Here is short question: Is there a reputable place to get my old 914 running and possible full restoration?

history: I bought the car (2.0 liter, 1974 special appt. group) in 1980 with 24,000 miles.
Drove it until about 1985. It OD had about 88,000 My Dad did all the work on it and had manuals with his notes.
Car sat through two kids and a move to Lake County. It ran briefly aout 6 years ago...actually went down the road on it's own power. Engine had an oil leak and brakes were spongy...sigh.

A local VW bug guy encouraged my son and husband to buy a rebuilt engine,which they did and installed. But they could never get the fuel injectors to work. The car was towed to a local VW shop where it sat in the ran and sun for TWO YEARS!!!
The shop lost the manuals.

The poor car is in out back field tarped and on blocks. It is too painful to contenplate the now slightly rusting hood, cracked dash, etc.

I am willing to either sell the poor thing or shell out the bucks for a restoration. The car was the metallic slate blue. Medspray ruined the paint early on, so it had a repaint job.

Can anyone reccomend a good 914 restoration shop? If not that, I am wondering what the car is worth in terms of selling it. Orignal upholstery, carpets, roof, etc.
Thanks,
Karen Sullivan

Original Customs ("McMark" on here) has the banner ad & is in Napa. HPH (Rich Bontempi) is further south in Bay area. Both know 914s.

Take some pix to post & get it inside under cover. A lot will depend on how much rust damage there is.

Good Luck!
Tom
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PS -

You guys can use this buyer checklist linked below to assess your 914 as if you're buying it, to help decide how much work, time & $$s will be needed.

http://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/zTN_Gen_914CAF.pdf

Then you can decide whether it's worth it to you to restore or sell & find a better one, parts out, etc.

....or you can do what I'm doing & ignore it & restore it anyway for sentimental reasons the 914 means to you, esp. with your Dad's connection.

I second McMark's shop in Sonoma!
http://www.originalcustoms.com/


PS:

On Original Customs. Mark is a great guy and knows 914's. Send Mark a email or give him a call and see what can be done. Take a crap load of pictures inside and out for showing us! We love pictures.

Original Customs is closest and very competent.

Have them go thru the mechanicals and get the car running and stopping. This way, you still have the option of restoring or selling. A running car will be worth much more.

Napa ... Sonoma .... it's all a bunch of wine-ers country up there & all melds together for my old brain!

Also, HPH, Parts Heaven, Jeff Bowlsby & a few others up there in the Bay Area & Northern reaches stock a lot of good used, new & NOS 914 parts if needed.

Not if the longitudinals are shot with rust sitting in a field in rainy-er NoCal!

Check for rust issues first, check costs to repair, then decide.

I probably wouldn't have continued on mine if the longs were gone - sentimental value of my 1st & only sports car owned since 1975 aside!

Original Customs all the way. Get it to his shop. He can at least give you an idea of what it will need. He'll steer you in the right direction either way. Even if it is selling it you'll have a good idea of value from Mark

Post pics of the legs...err...I mean longs, hell, pics of longs and longlegs will do just fine.

Take it to this guy. My Wife thinks he has "cute" hair. Rumor has it, he also knows a little about these cars.

He's the man on the West Coast. People from down here drive all the way up there to get this "Dude" to work on their car. It's a no brainer in your case. Your lucky to live so close to him.