Well I thought it was rust free. On the Right side,the spot where you would put a floor jack looks like it is bent up or something and theres rust around it. Easy fix ??? "fingers crossed"

Not too bad a fix depending on how bad it is.

Some pics of the area would be VERY helpful...

Yeah I will get a picture of the area tommrow

I just subscribed to this one.... I just found the same rust on the bottom of the right long on my previously "rust free" car..... dammit!

--Jaybird

The Million dollar question is Now how do I jack the car up to fix this ?

Assuming that the long is not rusted through, you can put a floor jack anywhere directly under the passenger door.

Giving this info, I am making the assumption that you have taken your rocker panel off. If not, do that first. What you see behind it is the passenger side long. It is the back bone of the car, and you can jack safely anywhere along it.

Also, Buy the Haynes manual (click this link).

Take many detailed pics. Probe with a screwdriver. Post the results here. We are here to help.

Zach

Rust on a 914?!?!?!?! Not possible, no way, are you sure??!!!

How are the rocker panels removed ?

They are held on with 1 screw at either end, and pop-rivits in the middle.

When you take them off, a ton of dirt and crap is going to fall on the floor of your garage. Don't worry, this is normal (but is a contributing factor to rust, and needs to be cleaned out).


Zach

The rocker covers are held on by rivets or screws on the top and screws on the bottom. You should be able to see them all easily. Obviously, you'll need to drill out the rivets.

On the bottom, there is a screw at each end of the rocker cover that you access from inside the wheel well. There should be a small rubber spacer between the rocker cover and the fender.

Also on the bottom are two cheese-head screws that hold the rocker cover against the bottom of the logitudinal. These are probably rusted in place. Use your favorite method to break them free. I like heat.

When I put my rocker covers back on, I'm going to use stainless steel screws instead of rivets so that I can remove them easily each winter and clean all the junk out. One less place for a rodent to take up residence.

Regarding jacking up the car on the longitudinal, I use a piece of wood between the longitudinal and the jack to spread the load out.

I was surpised at how much dirt was in there when I took mine off. Fortunately, it was all bone dry... longs are good. The water was all in the interior

Im going to Bump this Picture coming soon. Pic was taken on the right hand side facing the back toward the drivers side. Notice how the jack point is pushed up. I also included a current pic of the car for everyone to see !

ayupp, that long is toast ...

there's quite a few good articles here on how to repair this section!

you'll have to get close and schnuggly with your welder, as you two will spend a lot of time together in the near future ...
Andy

Oh no this is not good at all. Ive never welded anything in my entire life.

isn't the rear donut just on a triangle welded to the floor and long but not part of the long? possible that it is just a cut and replace of the triangle?

I thought the same thing. I found just that piece from AA

the question is whether the metal above it is solid. Looking at it again I wonder if it might be gone too? If memory serves there is only a gap of about 1/2" before there should be solid metal above that triangle.

I just grabbed this picture out of my928s4's thread so you could see the view of this area from the top. You can see in this picture how this part ties into the long and rear portion of the floor.

Click to view attachment

It is kind of hard to say the extent of damage based on this picture. Get it up in the air & start probing around. You may luck out & have the damage isolated to the triangle. May have damage to the hell hole as well. There are a bunch of sources for these parts. Check out Restoration Design at www.restoration-design.com, they also have these replacement parts. Unfortunately I have to place a fairly large order with them later this week.

Like Sir Andy said, find a welder (or a good friend who has one). I have been studying threads here, got my hands on a nice MIG (on loan from my cousin) and will start hacking away on my car soon.

Wiz,

I just wanted to add... this has to be my all time favorite thread title.

Andreas... "Schnuggly?"

you know, like "schnuggle up" and "cuddly" and schtuff ...
Andy

Eric and Andy you crack me up.

Wizporche, at least you're close to Eastwood Co. dist center. Isn't that in Pottstown?

