Alright, so i threw caution to the wind and drove this little guy from ohio 600 miles back to virginia traveling over the blue ridge mountains (stopping to camp and rock climb along the way).
well, much to my pleasant suprise, she made it all the way without a hiccup and we had perfect driving weather until the last 100 miles where it rained like all hell.
so, i have too, too many questions, but ill begin with a few shots of the car.
oh, and it's a 1974 1.8 L




okay, i went through the car today looking at all the rust issues, and thus far the areas i have found seem only to be surface rust (looked on the underside and went at it with a screwdriver...seems to be okay)...ill be sanding this stuff out tomorrow and applying silverbullet paint which i've heard good things about (doesn't require a perfect prep before painting). MY QUESTION IS THIS: where do you guys think the leak is coming from?
i'm not convinced it's the seals on the tail lights because they seem bone dry. however, i did lift a rubber mat to find the rusted area underwater from sitting in the rain overnight. so it needs to get taken care of asap


okay, next is the heating system. seems like the blower engine is dead or very weak...i turn on the cool air and don't get much more than a light, light breeze from the vents under the front window or dash...the HE's looked like they have been taken apart...and the hole to the cabin has been plugged with....

...the top of a spray paint can????hahahah....pretty good recycling there. here are the parts i was given with the car

so do i need flapper boxes and a new blower engine to get the heat working again or is it more in depth than that...the connecting components seem a little rusty, hopefully i'm not going to have an asthma attack when this thing gets hooked up

other than that, i need to adjust the valves...stupid question but do you need to drain the oil before doing this? this is my first time around with a 914... this board is great, i've been reading on here for awhile before i pulled the trigger on a car...so it goes without saying, despite the car's flaws, i'm absolutely in love.
thanks in advance for any and all help on the above subjects...oh and i do have a few manuals, but they aren't nearly as helpful as the advice of someone that has done this stuff before...thanks~!

Looks like you have most of the heating tubes except for the flapper valves, their steel connecting tubes, and flexible hoses into the cabin.

The water in the trunk is common. The rubber mats tend to hold the moisture next to the metal to promote rusting. Best bet is to keep it garaged. My 71 leaks in all possible places. Even the front turnsignal buckets fill with water when in the rain.

Adjusting the valves does not need to have the oli drained. Check pelicanparts.com for 914 tech articles including valve adjustment.

BTW, nice looking car, good luck, and welcome to the World.


Spoke

things I noticed right off the bat

1) trunk repainted at one point..painted all the wiring, etc.

2) bolt coming through trunk floor

Click to view attachment


3) front turn signal lenses upside-down

and actually, now that I see it, the whole car was repainted...look ---->



Click to view attachment

congrats on the purchase.... and -JON

and BTW, just so you dont think im putting you down...im NOT, at all...the car looks really good....just pointing out the little things, which I seem to bother me, all to easily -JON

What part of VA? there are a few of us around here. The bolt in the rear trunk Jonathan spotted may be for a rear sway bar setup. Or a fix for a ground strap.

Hello and welcome!! Good looking car I too have the 'mysterious' trunk leak. I have all new seals and rubber and have even siliconized the taillights to the point of welding them to the chassis. Still no help, leaks like a sieve - so I took my trusty drill and 1/4" drill bit and drilled a hole on each side of the trunk floor at the lowest points. Then prepped and primed and painted to prevent rust (I replaced the rear floor due to rot) Now the water just flows out and the trunk stays dry and rust free..

Sucks I know to do this, but it was the only way - I could not talk any of the neighborhood kids into climbing in and letting me spray the car with a hose while they looked with a flashlight to find the source -

Again, welcome!!

fellow Virginian. Now starts the madness !

got the same bolts, I think, on my new one - rear sway bar mounts.

what part of VA and do you know about the East Coast Cookout being held in Frederick MD on Sept 15? come join the festivities and meet 30-40 other 914 owners...

Check both seams between the short engine gasket & the long trunk gasket. Also might want to check the alignment of the hood to make sure it's seating properly. You might want to try putting a video camera inside the trunk instead of a "peanut"

hey,
i'm down in richmond VA, i will plan on coming up for that get together.
the car was originally a light blue and the new paint is less than desirable.
i was looking for a car that wasn't too perfect so i could save a little money being that it's going to be parked outside 24/7...
so, i guess i will sand, paint, and drill a drainage hole...i'm thinking ill just buy a car cover for when it really starts coming down...
thanks for the info on the HE's stuff, that along with new brake pads is the first order of business for the car
seriously thanks everybody!

