Cut up a parts car today. It was a one owner car out of NJ. Looked nice on the outside- actually really nice. No rust bubbles or obvious signs of corrosion. Inside was a different story. Some of the spot welded panels could be pulled apart by hand. The welds were so corroded that they failed in place. Besides the hell hole and all the typical spots, the cowl behind the blower fan and the front strut mounts had turned to dust. Car pretty much rusted from the inside out.

Don't you just feel like a scavenger when you're doing that.

I do.

Some kind of strange flightless vulture...

Take all that is valuable and then dispose of the remaining CARcass.

It was a very early ‘70. A lot of unique 1year only parts. The lids and doors were in great shape but the chassis was completely rusted through. I am saving most of the parts for a bare chassis that’s waiting to be built. I’m especially happy to get the wire harness and the removable muffler shield. I had stripped a majority of it down last year but winter, rain, laziness, etc kept me from finishing the job. Wife finally had enough and said to get rid of it.

Do you think it had been underwater at some point?

No. Former owner had it since new and drove it everyday until it got too rusty. He put it away for a future restoration and then gave up on it. It was in a nice barn when I picked it up but who knows how long it sat outside. I think between battery acid and salty winter roads, nature took its course.

Classic rust free East Coast car

My guess is salt-induced trauma. The question is how much salt is necessary to turn a 914 completely into brown flakes. I will start the betting with no more than 2 of those fast food individual salt packets.

I've never scrapped a Porsche, but do know two things.
1. Not every car can be saved.
2. Some must die so others can live.

I call them "organ doners."

I have 4 Teens.

2 are ODs...

Wow, that's some bad rust!

I bet she was acid dipped

LOL! No, just one respray in the original color.
But in a way, you are correct. Rain washes over the lead acid battery and creates an acid wash over the hell hole, longitudinal and rear suspension console.


I purchased my first 914 in 1982 when I was 16. It had a fresh respray in Adriatic blue. It looked terrific. I didn’t know why the passenger wheel tilted in at the top. The seller said it needed an alignment. Within a year the suspension console had broken. The car was only 12 years old but already it was a rusty mess inside. Welcome to New Jersey, mid Atlantic, 914 rust monster.

Once the (salt induced) rusting starts and keeps being fed with moisture, there is no stopping it. Please review photos for proof.

Adding lightness in more ways than one