The good Dr Evil knows of a shop near Reading. Perhaps he'll shed some advise here.

Don't fret, either you learn a new skill welding or you'll find some good help here.

Hang in there

Sounds like Andy's reading "Mutts".

Every REAL 914 owner eventually becomes a welder. Ex 914 owners usually never bought a welder.

You can do it!!! We are here to help!

Looks like I need to replace the entire side panel. I found a 2 inch hole in the back of the wheel well when I looked in with a flasklight and seen this panel totally rusted out. Easy ??

Take a bunch more pictures & post them so we can see the extent of the damage

Wizporsche914:

Are you new to 914 ownership?

How long have you owned one?

What year is it and what did you pay for it?

Seriously, if this is your first porsche and your first 914 and you "think" that they are cute and that it will be "fun" to drive, and since it has a vw engine it will be inexpensive to repair, etc etc....Then tell us all of that....

Seriously, we need to know this before we can advise you.

You are facing a crossroads in your life, and you either need to "marry" this little car because you cannot "live with out her". (She could become the most expensive lady you will ever have in your life)......or you need a big jolt or reality.....

Yes I am new to 914 Ownership

No Im not new to Porsche ownership I have a 944 also.

Its a 1972 paid $800 for it. From the original owners son who had it stored since 2001.

I am 23 years old and have wanted a 914 since I was 10 and I am determined to fix up this car and enjoy it.

Cool - go for it. at $800 you can't go wrong - it is worth that much in parts. But like the guys said - reality can jump up and bite you in the butt. Lots of folks here have $13k sunk into a restoration. Unlike your 944 the 914 did not have any rust protection. It was built before the legislation requiring auto vendors to give a rust perforation warranty.

You have to do a really good assessment of the frame before you do anything with the car. Look here for some suggestions http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=79959

Once you are certain you have a safe frame then inspect/repair the brakes and get the engine running. Then drive it There will be lots of time for repairing minor rust in the winter

Now get that camera out and show us the good stuff! Like the passenger side rear trunk hinge that looks like it is broken

Or... Cool - $800's not bad for a good parts car - now spend the money you would spend welding and patching and buy yourself a solid tub.

Can't argue with that Eric. But it is hard to assess the frame based on that one, admittedly scary, picture. He's young - lots of time to ammortize the learning experience

Advice I wish I would have been given when I was young...

Hey, fixing them up can be a blast and, I love watching a skilled hand really doing an incredible job right (that would be our new friend Jeff). But... sometimes... well... you get the picture.

And seriously; $800 is a really good price for a roller. Tranny, Engine (even if it's a rebuildable core) suspension, brakes and all the misc. goodies can add up to WELL beyond $800 so, regardless of the path, he's in it for the right amount so far.

It doesn't take long to get upside down though.

It's a great price for a parts car. But some of the gang is trying to say that it may not be the best car to try to "restore". There might be a much more solid car available in the, say... $2k range that you could actually get into a lot cheaper in the long run. And possibly enjoy the experience more.

Either way, good luck and... post more pics!

The picture I posted was the worst Ive found. Almost everything else looks amazing for its age. I pulled the carpet and the floor boards do not a a single spot of rust on them. The rear trunk is perfect as well.

That's great news. How's the hell hole (area forward of the battery where it slopes down to the firewall)? Did you pull up the carpets on the sills as well? The bottom inch or so is all you need to inspect there.

Next you need to get at the outter long by removing the rockers. Actually you only need to disconnect on the bottom and pull it out a bit. If it is still held on by plastic rivits you can actually reuse the rivit by driving out the center with a tiny pin - finishing nail works. Once the pin is out you should be able to pull out the rivit. Finding the pin in all the crud can be challenging - make sure your workspace is clean before you start or put down a tarp to catch the crud. There is a nut and bolt with a rubber spacer on the end of the rocker - that can be a bit of a bugger if it is badly rusted - easy to strip so be careful.

Show us pics!