I did it! I took the advice from the wise and knowledgeable members of this forum.

With a little time and a whole lot of luck I came across a 1973 2.0 car that just happened to be sitting a mere 30 mins from my house.

One fine afternoon last week I decided to respond to an add on this forum. I met Tim for the first time. Tim, also known as TeenerTech, had a 1973 1.7 car for sell. I thought why not have a 914 I can drive while I fight the rust beast on my 74. I set out to find a tub but wouldn't pass up a reliable 914 for the right price.

I spent about an hour looking over Tim's car. During conversation I mentioned that all I really needed was a tub. Tim being the nice guy he is risked the sale of his car and walked me over to the Original Customs shop and showed me a few tubs that Mark might be looking at selling...

Long story short, today I made a deal with Mark for a 1973 Marathon Blue 2.0 914. This car is immaculate in comparison to my 74...!! let these few pictures speak for themselves.

Just to the left you can see Mark flipping the car on the Rotisserie.





I promise at some point I'll stop taking pictures with a Cell Phone...













an Original Customs personal touch that will sadly have to go...





Shame on me for not getting more pictures of the passenger side. I can assure you the car is as perfect as an original unmolested 914 can be.

My 74 thread shows a few of these, but I'll add them for good measure. The next few pics are of the 2.0 I'll be cleaning up over the next few weeks. This is probably the only decent thing that came out of the 74:





I can't thank the 2 man team over at Original Customs enough for this opportunity. Mark and Tim are really stand up guys and having just met them a few days ago nearly saddens me to know they are leaving in just a few months. Spending some time at the shop I was privileged to see some of their handy work. One could easily get lost at the workmanship they put into a 914 as well as other classics.

Cheers to Mark and Tim.

Stay tuned for future updates.

Sweet! Even has the warts removed. Great to get a tub where you can really see everything that needs attention. Marathon Blue is a great color. Good decision.

I could not believe he sold that! He told me and I just said no...

That was going to be Mark's OC showpiece.

Thanks for the complements. I hope to see you driving a 914 in the short future.

Marathon Blue is a great color too!! Glad you too this route. You can use your rusty car for parts and to practice welding on it.

Thank you all for the comments! I am very anxious to get the project going. However I am tying to over come the anxiety in efforts to not get a head of myself.



I feel even more privileged than before! I will try and not let Mark down with this build.




You are welcome sir! Something that would be super cool would be to drive the 73 to the new shop on a road trip!



To be honest I was ecstatic when I learned the color was Marathon. Love this color. In fact the gentlemen that has a 73 for sale on this form in CA is my inspiration.

your now years ahead on the build. congrats!

years ahead and money saved in the long run.

Marathon Blue...my favorite color!

Nice Tub!

I've seen that chassis, it's a nice one. Congrats!

Thanks Mep! I really do feel fortunate to have come across this deal...



I calculated just under 3k in parts for the 74. That was just part I knew about. Not counting things I have not found yet...



Every since seeing the Marathon Blue CA car for sale in the classifieds I have been drooling over that color. Who knew that I'd actually find one as the base of my project. The car in that add is my inspiration!



I only hope to be able to produce a worthy finished restore.



The more it gets talked about the more lucky I feel!

Thank you all for the feedback and comments!

Cheers 914World!

Awesome! What a relief, huh? Looking forward to the build thread.

I read through your entire original thread about tackling the rust. I'm considering jumping in the 914 pool in the next year or so (hopefully) and reading a lot of the comments I think will help me in my search when it comes time to buy.

I was worried a bit for you with all the problems everyone pointed out, then to see that you found a nice tub so close to you, what luck! I look forward to following your progress since I see myself going down this road at some point. Good luck!

A relief indeed! There will be some down time on the build as I wont actually take possession till the end of this month. That being said if I use my time wisely I could easily have the 2.0 close to ready for installation. It ran very well when I dropped it so a nice clean up and refresh on the fuel system should do it!



First off let me welcome you to the greatest 914 club on the net.

As I sit now my goal is to restore the 73 using all the usable parts of my 74. I'm not interested in a concourse restoration, but something close to Original with a few personal touches.

The closest car that matches my wants can be seen here. ---> http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=255204

That car will be my inspiration for this build.

Once I have the 73 close to what you see there I may dive into the 74 tub and test my abilities. Might even consider a renegade conversion with a wide body?

