CUDA 911's 914 Thread ! ! ! Options

[Cuda911]

Hey all,

Today, June 10, 2014, I bought my first 914. It is a 1974 1.8, silver.

My first posts on 914 world were in a thread dedicated to my hunt for a 914. It can be found at the following link:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry2048714

Many, many people here provided a massive amount of fantastic information. I have studied, read, and (hopefully) learned the very basics of 914s.

Now that I own one, I will have a million more detailed questions, and I hope to keep things documented in this thread.

First, a few photos for you:

[SKL1]

Welcome to the crowd!! And nice stable-mates too... we'll have a party for you over at Rennlist too...

[SKL1]

With your name here and at Rennlist though, I half expect to see an old Barracuda in the background somewhere as well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Nothing wrong with an old muscle car too...

[Cuda911]

The history of this car:

It was originally purchased on July 12, 1974 from Mesa Porsche, La Mesa, CA by a couple from Carlsbad, CA, Frederik and Marilyn Grote. They traded in a 1968 Dodge Charger. Total price including tax: $6,400.69. [That is $32,287.32 in 2014 dollars]. Of this amount, they financed $1,000 at an interest rate of 13.62% (remember those Carter years of runaway inflation?)

(The radio was a $150 option they added but it has FM!!!) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif).

$150 in 1974 = $710.90 in 2014 dollars.

Accessories total was $736 = $3,488.15 in 2014 dollars.


They meticulously maintained it at Dieter's Porsche in San Diego. Every oil change was done like clockwork. Every service was fully documented.
.

[ndfrigi]

wow nice find!

[theleschyouknow]

cuda congrats! sweet ride look forward to your questions and doc thread

[infraredcalvin]

It still amazes me to see these great unknown gems pop up, nice find!

[Cuda911]

Then, one fateful day in September 1988, alas, they were hit in a front-end collision. The front end was damaged, including hood, bumper, and fenders.

The Allstate adjustor estimated required repairs at $3,974, and therefore declared it a total loss. Car condition on the 1988 insurance appraisal listed as "good". A Letter from Dieter's Porsche in San Diego stated that the car was regularly serviced there and in above average condition at the time of the accident. Receipts support this.

The original owners of the car bought it back from the insurance company for $450, however the car now was issued "salvage" title.

The Grote's owned a number of Porsches, including a 356. It is a bit unclear, but it appears that the Grote's then placed the car into storage until 1997. In 1997, the car was fully restored. The motor was pulled, sent to Mark Stephens High Performance of Tehachapi, CA. It was completely torn down, and rebuilt. A new clutch, shocks, and various other items were replaced.

The body work was conducted by European Auto Body, a Porsche body repair specialist in Escondido, CA. This company specializes in high-end cars including Porsche, Mercedes, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc. There are receipts for body work totaling $4,655.12, dated 12/9/1997, which correspond to the work that was needed per the 1988 insurance estimate. Very odd to me that all of this was done so many years later.

Receipts for all of the engine work, body work, etc. are on file in the folder I have for the car.

[Mike Bellis]

Dude, I knew you would find one locally. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Cuda911]

As Mr. and Mrs. Grote were getting on in years, eventually the car was again garaged at their house in Carlsbad, CA, until their three daughters (Mrs. Grote was remarried, so they were Mr. Grote's step daughters) held an estate sale in August of 2011.

A lady attending the estate sale purchased a large concrete mermaid. When she returned a day or two later with her husband to retrieve the mermaid, he saw the car in the garage and purchased it for $5,000.

Because the car had not been started for years, he had it flat-bedded to Konig Motorsport, a Porsche repair specialist in Oceanside, CA.

There, the car was thoroughly inspected, and many parts were replaced including: all brakes and rotors, master cylinder, front wheel bearings, plugs, points, filters, distributor cap, rotor, condensor, fan belt, tires, battery, shifter bushings, fuel injectors (cleaned and sealed), alignment, etc. Over $4,000 in receipts on file.


The new buyers own a number of classic VW's, including a VW bus, Karmann Ghia, etc. So, the 914 was only occasionally driven.

It was listed as an item in a three-family yard sale this past weekend. A friend saw the ad, emailed me, and I looked at the car yesterday and bought it today.

The only identifiable rust is a small amount inside of the rear of trunk. The Hell Hole is clean, the rockers are clean, the front end is clean, the floorboards are clean. There are no cracks in the dash. All electronics work. The driver side door lock mechanism needs to be repaired or replaced, since it won't lock with the key (but can be locked from inside the car).

The car drives, steers, and brakes perfectly.

Here are a few photos showing the body condition:

[KELTY360]

Funny how things work out when you put yourself out there shooting for the moon.

Congratulations...that's a fine car.

[Cuda911]

Thanks guys. Here are my first questions, basic though they are:

1. Driver's side door needs new lock cylinder, or current one fixed. Do I see a lock smith or a car restoration guy?

2. The radio antenna is black. Is that original? I prefer chrome if it should be chrome.

3. It has what appears to me to be a 1973 front bumper, from the repairs conducted in 1998. But, it doesn't have the chrome from the appearance group. Is the chrome a metal overlay piece I can buy? Or did they just chrome that metal portion of the bumper? Also, I really like the fog lights of the 1973 appearance group. Can they be added to the bumper that I currently have?

