Had two day of fun days of driving the 914 after I bought it last Fall. Wanted to replace the interior which was totally gone and a few other projects and get it back on the road by early Spring.

I have pulled the seats, carpeting, door panels, and dash to have replaced or redone. I have also pulled the fuel tank, and all the air duct and vent parts out so the cockpit is down to sheet metal.

Last night I was pulling the old brittle lower gasket to the windshield out when the windshield decided to crack. So now I have the windshield out.

I had planned to just replace the interior and have fun with it this Spring and Summer then do a total disassembly down to the sheet metal and have it repainted next Fall and Winter.

After getting this far I am torn between keep going and strip every thing else off and start prepping it for a total paint job or start going back together so I can have some fun with it this Spring and Summer then do the paint next Fall.

At this point you will join with many of us and "DO THE STRIP" and "DO THE STRIP"
The 914 I mean or do I.

So many restoration projects wind up being sold on this forum for pennies on the dollar after the well intentioned owner strips the car then loses interest, runs out of money, etc.

If the car is safe to drive and does not have serious structural issues, choose one thing to work on at a time and keep it on the road. For example, redo the seats and carpet, then redo the brakes, rebuild the suspension, etc. In other words, do a project that can be done with minimal downtime and then drive the car for a while until you do the next project. That way you can enjoy the car and keep the interest alive!

Best solution, if you have the space.
Two cars ...........
One driving.
One restoring.

Once the glass is I would keep going. Once the glass is back in you would not want to pull it again.

I tried that, got one running, bought a project and was going to work on the project while I drove the runner, but then I just kept improving the driver to make it nicer to drive and the projects is still sitting, now the driver is down for a -6 conversion.

So yesterday I bought another driver.....problem solved right.

Point is there is no right answer, what ever you do....you'll always think maybe I should have gone the other way.

Do what feels right for now...have fun with it or what's the point.

Jeff

It all depends. For ME....I needed to drive it for a few weeks at least, so I can get an idea for what the car needs. This process will also get your blood flowing, as you know what it feels like to drive the car.

Just like anything else...whatever you have the appetite for. My last one, I did the body, and interior. Left the engine bay alone, and the front trunk for the most part.

This time...ALL the way down to a naked tub, then I'll re-build everything piece by piece. Way easier if you have every part cleaned and laid out. I'll bet there are guys here that could build an entire 914 in less than a week with everything marked and ready to install.

+1
If the car is safe to drive and does not have serious structural issues, choose one thing to work on at a time and keep it on the road. For example, redo the seats and carpet, then redo the brakes, rebuild the suspension, etc. In other words, do a project that can be done with minimal downtime and then drive the car for a while until you do the next project. That way you can enjoy the car and keep the interest alive!

Please beware!!! Jack stands are like crack cocaine for 914's.

Keep your 914 jack stand free.

Sounds like you caught a bad case of Dirk Wright's Disease.

I caught it and ended up stripping the car to a bare chassis. Got it put back together and can drive it again, but it was off the road for 5 years.'

Good luck!

Dang it Clay you beat me to it!

Someone else will tell the tale...just did a search on the topic and got a little ferclemped.... Goes back to 2003, although the legend is a lot older. Sure miss some of those ole' boys.

Not a legend. Dirk Wright really existed in the pre-Rennlist days on Porschelist.

Search for Dirk Wright on this forum for the whole story.

Where's the fuel pump?

I had my TR6 body stored in two pieces for 2 years while I finished the frame and motor and it was 6 years before the maiden voyage. 6 long years. Skip some things.

I am trying to keep that in mind with the 6 build, but it will be 4-5 realistically. I plated my own parts etc. Never ends. Never clean enough or smooth enough.

Are there rust holes all over? If there are not, run away from taking it apart. Big holes are harder to think about. I am happily driving one car with holes while I replace panels in the other.

