Ok, here goes. I picked up this '75 last April in lower Maryland. It was advertised as a 2.0, it has a 2.0 badge on the back, and it looked pretty good from a distance (or with beer goggles).

But when I got it home I found that it was actually a 1.8L and it had some ugliness as seen in the hell hole below:

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And the floor pans aren't in great shape:

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I'm pretty sure the longs need work, so I plan to tear into those in the next couple of weeks.

This is going to be a bigger project than I anticipated....

Anyway, I picked up a 2.0 engine that's been built out to a 2056. Now I just need to get serious about fixing up the tub. Today was a big step toward that. David (Half Moon) is letting me "borrow" his rotisserie, so I have no excuses now. I don't know the full genealogy of this rotisserie, but I think it belonged to CptTripps before David inherited it. Anyway, here's David dropping it off and helping me set it up today.

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And setting it up in the garage. Honestly, I did help. Some.

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Ready. Sort of.

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Honestly, I've only been part of this "community" for about a year, but I'm amazed by the cooperation and camaraderie herein. I've already met some great people.

Who did your pre-buy inspection?

Now I just need to get this thing up on the rotisserie. Give that this is a '75, I know the mounting solution needs to be modified. It's also a little complicated that it appears the PO, or some PO, appears to have done a pretty piss poor repair to fix the front end following some moderate front end collision:

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Don't think it's good idea to trust suspending the car on whatever that is. After a little grinding, and a LOT of bondo dust, it looks like this:

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Yeah, that's not going to hold anything. I'm going to see if David's ok if I modify the front mount bracket for the rotisserie so it fits the '75 bumper shocks. I think Zach documented this somewhere, once upon a time.

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Some newbie that didn't know what the hell he was doing. I'd fire the guy, if I didn't have to live with him

The rotisserie very conveniently comes with some door braces, which I've rigged with braces I built a month or two ago (picture below shows only my original bracing solution):

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So now I just need to start cutting. I know I'm in over my head. My goal is to take my time and try to follow the examples of guys like Michelko, George (PaintedMan), and many others, and turn this into a solid, if certainly not spectacular, restoration effort. The only other thing I know is that this will not end up red. Wife says we already have too many red cars. I've got my '72 daily driver (red) that seems to demand daily attention to enjoy while I work on this. Hopefully I can make a lot of progress on this through the winter. I know I'm going to need lots of advice and help, so I'll try to keep this updated.

As always, thanks in advance for your help!

Rob,
Awesome man! You've got good folks nearby to help you along. I wasn't so lucky when I started so I did a lot of learning on my own until I met my local buddies.

First problem I see though - you said my name as an example of who to follow. BAD IDEA. I was in grad school and did all of mine on jackstands...outside...in my driveway. The way you're going about it is MUCH better. Good luck man - will be checking in on your progress.

Yeah, I was pretty amazed how you did restoration...without a garage...in the driveway...while going to school! But I guess it's not that big a deal, as it never really rains in Florida or anything

Thanks, George. I'll be relying on your experience and the collective wisdom of the community.

But I WILL be in a garage.

Subbed to watch Rob build an awesome teener. Lots of pictures please. It's winter & we need build photo's.

I'd strip the suspension off the car before trying to hang it. Lighten the load first

A rotisserie will be a big help in bringing this one back to life.

Keep us posted on your progress & good luck!

Yeah, man. I'll try to keep the pics a'comin as I try to make progress. I'm not always good at that, so I need to make a note to do that. First step is to get this thing on a rotisserie...


Good point, and absolutely.


Hey Bob! Yeah, I'm SURE this will be ready by Hershey

Happy New Year everyone. It’s been a while since I started this. This project started off like a herd of turtles. Life got in the way (preparing for the holidays, trips out of town, etc.). I also struggled for a while to figure out how to adapt the rotisserie for the ’75 bumper setup, but I managed to weld a bracket on that fits to the bumper shocks just before Christmas. Now I can REALLY get myself in trouble. BTW, even without need to flip the car just yet that rotisserie rocks as I’m able to move the car around the tub. Now that the holidays are actually here and gone I have chunks of time on the weekend to work on the car (in between son’s wrestling tournaments).

