Hello folks, I have a lead on a 74 914 2.0. Fuel injection has been removed, its a complete car I think Olympic Blue. The longitudes, pans and rockers seem pretty solid, but there is an angled strange shape piece of the body that is new and needs to be welded in. Body seems good but will probably need paint job to be really nice. Owner said he parked it because it was not running quite right - he thought he might have missed a shift and or over revved the motor. He wants 5k for the car what do you guys think? I've removed and installed motors several times and done other work on the cars, but never a motor rebuild. Is it hard to do a rebuild down to the bearing/crank? and if I do should I put a mild cam and the orig fuel injection and build it to 2056 ? Thank you all , Joe

"It depends"
We'll need pics before we can offer our excellent guidance!
Oh and

Hi Joe - as you know, pictures will help the brain trust here weigh in.

On the engine front - you could always do a PMB build with an exchange for your core and be plug/play. Get that moving and then start on the body/paint and then you can hopefully coordinate the timelines.

Oh - and olympic IS the best color...

https://pmbperformance.com/products/pmb-225...e-914-4-1970-76

I'm a big believer in jacking it up and getting under it on a creeper.

I'd remove the side rocker panels if the owner would allow it.

Sounds like a good deal as long as it doesn't need $$$ in rust repair.

IMO a nice shell that doesn't need big rust repair is worth 5K without an engine.

That comes with a 2.0 core as well...

Type 4 are simple in their nature and an easy re-build IMO.

The problem is parts quality and the experience of the machine shop.

I use Automotive Machine.

https://www.automotivemachine.com/

These guys STARTED 60 years ago and they were THE FIRST Volkswagen Specialist machine shop in the Metroplex.

They make highly modified Type 1s for the oil field world as little gas-powered compressors today.

These function 3 times LONGER than what they replace.

That is the type of machine shop you are looking for.

It's all about the chassis. Type iv rebuilds vids on YouTube are available and can be accomplished by a learner.

See if there is a local member that can put eyes on the car for you.

Hi Joe, I would say welcome to the world but you have been here from 2009 if I have that right

We (my buddy of 60 years Mark S and I) are doing a full rebuild of a RAT 2170 in the my shop right now. Can you do it? I would say you can if you take is slow and have a great machine shop making sure that you are set up right. The machine shop is your best friend. Lots of great video now showing you how to do it. As I said work slow and never force anything.

Some people can do this and the ones that are impatient and force things will have issues. I have been doing air-cooled engines for 55 years (16 years old) Starting with Hondas and Triumph motorcycle.
I did not know crap but that did not stop me. Ask and you will get help from people that like to help right here on 914world

Best Bob B

thanks guys so are you mentioning a machine shop to re-do the heads? are the motors from PMB good and should I do it with a different cam and duel carbs or maybe 2056 with the original fuel injection? thanks for the assist -

I can't get pics for a couple weeks I'm in Wilmington NC

The old fact always hold true: speed costs $$, how fast do you want to go?

Welcome aboard to

BUY the best car you can afford. If you are buying a $5k car and planing to spend money to fix it up, buy the $10K car to start with.

It’s NOT just the paint. A complete set of brand new seals are just over the horizon. A big box of every type of bushings. You will want a perfect interior to compliment the new paint job and seals. Dash top? You will never know how deep you have to dig until the paint is off. Figure out if you want carbs or FI before you build an engine. 97% certainty you will experience project and cost creep. Oh, corner balance and alignment. Tires? Struts and shocks?

It's far cheaper to buy a nicely restored car than to pay someone to do it for you.

The ONLY reason to do it yourself is if you have the "Gotta rip it apart myself to make sure it is right disease".

We folks who live to build cars may have mental problems...

I'd be farther ahead in life had I chosen a different career path.

I always tell my customers "If I won the Mega Millions lottery tomorrow, I wouldn't stop wrenching. I'd just STOP wrenching on other people's cars"...

I would buy all the done cars I wanted, drive them, and pay someone else to maintain them.

As stated above
Remove the rocker covers and look at the longs

I recommend not buying a 914 without seeing them

5k car. Rather unheard of these days. Sorry if I painted a bleak picture.

Thank guys I forgot to mention I am finishing a 73 2.0 and thought I would get this one to work on in retirement then maybe sell one of them later. Auto Atlanta sells rebuilt cores is that ok or should I just rebuild it myself?

I see NC. Want another pair of eyes? Happy to help. Have had a few and been around them for a long time.

On the drivetrain, if this is something you want to tinker on, I would suggest rebuilding the engine yourself. It's a clamshell design and would take a day to put together the first time. If you've built an engine before, the T4 is like a lego version of a Chevy V8. I would look for an early 1.7 case and have it machined from a shop like European Motors. I think cores cost around $500 from their bone yard. Just plan on building it as a 2.3 with new parts. Strip the 2.0 and keep the case if its numbers matching. You don't need a kit. IMO figuring out what you need will help understand the things you want to change after you get it on the road. Send the transmission out to Dr Evil. Doesn't matter how good you think the body is, you are going to replace a lot of sheet metal and get better at shaping and welding. It will cost a lot but the journey is worth it.

DaveB

IM in NC around Raleigh and can help take a look if you want...

unless you can do all of the work yourself FORGET IT!!!!!!!! Will cost thousands to get it back reasonably. Paint jobs these days are ten thousand and engine rebuilds another ten thousand, PLUS you will want to reinstall the fuel injection

Hi, I found this on the internet. “North Carolina has some very clean cars as long as you stay away from the mountains. Charlotte to Raleigh and in between has rust free cars. ”. This was an article about where to look for autos worth restoring.
If you can follow instruction, people like Raby have put out videos on building a type 4, that will help. I actually enjoyed my builds, don’t cheap on seals and sealant. Damn things love to leak.

@ILM914 . Where in NC are you? You have offers of help from knowledgeable people to at least take a look with you.. If you love to wrench and have time and skills you can do anything. Even buy some parts from George even though he told you to forget it lol

I live on the coast - Wilmington. I'm finishing a 73 now. considering everything I don't think this prospective project is a good value. I don't think i would be getting a great deal.