So it's time to get off my ass and deal with this rare gem that has wandered into my garage. Much to the skepticism of some, it's an original 21,000 mile LE that was parked by the original owner in 1988 and didn't move til his heir's sold the car and the new owner moved it from Honolulu to Pt. Townsend, WA in late summer 2022. My somewhat accidental purchase is documented in a previous thread: Low mileage LE?

For those who don't know me, I'm a longtime 914 believer since purchasing a Sunflower Yellow 1.7 brand new in 1973. I've since owned a variety of these little cars, currently holding a '74 2.0 and the LE. I've also encountered a couple of major oral surgeries over the last year that have put me in a state of slow recovery that leads to my personal resurrection. I didn't really intend to buy the LE but that ship has sailed and I'm trying to bring it back to life for my own resurgence, with the help of some friends of course.

The car is very solid and straight with minimal corrosion, as verified by @Root_Werks and @Greenie . My plan at present is to get it sorted out mechanically and some cosmetics, without performing a complete restoration. I do not plan on keeping the car when the plan is done. So, anyone who's interested in a very original, documented and compete LE is welcome to contact me. In this thread I'll be posting a list of parts needed and pictures and descriptions of work planned or completed.

I'll end this long post with an obligatory pic so I don't get the dreaded TTIWWP emogi. Many more pics to follow as I progress.

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Awesome find Marc! Can't wait to see the refresh.

you got to love survivor cars.

there is a real case for just doing whats necessary and no more with a car like that.

great stuff.

What a great find! Sympathetic resurrections take patience but the results are so rewarding... watching with interest.

Can't wait to see the progress! Looking forward to lots more pictures.

I like that you will keep it as original as possible!

A number of people commented in the auction thread that it had 20K 'hard miles'. That may be true, but I think it's more a matter of 34 'hard years' sitting idle in a carport.

Initially the driver's door latch wouldn't work without pulling so hard you'd break the handle. Fortunately the inside latch worked fine. After many applications of penetrating oil and gently operating the latch it freed up and now opens smooth and easy. An added benefit is that the door closes with a satisfying thump...love that sound.

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I'm very pleased with the body gaps on this door.

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Nice find! I hope you put those Rivs on there to roll the car around, and have the stock Mahles stashed away for safe keeping. Otherwise, it looks like one of the previous owners made a very poor wheel decision. It's also strange that he converted the targa trim on the back to chrome.....I could be wrong, but I think it's supposed to be black if it's stock.

It's not rolling now as it went on jackstands this weekend thanks to Curt who came over the mountains from chez Greenie to help. The Rivs were on when I got it, but I also got the Mahles in the deal. Four of them have been painted with a red center for some reason but the spare in the frunk is pristine. Mahles are my favorite 914 wheel and I'll be restoring them to their proper finish.

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I suspect the trim and sail/targa vinyl was added by the dealer to enhance floor appeal. I've heard the LE's could be slow to sell initially. The vinyl is in very good shape, although I will be looking to replace some trim pieces. I've thought about removing the vinyl but for now I'll let the next owner make that decision.

Very cool you finally got a thread started on the "refresh"!

For the wheels, wonder if it'd be worth it to just have them completely restored?

Good question. My plan is to get the paint stripped and any curb rash and blemishes fixed and then have them painted at the same time as the bumpers and valances; using the pristine wheel as a guide for color match. Make sense?

Looks like an original spoiler too! Hopefully its in good condition. Don't let that sucker out of your sight.

Congratulations!!! Great find as this LE survivor appears to have "good bones" and yes, the original VPC front spoiler.

When I had the yellow accents repainted, Mark at Eurotech Bodywerkes found the correct Sunflower Yellow paint listed with Glasurit as Summer Yellow with the same paint code (Sunflower Yellow became Summer Yellow for the 1975 model year). And the same mix was used by the vendor who restored all five Mahle wheels. We had the Porsche script for the sides custom made to a paint swatch.

Your side script seems to be mounted a little high. There are actual Porsche specifications for the location of the script and I think I might have seen them on Jeff Bowlsby's site.

looks like the spare still has the o g dunlop SP mounted on it.
speaks volumes.

good luck with the both your resurrections.

Right! That was confirmed when I first saw the car. Would have been a deal-breaker if it wasn't. More pics when it's off the car.

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That's good info, Ben.

As I understand it the stripes were delivered in the trunk and added at the dealer. They didn't do a very good job in application. All four transitions at the wheel well lips have separated from the body to some degree.
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Good eye! 165R15 Dunlop SP57, Made in Germany. Found this sticker firmly attached on the back wall of the spare well. Probably put on at the factory, although it might have been applied at the dealer. The Mahle on the spare also has SP written on the back of the wheel.

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A couple of clarifications. THis appears to be an original finish car. Everything is original.

Great to see the factory spoiler which was not made by VPC. VPS made an afermarket spoiler emulating the factory spoiler.

