It has been a long time coming.Oldest 914-6 Restoration know to man has just gotten kicked into high gear.
The back story:
My father had owned several sports car and sporty cars in his life. His then current pride and joy was a Lotus Elan. That car gave me my first addiction into speed and driving fun. It was 1970s and I can remember sitting in the passenger seat, going down a road, top down. Wind was blowing through my blond curly locks. Yes I did have hair
And all I could see was the wood dashboard in front of me, and if I looked out the side, I could see the tops of the phone poles. If I looked to my left I could see my father grinning from ear to ear, like a cheesier cat. The other items I remember from my Lotus days was my father constantly under the hood. And the fact it was so low, that we would drive under the parking lot gates.So it was a sad day when the lotus was sold. He did it just the same as I would have if in his shoes. He sold it to get the money to build his house. Dad by trade was an architect, I suppose he still is, he is just not practicing any more. So he built a very nice modern house for the three of use, and we moved. Boring cars filled the driveway at this point. A Ford Pinto, yes the blowy up kind. And an Audi 100, that was beige. That car was purchased wrecked. My father fixed it all up, and well we found out why it was wrecked. Every time it rained that car got hit. You would be sitting at a light and bam, rear ended. Driving down the road and get T-boned. It was crazy. Mom and Dad sold that car for all things a Triumph Stag. Really a lovely car after my father rewired the entire thing to exercise the Lucus Damons.
One day leaving his office he looked over at the repo lot next door. There sitting rather sadly at the back of the lot was a bright orange Porsche. Dad’s co worker and fellow car rebel rouser convinced him to go over and take a look. He knew it was a 914, he did not know until he got to the back of it what it really was. Sitting on two flat tires, with steel wheels and ugly hubcaps was a 914-6. Not sure how, but he got the money together and bought the -6. I can remember riding it just once. Not far from home we heard a odd sound coming from behind us, Dad shut off the engine, tossed it into neutral and we coasted home. Lucky it was a down hill run. Pushed it into the garage, and all hell cut loose.
Diagnosis from all his SCCA buds was more than likely a bad chain tensioner. Need to drop the engine and see what was up. Dad being Dad decided that was the perfect time to take it down to a almost bare chassis and start restoring the car. This was 1976 the car is only 6 years young. I spent many a day and night out in the garage with dad. He would be working on the -6 I would be playing like I was driving it.
Years past as I got older, I got into racing, my father supported me. First up was the gravity drags otherwise know as soap box derby. I ran these for three years until I got bored with it. Then cam motorcycles and motocross. We then switched to auto-x and that stuck with me for the rest of my life.
We also worked on a bunch of cars in that time frame. The first one we did together was when I was 14. It was a 1965 Jeep CJ5 he traded for some work we did on a guys basement. We got that finished and well Jeeps are not my thing. So we got Karmann Ghia, built it into a sleeper with bunch of parts we had from a 914-4 parts car. Redid the engine with a type-4 used a 911 5-speed, and all the suspension was redone. Going down one of the roads in the area, I keep hearing this loud roar of a V8 coming up onto me, we would hit the curves and it would fad away, and finally got out of the twisties, and heard it again. It was a guy in a vet, who I must have been really pissed off, as he could not keep up with my little VW in the corners. When I went to college dad drove the car to keep it “limber”.
His six sat on the side line.I graduated, got a job with Nancy Lowe, which also meant they found out I was into 914s and well I got to know Jon also. My daughter was born, and a month latter we found my 914-4.
Dad helped us build our house, and work on various cars, and vans, keep our budget down a bit as a young family. A few years ago, I got a Miata for my wife, for our 25th anniversary. We where married in 1989. The car built in November of 1989. She wanted one back in 1990, it is like I made the dream come true, only 25 years latter. I restored that car, and took my dad for a ride, he was hooked. And Mom was hooked too, so they found a 1994 M edition they liked. We picked it up, and I restored that car for them.