Consistent with recommendations, I felt it best to unload the suspension and other unneeded “stuff” both to lighten the car on the rotisserie and also just get it out of the way. I took off the front hubs, and I still need to remove the rest of the front suspension. But I focused on the rear for now.

My first challenge was getting that axel nut off without engine/tranny or brakes in car. The wheel kept turning under the torque, but with enough PB Blaster, heat from a propane torch, some blocking leverage, and my son sitting on the car to give it extra weight, I managed to break those free.

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Anyway, after removing the drive axels with a gear puller and banging out the hubs, it was time to take out the rest of the trialing arm. Here’s a picture of the bolts connecting the arm to the body. There were two shims there (don’t know what size), and I know from reading here that these are important to rear wheel alignment. I imagine I did not do correctly whatever I’m supposed to do to make alignment easier upon install.

Stupid question #1: is it the number (or total size) of shims present and/or the positioning of the shims that determines the alignment?

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Here is the trailing arm removed. Stupid Question #2: what brand of shock is that? It’s been painted over.

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Anyway, now the car has no rear suspension. Much lighter!

Then it was time to start cutting. I’ve spent way too much time thinking about it. It’s good to just dive in and commit. My goals are pretty simple: learn and hopefully be pleased with the end result. So after removing the rear suspension, I started cutting. Here’s what I’ve found so far after some exploratory “surgery.”

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The PO used some pretty funky stuff to do his hell hole and long “repair.” It involved lots of sticky stuff, globs of paint, something resembling tin foil, another substance resembling something ceramic, 18 gauge sheet metal, and unicorn farts. Ok, I’m kidding. There was no sheet metal involved.

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And here’s where I “retired” for today. I’m glad to at least be committed at this point. I’m hoping to do some more cutting into the long this weekend and get the rest (or most) of the outer long removed.

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Stupid question #3 (yes, I’m keeping a running total): I guess I’m going to need, as a minimum: outer long and door sill, right? I previously purchased the hell hole restoration kit from Mad Dog, which I need to start shaping.

Getting this far required lots of research on previous threads. Thanks for everyone's help. This site is such a great resource, particularly for a noob like me. More soon.

Wow.

looks like you are well into it!

Here comes the real fun Took mine five years to get completed. A lot of time and a LOT of $$ invested. Best of luck!

Shhh!!! Don't want my wife to hear things like "five years." I think she'll want "her" side of the garage back sooner than that. I'll just keep telling her "I'm making progress...."

white shocks indicate KYB....toss them in the trash. Alignment is based on the thickness ( number ) of shims. They only go on one way

Don't buy anything quite yet, but plan on:

http://www.restoration-design.com/mm5/merc...tegory_Code=914

P331
P319R
P302
P303
P351
P342R
P315
P316
P317
P318 (maybe. Can't tell from the pics)

Fabricate a hell hole patch
Fabricate lower firewall patch
Fabricate outer skin if you have to replace the inner long ( P351) in the engine compartment.

Excellent, thanks for the input, Scotty. I'll keep cutting, but based on your experience I'm sure you're probably right on (although I'm hoping I don't have to replace that suspension ear). I'll post more pictures hopefully this weekend and start saving up for my purchase at RD.

Incredible thread for a guy who joined 914world in Feb 2014! I am not worthy

Wow, nice progress Rob! Unfortunate that you ended up with such a turd of a car. Have you learned how to remove the spot welds yet? You'll need a decent spot weld bit, or do the grind away trick that Rick does. Much better than just hacking out portions of the unibody.

Might also be worth it to go further into the body before you order pieces from RD. That car looks like it had a lot of bondo and patches on it, so there might be more rust that lurks...especially front and rear trunks.

Hey Jim! You are more than worthy ... and wise ...and not foolish like I probably am. We'll see what I've got myself into.


Hey George! No worries about the car. It's gives me challenges and plenty of opportunity to learn, which is a large part of what this effort is all about. I should have done a better pre-buy inspection, but what the hell? I'm using a spot weld removal bit, but I'm still learning my technique. It takes time. And I agree, I'm not ordering stuff until I get a better assessment of what I have to work with. Trunks do not LOOK bad, although they're heavily painted over. I'm sure PO wasn't trying to hide anything.

