BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: New 914 owner...what have I gone and done! Options

[Darren C]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking for a 914 on and off for a couple of years now and late one evening I bid on ebay for a car in Desert Hot Springs CA. A real leap of faith for me as I live in Chichester UK!
My first car was a VW Beetle and I’ve owned quite a few air cooled VWs and always wanted a 914, so now almost 25 years later I finally took the plunge and with sweat on my brow placed a last minute bid on ebay on a car I’d only seen in 4 small photo’s on line.
To my surprise I won the 914.
Problem was it lay 8000 miles away from me here in UK. I got hold of the sellers phone number and gave them a call. The car is a 1974 2.0L one owner from new sold in Palm Springs 914. The seller was the owners daughter. The gentleman passed away several years ago and she’d had it parked up on her driveway for 5 or 6 years. From the description in the listing it had a Salvage title due to sand storm damage on the paintwork. It looked reasonably solid in the few pictures I saw, but very sorry for itself with flat tires and bad paint. It was a gamble, but sometimes these things pay off.
I got the car picked up by a shipping agent and taken to Long Beach for shipping.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i265.photobucket.com-18255-1419606931.1.jpg)

2 months later it arrived in Southampton UK

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i265.photobucket.com-18255-1419606931.2.jpg)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i265.photobucket.com-18255-1419606931.3.jpg)

Last week I went down to Southampton and collected my new project just in time for Christmas.
I was recommended this site from another 914 owner and it's a great relief to find such a large active community. 914's were never sold in the UK, so all are personal imports and a rare thing to see on our roads.
I’m pleased to now join you guy’s and post my restoration progress in getting this little car back on the road.

Regards
Darren

[Beeliner]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

If I had a choice, I'd take replacing all the rubber around and in the car over rust.

When you do the painting, protect everything against the moisture you have in the UK. I bought several of these new cars in the seventies and drove them in the NYC area. Rust comes fast and is the enemy. Defense is the best way to handle it. All kinds of advice on this site as to how to do it right.

The advice about the fuel lines, etc. has to do with fire. Fire degrades a car much faster than rust. Buy an extinguisher. Don't put it in the trunk, you may not be able to get it when/if you need it!!

All kinds of parts are available in and around this site.... Buy from the US east coast and ship by air... figure four days...

Most of all, stay off of the jack stands as much as possible. If you can drive the car for a couple of months before laying it up, do so. You will be so impatient to get back behind the wheel you will keep working on it steadily...

Also, post pictures as you go along!! There is a thread for that...