Starting a 1973 restoration, Restoring a left for dead $500 914... Options

[FourBlades]

Hello 914 World Members!

I am starting on restoring a $500 914 that was left in a field for several years with no windshield. The car belonged to the POs older brother and thus has sentimental value. The sold it to me on the condition that I not part it out. I was looking for a project so this was fine with me. This is my first restoration project so I figured I would learn a lot (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

The car is a mixture of really good sections, appears to have suffered no major accidents, is straight, never been repainted--but it has totally rusted out floors and hell hole. All the suspension mounting points are not rusted. The door gaps are all even and good. If I can replace the floors, I think it will be a good straight car. Many small parts were stolen while it was "stored" and the wiring loom is a complete loss.

Thanks for any comments...John

[FourBlades]

Rebuilding the second layer of the onion.

Made a patch using the end of a restoration design inner long. I used the top
of the end to make a sleeve to make welding the patch on easier. Here you
can see the sleeve which has been rosette welded in place in the top of the hole.
Because the sleeve was made from the top of the patch, it fits perfectly and
takes little time to make.



Here is the patch itself. I punched holes for rosette welding, which is way
faster and neater than drilling. A $20 hand operated metal hole puncher
is a cheap way to save some time.



Welded, ground, and primed. I hate to grind too much and weaken the whole
repair just to get a perfectly flat surface. Maybe some all-metal filler to smooth
it out???-



Not perfect, but better than the rusty, gaping hole.



Still one layer left to go, the box section at the bottom of the door post, which will have to wait for later...