This is my first 914. I knew it was going to be a pretty large and difficult project and that is the main reason I bought one in rough condition. My father is helping with the restoration. I am looking forward more to working on the car side-by-side with the old man than I am driving it when it is all done. My Dad is a very mechanical guy and I regret never having learned from him when I was younger (I am 32 now). I was always too busy playing sports and hanging with my friends to be wasting my time in a garage or learning to hang dry wall. I was a dumb kid in some respects and missed out on a lot. But you know what they say... better late than never!

I am a complete novice when it comes to working on cars. Total novice! I know I will be asking some very dumb questions, so please go easy on me!

We were finally able to start rockin & rollin. Started to tear apart the ineterior. Floor pans, firewall, cross member all have some serious rust. They will all need to be replaced. The hell hole does not appear to be that bad. We will know more after the engine is dropped next week and we can really get in there and poke around. It appears as though the seal on the rear window was shot and water was leaking in and caused all the damage to the firewall, cross member, and floor pans.

The passenger side long does not look to be that bad at all. The jack post is rusted out pretty bad, but the long itself at first inspection appears to be relatively solid.

Questions:

1) Should we buy or fabricate new floor pans? If we do buy, can anyone recommend a place to buy?

2) Should we buy or fabricate new cross memebers? If we do buy, can anyone recommend a place to buy?

3) Should we buy or fabricate a new lower fire wall? If we do buy, can anyone recommend a place to buy?

4) Should we buy or fabricate a new upper fire wall? If we do buy, can anyone recommend a place to buy?

5) How bad does the long looks from the pics? What should we be looking for specifically?

6) What else should I be doing to thoroughly investigate for cancerous rust?

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The longs don't look that bad from the outside, but I would cut a small hole to check inside and clean them out. Try to make as many of the replacement panels as you can to save money. I would just buy the floor pans though.
For parts: Tweeks has good prices for replacement panels, but their selection is limited. Restoration Design also has good prices, but they may not even respond to your order. Pelican is good. AA has a good selection, but are the most expensive. There are many threads on this site that deal with parts sources. Do a search on replacement panels and you will find out all you need to know about who to order from and what is available.

Oh and the best thing you can do to find all the rust is clean. Clean everything. Clean out the engine bay and remove the floor pan tar with a heat gun and scraper. Once you get all the dirt and grime off you should have a better idea of what you are working with.

Dude,
I'm right here in Clarence!!! Why didn't you call me! This looks like serious business! I've a 'teener in Indian Falls who's all over this stuff...Maybe he sold you the car!
E mail me and let's get this thing rolling. I used to live right off Sweet Home south of N. French, Dig?

QUOTE (jet1 @ May 15 2005, 10:17 PM)

The longs don't look that bad from the outside, but I would cut a small hole to check inside and clean them out. Try to make as many of the replacement panels as you can to save money. I would just buy the floor pans though. For parts: Tweeks has good prices for replacement panels, but their selection is limited. Restoration Design also has good prices, but they may not even respond to your order. Pelican is good. AA has a good selection, but are the most expensive. There are many threads on this site that deal with parts sources. Do a search on replacement panels and you will find out all you need to know about who to order from and what is available.

Where should I cut the hole to investigate the longs and how big should that hole be?

What about the center tunnell? In spots in looks rather rusted. Can a new center tunnell be purchased? WOuld it be tough to fabricate one?

Thanks.

QUOTE (Dave Eddy @ May 15 2005, 11:07 PM)

Dude, I'm right here in Clarence!!! Why didn't you call me! This looks like serious business! I've a 'teener in Indian Falls who's all over this stuff...Maybe he sold you the car! E mail me and let's get this thing rolling. I used to live right off Sweet Home south of N. French, Dig?

Sweet!!!

My Dad and I could certainly use an experienced 914 guy around the shop. The car is at my dad's shop in West Valley (Springville)... Hope that is not too far to go for ya.

Talk to ya soon,

- Lou

I am not an expert on metal fabrication so I can't tell you how hard it would be to make a center tunnel. BTW if you are talking about the bottom of the tunnel, then that is part of the floor pan. If you mean the top then I don't think a new one is available. Your best bet would be to buy a used part from someone cutting up a car.
The hole in the long should be just big enough to see what the inside condition is. Most of the rust issues are around the jack posts and under the battery tray. With a car that has as much rust as yours there is more then likely rust inside the longs. You may get lucky and not find much rust, but if that were my car I would want to know what the condition the longs are in. the best way to find out about the rust issues is to search the forum. There are many threads that deal with the same stuff you are doing. 914s can have rust in places that can make the car unsafe so it is always best to do as much research as possible.

That's some serious work. We'll be watching and cheering you on.