Hey everyone! New user here! I have 3 914's currently that I bought a few years back.

1. A 1970 driver with quite a bit of rust. Not really a great candidate for restoration, but was my "entry" into the 914 universe and has the parts needed to help restore #2

2. A 1970 roller with engine and side shift transmission, very little rust, needs a little bit of rust repair, minor body work and paint.

3. A 1974 2.0 that came with lots of spare parts, unknown rust, some spots I can see that need repair in floor pans, trunk, hell hole. But, a very nice car that still has pretty nice original paint.

I wanted to get started on #2 (minor rust repair, body work, paint). What sort of range am I looking at, in your experience, to have someone repair the rust and do a quality paint job? I can do all the mechanical myself, but have zero body work experience. I understand it can vary, but looking for some ball park figures to begin playing with.

Also, does anyone in the Northwest have a shop you would recommend, or individuals, who specialize in 914s who can do the work for a reasonable price? I know there are several guys who specialize in 914s, and have a passion for seeing them restored, I'm just not in those circles nor know who to trust with a project, but that also won't cost me a 2nd mortgage

Thanks in advance,
Aaron

Figure 7-10K for a decent paint job. Rust repair is a total wildcard. Tell us what needs to be done (longs, floor pans, door jambs, cowl, etc.) and we can give you a better idea. Bottom line is that nothing good is cheap!

Welcome to the addiction...

As for rust, not a ton of repair needed. There is a small hole directly under the battery, and some minor rust repair needed along the top of the driver's side fender panel where the hood comes down and secures. It's a thin strip of metal that runs along the length of the panel just above the engine compartment and helps seal the hood when it is down.

There really is no structural rust that needs repair in the longs, floor pans, and no holes in the trunk. It's a pretty decent "base" body to start with, just needing repair in those two areas at this point.

$7-10k for paint seems very reasonable to me, if that's what will get a quality, long-lasting finish. Seems well worth it especially if you can get close to matching original color and appeal.

That small hole under the battery would have me concerned about water/acid getting inside the long. They rust from the inside out. Def check with a boroscope and do some poking with a screwdriver if you haven’t done that already.

Welcome to the madness. If you really want some credible advise and suggestions, please post pictures of the car you want to work on first. The pictures need to be of the whole car and then drill down on the areas in question. With cell phone cameras this is pretty painless now. Welcome again. Cheers -

Hi Aaron,
I just finished painting a 914-6. The cost on materials keep going up
I use PPG products, a good grade DCC. When I added up material cost
It was $2800. That is only paint, primers, tape, masking paper, calk
Sealer, sandpaper, buffing pads and compound. To do a full restoration
Paint job on a 914 takes a lot of material, you will have as much paint
On the underside surfaces as the top surfaces, inside two trunks, engine
Bay, gas tank bay, inside car(seat area) and underneath car.
Not talking about any metal or rust repair, just getting these surfaces
Clean and prepared for paint is lot of labor. I take my projects on as a full
Time mission. With no wasted time, It took me 54 days with 378 hours.
So, this will give you a idea on what a paint job could cost, depending
On labor cost in your area.
Hope I have not frightened you any, but this can give you a general idea on what a full restoration costs. Bruce

Definitely makes sense why some of the quotes would be so high. A good amount of labor involved there.

Thanks. I would love to post some pics. Maybe next week I'll have time to venture into storage unit and snap some. We're right in the middle of building a house, so that has been eating up much of my "extra" time, at least until we finish this Spring. In the meantime, just wanted to start researching ballpark numbers.

Did that already. Bought it from a place called Camp914 several years ago primarily because it was relatively rust free as a starting point and was a nice roller with both engine and side-shifter transmission, and a pretty nice chrome back bumper. It was a good base, but with a few repairs needed. It's just been sitting in storage since waiting for me to begin the process.