from this to....

O.E.M., latent, weight saving measures......reduces body mass without the hassle of "adding lightness" (i.e. drilling lightning holes)

Pseudo resto threads have been done on the Garage forum a bunch of times, but they are just that. Don't mean to denegrate those guys, but a lime green 7?/914, with a six conversion and a pristine restoration isn't what THIS forum ios about.

We are fortunate to have a forum member who has saved his money for a proper restoration from a Porsche dealership in Cleveland. I, for one, would like to see the progress during the next 5-6 months.

Anyone else interested? Or, should I just keep this between friends?

Let me know, because I won't beg for this again - I'll keep all the info to myself! Just kidding.

I'd be interested.

Skip

Whos to say that a dealer and a BOAT load of money make a "proper"
restoration.
Its this kind of arogant BS attitude that makes those interested in preservation and restoration to "Concours" targets for derision (Ala CW!)

Wow was there any outward indication of the sail panel rust?
Is that why its being stripped?

Ditto From The Rockies!!!!!!
Although..Re the parts to go on the car....
When Stoddard's tells yah that the 914 re parts is about toast
with Porsche..and over 30% of the parts are NLA..
(actually in my 12 year journey, seems more like 65%)..
That is not a warm Fuzzy to attain proper replacement parts ..
And the dealer might not have the knowledge nor the time to attain
the 'Correct' parts...
I have over 800 hours in securing parts for my 73..and well over 250
hours in research for those specfic parts..
Just the other day on ebay ..I Finally scored an NLA new brake fluid resevoir..
That has been a 5 year journey!!!
Next off......
The dealers PET is whacked in many areas..
I go round n round with Stoddards all the time on their
parts numbers..
DO NOT get me wrong..I Love Stoddards....
Also is the dealer willing to invest that time to do the above..
Add to that the repainting/replating/powdercoating of odd parts that are NLA..
Add to that many of the Porsche Parts that will come in with
'Bin Rash' on them...
I guess this is mute as re above if the car is primo to begin with..
But the degree of resto is up to the owner.....
If they intend on a nut n bolt bumper to bumper resto such as mine..
(That Is Still Not Done after 9 years)..
Plan on hair loss and grey to magically appear...
And many
'Bumps' along the way....
But Pat...YES would love pics and an update here and there....
I am in much anticipation on this one!!

EASY now......

I'll clarify what I meant re: proper restoration.

Not all of us are talented enough, or have abilities to restore our own cars. We may not have the time or talent. Some, like the owner of the 914 under resto (and myself), are not as young & flexible as we once were. In other words, some of us are incapable of performing our own proper resto. The desire is there, but 60 year old bodies tell us to be practical. Also, in this case, the lack of local shops with 914 knowledge is a major limitation. If you love the car and it's in need of immediate attention, and you're not capable of doing it yourself (and work 60 hr weeks), you have to have help. Letting a local guy who knows little about 914's weld a new pan in for a mere $5000 (actual quote) would not only be stupid, but risky. I wouldn't go to a Chiropractor if I needed a root canal, and since I can't do my own root canal I'd go to a specialist.

The guy saved his money in order to get another 33 years out of his 914. He could have easily bought a nicely restored 914 for his investment, but it wouldn't have been "his" 914. And "his" 914 would have wound up as parts on Ebay.

I would hardly call this an "arrogant BS attitude"! And, if it makes us "targets for derision" SO WHAT! After 30+ years of it, we've learned to like being called CW's.

This is the 914 to be restored. Since EVERY nut & bolt will not be replaced, nor the perfect interior, you could also call it a radical refurbishment. The attached pic is the car prior to being submitted to the shop. If you're a regular to this forum, you've seen numerous pics of it in the various nailed areas.

Same owner for 33 years. Driven regularly. Looks great, but is hiding some problems in the pan & other areas. So, it will receive everything it needs to make the body as it was originally. All areas of the body will be adressed and corrected where needed. Motor & trans out to be resealed & tin restored, but that's probably all it will need. Hell hole will also be addressed, but it's really not that bad.

Pics will be sent regularly by the restorer. The most pertinent will be posted here, and as the work progresses. Work began 10 days ago.

