So I have 72 914 worth a 1.7 in it and I’m having a big problem. What I thought would be a new wheel bearings or hub is turning into some serious work. I thought this car was rust free but apparently there is some hidden cancer. Please let me know any thoughts of how to fix this.

Two options:

Grab the snake right behind the head and cut it off. Or get a new tub.

I am going to say cancer runs deep on that side, and once in it, will be console, logs, and a lot more unfortunately. But you don't know until you open it up. And see just how far it goes.

Surprising as it may be that’s the only area I see rotted with rust.

not bad, remove the swing arm, grind and sandblast and reweld. Look at the inner console and see if it is bad. The inner console we sell has some of the metal you need on it.Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Got anymore pictures of the underside? It would be highly unlikely if that was the only rust on the car.

this is the end of where the rust started .
Certainly not an easy fix,depends on the OP's bodywork skills.

Yup, fixing this degree of rust has to be a labor of love, or at least entertainment. Can't be cost effective paying a shop.

Thanks George I’ll go and see how far it runs.

This car really doesn’t have any rust I can see. There are some spots underneath I just discovered that are bad. 1 being my problem with my rear wheel tilting in cause the mount is rusted out. But I am trying to do a thorough check to see how far it runs

I’d look around a bit more for rust. The underside looks like it was painted over recently.
What does it look like under the rocker panels, hell hole, and under the carpet (especially behind the seats)?

Es, the inner passenger rear console is a common problem. Water washed over the non sealed battery and down over and inside the console. It’s not an insignificant repair but will only get worse. Eventually you will hit a bump and the console will fail completely.

It also looks like it was hit on the right front. The metal underneath looks distorted and it’s often why a car will have a 916 front bumper.

You would be amazed at how well some people hide some pretty significant rust. You will read most people who have been there say that you are probably only seeing 10% of rhe rust that is actually there. If your wheel is crooked from the rust i would not drive it anymore. If you were a little closer i would come take a look at with you.

I know George's response was to want to sell you repair pieces. Be honest, what is your welding and fabricating experience? Don't buy parts yet. Or how much budget do you have for your project to pay someone else to do the work? No mistake, it's thousands.

Ouch, I hope you got that car at a serious bargain and are willing to spend way more in repair work. Sadly that car is one of the problems these days, looks nice from the outside, but is rotten at the core. It's a total unless you really want to get in deep.

If you want a serious new stage of metal fabrication, it can be done at great expense. And I would admire that big time. But just make sure you aren't over your head or it will just keep costing more. And more.

Dang it I hate sharing bad news. But this was an uneducated purchase. Ask first before paying.

Like George said, is fixable. I can fix that for you, I did mine a few years back.

What would you charge? What is his budget? Let's keep it real. Or this could be awesome.