The side stripes look original like they have been on the car for 49 years. On my original paint BB they were also mounted high like that. As I understand it, the stripes were mounted on the dealer lot (assuming the customer did not reject them) because the cars shipped coated in cosmiline for the ocean voyage which would damage vinyl decals, so the side stripes could be mounted in any number of ways. The package o aftermarket stripes that dealers sold over the counter has mounting instructions, but that does not mean the lot boys followed them.

I think this is a survivor that should just catch up on deferred maintenance, then clean and wax it. Leave the chipped paint and wear marks as badges of honor to tell their stories and let the car proudly represent the marque as it is. Like Seinfields blue 356 cab.

That's my intent although the paint on the left front fender is badly done (have receipt for the repair at the dealer in 1976) and the headlight covers are poor. I will definitely present those flaws when I pass it on.

yep.


its real special.

@JeffBowlsby Just to be clear, are you saying that the sail panel vinyl and accompanying britework is stock on this LE? I didn't realize that any LE had either of these features. I also thought the two rear trim pieces were supposed to be black.

BTW.... @Kelty360 , glad you were able to get the Mahles as well...that spare is cherry!

@Craigers17

No, Im not saying that about the Targa vinyl and bright trim. They were added along the way and are a previous owner modification, just like the Riviera wheels

What I am saying is that unless a full resto would be undertaken, some things are too hard to change back and the original patina would be lost. Sometimes its better to just leave unoriginal things be as they are. Change the wheeels - sure, easy. Leave the Targa vinyl and buggered paint for a full resto in the future.

"heave ho" those wheels asap!! (LOL)

Exciting and semi local to me. Congrats on this acquisition and best of luck on your continued healing and bringing this car back. Sympathetic (not over) restoration seems like the best course of action. I love the idea of a car that is mechanically in great shape with the cosmetics left mostly as is. I hope to see it someday and would forward to seeing it side by side with mine.

Get the blue car finished. Fixing 2 cars at once would not be my cup of tea. The credit card could become a puddle of melted plastic.

The marathon blue 2.0 is fine. I drove it a lot last year. It’s currently at @914werke getting a new oil cooler seal.

The more I dive into the LE, the more interesting it gets. Discovering the original spare was a bonus, especially with the tire tag on the spare well. I’m just kind of starting at the front and working my way back. Lots of decisions on what to fix/replace and what to leave alone. Sorting through the various documents is another series of discoveries. The log book of fuel stops and oil changes is filled with clues about the car’s history. I’m hoping to talk to the son of the original owner. That could fill in some blanks.

I've hit the first crossroad in the LE resurrection. The front bumper had to come off because the frunk cable wouldn't operate; that's another story. My intent has been to repaint the bumpers, front valance and Mahles at the same time; leaving the rocker covers alone as they are in good shape and still have the original rivets. Some of the comments here have caused second thoughts about that plan. Here is the bumper off the car with the spoiler in the background.
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As you can see there are spots of serious surface corrision.
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I've soaked the nuts for the bumper top but when I went to remove them, the first one turned the stud along with the nut. I immediately stopped knowing I'd just pull the stud out of the rubber. The stud appears to be firmly rusted to the nut.
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So my question is: do I just reattach the bumper and call the corrosion 'patina', or do I proceed with the plan to repair and paint the bumper and replace or repair the bumper top also? The bumper top is not pristine. It has light dimpling on the left end.
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Seems to me you could very carefully cut the nut off with a dremel without damaging the threads so you can save the bumper top in case that’s what you decide. Although it might look silly with a fresh painted bumper. Definitely want to stop that rust before it gets worse. I’d be surprised if there isn’t some Swiss cheese behind the bumperettes after blasting.

Looking at the pictures it might not even be worth saving that bumper. Paint makes it easier than chrome, but it will require work either way. I’d lean towards putting it back on and driving as is. Source a solid core bumper and paint it when you’re ready. Probably for less than it will take to repair that one. Good news is the front clip looks great.

I know there will be a lot of perspective on restore vs patina.

I'm kinda leaning toward your original plan with the Yellow parts:

Leave rockers alone as they're in good shape along with side stripes.

Paint F/R bumpers and valiances as well as wheels. Front spoiler needs some fixing anyway.

Just doing that would make this LE look 100 times better than it already does.

I'm kinda starting at the front and working my way back. Today I cleaned and conditioned the rubber seal for the frunk lid. The seal was in good shape, completely intact with a slight deformity at the left headlight bucket where the fender was damaged in 1976. The rubber is pliable but will need more conditioning.
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Tried to get into all the nooks and crannies but these pics show more detailling is needed
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Same is true of the inner fender wells.
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Also worked on removing surface rust from the right headlight cover. It was heavily corroded as you can see in this pic. It still needs refinishing but it's a big improvement.Click to view attachment

I didn't even touch the underside of the frunk lid but it's impressive in it's original gloss black finish.
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Learned a couple of things in the process today. It appears the original driving lights are still in place, with no chips or cracks. Also the original windshield washer connection for the spare tire is intact. In 1973, I thought that was a very cool application. I'll have to test it when I hook it up.

