I am the proud owner of 1974 1.8 liter 914. The PO blew it up and parked it in a blackberry patch. There it sat for the past 6 years. He did pull the motor and tranny and stored them in a shed. So theres that. The car is a huge project. I am an experienced welder and metal fabricator and mechanic so that aspect doesn't scare me. The car needs major body work. Everything is still there as a far as parts. the glass is good.
I work part time at a machine shop and I took the motor down to the shop today. It looks like the cylinders need to be replaced and I am not sure just yet what "blew up" in the motor. I plan on splitting the cases in the next few days. I'll post what progress I make on it. Excited to get it back on the road!
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Congrats on the new project. Good thing you have those skills. I'm sure you have read here about all the usual places to look for rust.
Looking forward to seeing the progress.
The car must be a 75 model year because of the bumpers. 76s had same bumper but only came with a 2.0

i have not read about the usually rust spot issues. Or any other issues regarding these cars. I literally know very little about these cars and all the ins and outs. ANY help is greatly appreciated!

Soap is your friend

Lots of threads to help guide you in your search for rust...

You are going to have a BLAST restoring that car!

Welcome!

Great find, nice project!

Congrats &

Sadly you find them with an open stored car,they can continue rusting in dry store space,little or no rust protection on any brand of cars built in this era.
However there is a huge backup of repair panels from decent shells or new repair parts.
and the best of luck.

Congrats!

You will enjoy building this car !!
This is the place to be for a 914 !!

Welcome to the addiction

... the best 914 forum in the World

What a great find and nice car to begin with. As others have mentioned just begin by cleaning as much up as possible. Read a bunch on here about bringing these cars back from their extended hibernations as well as the restoration threads for the typical rust areas- there are quite a few. But given your background I don't think you will have any difficulty.

Have fun and enjoy the trip to having a great handling, fun driving car. Michael

Looks like a fun project...and you’ve got all the right skills! As others have said, this community is amazing and the knowledge base is extensive. Looking forward to seeing you save this one.

I’ve made a bunch of videos which you may find helpful. Check out the “914s for newbies” series...and the tech-specific ones. The link is in my signature.

Be safe and enjoy!

You'll find the rust spots but some of the more common areas are the rear of the trunk, the rain channels around the trunk, frunk, and head light buckets, the quarter panels adjacent to the taillights, bottom of doors, door sills, the area where the body and sail panels meet, the cabin floors, the area beneath the pedal assembly and the biggest offender; the area directly beneath the battery tray. This is the area that is the Killer. Rots out the suspension console and the long. Even migrates to the firewall. Once the body is repaired throw a Subaru drive train in it.

And welcome to another PNW owner!

Really great resources and vendors on this site. I would be entirely lost without this group.

For sure check out Ian's videos (He posted on this thread). They are a huge help. And there are some really great Vendors on here to help with the restoration: 914rubber, Tangerine Racing, Sierra Madre, Auto Atlanta, URO Jeff Bowlsby (Wiring Harness and rebuilds cool stuff), Bruce Stone for pedal cluster help (I'm sure i'm forgetting someone). Anyway....Lot's of help and resources out there!

Feel free to reach out and keep us posted with your questions and progress.

-Rob

Really helps you can do the metal work. These cars are not really complicated. Don;t be afraid to ask questions there are plenty of folks here that have done what you have done so the experience pool is pretty deep.

You will notice the search function is a little clunky but there is a lot of information here!
Welcome

Also there are a lot of us here in the PNW so you are not alone

These cars are worth saving, so fun to drive.

Check out the classic threads and build threads for ideas.

There are definite techniques to rebuilding these that have been developed over the years that make things easier and result in a better car.

Door bracing while replacing panels.

Replace panels with new ones from restoration design to save time and improve results.

Ask for help before cutting stuff.

I knew nothing 13 years ago and its a good thing or I would have bought a Toyota Civic and called it a day. Just kidding. :-)

John

Must read threads - each has started with a car in far worse condition than what you currently have

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=76791

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=307290

Congrats and good luck!

You overlooked the one vendor he may need soon, Restoration Design for replacement body panels!

Breaking the engine down? I would suggest you look into buying Jake Raby's T-4 engine rebuild DVD. Vol 8 iirc. Aircooled.net offers them.

Just noticed you have an AC car. Removal and repair of metal will be more extensive than you might think. Hassle.

You've come to the right place. Let us know how we can help.

Konrad