I've decided to go ahead and start a restoration thread for my 914. I'm calling her the 185, since that's the average of the badge (1.7) and the actual engine (2.0).

Alright - I got some thought-provoking feedback last night in regards to bringing this car back from the brink. I've decided to meet the thumbs-down crowd halfway. I won't spend a dime on parts for this car until I'm sure I know exactly what I'm dealing with rust-wise (the collision damage is pretty obvious).

To that end, I started disassembly in earnest today. Before we get to today's photos, I have a couple of questions so I can continue with all the 'topside' parts removal in the following days.

Q1) I'm assuming the aluminum trim on the trailing edge of the sail panel has a clip at the bottom that is accessed from below (in the rear wheel well). Is this true? I had to fumigate the black widow spiders up in the rear wheel wells, so I have not been able to investigate. Hopefully the wildlife will be deceased tomorrow...

Q2) What are the best ways to drain the fuel tank and the brake fluid reservoir?

On to the exciting part - Photos!

Here are a couple of shots of the known worst rust issue. The driver's side jack tube support and lower part of the driver's door striker panel. The jack tube support is junk, and the rust is all the way through the striker panel. However, the inner rocker panel near these parts is virtually untouched.

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In the following photos, any rust you may see is very light surface rust, or is the trim adhesive doing its best to look like rust in photos.

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The rear bumper and the black valence panel below it are in really good condition. I've polished the left third (the bumper is upside-down on the floor, so that's right in the photo).

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The back of the car stripped:

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The structure beneath the battery. This metal looks kind of crunchy, but it's quite solid.

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The nut that holds the trim clip on in the rear fender well is usually buried under undercoating, dirt, grime, and who knows what. You should find it eventually...

--DD

The car is undercoated, so that should be fun...

I forgot to add that I did find 68 cents when I took out the seats. She's already paying for herself!

the sail trim bolt is about an 8mm, usually drain the brake reservoir by breaking a brake line up front. drain the gas at the fuel line at the fuel pump, at the fuel line connection under the tank before it goes into the tunnel.
mark all the stuff well to help re-assembly. Gary

you won't know the extent of the rust on the interior floor until you remove the tar. between the undercoating and tar rust thrives. keep digging, with a bit of care. your pass side engine shelve is very weak. probe with an ice pick. if you start pushing thru it might be time to regroup or make a list of what you'll need to order from Restoration Design.