Sorry, two posts in one day. Earlier I figured out I realistically need to drop my engine before getting into any of the other bodywork. I'm manufacturing some door braces this weekend and will put those in place so I can start working on the longitudinal eventually. Therein lies my problem. The longitudinal is smoked on the bottom all the way up to the jack point. So is the jack point underneath. (I measured windshield to back post and I'm at 25 1/8 still so it's not sagging at least) I put a jack on the jack point to see if it would take any weight, and it immediately started bending up so I stopped. Any suggestions on how I get this thing up in the air high enough to get the motor out? I think I saw someone put a 4x4 across the bottom on one then jack stands on the 4X4 but even that makes me a little nervous.

Dumb question, do I just weld some plates under the longitudinal and make a temporary jack point? If I do this eventually I'll have to figure out how to still support it as I begin to replace the long in the future.

I'm always looking for options....is there anyone in CA that does this kind of repair? I feel pretty confident in the mechanical aspects but w/o a rotisserie this all feels pretty daunting. I'm not a big welder and don't mind trailering her to someone and paying them to at least fix the longitudinal. Don't know if that is even an option. Kind of want to do it myself but also trying to be realistic with options.

Thanks as usual for any suggestions. What you do if this was your first restore?

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That's BAD!
I normally jack up the rear of the car on the differential housing.
I put a piece of 3/4 plywood between jack and diff housing.

Your trouble will come when you want to move it without the motor.

I might put main engine brace back in car to allow for a jacking point.

4x4 across the whole car as far back as the longs allow (where you still have solid metal) and make sure you have pin type jack-stands.
Wedge both front wheels, you don't want the whole thing to roll off while it's up in the air.
I also always thrown some old wheels and tires under the car just in case. You can stack them too.

Just teaching this to my stepson working on a vintage riding lawnmower. Safety is key. We want to see update photos on the regular.
For now I would do what Sir Andy suggested and leave the doors and top in place for now to help shore it up. Many of us have had cars fold in half while working on them. Be safe, be cautious. It’s worth it.

I always have something strong under the car with me. The wheels off of the car are my usual secondaries.
I always set my jack released but locked back for lifting. I figure if I'm screaming, trapped under the car, I want the first person (usually my wife) to be able to use the jack without any "figuring out how to use the jack BS".

Most of the time I leave the jack under the car, just barely in contact with the center point that I used to lift the car. No weight on it but also locked for raising.

If shit gets real, I want enough room under the car to place a jack and a functioning locked jack READY TO GO!

You trap your arm between a wheel and the car, you're going to be hurt and PISSED.
You drop a whole car flat on yourself you're not going to be anything...

I've not dropped a car yet, but I've witnessed it enough times to never want to do it myself.

The first thing you MUST do is to spend a whole lot of time in the restoration threads.

You have a very serious project on your hands. Basically you cannot pay someone to do that sort of repair work and come out ahead. That sort of metal work will cost you more than the car will be worth in the end.

So that means DIY. You will be a welder by the time you finish this project!

Find the threads of those that have done it before.

I did my chassis without a rotisserie based on Jeff Hails build cart . It can be done but a rotisserie makes it a whole lot easier to access the underbody and to avoid upside down, out of position welding.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=76791

Another great thread is Brent Brock’s thread. He started with worse than what you have.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=307290

Well said by previous replies. These guys know what they’re talking about.

Where you’re at I asked the very same question a few years ago…
Sean’s project

Your’s is worse than mine, and mine has required a fair amount of new metal to make it solid again. The good news is your’s is salvageable, most of the metal is available, it’s been done before, and you have a garage to work in.

If your door gaps are good and associated measurements check out, I suggest adding door braces first and then pulling the drivetrain by using ramps or a 2x across the longs with a floor jack.

Door braces
Pull motor and trans
Build octagonal rotisserie (see Restoration Design YouTube)
Buy welder
Buy metal
Have FUN

You have a long and rewarding project ahead of you.

Best Wishes,
Sean

Thank You! Time and garage space I have plenty of. I'm not in a rush so slow and steady is my pace. Appreciate the links as well. I think I have watched every single YouTube video known to man kind over the past year or two on rebuilding 914's so I didn't go into it thinking it would be easy. I was thinking a 2-3 year project if I take my time. Thanks Again!

Appreciate the advice. I'm literally driving to get the material to make the door braces this morning. Have a welder already and have done a few "fun" projects around the house but learning more about different kinds of welds. The local steel place has a scrap yard selling steel at like $.75 a pound or something so I can get plenty of material to "play" with. Thanks again for the suggestions!

I would think that you California boys would be able to find something much better than this 914 yankee rust bucket!!!! However is it really not too bad as the rust is concentrated just take it one panel at a time and you will be surprised how quickly it will come together, we fix them here all of the time. Just make sure to support the body so it does not move while you are welding, if so you will need to put it on a frame machine after you weldClick to view attachment

Dude....I spent the better part of the day reading that thread on Jeff Hails restoration. That man is a genius!! That thread covers 80% of what I need to do to mine. Super appreciate the heads up. Got my hardware for my door braces today and will probably drop the motor next weekend and get into it. Thank you very much for pointing in that direction. Going to hop on Brent's thread next. I'll start a separate thread and try to chronicle my mistakes.....er....I mean accomplishments as I work on it. Thanks again.

Here’s another classic
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...6748&st=600

I don’t like to promote my own build but it’s an adaptation of Jeff Hails done without cutting the rear quarter. My thread is linked in my signature.

The more of these you read, the more you can tailor a plan to exactly what your car needs and avoid the mistakes we all make along the way.

By all means document your build - the pictures on this site are like no other site and makes it a valuable resource to see and understand what others have done successfully.

That is a serious project!

Luckily, this place is filled with all the info or support you need!

I am going through mine having read all the Jeff Hail, michelco, Nathanxnathan, Bbrock, Superhawk, to name a few...

Start a fresh thread and document all of your work, both for you and posterity.

Here is mine (below). First time I tackle this serious of a project, learning and improving as I go... Making slow progress as I probably overthink every step, but everyone has his own pace.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=349463&hl=

Good luck! Looking forward to following your progress!

Great and true words!! Read a lot to be ready for it ! I did exactly that and saved my 1974, you can see also the work here: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act...=2&t=351349

Bests

Antoine