Years have passed and I have become blessed enough to have a career that I can afford to give a little back to my parents.
The Plan:
Originally it was going to be how I remembered the car. It did not have the sail vinyl or the warts on the front fender. He also had a top painted to match. I would like to build it the way he had envisioned it. As of today that plan might have changed. Some where along the way, he put the warts back on, and added the sail trim and vinyl and added a stock top.
I still plan on adding the following items.
I have a bunch of vintage speed parts I have been collecting over the years and picked up a few just recently. Thank you Scott, and Kerry your parts will be going to good use. And thank all you people who sold me stuff at the swaps like it was worth nothing in the 80s and 90s.
Engine: rebuild, add pressure feed tensioners, and turbo valve covers. Other items we will see what is wrong with the engine, it has been sitting a very long time.
Transmission: Add a LSD, convert the car to a side shifter, using Tangerine Racing parts, and JWest shifter.
Suspension: Add bushings, Bilstein Shocks, H&H Swaybar up front, maybe a stock rear swaybar. I have a set of mono ball front strut supports, and rear adjustable spring perches. Will also add turbo tie rods and a rack spacer to help with bump steer.
Brakes: will be stock, if not functioning PMB will get a call, and parts shipped out to them for rebuilding. I will also add bronze bushings to the pedal cluster.
Wheels and tires: I have a set of stock Mahles, hate to drive on them. I currently have a set of fake Mahles on it. Still looking for a set of Minilites in 6.5x15”. I should have never sold them.
I purchased my first set of Jon and Nancy Lowe. They used them on Nancy’s yellow 914-6 for autocross.Fuel: Tangerine will come to the rescue again with a set of Chris’ fuel lines.
Electrical: JWest fuse box will be added, along with Spoke LEDs. A set of Period correct Cibie Z beams will be added, and a set of Cibie fogs will be added also. Audio wise I will add a small bluetooth amp, and leave the stock radio in place, just disconnected from the speakers.
Interior: Stock, but I will add a set of seat heaters to keep cold at bay. If passenger seat is not comfy for the wife, we will convert it over to a late style seat and back pad. At that point maybe change to a set of aftermarket seats. I would love a set of GTS LeMans
Exterior: I guessing it will be stock now. Though I am torn I liked the clean lines with out the sail panels vinyl, and warts, with the painted top. That is how Dad originally wanted it.
If the engine is not up to snuff, I will go with a small bump using Nickies, and a bump in compression. And some different cams, and a set of larger heat exchangers. Though I am really hoping to keep the costs down and live with the stock stuff it is in good working order.
Almost everything I will be doing is completely reversible, except a few exceptions and even they can be fixed if people want to drive a 914-6 with out sway bars. I would gladly do it if some one offered me stupid money for the car. As of right now it is more about the memories and giving back to my father.
So now I just need to get cracking: Wanting this done before April, would love to take Dad for a drive this spring. So what that also means, my 914 which is part of the Build Off Challenge will be resting for a little while. I had already packed up most of the part in anticipation of starting this project.
This is the garage it was stored in for 40 years.
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Saturday I brought it to my shop. Rented a U-haul trailer as all my trailers are up at the farm. Car has not seen the light of day in 40+ years.
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Now the for the fun part! Determining what is left todo on the car, and come up with a game plan.
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Nice, I have my Dads -6 too,
that being said there will be just a bit of TIG going on with this car. Need to weld in the sway bar re-enforecement. And the rear sway bar mounts.
which made a perfect place to build a mouse condo.
and the above puller, and finally I started a new universe with a big BANG!
Otherwise I would have mixed it with some acetone, and covered the ball joint nut. Worse case I will mount them in the mill and cut the flange and get new parts. 
The Mere had less miles, more features, and cost 2K less. 
Eyes are all crossed, and the beagle keep barking which would distract me and make me lose count. But I got it done 
Been telling myself that for the last 3 weekends. See the light at the end of the tunnel, thinking I can get there, have a feeling something will pull me back in. 