Pat, to answer your original question, YES, I would be very interested....

When you discuss and/or show the restoration process, please be very specific on the details, i.e., this bolt/nut was plated.... the replacement piece was provided by ...

Looking forward to the steps...

-- Rob

I'm interested and definately would like to see how the big guys do it.

I wouldn't think a dealer would be the place I'd take my car for a nut and bolt resto.
Depends on the dealer I suppose, but I'll be watching.

Ah, but there are still a couple of the old timer dealerships you can trust. And some you should walk away from! I still trust Stoddard because Chuck still plays a semi-active part, though he's in his 80's.

Where I live these days....thought I could have faith in H_lb_t Porsche in Pa. Wrong! They couldn't even properly repair a VW of mine. DO NOT got there, even if it is an icon. The work is crap, as well as the parts they use. Can't speak for Brumos, or the other classic dealers.

But, there are a very few who seem to have dedicated themselves to pleasing the collector. Oops, there I go setting myself up again for flames! Whatever!

BTW, this is not a nut & bolt resto. It is, as I said earlier, a radical refurbishment. This car does not need interior work, needs little motor work (seals). The owner will drive it as he always has. It will NOT be available for sale. Just want another 33 years of enjoyment out of it, at which time he will be 93!

Having fun here!

I would also think there are places that would do this for less $$$ than a dealer. We're not talking about a 917 here. I don't see the need to pay $125/hr in labor to change seals in VW engine. Where is the added value? When it is completed will you be able to look at the car and say, "Wow this is a great job he must have taken it to a dealer"?

OK, I'm done. I don't think I'm going to change anyone mind about this. No more comments from me. Peace out.

1970 914/4, #4702903114, built 01/70, chassis #0319 595, color code L11E

What's lying 'neath the shiny paint, aluminum trim and carpeting......

rdauenhauer,
The sail panel(rollbar area) looked perfect. There appeared to be no degradation in that area. Back in '79, a minor refurbishment to that area was undertaken because of some obvious rust blistering under the vinyl on both sides. It is apparant that after 25+ years, the blight of rust can re-appear, at least here in the midwest.Since 1980, this car hadn't seen winterized (read salted) roads, but 10 previous years of winter salt and a trip through the surf at Daytona Beach in '75 surely helped degrade the steel on this car. There are dozens of photos of this car as this repair is undertaken, but I don't feel it necessary to post all of them. All the little detail pics can be fodder for some specific threads as they might appear, for the present, I'll try to provide the "macro" view.

Thanks for your interest.

Proof again, there is no "rust free" 914. Some just have more than others. Keep the pics coming as the work proceeds. And thanks.

I hear what you're saying. But, I also know this owner. He's worked 60 hr weeks since I met him in the 70's, and has not time to learn to do it himself. Oh, he can tinker & shine on the weekends (when he isn't working), but that's pretty much his limitation. He, like I, is also just a tad under 60. The ole back doesn't have the fexibility that it once had. Hell, I'm struggling just to get my fuel tank emptied right now. I can get down, but getting back up ain't easy.

Agree with you about any engine work that this car may need. Plenty of good guys out there who can handle this kind of work. But, it requires trailering everything to another place. We're all diffferent in how we approach this thing. Important part is to keep another VIN from the junkyard.

Everybody's nightmare..."holy hell, wadda hole"

Is this why, when I drove in the rain, on wet roads, I had running water on the passengers' side of the cabin......I hope everyone has their tetanus shots up-to-date.

A bit of good news here at the rear, pretty clean and solid.......

When I had my sail panel redone ('79 also) the craftman doing the work informed me that there was a rather large & VERY dense piece of foam rubber implanted between the section by the factory - not one of the best engineering decisions of the period. Opened it up, ripped it out, rustproofed it & buttoned it up. Left some weep holes for condensation. No problems after 27 years.

Get rid of the rubber, or it WILL come back! Holds water like a sponge, because it is.

That evil stuff is in lots of places, including the rear edge of the rear trunk lid, and in the far rear corner of the rear fenders.

Outside and Inside:

Hey Mr Rex -
I was curious, do you think your paint is good enough that you will only have to touch up the sides, or will you have to repaint the whole car? Or do you just plan on leaving on the rub strips? Who will you use for paint?

