Yep, just patina.

You beat me to it Anyways 2nd in line

All I know is that by relative comparison I must have gotten a screaming deal on my rust bucket. And to think - that it still had shinny exterior paint on it.

@bbrock . I'm not saying it's not worth saving. I'd love to see it saved. It's just that there aren't many as as you (or me) that would want to pay $1800 or even $1200 for the experience of starting with that car.

As we see by this thread, value is highly subjective.

I very well could be wrong. . . . the market will decide.

I think $1,200 would be an easy number for me if I were looking for a project, which I am not, because there's easily $1,200 in good parts in that car. Even the bumper cap looks good.

Going in, I would plan for replacing that long, both door jambs, battery tray (that's a given), part of the engine shelf, possibly the targa sail panels, maybe the doors, and a lot of patch welding. Still a short list compared to what it could be.

Of course you are right, taking your time and shopping around would find a better car to start with if getting it on the road quick is the goal. This is a car from someone who WANTS a project and I acknowledge the fact that only an unstable person would want such a thing.

We do have to be mindful that the market has changed since you and I bought our cars. Heck, even when I started my resto, there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell the car would be worth more than I put into it when it was done. My how things changed in those few years. I'm afraid the $500 deals may be a thing of the past.

The floor thing is BIG actually, and pretty much any "project car's" gonna need work in those other areas. It's priced as a project car would be, though I agree too is a bit high, so someone will make a reasonable offer and get a descent project.


.

As scary as the passenger long looks to my California eyes, Buffalonians are like, "not too bad really"

I grew up in Buffalo. Cars get eaten up by the salt monster.

I would say that at $1800 the price is irrelevant to what it will cost if you plan to fix it, might as well be free. By the time you strip, repair, paint and re-assemble the original cost is long gone. There are absolutely some good parts. My opinion coming from a dry climate is skewed. I would rather start with something almost rust free but toasty from a dry climate than deal with the rust. I sold a early roller, stripped to bare metal so you could see what you were getting for the same price last year after weeks of listing and price drops. (ended up on Ebay)

Click to view attachment

The hell hole was fine and this was the worst jack point after sand blasting.

Click to view attachment

I figure if you are starting with something this rusty its a strip to bone and blast and replace everything that doesn't clean up like new.

john

The floors are sandwiched between inside floor tar and outside undercoating. Until you remove all of that, it's impossible to know what condition the floors are in. I've seen dozens of cars at the shop that look great until stripped. Then they look like a different car and you have to make the call to the customer that they have tens of thousands in unexpected work.
That passenger long didn't rust independently of the rest of the car.

to all contrarians. of 914 ilk or other.

356s just as farked have been readily tackled for years.
mind you they have always been worth enough to take on.

its possible 914s are thin enough on the ground now to justify.

its a likeable car in terms of original color. silver with brown interior. nice and very unusual.

There is something about the steel used in 914s. It is the only car I have stripped to bare metal that would get light rust if you wash it off with water in Arizona. It drys in seconds here. I have left quarter-panels bare metal for months here and never a hint of rust. 914s just give it a few minutes.

not an ornament - functional object?
right at the end come the cans.
every aussie had one 2 generations ago. (when they were all still made of beer).



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlnLMt9jljQ

I’ve had the same experience even in the Midwest where the humidity is far higher.

Obviously I haven’t had a chemical composition run on 914 steel.

However, anyone that has ever owned both a set of cheap HF body dolly’s and a good set of professional Dolly’s will know, the HF tools rust very quickly too.

The difference is low quality steel vs. high quality steel with higher Molybdenum, and Chromium content. Both these trace elements affect the corrosion resistance of steel alloy. Same with trace of Nickel that is in steel. Stainless steel has very high nickel and chromium content which is what gives stainless the corrosion resistance we associate with stainless steel.

I’m not sure what the exact difference was with VW / 914 sheet metal but I’m sure it was lower % of these sorts of trace elements in the alloy vs. domestic sheet metal of the same era.

I did not have the same problem on a VW of the same era. It was likely built in Mexico, so different steel.

We know well how the floors are made. Not recommended for someone who’d be considering sending the car to a shop like you’re at, for sure.. but rather a DIY’er with skills lookin to get into a 914 at this price point. I think everyone understands that at an $1800 (starting price) your vintage Porsche’s gonna need some work


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I think the finger of blame needs to be pointed at Karmann. I had several VW Sciroccos , also built by Karmann, that, if you didn't meticulously clean their undercarriages, would begin to rust a couple of years after purchase here in the Northeast. A friend of mine watched his BMW 30CS, also built by Karmann, get eaten alive by the tin worm. That was an expensive car. Run-of -the-mill, German built, Mark 1 VW Golfs (Rabbits) and BMW Bavarias lasted much longer.

you are right on the money mate.

ordinary VWs never rusted too quick down here in aus.
in fact the local manufactured ones in the 60s are the hardiest of all.
they were made from aussie steel. BHP. back then australia used to make some of the purest steel in the world. we were heavily involved in cross trade with the japanese who also made some of the best steel in the world. US steel was pretty darned good and we and the japanese managed to get just one tiny notch above that.

all gone now.

as to the karmann ghias, they rusted real quick down here.
crappy steel. source? not sure. but rumoured to be russia or eastern europe iron curtain countries. possibly the big steel works in the ukraine that has recently had the living hell bombed out of it by the russians. that was a major source of steel outside of the USA, Aus and Japan.

This is all interesting but a moot point for me. My car is 82.37% Restoration Design galvaneal at this point

A point in favor of buying this hulk and fixing her up?

In California we would call that one 'yard art'.

I hope I live to see the day when you can build a whole 914 out of Galvaneal.

I have noticed that OEM metal adjacent to Galvaneal doesn’t flash rust. I think the Zinc in the Galvaneal acts like a zinc anode to a limited degree.

Somewhere out there you know RD is rooting for someone to buy this car to help fund the Christmas party

with a sacrificial anode that big whats left of the russian steel should be pretty safe.

Northeast US = Harsh environment for everything, steel auto's included

maybe someone can come up with a stainless steel version

Porsche built a couple stainless steel 911’s

Really? Who knew? I never heard that.

But, It just doesn’t work for me - looks like DeLorean mated with a Beetle. Or maybe worse, a chrome wrap job?

And I say that as one that likes the 911/912 appearance in color.

Is the fine example per the OP still available, I can barely contain myself

Yeah. My Dad had the Austin-badged equivalent in the UK. '65 iirc.

Well I never!!

I agree, not a particularly flattering shot. But just think, if you painted it, it would look like any other early Porsche but you could expose it to weather without loosing a small piece of your soul.