Settled - Side Valences are affixed with plastic button head rivets, 'Rocker panel' rivets Options

[JeffBowlsby]

We know of two docmented original 914s, both have side valances attached with plastic buttonhead rivets, not aluminum rivets.

Black rivets for cars with black valances
Clear rivets for the 1974 LE cars with the yellow or orange valances

PET also only lists the plastic button head rivets.

All the photos of 914s with aluminum rivets are not original, are commonly available and have been replaced at some point.

Thanks to George Hussey, Steve Gaglione (2nd owner of very orignal Sahara Beige) and Alberto Favilla (original owner) and to Rich Daunhauer (914Werke) for their knowledge.

[wonkipop]

@JeffBowlsby

i just realised one of the examples you pointed to as an original car is steve g's 2.0

interestingly those are not original sill rivets.
he restored it to what he was told was original.

and here is what he had to say about it.
its interesting.
its in the thread on the car in originality section.

now i'm not saying steve g is right.
or that the sills had not been removed on his car before he got it.
or that it was not a highly original car.
or that he was mistaken about his memory of his car he bought new.
but the rivets are not original by his own admission.
and its on dr. 914s authority he changed them.

and dr 914 knows heaps for sure.
but he is not always 100% correct.
for instance the business about the vacuum hoses tucked under the plenum of 74 1.8s
dr 914 says all 1.8s after jan 74.
not true as we discovered.
nothing to do with a production change.
instead it was to do with 49 state cars v californian cars.

i've got an open mind - not going one way or another.
but i want to see more evidence.

re the creamsicle rockers.
how do we know those rockers have never been off.
with so many myths about what is correct on a 914, those rockers could have been taken off and replaced with the clear rivets of the earlier cars based on an authority view?
just being an open minded sceptic at this stage. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

but i would like to know. for sure. what is meant to be there.