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

[KELTY360]

Of course, for owners not pursuing concours restorations, screws make it easier to pull the outer rockers for cleaning.

So true and since I’m not pursuing a concours restoration I’m becoming inclined to leave that decision to the next owner. If a serious buyer wants to see the rockers I’d pull the covers; but in the meantime they stay in place…I think.

[wonkipop]

Of course, for owners not pursuing concours restorations, screws make it easier to pull the outer rockers for cleaning.

So true and since I’m not pursuing a concours restoration I’m becoming inclined to leave that decision to the next owner. If a serious buyer wants to see the rockers I’d pull the covers; but in the meantime they stay in place…I think.

mr b will be right about those rivets. he is rarely wrong, and even his speculations/guesses are pretty good.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[JeffBowlsby]

Maybe George will chime in on on this? If anyone knows orginal 914s its George.

What are the factory original rocker panel rivets? Plastic (clear or black) or aluminum (mill finish)? The same or differnet over the model years?

@dr914 @autoatlanta.com

[KELTY360]

So, giving the interior a first cleaning to see what I'm working with, and confirming Dan's opinion that there wasn't a split, crack or tear in the cabin.











Here's the condition prior to any cleaning. Lots of detailing ahead.



The only cracks I found were more like scratches in the backpad light.

[wonkipop]

Maybe George will chime in on on this? If anyone knows orginal 914s its George.

What are the factory original rocker panel rivets? Plastic (clear or black) or aluminum (mill finish)? The same or differnet over the model years?

@dr914 @autoatlanta.com

not one i can answer with certainty as i took the rockers off my 74 30+ years ago to clean in behind them and check out the sills/jack points. have alum rivets now same as kelty360. i can't really recall what was on the car back then. too long ago. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
what i can say is when it comes to rivets or rust, i know which one i could care less about. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

black plastic thresholds have never been off.
either a black plastic rivet or a black coated alum rivet that fixes those on.

@KELTY360 - that interior is minty. steering wheel factory fresh!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
i've got exact same cocoa mats in mine (but a little more worn (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) )
that particular "natural" brown color = the fashion item back then?
also remember my interior light when i got it back in 89 had the same melt droop in the middle top. someone had fitted the wrong bulb. too hot. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) pretty funny.

[wonkipop]

Maybe George will chime in on on this? If anyone knows orginal 914s its George.

What are the factory original rocker panel rivets? Plastic (clear or black) or aluminum (mill finish)? The same or differnet over the model years?

@dr914 @autoatlanta.com

i think you are on to something mr. b

its maybe an extensive change in mid 73 when they change the inner threshold plate from alum to plastic?
i've done a bit of searching back through the L jet files i have which are all 74 and 75 1.8s.

i know this from my own car (and PET data).
when the thin inner most threshold piece was changed to black plastic the screws changed too. the screws received additional cupped raised washers to help with distributing the load and keeping the plastic straighter. very few cars seem to have the correct screws surviving. i have the original screws on mine for those very inner most thresholds and a few of the ones i have on file have them as well. that helps with knowing you might be looking at something trustworthy throughout sill area. the earlier cars pre mid 73 just have a screw into the aluminium earlier inner most threshold.

they changed the outer sill threshold piece to plastic at the same time and the rivets in that changed to black. all the examples on file match mine.
they had been white in the pre mid 73 cars to fasten the alum threshold.

i looked up my first addition restorers guide to authenticity.
its getting a bit old now (out of date?). i don't have the more recent edition.
down the back on page 78 is a photo and description of the earlier alum threshold. also shows rocker panel. the rocker panel is held on by the same white plastic rivet. so i believe @914werke is right about that. when it comes to earlier cars.

however there is no detail or description on the post mid 73 in my edition of R G.

but---everything i have on file from L jet research which are in some cases drawn from BAT archives has silver alum rivets fixing the outer sill rockers. i think i have got at least two original examples i would trust to a reasonable degree on that. they could have been black rivets that the paint has worn off. but they are silver now which indicates alum not plastic.

