restoring stored '73 2.0

[gatorkmk]

I've been lucky enough to be coming into the posession of a '73 2.0L 914.

It's been garaged for about 3 years.

Before it went into storage it was in good shape. I got it from my Uncle who's been a longtime Porsche lover and needs the space.

For right now I'm getting the garage ready to have it towed over. But when I get it here I want to have an idea of what of work I'm going to be looking at. I'm on a limited budget, but have a lot of time to get the work done. I would prefer to do as much of the restore on the car as I can myself.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Kevin
Tampa, FL

[Rouser]

Your best bet is to do a word search of this site/forum for prior posts (a LOT of recent stuff).

That, and see if there are any 914 owners in your neighborhood (hint, hint hint), especially ones who peruse this forum, to befriend and compare notes/money-pits.

[campbellcj]

Congrats on the car! An un-molested, non-rusted 73 2-liter is getting to be a fairly rare find these days.

First thing you can pretty much count on: the rubber will be rotted out. Vacuum lines, injector seals, brake hoses, body seals, tires, suspension bushings, and so forth.

If fuel was left in the system then it will be all gummed-up and you may need to do quite a bit of cleaning, including the tank.

Hopefully the engine isn't frozen up too badly, but it is not unheard of for engines not run for a long time to basically require some overhauling.

Keep us posted, and good luck with it!

[davidq]

Having just come into a 73 914 1.7 that had been sitting for 11 years, I have a little first hand experience and remain an idiot with 914's. But, I can make a few suggestions. If you don't have the Hayes book on the 914, you should get it. It reads terrible, but is the best single source available for under $20 dollars. Amazon.com has it for sale.

1) Look at the gas tank. If the gas really stinks drain the gas before you do anything else. If the gas is ice tea colored, you have a fair amount of rust in the tank. Pull the tank (about 5 minutes of work after you drain it) and clean it out. If you don't your garage will stink forever. You can use POR-15 or take it to a radiator shop to be cleaned ($45 for me). If the tank is a mess, so will your carburetors/fuel injection. Move on to the next few steps before getting back to the fuel system.

2) Drain the old oil out and refill with clean before you try and turn the engine. Then adjust the valves. Adjusting the valves will demonstrate if the engine is frozen. Article on valve adjusting available at this web site. If the engine won't turn, you have bigger problems. Start with taking out the spark plugs and spraying BP Blaster into the cylinders and wait a day or so and try again. If the engine is frozen, you will probably have to drop the engine to unfreeze it.

3) The best advise I received was to make sure the valves were adjusted before spending any significant money. If you can get the valves adjusted you are half way to getting the car running. In my case, the valves are screwed up on 3 and 4. I am having an engine dropping party on Saturday.

4) If you get the valves adjusted, the tank cleaned and the engine is not frozen, put a battery in the car and with the fuel pump disconnected, the solenoid disconnected and the spark plugs out, try and turn the engine with the starter. If it turns over you can check the valve compression with a neat little device you can buy at NAPA. If your compression is equal in all 4 cylinder and around 100psi you won the 914 lottery.

I can't tell you the next step. I would guess that it would be to clean the fuel system out to make sure it works. I have carburators, and I am rebuilding them. I haven't a clue about the fuel injections system, but the folks here will. The folks on this BBS are great and I trust they will correct any mistakes I have suggested.

Good luck and keep us posted. This BBS is addictive. Nice to see another Gator get himself into a mess.

David

[maf 914]

I completely agree with David regarding the fuel system. Clean everything! I stored my 914 for seven years while working overseas. When it came time to start it up I drained the tank of the seven year old fuel, put a couple of gallons of fresh gas in, disconnected the fuel lines at the engine (dual 40IDF's), and ran the fuel pump to purge the lines. I then reconnected the fuel lines and tried to fire it up. It did start, ran for a short time, then died. The fuel pump, filters, and carbs were all clogged with fine silty sediment from the tank. My solution was to again drain, then remove and clean the tank, replace the rubber fuel lines since the tank was out, replace the sorry facet fuel pump and filters, remove and clean the Webers, and reconnect everything. It then started and ran. Clean everything first. It will save you from doing things twice and perhaps save money as well.

Good luck,
Mike

[URY914]

Hey I'm in Tampa too and have had my 914 for almost 23 years (has it really been that long?) It is now a track only car but I've got alot of stuff, books, parts, stories and info to share. If you want to get together, reply and let me know.

[karlp]

Lubricate everything! Be gentle!
I got an old Opel GT running once because I thought it was cool and fast. (It was kinda cool looking, but not fast)
I broke a lot of stuff trying to get it all freed up.
Window regulators are hard to find, E-Brake cables even harder, etc.

Think twice............................... Screw once!!

Have fun

Karl P.

[Germain]

Well, I am doing/did same thing...

If I did it again this is what I would do.

First, remove all rust from that car or use Por-15 to paint over it. Don't worry about getting the engine started.

Paint the underside with a rust stopper (Por-15). You can always paint over the Por 15 to achive a metal color.

Replace all wheel bearings/bushing/steering bushings/shifter bushings and insure all CV Joints are repacked. I didn't check the CV Joints close enough, and it lead to the demise of my transmission in about 100 miles from purchasing it. While replacing the shifter bushings you will have part of the center tunnel open. Replace fuel line while there.

With engine still out replace ALL cables to the dash (gas, clutch and speedo).

320 brake upgrade, replace rear pads/rotors. New master cylinder (if needed).

Powerwash engine, remove spark plugs and test for compression and to see if it has seized. If engine leaks oil replace the oil cooler seals NOW. I couldn't stand to do it with the engine in the car again. If engine good, put it back in.

Fill tranny with new oil (see PP for the good stuff).

Check all fuses, mainly by tapping on the metal with a screwdriver. If the fuse doesn't sound solid replace it. (this goes for inside cab fuses and the ones on the circut board).

Once that's done, get it running.

Then work on interrior, perhaps a paint job will be needed too.

That's what I would do anyway. HTH