QUOTE(ConeDodger @ Feb 8 2014, 04:16 PM)
You're about an hour South of me. A little too far for a casual drive until the weather is nicer. The picture looks good but as McMark said, there is no such thing as a rust free 914. Mine is one of the most rust free 914's I have seen and my battery tray was just a bit loose from rust along with the engine tray weatherstrip channel on that side. I also have a couple pin holes in the trunk at the far back.
The battery is the root of all evil as far as rust goes in these cars. The acid starts to cause rust at the tray and destroys everything below it. Sometimes going so far as the longitudinal below it, though both longitudinals can rust. Start your search for rust there. Look at the battery tray, is it firmly attached? Is there surface rust on the surfaces below it? If so, take a small screwdriver and probe to see if you break through. Look at the door gaps. Do they narrow at the top? Especially on the passenger side? Try jacking the car up. Do the gaps change? If so, the whole car could be sagging in the middle from rusted longitudinals. Other places rust as well. Pull the seats out and look at the floors under them. Does the back window rattle? If so, the butyl has let go and this can allow water to get behind the back pad causing rust.
I'm sure others can describe rust in other areas as well.
A dead giveaway as to where these cars rust is to go to a website for a company called Restoration Design. See what panels they sell? Rust is the reason for their existence and they do pretty darn well...
It is potentially possible to have a very rust free car here in Nevada. Humidity so low your nose bleeds... Someone has grafted a late bumper on that car. The opposite of what every one else does. Lose that first. If that engine runs, drive it. If it truly is a rust free car, you have a lot of room under its restored value to spend money you could get back. If you're looking for a driver, get a core and build a 2056 with Megasquirt. A very satisfying engine with a bump in power over the stock 2liter. Keep those wheels. They look in the pictures to be American Racing Libre wheels. Very popular with the Datsuns of that period but not as common on 914's. They're aluminum and can be polished to a mirror like finish. That would be a good look and rare.
From time to time I have Datsun/Porsche get-to-gethers up here in Reno. Watch for them and come on up.
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Sorry to thread jack but I'm also new to the game and am looking at a car this weekend. The owner says the battery tray was replaced and I think the hell hole was fixed (or maybe that was another car). I'm in the inland NW so we don't have a lot of cars for sale in my neck of the woods.
Besides the advice above, and looking for sagging when a passenger is in the seat with the top off, is there other areas I should be looking. I've always loved 914s but have never sat in one, let along inspected it for rust. I'm a decent mechanic but have 0 experience with bodywork, although I am skilled enough to finish off a large basement so I'm handy with tools. Any advice would be great. The car is listed at $3800 and seems to be mechanically sound (from emailing the mechanic). I know it would help to post pictures but he took down the posting and I didn't save the pics.
. I'm looking at a car that's in my town its a 74 the good is the car has zero rust (battery tray and hell hole are perfect). The body is okay but would need to be gone over completely all the door and trunk reveals look good, its missing a few misc. trim pieces etc. door handles emblems, the interior is not too bad at all dash is cracked like most. The bad would be its not the original engine its out of a bus unfortunately, not sure about the trans. the previous owner added a 75 style front bumper so the front trunk sheet metal has been cut in order to bolt in the bumper which I would definitely return to stock. its missing the rocker panels, and muffler. It has been repainted a non og. color the top is in good shape. It comes with a box of misc. extra parts including the fuel injection although I'm not sure its complete. The car appears to have good "bones" but needs to be completely gone thru, it looks like there is no front or rear end damage from any past accidents, it hasn't ran in aprox. 6 years.
Buy it you won't regret it. Ditch the bus engine. there are good engines for sale in the classifieds here from time to time.