Right now I'm working on my other teener, trying to change output shaft seals (done) and rear bearings, based on the way you documented in your thread. Back from a wrestling tournament now, and I'm trying to get the driver's side axle out, but I'm pretty sure I have to remove the starter. Ugh...

Yep, not a bad idea to strip the trunks as well. My PO did a better job hiding the rust in them than he did with the rockers.

Yes, you do need to remove the starter to get the axle out (or it at least makes life a lot easier.)

The suspension ear is one of the first things to go on these cars. battery acid and rain dripping down helped insure its early demise. the little drain hole was always plugged up and held the mixture inside against the untreated metal. 99% chance you will need a new one. Strip yours down and check.

Wow, I got the starter out and the bearings in. But I barely got that half-shaft out even with removing the starter, and now I can't get it back in despite negotiating it all over the underside. Do you have to disassemble the half shaft at the CV or something? This is one of the most challenging things I've had to do...until the next thing.

EDIT: I'm going to start a new thread.

Not sure I am following this along, but don't put a car on a rottisierre with the enging installed.

I believe he's referring to his other daily driver 914. Seals, axles, starter stuff on the DD. Car undergoing surgery already sans drivetrain.

Anyway, after removing the drive axels with a gear puller and banging out the hubs, it was time to take out the rest of the trialing arm. Here’s a picture of the bolts connecting the arm to the body. There were two shims there (don’t know what size), and I know from reading here that these are important to rear wheel alignment. I imagine I did not do correctly whatever I’m supposed to do to make alignment easier upon install.

Stupid question #1: is it the number (or total size) of shims present and/or the positioning of the shims that determines the alignment?

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when I was taking the rear trailing arms off I drilled up thru the bracket into the body structure so i could pin the exact location when re-assembling. Also noted what shims were on either side

Yes, thanks for the assist Jim. Yeah, sorry Rich. My daily driver. I should have been more specific.

Makes sense considering you are a long way from worrying about bearings.

Ok, last weekend was replacing bearings and tranny seals on my other teener – very greasy and dirty – this weekend it’s back to IOMH (in over my head) restoration and getting dusty. What better way to spend a weekend than in a cold garage cutting steel and bondo? So I put aside some time and did some more exploratory surgery. I’ll have at least three more stupid questions for anyone that can answer them as I assess and figure out how to repair:

1. The long up to the door frame
2. The suspension console and long inside engine bay
3. The hell hole itself

Based on what I saw this weekend, I think the “RD shopping list” Scotty helpfully put together for me in post #20 is looking pretty accurate about now.

First the long under the door. Cut away some more steel and here’s what I have (apologies for picture quality and lighting):

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What??? Leftover mouse stuff in the heater channels?? My first reactions to this are a) where did God’s little rodents live prior to the first 914? and b) is my spot-weld removing technique actually worse than my welding? Anyway, there was a fair amount of loose rust and other gunk in the longs. The lower third of the inner shell is possibly salvageable, but it gets to the question I have on this. Here are a couple of other views first:
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and

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And, after some cleanup and chipping away the loose and rusted metal:
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and

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So here is first stupid question, or set of stupid questions, for today (#4 overall): What I didn’t realize is that there are two layers of steel on the horizontal section of the long. Is that correct? I’m trying to decide if that’s the way it’s built or not. But I also see what might be a seam right underneath the first bracket for the heater hose. It’s rusted so much it’s hard to tell, but maybe that’s a layer of steel from a previous PO fix. In the picture above you can see the jagged edges where I’ve torn out one layer of rusty metal up to just under the heat pipe. The lower layer doesn’t look bad. The top layer has a lot of surface rust that could probably be treated and sealed.

Should I simply cut out that top layer to some point and fabricate a replacement to weld in attached to the inner shell and then marry up the outer long piece? I see how George cut the whole bottom section out and welded a horizontal section along a good portion of the long as shown here: College Budget Restoration

I guess the answer may sort of depend on whether there are really two layers of metal there and whether or not one or both should be replaced. If there aren’t two layers along that long, I think I can minimize the actual fabrication and replacement required on that inner long.

Oh, and the seat belt mount came out in the process. I’m not sure whether or not that can be cleaned up or not. I may have to fabricate a solution there. Right now that's not the biggest issue I have, as I'll post something on the suspension console soon...