@KELTY360

its a pleasure to look at these images.
you got to love a time capsule from a half a century ago.
its kind of hard to resist going the tonk and restoring it,
but there is something about it being so original.
the battle scars are part of its character.

given it is so original whats the windscreen in it.
mind taking a photo of that etched data down in the bottom lhs?
there is a little thread going in the originality section covering original windscreens for 914s. am betting this baby is a good candidate for having one.

keep up the good work.
raising a stubbie to you from down here in north antarctica

ps, keep those rivieras i reckon.
even when you fix the mahles.
they kind of should stay with the car (adjacent to it that is).
they are part of the story about the vinyl and chrome on the sail panel!

@KELTY360 ..............and @JeffBowlsby .

i just noticed something in the photos above.
the horn is on the right hand side front.

and.......my 74 1.8 has it on the left hand side.
am pretty confident mine is original. 99% confident given the car.
and i'm thinking this bumblebee also might be very original.
so........did they change the position of the horn in 74?
mine is end of jan 74 build date.

i'm thinking of this in the context of all the chaotic changes along the way we have discovered with 74 model cars.

or did LEs have twin horns and one is missing?

i know you know the answer to this already mr. b!

Dual horns on LEs, infact all 74s I am prettry sure, at least the harness supports both horns. This DR side horn has been replaced.

Dual horns on LEs, infact all 74s I am prettry sure, at least the harness supports both horns. This DR side horn has been replaced.

thanks mr. b

i feel sure the lowly 1.8 of which i am the owner did not get the special "duwal" autobahn blast units you describe as coming standard on the LEs you blokes own.
i have only a single unit and i am fairly certain the original owner was not the type who liked to customize in order to be a loud american.

but that does indicate what is going on in above photos.

ah yes i am seeing that the lhs blast unit is black and not an original roadrunner "meemp meemp" type unit like the one on rhs which is like my single unit from the wile e coyote era.

Correct. I believe the horn on the left side was replaced when the fender needed repair, which was poorly done at the Porsche dealer. I have found the correct horn in the spare well and will be testing it to see if it operates. Otherwise, I'll be looking for one in the classifieds.

Nice car. Were it mine, I would pull the rocker covers and see what's what. If nothing else, I would want to clean everything up and get any/all the dirt and more out of there. Additionally, if there is rust, I would want to know the extent so I could decide how best to address it.

As for painting the yellow bits, I would shoot them all at the same time- even the rocker covers.

The Bumble Bees are my favorite LE cars. Love the look.

+1 most buyers would want to know that the rockers are solid, and the new plastic rivets are identical to the originals. I would also pull the script off and after having the minor parts (door and headlight cover) repainted, would wet sand the car and buff back the paint. I suspect that you will be surprised how well that single stage will come back.

Btw. I need some yellow paint and new script… maybe if you use EuroTech we can split the paint material cost. I can call Mark to ensure he informs the new shop owner of the correct color.

I need the entire car painted

Nice find. I would check the inside of the fuel tank by removing the filler neck and using a flash light. Can't be too sure if the car was sitting all those years. Also spray some fogging oil in the cylinders before cranking it over.

It’s been started and driven many times since it’s deep sleep.

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. Certainly illustrates the difficulty of resisting mission creep. I don’t want to cross the line into restoration but there’s lots of value judgements along the way. Take the rocker covers for example; I recognize the importance of clean rockers but I also don’t want to impair the originality of the rivets on the covers. The battery tray is cleanly intact and the hell hole is very solid. The jack posts are not compromised and viewing the longs and underbody show no signs of problems. So, my educated guess is that if I pulled the rockers I’d see shiny black paint.

Nothing precious or sacred about common aluminum rivets, especially when the health of structural elements are unknown. I encourage you to R/R the rivets and confirm if those screws into the chassis bottom below can be removed. They are known to rust in place.

Makes sense. It can’t hurt to post pics after I wax the longs. If the longs are as nice as I think they are it would only ad to the value.

it was in hawaii. may not be salt on the roads but a sh$tload in the atmosphere coming off the spray at pipeline and mr lightning bolt/late take-offs tail fin.
best to have a peek in there.

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*Subscribed* Thanks for the link Marc. Very cool project and looking forward to see where it leads. Also, next time thru Montana give some notice and dinners on me.

There are no aluminum rivets on 914 rocker(s)?
if you have have any it means the outer rockers have been off prior & the PO didn't but them back on with the correct OE plastic rivets.

The plastic rivets are on the upper threshold plates. Clear or black depending on year.

Mill finish aluminum rivets were factory stock on the 'rocker panels'.