How to inspect the underside and longs without a lift, now the Not another novice project thread Options

[seanpaulmc]

I've just purchased a '73 914 and owned it long enough to ship it to Orlando and take it to go get titled. With only having it for this short period my list of concerns is growing. I have no intentions of driving the car around until I can assess how rusty it is. I appreciate the support and responses to the questions about transportation and engine identification. This is a superb community.

What advice do you have for lifting the car to inspect underneath and such without having access to a lift? I have read some of the build threads on here and you guys have some amazing shops and do incredible work! ...one day. But, at this point I don't have that.

For now I'd like to lift the car, take the wheels off, and take the longitudinal covers off to get a good look at the structural areas of the car. However, I have concerns because this is a snowbelt car and I've read the stories about putting a floor jack through a rusted out car. Where should I lift with the floor jack (trust the jacking points?, other areas) and where should I put the jack stands so that I can poke around some and get pictures?

Merry Christmas!!!

[seanpaulmc]

Here's the initial look underneath. I'm pretty sure the duct tape shouldn't be there. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)















The engine cradle is cockeyed (i.e. not vertical), should it be?

Also, I started in on the removing the tar from the floor pans. The oscillating multi-tool with scraper blade works great. Didn't get very far since I started late in the day. Spent three hours doing yard work first. Will show the floor carnage after a little more progress tomorrow.

Findings to date:
Seat belts do not work well at all. Replace or refurbish?
Has original fuel lines. I bought a fire extinguisher just in case.
Rust in the longs and floor pans.
Windshield washer switch arm broken.
Horn moved to a button on the dash (push button).
Ignition moved to a button on the dash (push button).
Low beam headlights don't work but Highs do. I did put in LED bulbs if that means anything.
Speedometer does not work; it is hooked up at both ends.
Broken engine lid bracket (LS).
No rear trunk springs (broom handle).
Lots of rust in the rear jack points.

The hunt goes on. Thoughts?

[Dave_Darling]

The engine cradle is cockeyed (i.e. not vertical), should it be?

If you mean that the bottom of the bar leans back toward the rear of the car, this is fairly common. Someone ran over something, and the mounting bolts for the bar or the outer plates that those bolts go through are bent.

Replace them.

Seat belts do not work well at all. Replace or refurbish?

Cleaning the webbing can do wonders! Be very very very very careful if you remove the side covers from the retractors, the spring inside has sharp edges and is under a lot of tension. At least the scars fade over the course of a decade or two. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Low beam headlights don't work but Highs do. I did put in LED bulbs if that means anything.

There is a high/low relay on top of the fuse panel. It chooses where the headlight current goes, to the high beam circuit or the low beam one. Note that each headlight filament has its own fuse, so there are four: high beam left, high beam right, low beam left, low beam right. Double-check the fuses, but with both low beams out it is more likely to be the relay or something between the fuse and the relay.

Though it could be the filaments. Worth checking that you have voltage at the low beam pin of the headlight connector.

Speedometer does not work; it is hooked up at both ends.

Does the dashboard end of the cable spin when the car is in gear and moving?




Everything is fixable. Lots of work to do on this one. Depending on where you are and how available 914s are there, it might be $$ ahead to part this and buy a different one. But $$ is not always the only determinant...

--DD