I just rolled out my brother's 1972 914 from a barn. It had been there for over 35 years. After some cleaning and evicting varmints and critters, it cleaned up pretty well.
It will still be an undertaking to get it back on the road.
One problem, the rear trunk is missing the key cylinder assembly. It is just a hole. How do I open the rear trunk? There is a pin at the end of the 'tube' but I don't know it you push, pull, rotate, or what?
On another topic......
The body is actually in pretty good shape. some rust, but not horrible. Where do I go from here if I wanted to do a complete rebuild?
Strip, sand blast, repair, undercoat/primer, sound proof, paint? In that order?
Thanks!
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Full Version: How to Get the Rear Trunk Open?
Nice '74! Great color, too! I think you need to push in that tab to open the trunk. If it was me, I'd disassemble and restore it from the ground up. Mount it on a rotisserie, if necessary. The body needs to go back to bare metal to remove/repair the rust. Need pics of inside engine bay, both trunks, longitudinals, hell-hole, etc.
Take a long dowel rod and push the little tab hanging down you can see in this picture:
That will release the trunk latch.
More pictures of the car please!
Clay
That will release the trunk latch.
More pictures of the car please!
Clay
Agree it’s a 74 or 73; needs more pics.
If the VIN isn’t already in the database, could it be added?
Also, if a 74 the pics of the VIN plate, DOT door jamb sticker, tuneup sticker (if still there) and charcoal canister location/hose layout would provide important historical info to current research efforts!
@wonkipop
@van B
If the VIN isn’t already in the database, could it be added?
Also, if a 74 the pics of the VIN plate, DOT door jamb sticker, tuneup sticker (if still there) and charcoal canister location/hose layout would provide important historical info to current research efforts!
@wonkipop
@van B
The trunk lock has been addressed above. 
Congratulations on a nice car to begin with. As for getting it back on the road, getting the structure solid is a great starting point. Get her up in the air, pull the wheels and rocker covers along the side and look for rust. Check all the usual spots- an awl is an easy tool to use and you will know right away if it is solid or rust-ridden. Check all of the suspension mounting points, especially the rear trailing arm attachment points. Clean as much as you can, maybe a power washer to get all the years of accumulated stuff off the chassis.
Once you know if the chassis is solid, consider dropping the motor and transaxle as 1 unit. That will allow you to assess the engine to see if it seized or turns freely. Great to pull the plugs and squirt some Marvel Mystery Oil or the likes into each cylinder and let it sit for a few days and repeat a few times to loosen up anything in the cylinders before you try to turn it over. If it does turn over smoothly, then move on to valve adjustment, replace all vacuum lines, plugs, cap, points, rotor, air filter, oil/filter, etc.
Drain the transaxle and refill with run of the mill 90 weight gear oil. Don't be tempted to use some fancy, expensive gear oil. Our transaxles perform best with the plain old 90 weight. Check to see if the clutch is free or frozen while the transaxle is out of the car.
If you summit those tasks, now it is time to pull the gas tank and have it boiled out or just replace it as they are available pretty cheaply and that solves a whole host of further problems. I would replace all fuel lines with SS fuel lines and new hoses along with the new filters.
Replace the master cylinder and have all 4 calipers rebuilt - see PMB for excellent work.
Replace the 35 year old tires before you try to drive it down the street. Of course, after 50 years and having sat for 35 years, most of the suspension rubber will be gone or useless. Wheel bearings need to be cleaned, packed and reinstalled, etc.
Clean all of the grounds, front to rear- there a quite a few of them. New battery of course.
The last thing I would worry about is cosmetics. Sure, I would clean the heck out of the entire car, but that is about it until the entire car is sorted and running well.
This will be a fun project and is totally doable if you do it in small bites and stay focused - one project at a time. If the whole car comes apart at once, it is easy for the project to get out of control.
Have fun and enjoy the trip.
Michael
Congratulations on a nice car to begin with. As for getting it back on the road, getting the structure solid is a great starting point. Get her up in the air, pull the wheels and rocker covers along the side and look for rust. Check all the usual spots- an awl is an easy tool to use and you will know right away if it is solid or rust-ridden. Check all of the suspension mounting points, especially the rear trailing arm attachment points. Clean as much as you can, maybe a power washer to get all the years of accumulated stuff off the chassis.
Once you know if the chassis is solid, consider dropping the motor and transaxle as 1 unit. That will allow you to assess the engine to see if it seized or turns freely. Great to pull the plugs and squirt some Marvel Mystery Oil or the likes into each cylinder and let it sit for a few days and repeat a few times to loosen up anything in the cylinders before you try to turn it over. If it does turn over smoothly, then move on to valve adjustment, replace all vacuum lines, plugs, cap, points, rotor, air filter, oil/filter, etc.
Drain the transaxle and refill with run of the mill 90 weight gear oil. Don't be tempted to use some fancy, expensive gear oil. Our transaxles perform best with the plain old 90 weight. Check to see if the clutch is free or frozen while the transaxle is out of the car.
If you summit those tasks, now it is time to pull the gas tank and have it boiled out or just replace it as they are available pretty cheaply and that solves a whole host of further problems. I would replace all fuel lines with SS fuel lines and new hoses along with the new filters.
Replace the master cylinder and have all 4 calipers rebuilt - see PMB for excellent work.
Replace the 35 year old tires before you try to drive it down the street. Of course, after 50 years and having sat for 35 years, most of the suspension rubber will be gone or useless. Wheel bearings need to be cleaned, packed and reinstalled, etc.
Clean all of the grounds, front to rear- there a quite a few of them. New battery of course.
The last thing I would worry about is cosmetics. Sure, I would clean the heck out of the entire car, but that is about it until the entire car is sorted and running well.
This will be a fun project and is totally doable if you do it in small bites and stay focused - one project at a time. If the whole car comes apart at once, it is easy for the project to get out of control.
Have fun and enjoy the trip.
Michael
Welcome - great car. I'm in the process of reviving a '73 1.7 that was stored for a long time. Lots of fun ahead!
It's hard to tell from the photo but is the driver's side of the trunk sitting up higher than the fender? If so this is a pretty common situation where the hinge mounting support on the inside fender well breaks off due to the hinge pivot pin rusting and seizing. Once you get the lid open you'll be able to check both sides.
There are a lot of threads here about fixing the issue. Either weld in a replacement mount or bolt in a special hinge plate assy.
Keep us informed of your progress!
Ron
It's hard to tell from the photo but is the driver's side of the trunk sitting up higher than the fender? If so this is a pretty common situation where the hinge mounting support on the inside fender well breaks off due to the hinge pivot pin rusting and seizing. Once you get the lid open you'll be able to check both sides.
There are a lot of threads here about fixing the issue. Either weld in a replacement mount or bolt in a special hinge plate assy.
Keep us informed of your progress!
Ron
Nice car, if its been a barn store for all those years it should be pretty solid. We need to see more pics to feed our 914 appetite.... 
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