Hello all - I want to first thank all who help provide this awesome friendly 914 resource! My name is Eric and I am located in the mountains near Asheville NC. I have been a VW fanatic since 1996 and have owned Bugs and Buses and Things and Ghias and Squarebacks. I have always wanted a 914 and finally got one! I found this 1975 through a VW friend in TN. It had been sitting in his barn since 2004. It appears to be a very complete car with a (very neglected) stock looking FI system intact. Unfortunately it has bad rust in the Hell Hole that the PO neglected to tell me about These cares are EXTREMELY rare in these parts so I really would like to bring this one back from the dead...

Photos oldskool style (sorry) here:

Where to start??? I need a good battery for it so I can start to see what I have got myself into. What Sealed AGM batteries do you all use? Also what about the color - is it original? And those wheels - anyone know if they are OG?

Thanks!!!

Welcome to the madness.

Original color, and the wheels, while not original, are period correct and look good in my opinion.

Rust is the biggest and scariest issue these cars have. What you can see is half of what you have. I'd look into whether your rust is structural and how to repair it before anything else.

Welcome!

First, Welcome to the world.

Sorry, I only looked at 1 pic. Too slow to load. Can't say for sure on the wheels.

The more informed will likely jump in soon...

As for batteries, I'm on my second Optima Red Top in 2.5 years and getting ready to trade this one in on warranty before it expires (3 yrs) as the battery tender can no longer keep it topped off even when disconnected from the car. There is a lot of negative press on newer Optimas...

As for rust, pull the rockers panels - you will also likely find rust in the longitudinal under the battery area. Also pull the sail panel vinyl, especially on the drivers side given the photo of rust along the bottom of the trim. The vinyl holds moisture in and commonly rusts there. Pull the carpets and check the floor if you haven't done so already.

You'll find an incredible amount of knowledge and support here, so just ask.

The color is an original color, on the drivers front door jam, hinge side, there is a color code that will tell you the original color. The rust on the passenger rocker is bad, probably more under it, lots of rust showing...much more hiding.

If you can weld and do body work you should be fine, lots of information and links to parts here.

Overall car seems in decent shape, interiors not bad....should be a fun project.

Jeff

Well it looks similar to my car when I bought it and brought it home.

The wheels are Empi's or knockoffs, and are VW offset so your tire options will be limited as they ride too far out toward the fender and will most likely rub with 195' and definitely be a problem if you ever wanted to run 205's.

Thats the least of your problems however,

The passenger side rust through the outer rocker cover most likely is covering large scale rust issues in the longitudinal, hell hole, possibly engine mount pick ups, battery box is gone, most likely it has migrated to the bottom of the firewall, and under the seats, etc. Not to be a bummer. A lot of us fix this regularly ourselves, but it is a project no less.

Rust under the sail area will bring you heartache to fix, but again it can be done. The problem is that when you can see it, there is so much more underneath that will have to be dealt with.

Sitting outside all that time means there will no doubt be ingress by rodents etc. You will have to be patient and find all their nests, droppings, and messes, and it is important to clean those areas thoroughly because the fluids left behind are acidic and you guessed it, bring on more destruction.

The good news is the World will help you and you will meet new friends for life if you stick with it. It will be a fun and rewarding project.


John

Looks like a nice project. Get it running and bring it to Okteenerfest this fall

Pics (resized)
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You have come to the right place...there is a wealth of knowledge here.

While there is something to be said for picking up a complete car, I agree with the others on your hell hole. You need to get in there with a wire wheel & a screwdriver so you know what you are looking at.

Pull those rocker panel covers off and have a good look.

I would get it running well before dropping the engine & tranny for the rust repair.

The good news is that it's all fixable and replacement panels are available for most of the problem areas.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Hi Eric, I live about 90 miles away in Clayton, Georgia. Drive it down when you get a chance and I will buy you a beer!

Another guy in town has a teener too!

Like Steve says, bring to Okteenerfest this September! Not far from Asheville. You will meet a lot of guys that shares your passion.

Welcome to the Madness!

Terry

Welcome! We look forward to hearing/seeing more!

Congrats.. Like the color. Buying it is the cheapest part.

Welcome! I too live near Asheville... Mars Hill Area. I drive mine daily so if you ever see a glow-in-the dark 914, throw up a hand.

If you ever need a hand or anything let me know. I have tons of parts and have done lots of rust repair myself. Tojanhorsepower is also in Marion and mid-way through his rust repair.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=224938&hl=

... from far, far away

Sounds like you've got some help nearby, take advantage of it. If you don't know how to weld, learn. Looks like the car has some things going for it but needs structural attention. Good luck with the project, there's very few things more fun than a 914 and a good run of twisties.

If this were my car, the first things I would do is clean everything.

Check tires for cracks; check the brakes for wear and operation.

