Hello Everyone, I don’t know if this is the right venue or if I am doing this right but I am looking for some help to put my husband’s 1974 914LE Porsche back together. Here is my story. I am a Widow, who lives in Fergus, Ontario, Canada,. I lost my husband in 2017 from cancer that he got having volunteered in NY during 9/11 for the Red Cross for 5 weeks. We found out in 2014 that he had it and he fought and we thought we had it beat but then in April 2017 we found out it came back big time and in June my husband lost his battle. During the time that he was ill he started to work on his Porsche to distract himself from what was going on, but didn’t have the chance to put it back together. I have tried over the last three years to find someone to help me to put it back together with no luck. They have either misunderstood and thought I wanted to sell it, or wanted to charge me a lot of money just to come look at, or bring it to them to look at, or said yes they would help but have never shown up, Or too busy to help, or not interested in helping, or friends (or so I thought) who accepted over $1000 worth of my husbands tools and promised to help but hasn’t shown up and now ignores my phone calls and emails. I am asking for help on here now because I am down to the wire. I have just sold my home and have to be out by Oct 2 and I need to be able to move my husband’s baby as he left it to our daughter and I would like her to have it. The car is not completely torn apart. The wheels are off, the two doors, and hoods are off. The motor is still in. I’m sure other things are off but I don’t know enough about it to tell you, and with just sitting for these years I don’t know what that does to a car. Everything that he has worked on is on shelves right by the car or in the car. I know with COVID it maybe difficult but the car is in my husband’s shop, which is on our property so no one else would be around. Please I need help and I don’t know where else to turn. I know my husband was on Porsche forums, because every time I would come n to check on him when he was suppose to be sleeping he was talking on them. Lol. Maybe if a couple of you guys could work on it, it would get done with ease. Please I would really appreciate help, this car meant a lot to him and I just don’t know where else to turn. Thank you for listening to me. I hope one or two or however many of you can help me.

Sorry for your loss!

Please post your husbands name or his screen name from this forum. Alternatively, post the VIN of his car which should be visible on a plate at the drivers side windshield frame, through the glass. Starts with 474....

Also it would be helpful to post a bunch of photos of the car and its related uninstalled parts to help us determine what needs to be done to the car.

This sounds very familiar... Someone with better search skills than I check the Garage earlier this year.

I believe you are thinking of this thread

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry2839879

To the OP: Sorry about your current situation. Jeff's advice is spot on. The internet being what it is you need more pictures and more information to generate interest and confirm legitimacy. You've been scammed once so you understand that everyone has to be a bit skeptical.

Just get aaa to tow to your new location they typically will put on two wheels to make it towable without an additional charge . One month is not enough time to reassemble your car with borrowed help Best wishes

Yep, that was it. Let's see where this one goes.

Go to facebook and join the "Porsche 914 Canada" group, here's the link.
There's a few members in that group in your area. I'd offer to look at it but I'm 2 hours away (each way) and it sounds like it could be several weekends of work.
Post pics and we can tell you if making it a roller for moving is an easy or hard job.

Keith Drinkwater

Need a VIN to verify if the car is on the 914 LE registry. The name does not sound familiar.

My husband’s name is Keith Drinkwater. I don’t know what his screen name would have been. Thank you all for answering me. I will post the Vin# and some pics tomorrow. I really do appreciate the response.

Good Morning, The Vin # for my husband Keith’s Porsche is #4742915758. Here are some pics I took this morning. Ok so I tried to post pics but all that comes up is a number. Could someone please explain to me how to post pictures? Thank you.

Mrs D, Your husbands car is listed on the 914 LE registry, under someone elses name, probably the previous owner.

Here is how to add photos, your photos are probably just too large to add more than one:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=13637

Here are some pics.

