Yet another rescue Porsche.

[The Glademister]

Made a two hour drive to get a 914 which was advertised on Craigslist as a parts car. I might be fooling myself but I think this will make a decent race car. There's a couple of major holes in the floor pans but I couldn't see any under the seats. The right front fender is crumpled and bumper end bent. But from what I can tell, most all the OEM equipment is there. The 2.0L engine has the substandard single carb switch but the seller gave me the FI that was pulled. He's a mechanic and said he had it running after putting in the carb but it crapped out. He was able to turn the crank by hand 180 degrees both directions and believes it's a dropped valve. This is probably going to be a conversion car anyway. I believe this car has the appearance group equipment but it's not in very good shape. The interior is better than I thought it would be but I'm going to be pulling it all out anyway. I might find the chassis beyond saving but I'll take care pulling parts and perhaps I can recoup some cost. My purchase price on this poor beast, $900.

[nine11speedster]

interesting. Please keep posting! Good luck.

[Griffinroydonal]

I think this was a good rescue. Looking at the pictures there are $900 worth of good parts with no problem. The rims alone are not cheap. Looks pretty complete with sail trim intact - Good luck and post some pictures

[GregAmy]

Nice. But more importantly, where is there $3.29 gasoline????

Poor in CT....

[SiberianDVM]

Nice score on the 914. I'm trying to resist buying a rescue right now, but I will probably drive out of state next weekend to look at one, and take the trailer just in case.

Regular was $3.17 this morning in North Augusta, SC when I filled up.

[The Glademister]

This morning I got deep into pulling stuff out of the 914. These photos show the way it looked before.

[The Glademister]

And here's what was revealed after pulling seats, rugs, padding and trim.

[The Glademister]

So the next steps are going to be...

Elevate the car to drop engine and transmission.
Hand off the engine to my buddy for diagnosis and repair.
Begin cutting out and welding in replacement floor pans.

My short term goal is to get the 2.0L motor running and chassis stabilized so I can evaluate the the electrical, suspension, brakes and fuel system.

Long term goals are strengthen the chassis, improve the suspension, improve the brakes and put in a more powerful engine.

This is going to be a work in progress for a long time...

[mepstein]

That car will take a couple grand of new metal from restoration design just to get it in one piece again. Then many, many hours of welding and bodywork. You can spend $15K +++ on rust repair or get a fairly rust free roller for ~$2K. It's an ok parts car for $900 but will never be made whole again.

[The Glademister]

Originally Posted by mepstein

That car will take a couple grand of new metal from restoration design just to get it in one piece again. Then many, many hours of welding and bodywork. You can spend $15K +++ on rust repair or get a fairly rust free roller for ~$2K. It's an ok parts car for $900 but will never be made whole again.

Thanks for the sobering assessment. My target usage will be SCCA Solo (autocross). I checked the classes last night and DP would be a good starting place. Structural modifications, open suspension and liberal engine modifications are all allowed. That will allow me to be frugal and creative getting the car mostly rust free. So this will not be a restoration but a track car build. It will never be pretty again but hopefully give me three or four seasons of fun going fast through parking lots

[The Glademister]

Okay master carpenters, shield your eyes! Some 2x4s doubled up with lifting eyes over the roof trusses, some timbers for additional support, a 4x4 in the rear and a doubled 2x4 in the front and four come-alongs. Pretty heavy on the rear beam but surprisingly light on the front.

[TR]

Never say never, I saw half the parts you need for sale on craigs list a short while ago. Please put some stands under the car. safety first!

[The Glademister]

Originally Posted by TR

Never say never, I saw half the parts you need for sale on craigs list a short while ago. Please put some stands under the car. safety first!

Yes sir, the parts are out there for sure. Priority is checking the engine out. If it's toast, everything else is pointless. I hear you on the stands. I'm going to set her down on something really solid this weekend

[The Glademister]

Great progress today on the tare down. Added big blocks under the rear for additional support. Took off exhaust and heat exchangers. Took loose CV axles. Removed front bumper, headlights, fog lights, horns and lower front valence.

[The Glademister]

Using the instructions spelled out in Wayne's technical post - Pelican Technical Article: 914 Engine Removal Made Easy
- I was able to drop the engine today. My hillbilly lifting rig actually made that process quite easy. I used a rolling case bottom with plyboard top that I've had several other motors on. It's higher than a furniture dolly and a great working elevation. It was nice to not discover any fractures or visible defects in the engine. The surrounding sheet metal is fairly rusty but I think I can patch it up. I noted that there's already been a repair (and I use that term loosely) done to the attaching point for the right rear control arm. Perhaps tomorrow I'll begin practicing sheet metal welding

[The Glademister]

My buddy and I finally got around to evaluating the 2.0L engine today. It's bad. I knew when I bought the car there were going to be issues but I didn't expect an exploded piston. The exhaust valve is laying in the crankcase along with a lot more shrapnel. The intake valve for that piston is bent as well. The combustion chamber for that cylinder has some scoring near the spark plug but may be salvageable.



What really concerns us though is the amount of shattered piston that's fallen into the crankcase. This really calls for the case to be split and a complete rebuild. I'm not sure at this point that I'm going that far. Perhaps this points me towards a Subaru conversion. I think priority is working on the chassis, stabilizing the rust, rebuilding floor pans, etc. Here's what I've done so far in the front.

[74Westy]

I've got 73 2 liter pistons and cylinders with 115k miles taken from my running engine. PM if needed.

[The Glademister]

After days of comparing costs (ie. conversion vs. rebuild) I've decided to rebuild the 2.0L type IV myself. Parts are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. There's a many options in pistons, jugs, cams, carbs, etc. I don't think I'll bite off too much and go really hot as this will be my 1st engine rebuild. I believe with a mild bore, not too aggressive cam and 44 Webers, this engine will have enough HP and torque to get a stripped down chassis around quite smartly. I'm reading everything I can on Type IV rebuild and ordered an instructional video featuring Jake Raby. I'm close to cracking the case to see if there's damage that will disqualify this block.

Removed the flywheel and remaining pistons. Here's some of the carnage I pulled out of the crankcase.



This is the point when I realized that an engine stand was a must have.



I pulled the cover on the sump to see if any small fragments had found their way into there. None visible. Also noted the gunk in the cap was fragment free. That gives me some hope.

[The Glademister]

I'm shelving the motor for now and concentrating on the rust. It took me several weeks but I finally got the front pan in. I couldn't find a formed replacement part do I fabricated my own. It's rough but functional. I did figure out that using a stick welder was not going to work. So following TA's advice, I bought the $99 MIG flux welder at Harbor Freight and that works SO much better! I still use copper for a backing. Especially when I'm trying to bridge gaps. I also finally got around to pulling the rocker covers. I had to grind off all three caps screw on the passenger side but finally got it loose. Looks like someone took this car agricultural as there was a lot of dirt and ants. Even a live snail crawling around! The drivers side came off much easier and that side has much less rust. At the very least, I'll have to patch one rust hole on the drivers side.

[Jack Stands]

I think you'll find the replacement panels you need at Restoration Design. You'll save a lot of time by having the proper fit replacement panels.