4. That bit of rust inside the trunk... should I spray it with Rustoleum to stop it from spreading? Should I sand it down first? Or should I take it to a body shop?

5. What is that grommet for in the middle of the carpet in the rear trunk?

[Dave_Darling]

The locks are not hard to remove yourself--just be careful, especially with the nut on the flap sticking out of the rear of the door handle. I'm sure there are illustrated guides on the BBS about this job. There's a write-up in the 914 Tech Articles section of the Pelican website, as well. Locks can be re-keyed without too much hassle if there are a decent number of parts on hand.

The radio is not original. It was dealer-installed, as most of them were. The antenna is whatever the dealer wanted to put in--and wherever the dealer wanted to install it! Some are on the right, some on the left. If you want a chrome antenna, get one.

The chrome bumpers are metal bumpers with chrome plating. Your current bumper can be done, but it is probably easier to get a bumper that is already chrome. Adding the foglights can be done relatively easily; the weld-nuts may very well be in place already and the wiring should also be there as well. You'll need fog light grilles, but those are still available.

The rust in the trunk should probably be hit with something like Naval Jelly to stop it from spreading. If you want to completely get rid of it, that will require grinding (at a minimum) or cutting and welding. Body-shop time unless you can weld or are trying to learn.


BTW, I'd check harder under and in front of the battery. I thought I saw some surface corrosion hiding behind the FI "brain" in your other photos.

--DD

[Cuda911]

Thanks for all the info, Dave!

That's very interesting about the antenna... for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why I was seeing some on the left and some on the right.

Seems like there were a lot of dealer-installed items that were put on various 914s, including the passenger side-view mirror, and Porsche crest on hood. Any other dealer-installed items I should be aware of?

It was just getting to be dusk when I gout the car home, so I'll inspect around at that battery tray a bit more tomorrow. Maybe some naval jelly there, too.

The rust in the trunk area looks worse in the photos than in person. The naval jelly is a good suggestion (why the heck do they call it naval jelly anyways, what a strange name).

More questions:

1. What do 914 folks think of those "steelie" wheels? None of the other cars I have looked at had them. I get the impression it was at the low end of the various wheel options?

2. I love the "PORSCHE" stickers that many 914s have along the lower door panel. Where would I get those? Were those dealer-installed? I have seen quite a variety of styles. Is there an "official" one?

[dlkawashima]

5. What is that grommet for in the middle of the carpet in the rear trunk?

It's for the spare tire hold down bolt, which you can use if you remove the foam rubber pad and (if you still have it) the plastic cap that covers the threaded hole in the trunk floor.

Seems like there were a lot of dealer-installed items that were put on various 914s, including the passenger side-view mirror, and Porsche crest on hood. Any other dealer-installed items I should be aware of?

Air conditioning was also a dealer only installation. Check out Jeff Bowlsby's list of accessories ... it's very thorough:

https://bowlsby.net/914/Classic/Accessories.htm

1. What do 914 folks think of those "steelie" wheels? None of the other cars I have looked at had them. I get the impression it was at the low end of the various wheel options?

The wheel was made by Lemmerz and is called the Sport wheel. I believe the wheel was first seen on the VW Super Beetle, and then in '74 became the stock wheel for the 914. I prefer an aluminum wheel myself ... Mahles were a popular choice for the '74 model year ... but obviously you should choose whatever you like. If you go with an aftermarket wheel, offset or backspacing will be a factor. A stock 15x5.5 wheel will always fit a 195 width tire and usually a 205 will fit as well. Not necessarily so with an aftermarket wheel.

2. I love the "PORSCHE" stickers that many 914s have along the lower door panel. Where would I get those? Were those dealer-installed? I have seen quite a variety of styles. Is there an "official" one?

The one that immediately comes to mind is the Limited Edition side stripe seen on the Bumblebee and the Creamsicle but you can get them in other colors, too. There is also a positive stripe that comes in several colors. Back in the day both were available from the P+A dealer. Jeff Bowlsby used to have a stash of original negative stripes, and repro negative and positive stripes are always available on ebay.

Yours would look good in black:
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-4283-1148263857.jpg)

[mepstein]

i think you did really well with this car. The lock is easy to fix yourself or find "tweet' on this site and have him fix it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[Cairo94507]

This is a terrific car and I am glad you did not let the salvage title scare you off. You will love this car.

If it were me, before I did anything else I would inspect every inch of the car to ID any rust and then find a shop that knows these cars, hopefully in your area, and get all the rust addressed so that you don't have any future issues or worries about it.

Seriously nice find and buy.

[brant]

Awesome find.
Pull the rocker covers as it is a maintenance item

[rhodyguy]

WOW!!! Looks great! Original silver with no color change. My absolute fav color on a 914. The salvage title is a nonstarter for me with this car. Should have bumper 'tits' f & r. Many owners switch to smooth bumpers. Have fun, enjoy your new car.

K

[Chris H.]

Awesome find...from what the pics show it was fixed very professionally. That's as close to a "survivor" car as you can get. Original owner even! The bumper is probably from a '72 or earlier, but as Kevin said many people choose to remove the bumper "tits", so you can either add them back to the front to make it totally stock or remove the ones on the back and weld up the holes (or neither, it looks fine).

You CAN'T remove that big cassette player though (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) !!!!

Good buy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)