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I really think you should change those jack stands out for ones that have pins in them. I don't think those "teeth" based ones are all that safe.

Thanks for the comment. The car is also partially supported by the rotisserie right now, so even if those gave way it shouldn't go "anywhere." Hopefully.

Great work! You inspire the rest of us to get stuff done, and your "stupid questions" make me feel less stupid so keep on asking.

And definitely use extreme caution when under any vehicle, my father-in-law, a farmer his entire life and no stranger to working on heavy machinery, is dealing with two broken ribs after being run over by a semi over the weekend. Not a typo. He was using the appropriate jack stands, blocks, and wheel chocks. One of the wheel chocks started to slide and he couldn't get out in time. Almost cost his life. I only share this to serve as a reminder to all. 914's ROCK!

Just get a new one ...

Yikes. That's scary, and yes, you are right. I hope he's feeling better soon. Never broken a rib (I don't think), but I'm sure it's no fun. Don't worry, I have plenty of stupid questions stored up...

Haven't seen them listed before, but if they are available it's probably the cheapest fabricated part I'll end up buying. Cool, thanks Andy.

Hmmm, i remember someone making those, but now i can't find them.


The bolt/thread is M11 X 1.25 just in case you end up making your own ...

As much money as I'm fixin' to spend at RD I probably ought to get that for free. But with that info you gave me I'm sure I could fab something.

Ok, I’m also taking assessment of the suspension console and the long inside that runs up to it. Here’s what I see (that I don’t like):

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And, slightly closer view:

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Between that, and this below, I think there’s little doubt that I’m going to need to remove the suspension console and the rest of that outer section (and don't worry, that orange milk crate is not actually supporting the car):

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Second stupid question(s) for today (#5 overall): what’s the best way to remove that suspension console? From other people’s example I see the spot welds can be removed, but what other recommendations can you provide (e.g. measuring location, easiest way to separate, etc.)? Also, can/should this one be repaired? I saw someone had one FS the other day…

TIA

I would build a jig that covers both consoles and the motor mounts.

That way, you can position your replacements exactly where they need to be.

100% Also This " patch and brace " behind the heater tube is NOT factory. Someone has already been in there with a feeble attempt to keep the car in one piece.

Yes there are several areas in there that are 2 and 3 layers of metal overlapping. A VERY poor design IMHO. I posted a picture here several years ago of the area just behind the jack post that was 3 layers of metal and had rusted in between each layer to the point the " metal " had stretched out to where it was close to 3/8" thick

Thank you, fellas. A jig, eh? With the help of the search function I think I've found what you're referring to: Jig.

Cool! Something else to build...

Roy,

Too bad you are not closer than 2 hours. I could pack my sawsall and have that 75 in pieces in short order. Welding, well that's something else. You are on your own there.

Honestly, if you need assistance I don't mind the drive. Sometimes you just need 4 hands. I'm retired so available most of the time. I do need copious amounts of coffee though.

As I see it you have 2 projects: keeping the DD on the road and the 75 rustoration. Both are likely to keep your mind working and awake at night.

I'm slowing down on my to do list. Not many items left and when they are all done, then what? I know, there will always be projects that surface.

Good luck/

Bill

oops, Roy... where did Rob come from?

One solution

With all the metal you'll be replacing you really need to do a lot more bracing than the simple console jig. Something like what I made for Marks car would be a good start. I was looking at his just yesterday in preparation for making the cuts ( for reals ) and think I'm also going to tack a couple braces to the rotted inner long/wheelhouse while I am repairing the outside, just as added insurance since the inside of his is so bad. You can NEVER have too much bracing, but you can definitely have to little

Hey Bill! May have to take you up on that if you're up for a drive to NoVa. I have plenty of coffee. Yeah, I have my hands full here but I would love an extra set of more mechanically-inclined eyes and hands. Thanks for all the help you've given me already.


Hmmm...ok. This is going to require some more thought then. I'm may have some follow up questions, but the first thing is: I assume I need to both brace the frame AND locate the suspension consoles later, correct? Does this setup do this? I see where it appears to connected to the ear, but not the outer console.

Thanks, Mark and Scotty.