I have to decide in the next couple of days how I will get my new-to-me 914. The date is set for 4/29. The seller is willing to either pick me up at the airport or to meet me roughly halfway between Chicago and Minneapolis. I am leaning towards the halfway delivery option, but if I could meet up with some of the Minneapolis 914club gang, that may sway me. So chime in...

I'll be in Milwaukee that weekend Let me know how it goes!

I live in the Mpls area. I'd be game to meet up with you. Let me know your plans? Bill

I might be able to meet, let me know what you have in mind.

i'm always up for a toast! in fact i'd host the toast if it happens.

I'll try to make it. I'm about a 170 miles north of the Metro. I'll watch to see what you decide.

Hi gang,

I'm about to get on the road to Toronto, but wanted to post an update.

I've booked my flight. I'll be arriving at MSP on 4/29 at 10:30AM. The seller will be picking me up at the airport. The seller has gotten a tune up and oil change and insists I will have no problems driving back to Chicago, although Dave-O's inspection suggested a clutch adjustment and brake bleeding may be in order.

I'd guess I'll be done with the seller by noon or so. If possible, I'd like to meet up with anyone interested, especially anyone willing and able to help ensure the car is safe to drive back to Chicago.

I'll be back from Toronto on Monday or Tuesday.


See ya!

here's a map of my house in relation to the airport.

if you want to cruise over, we could have a cerimonial "first jackstand mounting" of your new ride!

and have a little

i'm not a mechnic though, so we'll need to get some of the other minnesota/wisconsin contingent over to do any adjustments.

Hey Dan,
Very exciting! I will let you know if I will be around that Saturday, and if I am you can stop by the madison area and show her off. (Might be in Michigan , or Wi that day, I never know until the last minute). You have my cell phone number, so give me a call as you draw near!

The very best way would be to find yourself another local 914er, hop in their 914 and head down there to pick up the new 914 and then caravan back. That way you'll have tools and a support vehicle and fun both dorections.

Dan,

I am on your way home if you want to stop or run into trouble. I am right off of hwy 83. Which is the bypass you can take to avoid I-94, downtown Milwaukee. I'll send you a PM.

Hey,

As I work the weekend shift, I won't be able to help with the first jackstand mounting until after 7:00pm Saturday night. However, as these things usually go, there will be plenty of work to do by that time of night!

I can bring the evening refreshments or raw meat or loctite or a set of 2.0L P+C's, spare tranny, GoJo, etc. Whatever is needed to move the project along.

Lotus65's place is not too far from mine. I watch the sun rise over the beautiful Best Buy headquarters every day!

If you're well on your way to Chi-town by that time, best of luck to you.

Fin

ah, yes. the lovely confines of "palace du best buy"

stop by anyway! bigdbass won't need no stinkin' jackstands anyway. his ride is choice, but i'll be ready for gojo by then for sure, and maybe a few more coolers. i hope to get my engine back (2056 big bore) & start slapping it back together... could be lots of fun.

paul

oh yea, official details:

4/29 @ noon

come on minneapolitans. gather up!

I am planning on making it..

Chap

Hello from Toronto!
I am "borrowing" wireless ethernet service from someone. And the hotel has Speed Channel.

I hope I'm able to make it next saturday! I'm getting excited.

Is it wrong to be in the middle of one roadtrip and preoccupied by the next?

Thanks Paul for getting this rolling!

What happened? Did I miss the picture posts!

I'll Be there...to send off a choice 914 to the "Windy City"! I'll even caravan back with him as far as Roberts, WI (not far).

BIll

I hope I don't arrive too late!

BigD, do you have lodging for the night?

Lotus65/BigD do you need any equipment for the post purchase pre-trip checkup?

Car ramps? Mighty-vac? Timing light? Baling wire and Pliers?

Does anyone want to come over to my house afterwords and help:

Drop a 2.0L motor.

Tear down a 2.0L.

Adjust a door.

Repair rust worm damage.

Remove film stencils from sides of car.

Remove front calipers, trim dust shields and mount BMW calipers.

Probably not, but don't be surprised if I ask anyone for advise on these issues.

Fin

Are you driving it home? (I assume so) Or trailer?