You’re not into it that deep yet. As long as it’s structurally sound, and mechanically sound, finish the repairs and do the restoration later. Drive and enjoy it a little. You’re only looking at saving a few of hours of work, if you go to disassemble it again. Plus it should come apart easier and faster the second time around.

the taking it apart and putting it back together business ends right before you decide to sell it.

I don't know.....guess I'll find out Saturday..why is there a problem.

Rick knows. The windshield is a bitch. Of course, doing a new windshield now MAY improve your chances of not breaking it or cracking it next time it is removed for a proper paint job vs. messing w the (presumed) 40 y.o. original. Some paint jobs don't remove the windshield....

The decision kinda depends on how much prep is needed before paint. Some folks spend months or years on fixing rust and dents.

If the body is in good shape and you don't want a bare-metal restoration paint job, I vote for more work now to get it all stripped for paint, then host a re-assemble party BBQ this summer or fall and it will be put back together in no time

Myself, I have followed the "keep it on the road" plan and am tackling rustoration piece-meal. I also lack a proper garage

Have fun!

Fortunately most of the big stuff has already been done on the 914. I bought the car from my Son who owned it for the last 5 years (I think he is a member on this site). He had just finished rebuilding the engine and his first car projects were to replace the floor under the seats and a little bit of fab and repair in the hell hole area. This was his daily driver through high school and first couple of years of college.

Cosmetics, the paint and interior are the last big things that need to get repaired. After fighting the windshield, unless there is a way that I can install the windshield that would be easy to uninstall next Fall I am probably leaning more toward going for the total strip down now. I just want to be able to get it back together by Summer. Yah I know things always take twice as long as you think.

There was one on craigslist I was looking at and my Son says that's how it starts next thing you know you have a dozen parked in the back yard.

Get a new windshield from these guys Link

Install with the rubber seal for now

Drive it for the spring/summer season

Work on the paint prep during the fall/winter season

Picking up the new windshield from them Friday

Not funny, I already called the guy............................. It's in Battleground.

Good. Let us know how that goes ... my '75 could use a new windshield too (not cracked, but scratches and pits)

I ordered mine too. May be a few months before I get to installing it though.

While the windshield is out just prep & prime it. Maybe even do a coat of the color you'll want to do later. Don't do everything as you won't have it ready for summer.

Thats a ton of work & life has a tendency to keep you from it. You'll work hard the first month. Then find that things are keeping you from it. I had a hard day at work today sitting in my office chair at the computer. Man my recliner looks good. Maybe I'll just rest for a little while . It's all downhill from there my friend. Get's harder harder to go back out. Then when you haven't looked at it in 2 months. The bug will hit you again. You'll be good for a good solid week of work then.

Then you decide to pull your dash. After slicing up your fingers & screwing up on eo f the plastic nuts you can't get to. You'll pour gasoline on the sucker & watch it

Okay maybe not that bad . Keep it driving as much as you can or buy a driver. Then work on the other in your spare time. A 914 is a beautiful thing to drive. Don't mount it on jackstands so you can't

LOL! So true. Mine is still on jackstands. Drove it around the block twice. Keep it road worthy as long as you can. I hope to have mine stretable next year if my funds and free time hold out.

Thanks for all the great advice. I did put the car back together and had a blast driving it this Spring and Summer. Looks like I am going to pull the engine and transmission this weekend so that I can take the tranny up to the Dr. Evil transmission clinic the next weekend.

I also took the other advice about buying another car, so hopefully I will have at least one that runs.

DAMMIT! Why didn't you warn me about the jack stands?

Click to view attachment

Oops, I posted in the wrong thread ... again

I can't stand to have things torn apart and/or on jack stands. I have to keep Speedy running while I'm improving it. The driving of these cars is the whole point. Getting home from work, parking my Tacoma, starting up the 914 and getting on the freeway just because, is enough for me. I love my car and working on it. Having it apart is not much fun.

I had to buy a driver while my 1st is getting the full gt treatment at scotty b's. I'm sure scott is happy since I'm not bugging him all the time.