Anyhow... many have said and I'll pass on the advice. When you get ready to buy your first 914 buy the best car you can afford. Going with what seems like a great deal can result in what I have in my 74.

Good luck to you my friend.

Cheers

Nemi

Update!

Well after the 3 longest weeks I've ever waited the new to me 73 914 from Mark at Original Customs is now resting at its new home in Rincon Valley!

Made pretty much of a day of it. As with all things on a tight schedule things did not work out as they were originally planned. One of the nice surprises with this 73 was Mark agreed to throw in some 911 parts so I can have a 5 lug conversion.

Unfortunately with the move some things were just not available for us to mount the suspension and make the tub a roller with the 15" Cookie Cutters that came as part of the deal. That didn't stop Mark though... he through in one of his custom built tub rollers to make things easier! Now moving the tub around will be easy!

Snapped a few pictures of the tub on the trailer after getting home earlier today.

Enjoy





My son might be happier than I am over this purchase! I'm getting him into classics early.



One might say the 74 looks a bit gloomy seeing its replacement making its way next to it....







I will try and get some up close and personal pictures of the 73 over the next few days. Right now I just need to sit back and make some good notes. Figure out where I want to start...

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little overwhelmed.

Anyhow, your thoughts and comments on where to begin are welcome and greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Nemi

with as much work you have ahead of you, I'm jealous of the road that lies ahead!

Looking forward to following the build!

The road will be a challenging one for sure. I am eager to get things going.

Really smart move! Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you but with a head start over your previous project- swap some parts and you're way ahead of the game.
Your pictures are pulling at my heartstrings too- I used to live out Bennett Valley Road!

Thanks!

Took me awhile to realize it, but after calculating the cost it just made sense. Although I wasn't planning on finding a replacement that was in such great condition. Or at least I didn't think I would so quickly.

The area around here is certainly amazing. I am originally from Northern CA. Just 30 mins south of the OR boarder. Not much there really, but the landscape is breathtaking!

Cheers

Nemi

I believe 1st thing to do with the new tub is send it to a paint shop then after it was painted, install the 5 lug suspension then transfer all the parts from the 74 car.

At this time that is what I am leaning towards. There are a few things that need to be done to it.

The decision I need to make is whether or not I want to have it blasted before its sealed... or just do a really thorough prep job and prime over that?

Unfortunately acquiring the tub has depleted what funds I did have. I will more than likely be doing most of the prep work myself to save on cost there.

My wife used to work at a body shop that is next to where she works now so I might be able to get a side job in with one of the techs there. That should save a lot if I play my cards right.

So I guess the next major step would be:

1: Have it blasted to bare metal and then sealed for paint?

2: prep whats there now and give it a good primer?

Thoughts and opinions welcome!

On another note I had Mark do a refresh on the 901 that came out of the 74. So in that regards I at least have a strong motor and working trans. Just need to do a refresh of the fuel system and a basic clean up of the engine.

Cheers

Nemi

Talk to the body shop before you Blast. Might as well get their opinion if they will be involved in paint.

Good idea Mark,

Although part of me wants to do as much work as possible. So there is a chance I might paid the car myself...

Honestly the car is in such good shape there isn't that much work to be done before its ready for paint. Blasting would be the best for a concourse restoration, but I am not going full Concourse.

Too many decisions... LOL

Have you ever painted a car before? Have access to a paint booth?

That picture with your son at the rear of the new car is priceless. You need to frame that and keep it forever, he is going to grow up loving 914's!!!

Great acquisition, I wish I did not have to deal with all the rust I have but that's part of the fun.

Good luck with your project!!!

Vysoc

I have painted a project rock crawler I built many years ago. The setting wasn't ideal so the results was less than show quality. However it was a crawler so perfection wasn't a priority.

No booth.. I would just set up my garage the best I could if I went this route. All said and done I will most likely just prep and prime the car at home and let the pros handle the color.




I so wish I had taken this picture with a real camera. My son can't stop talking about the cars. I let him know that if things work out he can have the 74. I told him there is thousands of hours worth of work that need to be done and there is a possibility I wont be able to do it. Time and Money is all it takes right?

Once the 73 is done I'll be able to decide if I want to bother with the 74. The way I see it I can't do it much harm considering the rusted shape its in. I will be quite fluent in 914 by the time the 73 is done.

Would be kind of cool to have a father son set of 914s!