1975 1.8 Driver Restoration, Driver quality restoration of a 1975 1.8 Options

[didenpx]

I’m a newcomer to the air cooled world. I picked up a 1975 914 1.8 project car last Fall that I’m just now beginning to work on. It seems to be mechanically stock and structurally sound and has ~120K miles on what appears to be the original engine (it doesn’t look to me as if it’s ever been pulled).

I found it on Craiglist in Maine where it was in the hands of a VW bus/bug enthusiast who was the third owner and had decided to focus his energies on a bus restoration instead. It was last registered an on the road in 2017 when the second owner had it. When I bought it it lot drove and came with an assortment of Restoration Design repair panels, several spare doors from earlier cars, some foglight front bumpers, spare seats, etc.. In a first for me when it comes to project cars the electrics all function properly and appear never to have been monkeyed with. Lights, blinkers, engine heater fan, hazards, everything.

Photos below tell the story but the worst of the rust appears to be in the aft section of the LH outer longitudinal. I haven’t pulled the battery and ECU out yet, but from what I can see underneath the car, inside the engine bay, and between the quarter panel and the engine compartment tin the hell hole appears solid (but I’m prepared to find surprises). The rear of the car seems worst off with rot from the foam above the tail lights partially cut out and partially corrected (I’ll be cutting that all back out and starting the job fresh). It was also hit from behind on the LH side and although I haven’t measured everything out yet, from what I can see underneath things don’t seem to be out of whack (maybe wishful thinking as the panel gaps for the rear trunk are uneven). The trunk lid itself somehow didn’t rust out along the rear edge, but it’s suffered a lot of abuse in the form of a now missing luggage rack and a black fiberglass spoiler that had been attached with wood screws. The front of the car doesn’t show any signs of impact damage but the trunk lid sits high when latched on the LH side.

My plans are to do a driver quality restoration (between a Hagerty 2 and 3) and get it on the road where I can enjoy it; I’ll cut out and weld the rusty sections, do as much of the body work myself as possible (thankfully it is very straight and the paint meter indicates there shouldn’t be a lot of bondo hiding under the old re-spray) and get a professional re-spray at a local body shop. I’ll either farm out or attempt to DIY the engine work myself. Since I’m assuming the engine will need a rebuild (see below) I’d definitely like to increase the displacement while staying with the stock FI setup.

I just started assessing the car in the last couple of weeks and have focused on the health of the engine. It’s still got the original L-jet FI (which I intend to keep). When I got it, it fired up easily but was extremely lumpy and stumbled badly coming off idle. After fixing vacuum hose routing (mostly anyways), adjusting points, doing timing, and adjusting valves it idles well at 850 rpm, sounds much healthier, and revs up from idle nicely (all this is based on stationary testing as the car is not on the road).

Today I warmed the engine up and did compression test (throttle propped open with screwdriver) followed by a leak down test. I think the results tell me that I have a tired engine needing rebuilding:

Cylinder Compression Leakdown
1 105 15%
2 105 20%
3 105 21%
4 105 23%

I didn’t crawl around under the car to listen for leaking valves, but for each the cylinders I could hear hissing in the crankcase as soon as I pressurized the cylinders, which I assume is a bad thing. I’m going to discuss rebuild options at a local multi-generation family garage that started out as a VW shop; if they can do the work within my budget then I’ll probably go that route. I plan to drop the engine sometime late this month.

One thing I need help on at this point is figuring out the remaining vacuum lines. I have a large inlet on the air box that looks from the diagrams as if it should go to the charcoal canister but there was no hose on it when I got the car and I don’t know where it should be routed, or even where the canister is (is it that plastic contraption sitting on top of the fuel tank!?). And just yesterday I noticed there is another nipple on the metal thing that the coil bracket attaches to…what’s that supposed to go to??

Looking forward to sharing my progress. This is a great forum that I’ve already learned a lot from!

[didenpx]

This is encouraging and unexpected feedback; I was expecting to hear that engine removal and rebuild were a must....so this is making me re-think things.

Should I instead just do the body work (what I'm facing here is trivial in comparison to a Volvo 1800E that I resurrected), reupholster the seats, get a re-spray and drive it?

@technicalninja and @fiacra : thanks for the links and suggestions which I will study. I've already been carefully watching Ian K's excellent YouTube videos.

@fiacra very much appreciate the offer of photos of a living breathing 75 1.8: thank you! The two vacuum ports that I referred to in the earlier posts are these (note the blue silicone plugs):






And here's what the engine bay looks like near the battery - no charcoal canister apparent, so I guess I need to source one of those??



I definitely like the idea of less $$ investment and sooner enjoyment factor....

Paul

[wonkipop]

This is encouraging and unexpected feedback; I was expecting to hear that engine removal and rebuild were a must....so this is making me re-think things.

Should I instead just do the body work (what I'm facing here is trivial in comparison to a Volvo 1800E that I resurrected), reupholster the seats, get a re-spray and drive it?

@technicalninja and @fiacra : thanks for the links and suggestions which I will study. I've already been carefully watching Ian K's excellent YouTube videos.

@fiacra very much appreciate the offer of photos of a living breathing 75 1.8: thank you! The two vacuum ports that I referred to in the earlier posts are these (note the blue silicone plugs):






And here's what the engine bay looks like near the battery - no charcoal canister apparent, so I guess I need to source one of those??



I definitely like the idea of less $$ investment and sooner enjoyment factor....

Paul

another L jet that might be saved from the junkyard in the sky.

the engine has an eyewatering 76hp in original form.
i am not laughing at this.
i have one and have had it for 35 years.
l love the experience of an underpowered car with an overpowered chassis. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

the 918 white paint stamp on the engine tin means its a 49 state car - USEPA 1975.
probably been in the locailty you bought it in all its life maybe.
the 49 state cars did not have the cat in the exhaust or the EGR as the californian cars had. nice little set up of L jet.
you will probably discover the hose off the advance can on the distributor goes nowhere.
its just tucked under the inlet plenum and left open. if so don't worry they are meant to be like that.

good luck with it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
its got a bit of the jack dancer to cut out judging by the photos.
but is very original looking.
i can tell you as you surmise that the engine bay is fully intact. all the EFI is there.
not meddled with.

yes its missing its charcoal cannister evap system.
the cannister is mounted off the side of the battery.
you will find the diagrams for the cannister hookup here.
whats shown is the 74 cars where the can was in a slightly different spot.
but plumbing is the same.
(note plumbing changed for evap emissions in late november 1973 so diagrams for earlier cars give the wrong hookup.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...57407&st=40

the complete vacuum hose diagrams are for the 74 model year cars.
the 75 L jets for 49 states have the same vac hose hook up as the 74 california models.
the 74 california model is shown in the hose diagrams in the thread link.