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Ok so this is how the pics keep coming up when I hit the add into post button so I only did 2 until someone can tell me what I did wrong. Also someone named Wmshott offered to post the pics for me so I emailed them to him so maybe he’ll get the job done. Can I ask some advice, if it comes back that I can’t get help to put the car together is it possible to sell it 8n the condition it is in, how much would I ask for it, and where would I advertise it? Thank you all for your help so far

Ok so once I posted it the pics came up so here are the rest of them.



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my best advice would be to sell it as is and ease the pain, Mrs Drinkwater. I talked with Keith a lot over the years and sorry for your loss. The logistics are just not good for someone with the skill to reassemble the car properly are just not there. As is the car should be worth 15 thousand max as it needs obviously paint, and looking at the engine, the colors are not right so am worried about what else is not correct, so a buyer would be taking a bit of a chance.

I know that the car was previously serviced at Mikes 914s in Colbourne, which I think is near enough to you. Perhaps reach out to Mike and see if he is willing to take it on.

243 Industrial Park Road, Colborne, Ontario, K0K 1S0, Canada
phone: 905-355-2703 www.mikes914s.com

Thank you Jeff as you can see your input helped me put the pics up, thank you.

Just saw my email with the photos. I’m glad you were able to get them posted.

Thank you for responding back. It’s nice to hear from someone who has spoken to him. You brought tears to my eyes. He loved this car so much and I just want to do right by him by how I handle it now. I appreciate your advice. If you have any other advice you could email me too.

Thank you for your help, as you can see I was able to finally get the pics posted.

Thank you Jeff, I did look them up and they are about 2 1/2 hours from me but I will certainly keep them in mind if nothing closer comes up.

I'm sorry to be a bother but I was wondering if some of you could give me advice now that I have been able to post the pics. Can you tell if you think I should continue to keep trying to find someone to fix my husband's Porsche or would it be better if I try to sell it as is, and if so how much should I ask for it, and where would I list it? Would any of you want to buy it? Sorry just getting nervous. Let me know what you think. Thank you.

Sorry for you loss.

DR914 gave you a high estimate on value at 15K.

biggest issue is rust and the repairs to rust that have already been done.
I see the longs have been worked on.

I would list it on here, Pelican, and Craigslist

Biggest value is it's LE status.

Emphasize that it is a Bumble Bee.

Good luck with what ever you do.

Probably BEST to have Mikes pick up everything and pay you then. I will be out of your hair. My guess is that it all is worth about half of the $15,000 that was mentioned since it needs work and is in so many parts.

I'm so sorry you're in this situation. I agree with others who say selling the car 'as is' is the best route. The good news is that because it is an LE/Bumble Bee, there should be a lot of interest in buying this car at a fair price and it will almost certainly be restored to a level that would make your husband proud. There is really nothing to be gained by trying to put the car back together because whoever buys it will need to strip it to the shell and restore it to the original paint scheme. I don't think the fact it isn't assembled would affect the value much if at all. The important thing will be getting a good estimate for the value of the car as it sits. As has already been mentioned, it is worth quite a bit more than a regular 914 in that condition. I wish you luck!

I wish I were closer as I would take it on.. I wish it were at least one piece so it could be driven..

