74 Roller rebuild and Subaru conversion, 1974 rebuild and Subaru conversion project Options

[mgarrison]

Hello,

I new around here, but have been lurking for a bit trying to soak up all the 914 knowledge and information I could! I was looking into building a Factory Five 818 kit with the Subaru flat-4, but the cost of entry was a bit too high, and the time & space needed to build a car from scratch seemed overwhelming. But it got me thinking; that's basically a tube-framed 914 with an odd body. I wonder if anyone has put a Subaru flat-4 in a 914? A few Google searches later I learned that a lot of people had, and parts were out there to spend my money on!

Long story short, I found two rollers with no engines or transmissions in Tucson, AZ a couple of hours South of me. Soon I rented a car hauler for a couple of days and my "Craft Project" (my wife's label) was begun.

The rollers were a green 1971, and a red 1974. I wanted to restore the 71 because it just seemed to have more character. The 74 had been partially stripped for an electric conversion project, and seemed less "car like". Sadly, the 71 needed a bit more work than I was setup to handle. So, it had to be the 74 who I have simply labeled as "Red".

I will try to track my build process here as best I can. I tend to get working on things and forget to document things, but will try to keep track.

Here's Red when we got her home on the trailer and tucked away in the back yard for the moment.

Mike

[mgarrison]

I've been spraying one quart each morning before it gets too hot. I got the bottom covered this morning, and I still have one quart left. There are a few spots that need touch up, but not too many. It's definitely a challenge to spray with the tub on a body dolly, but totally possible. The Raptor is crazy easy to spray - I'm not sure you can really mess it up! Wearing long sleeves, gloves, respirator, etc. in 90+ degree heat is not so easy...But, it does flash off/dry really quickly!



I really like how it came out! So much so, that I ordered a 2nd Raptor kit and plan to do the frunk, trunk, and inside. I may eventually scuff the Raptor and paint it body color in the frunk & trunk, but I really like the texture and durability it provides. It also seems cheaper/easier than lining areas with Dynamat.