Wilkmommen!

to cut down on the amount of water this car sees, why not get one of these: Click to view attachment

keeps the elements out -JON

Dude - Just a thought Wanna let me borrow your high dollar camcorder to place inside the trunk and then let me wet it all down???

Water in the trunk is most likely caused by poor seals around the tail lights. It is very common and I am surprised nobody else mentioned it. I guess they were too busy picking apart your car..

Nice car man!

I was actually thinking about going to look at it when it was for sale, but you bought it too quick.

Not sure if you're aware of it, but the car was listed on the board for sale as well... link

It's your car, but I wouldn't drill holes in the trunk pan if it were me. As mentioned, where else could it leak besides the lid seals and tail lights?

My car is parked outside as well. I just throw a waterproof cover on it when rain is in the forcast. I wouldn't recommend a waterproof cover for long storage, but they're ok when used for short periods of time.

How about smoke from the inside? See where the smoke comes out instead.

Or the video camera, and a high powered light along the seams... Light in = Water in.

Nice car!

BJH

I have some pictures of how the heat exchangers and the other heater bits go together on the Pelican board, I think. Search over there for "flapper" on the 914 section of the BBS and you should find them.

--DD

congratulations on the car AND the trip home! there are a few of us in the yorktown/williamsburg/VA-beach "greater metropolitan area"

You beat me too. I spoke to the seller (Tab) about that car. He told me a guy from Virginia was going to call him later that night about the car. I was just too far away to commit right then and there. Congratulations. My shitbox in my avatar is long gone so I'm on the hunt for a car now.

If you don't mind me asking, logistically, how did you go about purchasing the car? Did you pay for the car and wait for the title, register it, and then fly out to pick up the car? There are no temporary license plates in my state anymore so if I was to drive it home, I'd have to go this route. I'm looking for a car now and am a little hesitant to send a check for $3000, 4000 etc and wait for a title.

He sent me a pay-pal deposit and I e-mail him a buyers contract, We agreed to have me meet him at the airport in Columbus a 2 hour drive one way for me.I picked him and his friend up and went to a parking lot. He looked to car over, I handed him the title which I had signed off, Got the balance of the money. Unloaded the car and off he went. This is the short version of the story but you get this Idea. I have sold as well as bought cars this way for many year and NEVER had a problem.


Pete is a very nice guy and I wish him all the best with his 914. I talked to him yesterday and from the sound of his voice he is in love with the car

Have fun Pete!! Thanks Tab

well,
$500 deposit through paypal and the rest in cash at pick up. found a ticket for $120 and he trailored the car to the airport. i figured after looking through the pics and talking with tab for a long time, it was worth the risk of having to buy another plane ticket home. probably not the smartest idea but i felt really confident being that he works on porsches for a living...thus far, the car has been exactly as described.
here are some more pics...anyone know what kind of carb is this...the rain cover had to be removed because of it...

got to do about 40 miles of twisted mountain driving on the way home...so fun!!!

Ugh. Looks like a "Pinto Weber" progressive. Throw it as far away from the car as you can. Then shoot it a couple'a times with a shotgun!

Find a set of dual carbs to put on there. Yeah, you will have to synchronize 'em every once in a while. But they'll give much better more predictable performance than the single progressive.

--DD

[quote name='pba110' date='Jul 31 2007, 07:00 PM' post='930331']
well,
$500 deposit through paypal and the rest in cash at pick up. found a ticket for $120 and he trailored the car to the airport. i figured after looking through the pics and talking with tab for a long time, it was worth the risk of having to buy another plane ticket home. probably not the smartest idea but i felt really confident being that he works on porsches for a living...thus far, the car has been exactly as described.
here are some more pics...anyone know what kind of carb is this...the rain cover had to be removed because of it...

got to do about 40 miles of twisted mountain driving on the way home...so fun!!!



Where did you get the license plate from?

Nice looking little Car. 600 miles on the maiden voyage... You're hooked, huh?