Fred's Backyard LE Restoration Options

[friethmiller]

So, I finally decided to create a build thread for my 2nd 914.

Quick Story: Last summer (6/2022), I found this car listed on FB Marketplace and it intrigued me. It was listed as a ’72 but some of the pictures were telling me that this thing was probably a ’74 and possibly an LE. Against my better judgement, I decided to call. The man who owned the car told me that it was, in fact, an LE and that the “72” was a misprint. I told him I’d come pick it up and pay him his asking price of $1000. So, I rented a U-Haul trailer for $68 (incl. insurance), and drove 4 hours from Austin to Leonard, TX, which is about an hour northwest of Dallas. Got the car home without issue and shoved it into a storage unit for a month while I got thing prepared at my house/garage. Unfortunately for me, I had promised my wife that I wouldn't restore another car "in our garage". So, I'm stuck in the backyard [for now] attempting to restore a very rusty, old car. It’s kind of a pain when it rains and have to cover everything up, but I prefer being outside.

Condition: Poor! To say that the floor pans were a little rough, was an understatement. The car had been sitting in a field with all the doors/hoods off for years. This is never a good thing. When I saw the car in person, it had about 5 inches of wet leaves in the bottom. The trunk replacement was a "hack" with no welds to the transmission support. I can’t imagine driving the thing with the backend loose like that. The hell hole was in horrible condition with about ¾ of the passenger side longitudinal ripped open with rust. The list goes on. However, it did have its original 2.0L (minus FI) + transmission, and the dealer installed A/C. To be honest, the condition didn't bother me at all. I love restoring and repairing these cars. Plus the COA (or whatever they call it now) came back as a CanAm package car. This thing needs to be saved! I’m going to do my best to bring back this bumblebee. I've got a lot of pictures to post but here are some of the initial pics.

[technicalninja]

I have Datsun Z cars...
Not Chevrolet Z cars...

One of the coolest stories I've read yet on this forum.

Sounds like you have a real DZ302 Z28!!!

And you bought it way back when!!!

My Zs have finally gotten valuable but NOTHING like a real Z/28.

A Datsun Z is user friendly for both clutch training and replacement.

A real Z/28 not so much...

My dad didn't keep two of his early cars. A real "Sebring Special" 57 fueli 4 speed Corvette and after the Vette a 59 convertible D Porsche...

I salute your Z/28 and your 52 year care of the car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/first.gif)

Has it been restored or is it a survivor?

Edit: I too, sort of have a Z/28...
I have a 31K 2002 SS Camaro slick top 6MT, special ordered that way.
It was a friend's car until it took a Dodge truck in the left rear quarter at 55+
It's a totaled complete car and is an "organ doner" for me.
I was going to use the drive train in a 98 BMW M3.
It started life as a Z/28 before SLP turned it into a SS.

[Arkady]

I have Datsun Z cars...
Not Chevrolet Z cars...

One of the coolest stories I've read yet on this forum.

Sounds like you have a real DZ302 Z28!!!

And you bought it way back when!!!

My Zs have finally gotten valuable but NOTHING like a real Z/28.

A Datsun Z is user friendly for both clutch training and replacement.

A real Z/28 not so much...

My dad didn't keep two of his early cars. A real "Sebring Special" 57 fueli 4 speed Corvette and after the Vette a 59 convertible D Porsche...

I salute your Z/28 and your 52 year care of the car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/first.gif)

Has it been restored or is it a survivor?

Edit: I too, sort of have a Z/28...
I have a 31K 2002 SS Camaro slick top 6MT, special ordered that way.
It was a friend's car until it took a Dodge truck in the left rear quarter at 55+
It's a totaled complete car and is an "organ doner" for me.
I was going to use the drive train in a 98 BMW M3.
It started life as a Z/28 before SLP turned it into a SS.

That car was my daily driver all through my years as a US Steel maintenance guy and through college when I decided I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. US Steel hired me back on the spot when I popped into the Duquesne Works employment office just after graduation.

US Steel had a wonderful management trainee program back then. At that time, the Duquesne Plant and McKeesport's National Tube Plants were combined into the National Duquesne Plant so the processes went from 'basic steel' to 'oil country' finished goods.

Us trainees spent a couple of weeks in each department, from the Blast Furnaces (making iron), through the Basic Oxygen Furnaces (converting iron to steel & casting ingots), to the Rolling Mills (rolling ingots into billets, blooms & a few other shapes), to the Seamless Hot Mill (piercing billets to make Oil Country Casing & Drill Pipe) to the Finishing Mills (Cropping the pipe ends & threading the casing and prepping the drill pipe ends for the couplings they used) and the many ancillary & support departments. It took about two years to complete and left one with a comprehensive understanding of how all of the parts fit together. Steel mills are Hot, Loud & Dirty but an Awesome environment for anyone that tends toward the 'Hands-On'. The knowledge contained in American steel production is astounding!

Anyways, my Z-28 (an original car) was in and out of the mill and it showed. I bought my first VW bus (my introduction to air cooled power) to drive while I disassembled the Z-28 down to the bare sub frame. This piece I took to a local tomb stone business because they had a sand blaster. After getting it back, I painted it with an epoxy coating that US Steel painted the inside of certain pipe that was used for carrying abrasive slurries and other nasty stuff. This coating had a 50 year warranty, so I thought it would be more than adequate. Then began the reassembly. OEM parts were cheap and available then and I replaced what was needed, painted it its original Daytona Yellow w/Tuxedo Black stripes and the car was like new.

Again though, the years took their toll and this car needs some serious freshening up. It's been sitting in a garage for years awaiting its turn. I used to say these vehicles, (the Z-28, my 1966 VW camper and more recently my 1974 914) were 'retirement' projects, but more and more I'm beginning to think I'll retire when I expire...

From what I gather through lurking on 914World.com, many of you have similar stories with cars owned through your lives. The victories, set backs and disappointments we go through all contribute to who we are and, as can be seen in the many threads here, have created quite a bond. We, as a society would do well to emulate that what exists here...