Wolfgang, once again you are correct. The mfg mark on the back side of the wheels indicate an 06/72 manufacturing date.

Paul

not what i was look n at and never seen anything in that area ...is it a stock piece.......the one i was talk n about gos on the finder just under the top of the jack ....mite be something PO put on mine to help protect the paint ....the earlie 4 bangers had a port hole valance ....I did not know that ...i thought it was only the 6 model...still learn n
whats MY73.??.... Manufacturing Year 1973

MikeC

modely year '73 => that's from August 1972 up to July 1973

and the O ring is missing from the top of the jack as well...noticed i have one on mine last night

Confirming Paul's comments......

Rear trunk carpets came without the grommets in MY '70 & '71. Maybe '72 prior to moving the jack?

The plastic edge protectors in the front trunk holes were not installed on early cars. Not sure when they first appeared. They are on my '75.

The seam sealer on my Jan '70 /6 was also brushed on. A very light application much like Paul's. My 'March '70 /6 has all appearances of being sprayed on.

The small piece of "trunk material" or carpet/felt near the jack spur is glued to the side of the fender. Both of my /6's and my '71 /4 parts car all have/had this piece. AFAIK, that piece was always installed with the early jacks and can be seen in owner's manuals of the era. Over the years they fell off and/or was discarded. IMO, this is a small but important detail on all /6's and /4's that can easily be missed.

The towing eye on /6's was stored in it's own pouch in the /6 tool kit. The /4 eyes ended up anywhere in the car. Probably why so many were lost.

Hope this helps.
Don

The early fours HAD the snowplow valance (thru MY72). There was a specific one for 4's and 6's. They are extremely rare - took me six years to find a replacement for my 72. It is real,unmodified, and definitely NOT bogus.

Agree with this! Brush was used on early cars. Not certain when the change was made, but my late 72 definitely was sprayed.

Good on ya Paul! We should do more of these & never, ever nail anything.
Pat

Before we go inside to the passenger compartment and engine bay, we will review the cowl area. Remember, this is a fairly early production car so there is a least one thing "missing" that later cars had installed.

First an overview.......

detail, outside.......

w/s washer bottle side.....

along the centerline......

brake reservoir side....

Confirmed there was no screen below the grill on early cars through '72, I believe.

Here's a question for you, Paul.........are those nuts on the wiper arm black or natural alum color?

Don

My '70 /4 has the seam sealer sprayed on ...

Anyone know when they switched? Must have been somewhat early in '70.

Paul, I don't know enough about the 70 model year to be certian about some front trunk differences than in post 70, but a few things that jump out on me are; 1. No label on the gas tank evaporator 2. Silver painted gas strap hardware instead of yellow cad plated 3. Gas tank with spot for charcol canister (I guess the tank was designed with the idea to accomodate the canister in the future?) 4. Brake fluid resevoir and cap are different than mid & late year cars. Your car looks fantastic btw Paul. Top notch job on the paint and body work.

Don,
You noticed the lack of a screen , yet another "missing" item on early cars. And there is another "omission" further on in this thread, as we shall see (or not see as the case may be).
The nuts for the wiper arms are natural metal (I'm supposing aluminum).

Sir Andy,
Years ago, before the resto on this car, I took the 914 into a respected body shop that specialized in 356s and early, air-cooled VWs. As the owner/main body man evaluated the car, he inspected the rear trunk and pronounced that this (my 914) was an early production model because the seam sealer was obviously hand applied with a brush, and a rather meager application at that.
That was the very first time that I even noticed that anomily. That was also prior to my participating in any 914 Forums. Later, through these same Forums, I've heard accounts of similar hand application of seam sealer on early cars. As to when the folks in Osnabruck started spraying the sealer on seems to be one of those questions that can only be answered by examining MY70 cars and comparing build dates on chassis #s.

Todd,
No labels ever in the cowl, not even on the w/s washer bottle.
The fuel tank strap has always been silver.
There has never been a charcoal canister on this car (an early 49 state example)
Yes, I understand later 914s had a slightly different brake fluid reservoir.


For comparison purposes, here are some pics PRE-RESTO of the cowl area:

AARGH

I just now noticed......................I did have a sticker on the w/s washer bottle.
I wonder if an early one is available

Look in the car, it might just have fallen off ...

Before we go inside the passenger compartment, a quick look at the door jambs and door sill is in order.

looking inside.......

.........

from another angle......

dashboard fascia

and....

seats

center tray.....

interior light

recepticle for the drivers' side (only) seatbelt

early top, w/o headliner

obviously the steering wheel is not factory original,
as well as the knob between the headlight switch and the emergency flasher switch

The steering wheel is period correct . I changed the wheel shortly after buying the car because the leather on the OEM wheel was deteriorating and the thicker, smaller diameter wheel felt better when I autocrossed the car back in the '70s and '80s.

The fog light switch is "original" to a point. It comes with a story. The car was ordered with the "appearance package". It arrived in late March 1970 with chrome bumpers, vinyl on the rollbar, leather wrapped steering wheel, dual horns, but without fog lights and the tethered passenger footrest. It also came with 4.5" wheels instead of the 5.5" wheels, (both sizes steel, of course).
The dealer installed the fog lights and the switch for them. I've been advised on this Forum that the fog light switch is correct, but that it is missing the cover and the rubber surrounding it. Since that is the way it was delivered originally, I've left it alone. A small anomilie, yes. And a good catch on your part, Wolfgang.

