Hello 914World:

I'm a long - long time Porsche owner and have been pretty active on RL and Pelican in the 911 and 993 sections, but I finally made good on a promise to one day own a 914. This '73 1.7L popped up on nearby Dayton Ohio CL and after a lot of deliberation and some research here I brought it home last weekend. Obligatory photos below. VIN is 4732904601, which I'll add to the sticky. The seller bought it in Cincinnati in 2018 and put in about $3.5K in suspension and tune up work - then left it sitting indoors for 3 years. Now it won't start and he's not a DIY guy so he threw in the towel. Other than that it came with no history.

My first goal is to go completely through the fuel and vacuum systems with an engine drop and then decide on a lot of other stuff while I'm in there. Also will fix the typical left rear trunk hinge mounting point. There is other rust on the car in the usual places but the gaps are good and only the hell hole and about a foot of the right long are really shot. Despite the nice appearance in the photos, it badly needs paint and dent repair. Will decide on repairs once I get it running and see if I choose to do a full resto or enjoy driving it as is.

I'm certain I'll need a lot of advice and look forward to getting to know many of you better.

Cheers,

Ron

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That is a clean looking 914, congrats!

Welcome, Ron! Your car looks sweet. One of my favorite colors, too!

Please post pics of the hell hole / right rear suspension console / long and the brain trust here can give you an assessment on how urgent that repair might need to be. Since structural components are involved, the amount of rust can be an important safety issue.

I made a '914s for Newbies' series you may find helpful...

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmCYkBdj...PWMX9ecEK-qsKZs

Welcome to this great community...and the addiction!

Welcome to 914world @jrmdir Ron!
That is a very good start and it looks clean and solid!

Just my suggestion here:

Before dropping the engine, maybe you may want to check how the engine and other fuel injection parts condition.

1. partial check the following:
- fuel line if no crack(s)
- vacuum lines
- fuel tank if there is old gas, if yes maybe drain it by just sucking it out instead of
pulling the fuel tank or at the engine bay firewall you can drain the gas from
fuel line.
- fuel filter if dirty that clogged the line to allow fuel flow

2. check compression
3. fill up tank with new gas
4. try cranking it and borrow fuel pressure kit to test fuel pressure (should be between 28 to 31 psi)

Hope this will help for now before dropping your engine.

That is my suggestion and maybe other members will give their own advice or suggestions.

Best of luck. She's a beauty.

Thanks to all for the comments and support!

ndfrigi: I appreciate the advice and it's something I've been wrestling with. Start with an engine out exploration and get right into mechanical restoration or check out the obvious no-start things and hopefully drive it around for a while before deciding when to start disassembly. I may give it a go this weekend and will report back.

Very Nice car. Welcome to 91 madness....

Welcome to the 'World! I'm in central OH too, Delaware area.

You've come to the right place.