Lets talk about getting you your best offer and not getting taken. As others mentioned more pics but I'm sure you haven't the foggiest idea where to begin so here are a few places you want to get good pics. In the rear of the rear trunk take pics where the taillights are. Were looking for rust on the trunk floor. This is one of the common spots. Next take pics of the area immediately below the battery. That would be directly behind the passenger seat in the engine compartment. This is the BIG ONE as far as common rust areas and greatly effects the cars value. Then pull up the carpet behind the seats and take pics there. Very common to find rust in that area; more especially the passenger side. There is a pic of one of the headlight buckets but there is an elbow obstructing that view. Take pics of that area and both sides and be sure the bottom of those buckets are in the pics. along the bottom of the windshield where the glass meets the metal is another area of concern. The sail panels on each side are another area prone to rust. Those are the covered panels that rise up from the body to meet the back of the back of the roof. You can't see the rust if it is there because they are covered in black material but there will usually be a bulge or bubble making the covered surface uneven if there is rust in that area. If they are smooth and flat take good pic's showing that. The longs look good from what I can see in the pic so I'll skip those. They are the boxy looking structures that run beneath the doors and currently not covered with the black metal panels. These are another well know rust area that can break the deal. Again, yours look good but take good pics of that area an both sides. LE buyers are well educated buyers and want to know the condition. The door sills and door jambs look good from here but I do detect an orange tint on the passenger side sill. That is the lower part next to where the passengers thigh would be. Get a good pic of that area if it is rust. If not clean it and take pics of both sills. Antennae is on the left. Usually on the right but I've seen them both ways. The dash looks good. If there and no cracks in it then clean it up and take pics of the too. Take pics of the serial numbers that was mentioned earlier to document that it is an LE. Also the stickers on the drivers door jamb if they're still there. The Dr might be correct in his assessment. From the few pics I can see it may possibly be "a find" for someone seeking an LE. People buy LE's in terrible shape and spend thousands restoring them. Rust repair is usually the big ticket item but all of the little things add up into the thousands as well. I say this because it looks as if the car is very complete albeit parts are removed and laying about. You'll also want to take pics of all those items that are laying about or boxed up.

If you can take pics of all the parts you have along with the common rust areas. You could at least take some of the guessing out of the equation. The good news is the value of the cars is going up. If your not in a big hurry you will do better.
I don’t think 15k is far off if the rust is minimal, and all the parts are there.

The better the condition as far as rust goes the closer to the 15k. You can spend a lot of money on rust repair.

Just my .02

Good Morning George, thank you for your advice. I actually bought the car for Keith as a gift but was never told of the "Bumble Bee" status. Can you tell me what that means? Also I don't see any rust on the car, if you can see it in the pictures can you tell me where it is in case someone asks?

Thank you brcacti, I appreciate the advice. I looked up Mike's and they are 2 1/2 hours away from me, so I will keep them in mind if I can't find someone closer to deal with.

Thank you bbrock for your help. Can you tell me what you think it would be worth so I have a ballpark figure to work around?

Thank you so very much for your help as to where to take the pics! I wrote it all down and will let you know when I post them and if I am missing something or something doesn't look clear enough could you please let me know so I can re-do it. Thank you again it was all very helpful and you also taught me a few things about my husband's Baby that I didn't know so again, thank you.

Thank you Mikey914 for your advice. I will look over the car for any rust areas and take pics if I see them, and thank you for your opinion on the price. It helps to hear from you car buffs about that as I have no idea about it.

There were "special" 914s built in 1974, the CanAm cars. Your husbands car was a Bumble Bee meaning it had black paint on the body, and yellow on the wheels and the rocker panels under the doors. Mechanically they were just regular old 914s, but the special paint job makes them desirable since they were pretty rare.

If it were me, I'd have the car towed to your new home. I'm sure you could bolt some wheels on it and have it towed. Trying to sell it quick is going to cost you on the sale. If the car is rust free (and that's a significant IF) anything you can do to get the car running is going to make it more desirable to the next owner. Try as best you can not to get rid of any of the parts.

Sorry we aren't being super helpful. With travel discouraged and everything else right now its hard to get help.

In normal times you would offer to throw a party and people would show up to help build, but this just isn't normal times.

If there is any way you can move the car to the new house and tuck it away for a year, thats going to pay off for you and your daughter.

Zach

Thank you mb911 for responding are you sure you don't want a project car to work on? lol

Wish I was nearby to help at least get it rolling. Makes me mad that your former friend took all the tools and disappeared.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_914

Look at the section titled “914 Limited Edition” almost at the bottom of the page. It would be nice if you could keep the car, but there’s a lot of work to be done. If you do decide to sell, consult with the people here before taking any offers. There are a lot of honest and good people here and they want to help.