Cool find - I'll bet alot of folks on this list would die if they saw the short basement!
-S

Even areas I thought were solid are perforated through the metal

You know, I don't like to say "I told you so", but I DID tell you you'd find some things that would unnerve you when this process started. You seem to be having more fun out of it than I would have expected. Not surprised with any of it (except the quarter panels), but would have thought you'd be upset.

Good for you - stay cool & "get 'er done"

What's the latest?

Holidays are probably slowing things down, but, yeah - what's the latest Paul? What about the long? Any other "goodies"?

I'l PM him, to be sure. BTW, that kid's too young to smoking a doobie! Should have waited another year!

Haha, that is a picture of me circa 1972.

Oh....1972 huh? Nevermind then, since it was normal then!

Everybody's nightmare..."holy hell, wadda hole"


Great view of the hellhole. The battery tray looks like surface rust. Just how bad is the hellhole? Will that need welding or is it surface rust?

Paul

To me that looks like a pretty solid hell hole. Surprised it looks so good when there is so much bad rust elsewhere.

Never use your jack post extensions.
CCLINRUSTNEVERSLEEPS

This is about the scariest thread I've seen on this site. Well, maybe the "ugly car" thread is worse...

But from the original pics, if I saw that car on eBay I'd be saying "what an awesome deal!" And it turns out like Phantom of the Opera unmasked under the sails and the door sills, etc.

I guess what I'm wondering is what this car would have looked like with a full set of pictures or even under the scrutiny of a PPI? Seems like you can't possibly be too careful...

Still, those original pictures sure looked purdy.

And Craig, I always carried a little scissor jack back in the day, just in case I had to change a flat, never used the jack posts. They're just to look at and collect debris, detritus and RUST!

Paul

Latest info.

Car is awaiting parts (sail panels, etc). Motor/trans needed nothing but some new seals. Tin will either be painted or powder coated (he's still up in the air about which method).

Here's a photo of what they cut from one of the sail panel areas.

I think every 914 has more rust than is evident on inspection. However, A west coast car as nice externally as this one would not likely have much, if any rust requiring panel replacement. Midwest cars suffer much more. I am guessing salt is the primary instigator.
I think many 30+ year old 914's can be enjoyed even with some rust as long as it is not structural, etc. However, when it comes time for a complete bare metal refinish as in this case, you gotta fix it.

I did that one! What a bitch job! and that foam sealant needs to be ripped out.

Tell him top go with powder coating the tin. I would imagine a color I use on suspension called "cat black" would be close to original. It has a fair amount of gloss but is not a 100% gloss.

Engine has high gloss (mirror black) on it for reference

Trailing arm and engine grills are "cat black"

"matte black" is actually best for restored suspension. No pics of that right now

They look very nice. But, what is the advantage? Most powder coated parts can be detected as such, rather than painted. So, if you're giving up originality - what do you get in return?

My tin was repainted in 1979 (too cold for pics). Replaced all the foam pieces too & it looks as good as new after nearly 30 years. And, it looks original, with the exception of the missing paint stamp on the drivers' side.

What is the advantage of powder coating?
Pat

Solvents, harsh cleaners, gas and oil won't touch it or mare the finish in any way. Vastly superior to spray can paint. A epoxy spray paint might match it but...it's nice to just drop it off and pick it up, done!

Soon the leaky passenger's side will be no more......before, and during repair.

In addition to that it is also MUCH less prone to scratching through to bare metal thus causing rust. A PROPER paint job would actually cost more because of the prep werk, etch prime, seal, base coat, and if a 2 stage paint is used-clear coat. PLus any idiot can do a decent powder job, but painters on the other hand

Behind this nice looking, original bumper lies........OEM rust

...and moving on to the trailing edge of the pan on the drivers side......

this is interesting

........more surprises lurking 'neath the surface....

....and still more.......

I've done paint and bodywork most of my career, they are doing quality work for you.
I'd also like to compliment you on your excellent photos.
Thank you for posting this.

Wow, that looks great.

I had to do both sides of my roll bar just like that and their repair is so much nicer than mine.