Bill

PS: If you need anything from my 914 junkyard...let me know before hand and I'll bring it there before departure. If you discover that you need something...my house is 30-40 minutes east of MSP and we can take care of it on the way to Chicago.

NICE!
that makes more than 5 + our guest and a couple of little bandits: it's a party.

anyone who wants to grab a little potato salad or chips too add to the table, feel free.
i'll have some beer and soda, along with a full grill.

good times~

Hey Rick,

If your going, maybe we can hook up on the way down?

Kelly

I'll be in Michigan with Sandy. Top secret mission of the Alien kind.

We got back from Canada without any hiccups. I drove the 530 miles from Niagara Falls straight through in around 8 hours, stopping only for gas and food. Nice "warm-up" for the shorter Minneapolis to Chicago drive . With my Cherokee's 15ish MPG, it was a little painful at the pump!

I am fuching excited about picking up my car and hooking up with members/non-members (which is it now?) in the area.

While I have arranged for the seller to get me at the airport, let me know if anyone would like to meet me at the airport in a 914 to head to get my car and caravan to Lotus_65's place. Not necessary in the least, but it might be fun.

I could probably use a couple phone numbers in the area. If you are willing, PM me.

I will be driving the car back, not trailering it. My intention was to get on the road Saturday evening driving straight through to Chicago, stopping overnight somewhere only if necessary. I guess that depends on what condition I and the 914 are in!

I have no idea what tools/parts might be needed. Hopefully few or none! ... Heck, I don't even own a jack or jackstands yet! The only issues I'm aware of are:

• Clutch may need adjustment.
• Brakes may need to be bled.
• Odometer not working.
• Passenger door opens only from inside.
• Surface rust under trunk carpet that I'll address this summer.
• Missing 'H' from engine grill letters. I think it's chromed plastic on the '74's? If anyone has one to sell, that'd be swell. No biggie.
• No rearview mirror on the passenger side door, so I'll be looking to install one of those at some point. I'd be happy to buy a spare if anyone has one.

Obviously most of that will not stop me from getting home. The sellers report that their VW mechanic did a tune-up and oil change last week. I'm not sure what was entailed in the tune-up.

I don't know if I need to register the car in IL before driving back, but I will have insurance taken care of before I leave for MN. (Anyone know about registration?)

I have to squeeze in another driver's ed session in my sis-in-law's manual '96 Neon in the next two days. Yes, I'll be driving the car back ~430 miles with a total of under an hour behind the wheel of a manual transmission. Should be interesting.

Just got off the phone with Illinois DMV. The surprisingly friendly older gentleman that I spoke with said that the signed-over title and/or a bill of sale would be sufficient to drive it home. He then said "If you get pulled over, you just tell 'em to go straight to hell!"

Dan I have most of the items if not all to repair the items listed with the exception of the odometer, that may just need the cable reattached.
If things look to difficult to do with a jack and jackstands my lift is available.

David

After driving the car, I would say the only real things that need attention before the drive back are the clutch cable and the brakes. The clutch cable may have been adjusted when they did the tune up.

The steering wheel is a little bit goofy and that affects the turn signal cancelation. My guess is it just has to be re-oriented on the car...but I never drove the car at high speeds so I can't comment on how it tracks.

I thought it shifted pretty well...but then again I'm used to driving 914's...some other 914 drivers might have to give you some pointers.

The broken outside door handle actually has a cracked housing. I'm not exactly sure which part(s) will have to be changed but it's more than just the plastic slider.

I think the odometer is an internal problem (shaft slipping on the drive gear) because the spedometer was working (i'm not sure how accurate it was) while I drove around on side streets.

Keep practicing that manual! 914's are pretty easy to drive as they are very light and have a long clutch throw...but the shifting can be tricky for new drivers.

I have a set of NOS chrome metal engine letters...we can talk about them sometime.

You can get a brand new passenger side mirror from Porsche for around $100...might be your best bed.


Good luck! Sorry I can't be there but Paul has my cell # if you have any questions.

Thanks for the extra details David. I'd forgotten all about the steering wheel thing!