Then check the electrical system by turning things on/off and see what works.

Clean out the gas tank and drain the fuel system; Check all fuel lines for cracks, wear, and dry rot.

Try to get it running.

Unless the rust in the body is so bad that the car might break in half, get it running first, then decide what to attack. If you attack all rust at once chances are you won't be driving it for a while. "A while" could be a couple of weeks to a couple of years or never.

Do you know about the big-butt test? Take the roof off and have a friend >200LB sit in the passenger seat. Look for flex in the chassis when he (or she) sits down.

Good luck.

with Spoke.

Check it over really well and remedy any safety issues - fuel lines, brakes, electrical, etc; get it running; start driving it if it isn't going to fold in half.

That is what I did with my '74. Took about a year to get it roadworthy (wasn't in a big hurry) and has been a daily driver for most of the past couple years

Just to share, I also have 1975 1.8 FI. It was a non-op since 2003 and bought it last 2011. First thing I did are the ff:

1. Remove the fuel tank and drained it. Pretty much clean inside.
2. Replaced all vacuum lines hoses
3. Replaced fuel line hoses under fuel tank and along engine. Tunnel fuel lines was replaced after a few months but the original plastic fuel lines still looks durable when I removed it.
4. Checked fuel injections and looks okay but replaced seals later on.
5. Cleaned and replaced brake pads
6. Removed pedals and cleaned them only and soak it with WD40
7. Installed new battery. Spend around $300 and it did run already.

Picture when I saw it for sale.

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Picture after hand rubbing using rubbing compound. A lot of labor hours work.

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Picture after detailing from local car wash.

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You had me a "Boba Fett"

This is an outstanding group of people who bleed these cars. All the help and resources you could need are right here. Good luck and have fun.

Don't forget to post progress pics, we love those!

Thanks for the warm welcome!! What an awesome group!

Well I took the advice and pulled off the rocker panels. Is anyone reproducing them?





How's it look? Is it pooched?


Drivers side:



Also I need a battery - is the Optima my only AGM choice? What do you all run (model numbers please!)

Thanks!

Lots of vendors have rocker panels available, both in metal & fiberglass. You have to decide what you want (stock or aftermarket look) & then do lots of shopping to find a resonable price. Main priority would be to get in there & get to work on repairing those crumbling longs, before the application of cosmetic rockers. As for the battery, the source of all that corrosion on the right side of your car, I will never use a wet cell in the stock 914 battery location again because of that. If the battery is in the stock location I'd go w/ a dry cell every time. Dry cells don't boil over. I myself use a modified "Optima R34" in the stock location on my LE. By modified I mean that there are 2 little ears/tabs @ the bottom of the cell that make it so it doesn't quite fit right onto the stock tray. I very carefuly shaved them off without getting into the heart of the cell so mine fits perfectly. The battery on my six is an ordinary wet cell but it's been moved to the front trunk by the previous owner. If it boils over there it's a lot easier to clean up & neutralize the acid as opposed to the stock location, located directly above the longs.

Your rust situation is pretty bad. Your inner long will need some extensive repair, your inner rocker obviously needs work, your floopan is shot, and you will have to repair the bottom of the firewall... and that's only underneath.

I can't tell from the pics but your engine shelf will likely need repaired/replaced and there will likely be rust creeping behind your mount mount (the one that welds to the inner long).

A good resource for repair panels is Restoration Design
http://www.restoration-design.com/index.html

There are also many restoration threads on here which will help you learn more about your rust situation and how to make repairs.

Oh and some will probably chime in calling it a parts car but its still quite repairable IMO. I just hope you didn't pay too much for it to begin with.

Good luck with your new project.

I just got mine last week and everyone here has been extremely helpful! I keep thinking i'm gonna get bashed for asking a stupid question, but it hasn't happened! You've come to the right place! Welcome to the club brother!!

Yah! another WNC teener. I live just down the mountain from you and Doug. If you want to see what they look like on the inside come on over and check mine out.

Would LOVE to! I thought I was all alone 914, in these here hills...

Hey all - Does anyone know if this battery will fit in my 75? I am having a hell of a time finding a good AGM battery!!! PLEASE HELP!

Sears 34r Battery

Skip the battery for now. Buy a MIG welder and some nice jack stands. You have a long strange trip ahead of you. This community will take you further that you could imagine.

I would, but I need the car to be mobile - I only have that one concrete workspace for all my toys

I wouldn't drive it I am sorry to say. You will run the risk of the car folding. The passenger door will get harder and harder to open. This is the car geometry changing. You need to fix it. Read the threads here. Tons of information. The biggest problem will be in keeping door gaps from changing when cutting and welding. Very doable. Don't get too discouraged.

The more you read on this forum the more you'll understand about the car.

Unfortunately, the car you bought needs to be on jack stands in the one concrete workspace.