And so it begins.
I am starting to bring back a 75 that was sitting in a field since around 92. A little damage on the passenger side that only took a short time to rough out.
I modified a couple of old engine stands so I could fully rotate the car.
Most of the damage is the floor and back firewall from a loose rear window. I have not found any rust in the longs, YET.
I just finished a 4 year project restoring a 59 Karmann Ghia. It was my first restoration.
I have not decided where to go with this car yet. I originally wanted to recreate the last 914 I had in the early 90s but we will see where it goes.Click to view attachment

Looks like a great (and ambitious) start!

Thanks, I believe it will actually be easier than the Karmann Ghia was.

Just make sure to brace the door gaps if you haven't already.

The doors are braced and I will replaces sections at a time as not to weaken structures unnecessarily. My biggest problem is I don't have a truck n trailer and a VERY tight budges so getting it blasted will be the biggest hold up. Once I get that done it should move relatively (for me) quickly.
This is the car I want to replicate but I may go a different color this time.
Click to view attachment
Quite possible I will stick with white but a little less creamy.

Very nice project. Good luck and may your rust be minimal.

A '59 Ghia - please post some pictures of that car. Always loved me a Ghia.

I like the matching valances. That and the stance give it sort of a mini-Jag look. It sits low in the back, got a stack of bodies in the trunk?

Well, I have made a lil progress since my last post. Got the firewall and all of the floor structures replaced plus all the lil rusty bits all around the car. Hood struts placed, hidden battery compartment, started on my custom AC and more.
Just a few picts of the progress

Strut placement

working on some brake boost for olden years

Battery out of the way

Por 15 in all rust prone areas all over the car

It got very Flintstones for a while

Moved the fenders out a lil

Front fenders out

Wow, nice job on the flares.
If we (east coast) left a car outside since the 90's, It would be part of the landscape.

Wow! You must like to weld

See now that is what I would have liked to do if I had the welding and metal skills to do it! I like this approach vs weld on flares, can't wait to see how it all turns out.
Very nice!

From the looks of it and seeing pics of your first resto on that Ghia I have not doubt your car will be a head-turner...Keep posting progress pics please.

Rock on....

Oscar

Nice! Putting your skills to work!

Those flares are looking great. If I had another 914 that I was going to build, it would have to have flares like that or the Tangerine Racing flares. Very smooth purposeful look. Almost a "pro-stock" look.

Those flares are awesome!! I did something similar on the rear of my car, but yours are way nicer.

Is that the ride height you're going for?

I have been asked to provide more picts of the process

more

Front

If you want to know what the inside of the tunnel looks like.
I had to weld several breaks in the clutch tube mounts and I added some extra braces for safe measure.

Thanks for your help.

Bob B

Keep us posted on your progress

The photos show the suspension at full compression. This was done to ensure that the tires would not rub.
I won't be belly scraping, just going for a nice stance with the upper tire inside the wheel well.

Click to view attachment
With all the rain it was lucky that I had already purchased the fabric for the seats. Nowhere near needing them yet but I was stuck inside.
I increased the bolster height and I added a lot of lumbar support. On the drivers seat I also installed an inflatable lumbar pad in case I need more
I have not tried to heat out the wrinkles yet.

Great progress so far, you some nice work for sure.

For several years I have been tinkering with a new way to have vented rotors without requiring 911 parts.
I found the Sebro rotors/hubs for the front but they only work with early struts. I went as far as converting a pair of early struts to the later ball joint. This wasn’t a bolt on solution which was my challenge plus you have to order the rotors from the old world and they are expensive by the time they are shipped. In addition if rotor damaged or worn everything must be replaced. Still wasn’t satisfied.
Watching some T3 VW builds with 944 suspension and 901 5 speeds I came across some combinations for brakes that got me thinking.
After several variations I settled on this
Click to view attachment
Complete bolt on Boxster/Cayman rotor and caliper on the later 914 strut.
Mission accomplished.

I had to have the matching rear rotor/caliper combination.
When URO announced the 5x130 rear hub a bolt on rear vented 5x130 brake became a possibility. These are redrilled hubs but the URO part will solve that issue.
Click to view attachment
Years of long nights googling my brains out but I did it.

Click to view attachment
Da hub.

this is cool too but.... what does the body/flare progress look like?? last pics were 2018! love that approach and keeping stock fender , just moving them out is what i wanted, similar but less than you did there,

You've got some seriously good metal skills! Welding on flares takes skill, but properly extending fenders is a whole other level. Looks great!

The front hub can also be had in aluminum but takes 944 donor parts.
Bolt on 5 lug large caliper and rotor. Thought there would be more interest.

Thanks for the kind words on the bodywork. I was kinda forced into completing my 63 Nothcback and had to put the 914 on the back burner. The 63 is nearing completion allowing me to move on.
Next I have to get the 59 Ghia ready to put on BAT.
After that, back to this project.

Very cool project, and I grew up in a '63 Ghia Convertible, my mom's daily driver from 1973-1982. Black, red/orange interior with white piping iirc, and a white top. My dad picked it up at the factory and brought it back after serving in Germany.

I love this approach to the flares. There was a yellow 914-6 running around in Southern California (and occasionally up at Laguna) with 16x7 or 8 in front and 16x8 or 9 in the rear…but the sides looked nearly stock. Pretty sure the same car was on the cover of VW&Porsche magazine (or possibly European Car) with a number of other 914s. There were a couple of 914s done this way—and really well—up here, too. A dark metallic blue six conversion built by John Holleran with 16x7 and 16x8 951 Fuchs, and a 914 (4?) somewhere in the East Bay with deep (!) VW steelies and dog dish hubcaps that I'm not sure made it out of primer. But those rear fenders sure looked cool…almost like they should have been that way from the start.

I suspect you could start a new thread about your brake upgrade, as it looks very appealing and there are a lot of people who want to move to five lugs and better brakes. I was one of them 30 years ago...back when I was looking through the Richmond Classified Flea Market for Porsche parts. My how things have changed.

Meantime, keep on keepin' on—digging the direction of this!

Looks good! Do you happen to have the URO part number for the rear hub?

Some one is not afraid of a little

URO announced the part here on the World within the last few months, don't have the number.

In case anyone else is looking for the part number for the rear hubs it is post #116, Page 6 in "The 914 5-Lug 911 Suspension Question and Answer Thread, All you wanted to know in one place..."

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...5728&st=100

Hi guys, it's part number 914 331 605 5 LUG; five-lug, 37-spline, 911-wheel rear conversion hub for 914-4.

The hubs are now in stock in our Southern California warehouse, and available to retailers that offer URO Parts.

does this require a different bearing than we normally use on a 914 or 914/6 hub? @UROpartsman

The conversion hub takes a standard 914 bearing, the only decision that needs to be made is what stud length you'd like to install in the hub. We considered providing the hubs with pre-installed studs (as a bonus), but given the variety of lengths builders use, it seemed best for everyone to just leave the holes empty and ready for the stud of your choice.

We'll email Sierra Madre and Auto Atlanta to get the hubs added to their catalogs, these were just announced so they don't have them available yet.

Sorry about today's hub detour djway, hope it's okay. Back to the '75! (edited, oops)

Sorry for the but

My name isn’t Pete but it’s good information.