A long time ago in a greasyshop far, far away...
Episode (91)4
A New Hope
It is a period of indecision.
Should I try and repair the original '72 914
with its accident damage, rust issues and other oddities?
Or start new with a better bodied car that needs less
work, spend more money up front to get
something with more potential...
After quite a lot of time searching 914 forums, Craigslist, Ebay and keeping my eyes peeled for a cheap but good condition 914, I lucked out by stopping by a local 911 specialty independent shop, Planet9eleven. The owner just so happened to have acquired a local 914 from a shop south of the city that he had had his eye on for quite some time. I caught him at a moment of weakness and picked up a beauty.
She's a 1971 1.7 liter with paint in the original color (one respray that I can tell), lots of good condition body panels, and has been non running but parked indoors since about 1984! The previous owners worked at a shop and kept it tucked away for years. The drivetrain was already out of it but it rolled and that's all I needed after taking a look at the areas that were so bad on my '72. This car had very few issues.
Though spending a lot more money to buy a whole other non-running 914 was not the top of my to-do list, it became impossible to pass this car up.
I can use some parts off of the '72 that might be in better condition than the '71 but otherwise immediately started deconstructing the new car, using the experience of the first one and staying even better organized when dismantling and labeling pieces that come off the car.
So without further ado, here are a bunch of pictures of the new car we call "Willow" because she is Willow Green, Porsche factory color L63K!
Just arrived, she was covered with dust and grime from being in a shop for years and the last couple of weeks outside at Planet9eleven
A very quick wipe down with a wet rag and there's still a bit of shine on the paint. There are a lot of cracks and bad spots too so she's going to get repainted the factory color anyway
Part of the deal to keep the price down was I had to return the factory 4 lug alloy wheels; since I plan on converting to 5-lug Fuchs 911 wheels this is not a problem and saved some good $.
Got her up on jackstands pretty quickly and got to work disassembling
Lots of dirt in every crevice from sitting so long
Interior is complete with a factory center gauge pod but aftermarket seats. Those are coming out I'm afraid, but I have better seat plans...
Seats and carpet came out easily
Rear trunk is dusty but in great shape. Chrome bumpers look OK from a few feet away but may need refinishing.
After a few hours work the rear trunk was completely stripped down, and I got a bucket and sponge and cleaned it really good. It really shines now. Turns out Willow Green is fairly close to Hulk Green!
Only a few surface rusty spots in the rear trunk, no issues at all in the corners of the sheetmetal.
You can see how before I cleaned it the trunk looked a bit worse.
The wheel has a nice patina but is in good shape.
Floors have minimal rust
Lots of dust and dirt in the floors!
Took off and completely disassembled the doors
A previous owner had moved the battery to the front trunk to try and eliminate the corrosion from the battery in the engine bay. They ran the positive cable the length of the car since it needs to attach to the electronics and starter back in the mid-engine bay.
Passenger longitudinals look great with the sole exception of the jack post base, a common issue. Lots of dirt had trapped itself up there and rusted it out. Should be easy to grind it off and replace it with a new piece.
Front trunk after cleaning and removal of battery tray. Had to move the wiring loom out of the way to clean the corners but no rust issues up here either.
Front bumper area was filthy but looks better now!
VIN sticker is pristine
Color plate is original, L 63 K is Willow Green.
Engine compartment is one of the few places that need addressing. The battery tray was removed and there is some rust and holes in the "hell hole" area. This will need a repair panel and I'll probably return the battery to this spot with a new battery tray and an Optima sealed battery that won't corrode the area ever again.
The only other issue with the car that I can tell is the typical clutch tube issue. The clutch cable lives in a tube in the center tunnel that was known for breaking off of its welds at the rear and inside the tunnel. On this car a previous owner had bolted the clutch tube to the floor to keep it from moving. It is common to do this repair rather than try to re-weld it in the tunnel because the fuel lines also run through the tunnel. However since I will be taking this all apart and replacing the fuel lines anyway the clutch tube is going to get re-welded.
Front trunk where battery used to be
Rear of the car is ready for media blasting.
Well now that I have revived the project I am hopeful that I can move forward steadily with this car. Don't hold your breath for completion anytime soon however, this is still going to take at least another year! Remember I still have an engine and transmission to rebuild, bodywork to do, and somehow find the funds to do it all. But I will document the process and hopefully it will entertain or prove useful for someone else someday.