it could be interesting. they might have changed the rivets in the outer rockers from mid 73 on. your example you have posted where the owner assured rockers had not been off and the rivets are silver alum seems to agree with everything i have collected on file.

i can't say for certain what i did back in the early 90s when i took the covers off was a like for like replacement. but i used to be fairly careful with detail like that and i feel sure i would have replaced what was there to match. but who knows.

i guess the doc will have the full answer.

but there appears to be something in the differences being brought up and contested.
@914werke is definitely correct about the early cars pre mid 73.
@JeffBowlsby may well be correct about the later cars post mid 73. something different appears to be going on there.


a 74.
not mine but identical to mine.
from L jet archive. a pretty original car in all respects.
not a restoration
correct inner threshold screws and seems to have alum rocker rivets. look silver.
matches @KELTY360 's rockers and your example of a 40,000 mile car.

[wonkipop]

@JeffBowlsby

the mystery of the rivets deepens.

looking further into L jet files and am only turning up alum finish rivets on the 74 rocker panels.

v good condition, highly original, factory paint example.




another one that was an original paint, highly original car in aged/worn condition.
but very unmolested.



i ain't saying they are mill finish alum conclusively.
but i can't seem to turn up any other sort on 74s.


so i looked at 75s.
.........black!
this was what i would consider an unmolested highly original low mile 75.
dunno if rivets are painted alum or black plastic?
but they are black.
kept looking further into the files and all the reasonably trustworthy examples appear to be black.




i dunno.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
somethings going on with those sill panels i think.
maybe even from 74 to 75 they are changing again?
????

but i'm swinging towards you and @KELTY360 being right about rivets on a 74.
which means i might have done the right thing back in the 90s. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[wonkipop]

@JeffBowlsby
@KELTY360

hmmmmm!
i thought to myself i know there is an in depth photographic record of S G's sahara beige 74 2.0 in originality section. went snooping to see if there were photos of sill.

uncovered a very interesting exchange.




unoriginal sill rivets - incorrectly restored? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)



http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...1921&st=120

seems to be a bit of uncertainty around the business of what was on a 74.
and maybe 73? leaving aside what was on an early car.

the black plastic rivets that S G quotes dr914 says were on all 14s def agrees with my files on 75 1.8s. they sure look like they got black rivets.

S G's comments about what were on his super clean super original car when he bought it, before he changed them to black, def agrees with my files on 74 1.8s and the 74 cars being discussed here a page earlier.

[DBF]

My Bumblebee was given one inexpensive repaint due to stone chips from driving on the typical gravel roads in the Michigan UP. Other than that, it is all original. The painter painted over the rivets, and given the so-so repaint, it is unlikely the rockers were removed. I lightly scratched some paint off one of the rivets and found .......metallic.

[DBF]

Would the same tool be used to install both Al and plastic rivets? Could a shortage of plastic rivets cause the factory to substitute Al rivets on some cars?

[KELTY360]

given it is so original whats the windscreen in it.
mind taking a photo of that etched data down in the bottom lhs?
there is a little thread going in the originality section covering original windscreens for 914s. am betting this baby is a good candidate for having one.

The windshield looks to be original but this is the best pic I've managed so far. I'll keep trying to get a better one. The garage lighting has to be just right.

[wonkipop]

given it is so original whats the windscreen in it.
mind taking a photo of that etched data down in the bottom lhs?
there is a little thread going in the originality section covering original windscreens for 914s. am betting this baby is a good candidate for having one.

The windshield looks to be original but this is the best pic I've managed so far. I'll keep trying to get a better one. The garage lighting has to be just right.

yep thats farken original for sure.
whats the date on the build of this baby.
all good data. i only give a sh$t about 74 1,8 914s. but i will make an exception for a bumble bee or a vanilla icecream with orange sauce. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
get a good shot when you manage it and post it but don't fret. glass and reflections. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)
great car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)