for both on the road today.

But you missed my point relative to the 74> 914s & VW products "cheaping out" on things like that - as it does NOT reflect the quality which they claimed, and their sales slipped so far that they became a minor import player - from being the prominent one int the 1960's when I was a high schooler!

Our 88 Westy now has 209k+ miles, but it's sticker was $5k more than my 85 BMW 325e Coupe sticker price just 3 years later (now with 179k+ mi), and historically has cost me 4x the repair bills than the 325e at the same total mileage level. The BMer was built to quality and it's durability reflected it and IMHO was worth the price, while the Westy was overpriced & under quality wanna be.

For example - out 914s & older VW Busses had Zimmerman disks which could be turned several times before requiring replacement, whereas the Vanagons went to much tinner disks which generally had to be replaced once worn & allowed for little or no opportunity to turn them in a normal wear cycle, and the BMer had disks which could be turned several times. The result was that with every brake job on the Westy we had to replace the disks at $1000+ but the 914 had & BMer does go several brake jobs before disk replacement.

I can say this, because as the original owner of the Westy & BMer, & 2nd owner of the 914 since 12/75, I have the records to show where the costs & quality was & was not, and VW definitely sacrificed quality during the mid-70's to early 90's. Fortunately they recognized their mistakes, and are now back up in quality.

And it's not just me, but Consumer Reports rated VWs the same way vs. other competitors vehicles back then in the 1980's, including on minivans.

Frankly, the main reason we went with the Westy was that it would've been double the cost to have a local van conversion company convert a Chrysler minivan to a Westy-type camper van, which we wanted to use for our family trips. This was the same opinion of my long time VW & Porsche factory trained mechanic in Huntington Beach, who saw a lot more VW products than either you or I.

Today the Westys have a cult following, which distorts their values in the marketplace, and not necessarily in relation to their actual level of quality build.

How else do you explain a restored 23 window `61 VW Bus selling for $217k at Barratt Jackson a few months back!!??

Our

Okay Ross, it's time to put Calypso in your Avatar!

A 914 Coffee & Gut Bombs Gathering sounds like a good idea, but for more than just you two 74 cousins' owners.

There should be a place that all of you IL & IN Teeners can get together for a Midwest gathering. Post it on 914world & I may be able to come sometime, since I have family in the Indy area & Lebanon IN, and get back there occasionally. In fact, I was there a couple of weeks before you picked up Calypso in late July.

I dunno what you mean, Calypso is my Avatar...I would love a monthly get together. Lafayette seems perfectly situated too between Indy and Chicago.... I actually found a sandwich shop today by my house that has its address as 914 union st....

Oh, I thought that the new Ice Green Metallic 914 was named Calypso, that's what I meant to put up - now that she's the "new" 914 in your life!

Sandwich Shop at a 914 addy sounds perfect, just get the word out to your local guys about it, then pick a good route to run as a group after/before (I know, IN is mostly flat & straight roads), then post a gathering to pick a regular date. Others out here in CA have been doing that for some time & it seems to work well to get the Teeners together.

Good Luck with the gathering & the resto!

Cheers!
Tom
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I think it may be a quirk in the new server, My avatar seems to keep reverting back to my old avatar. Half the time its Calypso, half the time it is Bosser... weird. I'm working on the fix now...

and some pictures of the Portage BBQ at Garold's today. Has a Blast!

That's both a great new color and also a great meetup place of Goralds...parking for many 914's . Glad you had fun and post some more pics soon. I have a full set of silver button guages I'll send if you decide you like 'em.

I've still got a full set from my old teener, but I think I'll stick with the originals! Thanks though! All the different colors reminded me of Skittles.

Just placed an order for 4 new Goodyear eagle GT tires! The aar is soaking in PB blaster and new fuel lines are on their way from tangerine!! It is wrench time!