I'm getting psyched!!

that's one guy who'll be missed at this gathering. for anyone who doesn't know (and lots of you do) dave-o is a really great young man. i won't get all mushy now, but he's been a ton of help to me. this is my first real chance to thank him publically, and tell all other 914 owners to look him up when you can.

...and kid can EAT! holy crap. where does it GO, man...

as he knows all too well, my jackstands are currently being used. (i have 2 old crummy ones) maybe someone can throw a set in the trunk. i have a 27mm socket to readjust the steering wheel if that's needed, and i put out a feeler for a bleeder, but nothing on that yet.

i'll try and get a few feet of garage space opened up, but my engine might be coming home, so it could be a squeeze.

OK, change of plans. I won't be traveling to MI this weekend. I am 85% sure Sandy and I will be at the BBQ! Were checking out a couple of cars in the metro. One of them may be at the BBQ also. So, pretty sure we'll see ya there!

What are the plans if it rains?

we'll hang out in the garage/house i guess. i don't think bigd can reschedule, so we're stuck with spring in minnesota.

'could be worse you know. it could be snow!

hey dan ... I don't know if you will be tring to fix the outside door handle before you get it back to the chi-town area .. but if you need a replacement I have a few available ---

Can we all have a collective 914club hug!

Paul, I'm happy to help...and don't forget that the meals I eat at your house are the only good meals I get all week! I'm sure everyone will love "Olive Al's" grilled vegetables.



I hate to miss this one but there will be plenty of 914 mechanics to help Dan out. Rest assured that you're in good hands!

Well my temporary proof of insurance arrived today... It refers to a 1.8L model and is valid from 2 Feb 2006 until 26 March 2006. Awesome!

this is getting good, we've got 7+ owners coming!

maybe someone can bring a shop manual jic.

psyched!

Being from the Robbinsdale area, I will be there in spirit. If you guys need anything, contact me. I live in the land of plenty as far as 914 parts are concerned...

Rob

I will be bringing along my 20 year old son Oliver.
Oliver is Autistic so please dont be alarmed by his peculiarity, He his
a very nice young man and the biggest car lover you will ever meet.Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

I say the more the merrier. In that spirit I insist that Oliver bring his two friends along as well!

I am really looking forward to having everyone over!

Tragically, a manufacturing error in the cylinders i purchased has delayed the completion of my motor, and the golden opportunity to hit you guy's up for a little help tomorrow!



The upside to this is that we'll have more room to work on bigd's car in the garage and curse my parts supplier who's name will never be uttered again.


It's just like golf with me. I get my expectations up, then...

WHAM!

Byotch!

Don't EVER expect ANYTHING! now take that 3-putt like a man and PAY DOUBLE!





Punk!

I'm an amazingly good golfer. Unfortunately, I don't play golf.

I'll be at the purchase party tommorrow...I'll be there w/ Rick Olah. Should i buy a new set of wipers for you?

Bill

...for my tears?

I'm heading to the airport shortly. Man, I hope the weather doesn't totally screw me!

Wife says: Do the wipers work? I says: I dunno. It's not I'll ever drive it in the rain! It's the blades that I'd be more worried about I think?

See you soon!

Stop and get some RainX. No big deal that way, especially on the highway.

Good Luck Dan!

Its suppose to rain all weekend here is SE Wisconsin. Dont forget Dan, I'm here to help if you need it. I will PM you my cell number.

BigDBass - Where do you live? I'm in Plainfield (burb just south of Naperville). Let me know if you want to borrow jackstands. I've got 8 of them. I can also give you a hand with brake bleading, clutch alignment, and any other stuff you need to fix (the only catch is that I'm mostly only free on Sunday - too many kid activities right now). Anyway, it's 100% chance of showers for Sunday in Chicago and today it's just cloudy. Make sure you keep a rag/towel with you in the 914 in case it starts to steam up during the rain. Good luck to you. This is definitely the best way to get to know your new car.

Oliver an I are on are way. See you soon.

Chap

BIGDBASS is officially hitting the road for the Windy City at this moment from Mpls. We bled his brakes and gave his car a good look before hand. It's a very solid nice 74. Let's wish him some luck on the way home!

Bill