Paul

I suppose some photos of the engine compartment are in order to finish this thread. Getting really good pics within the confines of the engine bay is always a challenge. Remember, this is a 1970/4.

more....

details

details

These last two pics show the engine cover removed and incorrect heater blower hose. The correct hose was installed subsequent to when these photos were taken.
Also of note, the oil bath orientation was corrected to what was illustrated previously.

quote name='6freak' date='Mar 5 2012, 07:15 AM' post='1639551']
[quote name='6freak' post='1639302' date='Mar 4 2012, 06:52 PM']
[quote name='1970 Neun vierzehn' post='1639269' date='Mar 4 2012, 06:17 PM']
[quote name='6freak' post='1639097' date='Mar 4 2012, 03:45 PM']
[quote name='Pat Garvey' post='1639025' date='Mar 4 2012, 02:15 PM']
[quote name='6freak' post='1638913' date='Mar 4 2012, 01:37 PM']
lenses and the 914 badge seems wrong ...shouldnt it read 1.7?
fun stuff
MikeC
[/quote]
They didn't add the "1.7" until MY73
[/quote]
MY73 Good catch on the valance appears to be a six valance but the hole seems a little more to the right then a six ...O the jack is supposed to have a piece of foam rubber stuff under it on the finder not the trunk floor......
MikeC
[/quote]

Mike,
There is a piece of felt that matches the trunk material located on the side, just where the end of the jack point almost touches it. The pre-resto photo shows it better.

The valance is an early /4 valence.

Paul
[/quote]
not what i was look n at and never seen anything in that area ...is it a stock piece.......the one i was talk n about gos on the finder just under the top of the jack ....mite be something PO put on mine to help protect the paint ....the earlie 4 bangers had a port hole valance ....I did not know that ...i thought it was only the 6 model...still learn n
whats MY73.??.... Manufacturing Year 1973

MikeC
[/quote]
and the O ring is missing from the top of the jack as well...noticed i have one on mine last night
[/quote]
Click to view attachment this is the rubber and O-ring i spoke of

Missing rubber band to hold the battery cover down. Also I didn't see the rubber retained at the lever end of the jack.

Missing the plug that covers the armrest attachment screw. Yes?

Seat belt safety manufacture labels missing.

Damn nice car BTW.

Wrong tire profile.

VERY nice car.

Maybe I missed it. What color are the front hood to hinge bolts?

[quote name='6freak' date='Mar 15 2012, 05:34 AM' post='1646175']


MikeC
[/quote]
and the O ring is missing from the top of the jack as well...noticed i have one on mine last night
[/quote]
Click to view attachment this is the rubber and O-ring i spoke of
[/quote]

I don't ever recall seeing that before uh.....what's it for? and how can I ever hope to obtain one? Thanks for the "catch".

Paul

The missing rubber band for the battery cover......wasn't on when I purchased the car in 1975. The rubber retainer for the jack disintegrated long ago.

The list of unobtainium parts grows......
1-early rain tray
2-holster (sheath, or recepticle) for drivers side seatbelt
3-rubber band for early battery cover
4-rubber retainer(s) for early jack

Paul

Don't recall ever seeing them on the armrest, but it would seem that there would be something covering the screws. Hmmmmm, more missing minutia.

Paul

The labels became frayed and torn and ragged looking, so I removed them completely.

The front trunk hinge bolts are "finished" like the front latch bolts, cadmium, I presume....

Paul

[quote name='1970 Neun vierzehn' date='Mar 15 2012, 06:50 PM' post='1646794']
[quote name='6freak' date='Mar 15 2012, 05:34 AM' post='1646175']


MikeC
[/quote]
and the O ring is missing from the top of the jack as well...noticed i have one on mine last night
[/quote]
Click to view attachment this is the rubber and O-ring i spoke of
[/quote]

I don't ever recall seeing that before uh.....what's it for? and how can I ever hope to obtain one? Thanks for the "catch".

Paul
[/quote]
its the only one i have seen like this ...note sure if is stock ..its to protect from paint chips and the O -ring was supposed to keep the jack from making contact with the body when jacking up the car..so i have been told
MikeC

AA has the rubber band for the early battery cover last I checked.

Not OEM but take a piece of the battery acid pads and cut it to the profile of the battery cover, and insert it in to the underside of the cover before clamping it to the battery with the rubber band. Any spills and vapors are caught by the pad and keeps the battery clean of acid.

Interesting hint,....is that something you have done to keep your PCA Parade winning 914 looking nice in the engine compartment?

I've never been able to visualize how the "rubber band" fastens the early battery cover Care to expound on that topic James? I have never seen it in person or illustrated.

Thanks for the tips.

Paul

[quote name='6freak' date='Mar 15 2012, 07:47 PM' post='1646869']
[quote name='1970 Neun vierzehn' date='Mar 15 2012, 06:50 PM' post='1646794']
[quote name='6freak' date='Mar 15 2012, 05:34 AM' post='1646175']


MikeC
[/quote]
and the O ring is missing from the top of the jack as well...noticed i have one on mine last night
[/quote]
Click to view attachment this is the rubber and O-ring i spoke of
[/quote]

I don't ever recall seeing that before uh.....what's it for? and how can I ever hope to obtain one? Thanks for the "catch".

Paul
[/quote]
its the only one i have seen like this ...note sure if is stock ..its to protect from paint chips and the O -ring was supposed to keep the jack from making contact with the body when jacking up the car..so i have been told
MikeC
[/quote]

A very curious concept that makes sense, but one I've never heard of before. The first (and only owner besides me) of my car told me that when the car was delivered on 01 April 1970, there was no cover over the relay board! That the relay board would not have a cover on it, as it is exposed to a rather harsh environment, but the engineers would "spec" a rubber O-ring on the jack to protect the paint......

The aforementioned previous owner also told me that his (now mine) 914 was delivered w/o the curious tethered footrest, hence I've never retrofitted said item.
These early cars were full of anomilies, both /4s and /6s.

Thanks for the feedback.

Paul