Resurrecting a Bumblebee and me, A slackers attempt at keeping Pandora in the box Options

[KELTY360]

So it's time to get off my ass and deal with this rare gem that has wandered into my garage. Much to the skepticism of some, it's an original 21,000 mile LE that was parked by the original owner in 1988 and didn't move til his heir's sold the car and the new owner moved it from Honolulu to Pt. Townsend, WA in late summer 2022. My somewhat accidental purchase is documented in a previous thread: Low mileage LE?

For those who don't know me, I'm a longtime 914 believer since purchasing a Sunflower Yellow 1.7 brand new in 1973. I've since owned a variety of these little cars, currently holding a '74 2.0 and the LE. I've also encountered a couple of major oral surgeries over the last year that have put me in a state of slow recovery that leads to my personal resurrection. I didn't really intend to buy the LE but that ship has sailed and I'm trying to bring it back to life for my own resurgence, with the help of some friends of course.

The car is very solid and straight with minimal corrosion, as verified by @Root_Werks and @Greenie . My plan at present is to get it sorted out mechanically and some cosmetics, without performing a complete restoration. I do not plan on keeping the car when the plan is done. So, anyone who's interested in a very original, documented and compete LE is welcome to contact me. In this thread I'll be posting a list of parts needed and pictures and descriptions of work planned or completed.

I'll end this long post with an obligatory pic so I don't get the dreaded TTIWWP emogi. Many more pics to follow as I progress.

[KELTY360]

I'm kinda starting at the front and working my way back. Today I cleaned and conditioned the rubber seal for the frunk lid. The seal was in good shape, completely intact with a slight deformity at the left headlight bucket where the fender was damaged in 1976. The rubber is pliable but will need more conditioning.


Tried to get into all the nooks and crannies but these pics show more detailling is needed


Same is true of the inner fender wells.


Also worked on removing surface rust from the right headlight cover. It was heavily corroded as you can see in this pic. It still needs refinishing but it's a big improvement.

I didn't even touch the underside of the frunk lid but it's impressive in it's original gloss black finish.


Learned a couple of things in the process today. It appears the original driving lights are still in place, with no chips or cracks. Also the original windshield washer connection for the spare tire is intact. In 1973, I thought that was a very cool application. I'll have to test it when I hook it up.