I think the issue there is that the front rotors are off the spindles - not a quick bolt up that a tow truck or flatbed driver can do. I can't tell from one picture but I'm not convinced that both front struts are in the car. I can see one but not the other. Front rotors are sitting in the trunk. Sort of stright forward assuming the bearings are there and can be located.

I'm about 4 hours away in Detroit and in normal circumstances I'd be happy to help. However, COVID insanity limits me from crossing the border.

I'm hoping that you can find a couple local Ontario 914 guys to help. I'm game to help if we are allowed to cross border but I don't see that happening before you move date in October.

As suggested by others, good pictures and getting it sold may be your best bet given it's status as a Limited Edition. I fully understand the sentimental desire to pass along to your daugther but in it's current state this is a lofty goal.

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This is the "Bumble Bee" version 914 Limited Edition, built in celebration of Porsche's Can-Am victories at that time.

Your late husband's car could be restored to this with a LOT of time, skill, & money.

The silver paint on the car now might be nice, but the car deserves to be brought back to what it is supposed to be.

Different scenario. We picked that one up. Hoping I don't become another late husband leaving a 914 project to their widow!

Hello,

My name is Peter and I live in Elora. My family and I run Restoration Design in Guelph specializing in sheet metal for Porsches. I can come have a look at the car and assess what needs to be done and then chat with you about what course of action you would like to take.

Alternatively, you could come visit our shop and see some of the 914's we have here as well as discuss your car.

give me a call or email me

www.restoration-design.com
519 836 3555

That is awesome @peteyd . I hope you can help her out.

He knows sheet metal and what to look for.

Have Pete tell you what pictures you will need to make your best ad or our best guess at what it will take to get it to different places.

I am currently on a travel ban due to work, or I would be really tempted to help you get it to new location and minimal the list of things that need, then should, and would be nice for the car.

Then it becomes budgeting.

Needs are making it stop, then go, and be safe doing it.

Should are things that keep it safe and keep its value in place.

Would be nice has different points on peoples project list.

For me it would be things like paint, some of the rubber seals, some seals are needed to keep water out.

Then you have the last bits which I find to be not worth it in most cases, perfect bumpers, or every nut and bolt platted etc...

Sorry for your loss, and hope you and your daughter can get this project figured out. In reality it could be less pain to move on, and keep the memories of him and the car untarnished.

Thank you for posting the picture! I wish we had bought it looking like this!!! It’s gorgeous that way! I don’t know why anyone would have painted it Silver, although Silver is my favorite color I would have liked the other!!!

I'll add my voice to say you should take Pete up on his offer. Lots of people on this site will vouch for his 914 acumen as well as his reputation. It's a tremendous offer and I don't think you'll find anyone more qualified to help you out.

Pete is the man! He makes fantastic parts for our cars, and he is north of the US/Canada border so travel should not be an issue.

I hope that you are able to meet up with Pete and get some help or ideas for your late husbands car. I'm so very sorry for your loss, and hope that you are able to get what you need to move forward.

Zach

Mrs Drinkwater, I'm very sorry for your loss. Your husband sounds like a good guy.

Like your husband, you have a car that is special.

No one can tell you what to do with it. You have to decide whether its something you want to keep or move it on. That's a choice based on your circumstances and wants.

If you keep it, it will cost you money. A lot of money. They just do.

If you sell it, you may regret it later, and that happens too.

I recall having another member who lost her brother and decided to keep his 914 and restore it in his honor. After spending something like $10,000 she was left with a painted shell and parts everywhere. She reached out and she did see it through with some 914 friends. I believe that car is still being enjoyed today as it was intended.

If it were me, I would create a plan with help from folks here on what it would take to restore including costs, time, and parts. It may help you decide.

Help with parts is easy. Time and paint are another matter.

Lastly, a project like this is not a money maker. I have my Dad's 74 914 and I've spent a multiple of its value over the decades to keep it. That said, I wouldn't part with it for $1 million. The money isn't worth the joy and presence of my father it brings me.

Best wishes!