I thought I’d start a thread to say introduce myself and my newly acquired 914.

I’ve owned air-cooled VW’s for years so the 'fourteen isn’t unfamiliar territory, but obviously all cars have their own mechanical nuances and quirks so I’m hoping to gather some input from the group along the way to ease the journey and save a bit of solitary head scratching.

I purchased the car as a non-runner due to the previous owner losing commitment to work through the fuel injection issues he was experiencing. He got as far as stripping the injection system out and bolting on a pair of brand new Webber carbs, but didn’t get as far as trying to sort out connecting fuel lines, fuel pump or ignition before the poor thing got abandoned to sit unloved in a barn in deepest darkest Hampshire.

Thankfully all the FI components removed came with the car, along with a few extra used parts the previous owner purchased during their attempts to get it running so I’m hoping I can go through it all systematically and reinstate the fuel injection again having read on this forum that a straight switch to carburettors without a change of cam isn’t ideal.

The car otherwise is relatively up together. It’s suffering slightly from lack of use, so I’ll go through it from a safety perspective before it hits the road again but I’m hoping this won’t take too long as the summer is here and I’d like to use it!

For those with long memories the car may be familiar as it was originally imported into the UK by a 914world forum member who I was able to track down thanks to a bit of sleuthing initiated from these very pages. I’m not sure I would have picked the car up as a non-runner with the same confidence had it not been for the invaluable input from the man who is lennyhope on here, I know it left his custodianship in good shape so a big thanks to him for his help.


Anyway, enough talking and time for some pictures



These are the images saved from the original advert. They did the car no favours at all, it just looked a bit sorry for itself. Nevertheless, they were my first impression of the 914 so it seems befitting that they should also start this thread, a before and after if you will as the project develops...

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A deal was done; however, it was going to be a few weeks until I could get the car delivered to home so I had a smaller one delivered to my desk via eBay to tide me over

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Finally, the day arrived to pull it out the barn...

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and a few hours later it's home at last!

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This was the first time I really got to get a good look around the car and on the whole it's not bad at all so I'm very pleased with it. It's not perfect by any means and there are many small jobs aside of the obvious fuel issue but all being well it shouldn't take too much to bring it back to a very useable car.

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So that's it for now, there will be plenty more to follow and many questions will be asked of the group along the way.

I'm currently in two minds whether to get it running on the carbs first which seems like the easiest option with the intention to refit the fuel injection after the summer when I have a bit more time, or whether to try and reinstall the fuel injection straight away. Either way, initially there are a few little jobs that I'd like to complete for some easy wins to get the ball rolling before I get too stuck into it.

Let the project commence!

wow that looks really clean, someone did some work, new front trunk floor, hope the motor is in good nick, if so youll be on the roady very soon! and the Brown interior is nice, thats kind of rare to find.
Good luck welcome, keep us updated on the progress from across the pond.

Phil

That really looks like a terrific starting point. Rust can be the real hidden problem in these cars, check the entire chassis carefully looking for areas that need to be repaired so you have a good, solid foundation to build from.

Be forewarned…once in the 914, you will not go back to anything else!!
Love the Steelies and caps!
Welcome.

Welcome! For advice I'd say do what ever allows you to drive it the soonest and enjoy. It's your driving season now, don't miss it. Schedule the repairs for the off season.

Try to get it going with FI. The cam is all wrong (although it will run) and will be a good option for what looks like a pretty original kinda car. Love the vintage stickers. Dont ever remove em!

What are the 1st 3 numbers of the VIN? you have an interesting mix of 72 and 73 parts on it.

you are at the right place for help on your 914. use google and ask any question followed by 914world and it will show you past postings

welcome

Bob B

Any questions you have can be answered with many optional answers here.

Good luck, and its great to see another one across the pond getting a new chance at life again.

Rich

I agree - looks like a really nice driver/project, well preserved. Love the vintage decals and steelies. Looking forward to more pic and updates

Cool color!

Very clean looking car ,obviously not seen much time on UK (salty) roads,what the under side look like ?.
I would suggest you get it sorted with the baby Webers first,usual drill ,brake lines and calipers checked,fuel lines ,fuel tank inspection,etc etc ,but do the safety stuff first and of course the dreaded structural rust inspection as a starting point.
Did you remove the sill covers to inspect the chassis before buying it ?,if not start there then move underneath.
If all is ok or the car is in a good drivable condition run the carbs and get the FI parts a good check over as in cleaning / testing as there would obviously be a reason it was removed,once sorted refit it and sort further to fine tune it.
Yes you are in the right place to get well informed information ,plenty of vendors in the US making repair parts to keep you up and running when you refit the FI.
,cheers.

Awesome car.

I would get the numbers off the block if I were you. Odd touches of 72 and 73 as mentioned above. If this is a mix of 2 cars it would be good to know at the start.

In fact, did 73 have the rubber bumper and umm errr extensions? I thought that was a 74 thing? Or was 74 when they to the back as well?

73 had the titties on the front bumpers only.
74 had front and back titties.

depends how rocket monkey is identifying his car as a 72 whether it actually is or not.
73 MY cars start production in august 72 and the Vin sticker will have a 72 date.
but its a 73 MY car.

My money is on 73

Well the sticker inside the drivers door jam would suggest it was built during November '72, so I guess that makes it a 1972 built '73 model?

yep.


its all rather confusing when you live down here in north antarctica.
our cars were always calendar year = model year. took me a bit to get my head around US / Euro model year stuff when i got my 14 30 years ago.

i stumbled on explanation for how the odd northern hemisphere model year began.
can't quite remember but it was one of the US presidents passed legislation that allowed for a car for the next calendar year to commence production the year before and it was way back in the 1930s. and it kind of went from there. spread to other manufacturers off shore who exported cars to the USA by the time you get to the 1960s.

i could be wrong but i think australia had the same conventions as the UK and model years were calendar years. as well as where we have our steering wheels...

nice looking little 73 you got there rocket monkey.

Looks like a fun project! I like the color combo.