Hey everyone. I figured this would be the best source for the information I'm looking for. I have a '74 914 which has been stored in a barn for the past 20 odd years. It was driven in, and basically left there. It's a clean environment, but not heated. I have poked around inside, and it appears that there haven't been any critters living in it over the years.

I'm looking for suggestions on what to change to get it running? Obvious ones I'm planning to do regardless are battery, oil, plugs, wires.

Suggestions?

Replace all fuel lines. Brakes maybe frozen.

Pictures would help.

Good luck!

We need the oil experts to chime in here.

I did this recently and learned the hard way that the new oils don't have any zinc that helps the oil stick to parts, like the cam and lifters.

Some oils, racing, marine and aviation may still have that important stuff, but most have had it removed from the formula.

We race Formula Vee as well, using 196x VW beetle engine, which is pretty much the same as the 914. We use diesel oil as brake in oil, and 5W30 synthetic afterwards. The application might be different since it's racing, and we typically change components much more frequently than a street engine.

Here is a link to Brad Penn oil. Has the right amount of zinc for older engines.

http://penngrade1.com/

I would go through the whole brake system & replace any soft lines. Clean out the fuel tank.

http://www.penngrade1.com/

Gas is going to be a problem. I would remove the expansion tank on top of the tank and look inside. There may be a lot of rust. No need to pump this stuff through the fuel pump and into the injectors. If the tank is rusty, Pick up a different one of have that one cleaned and treated.

After all that time, I'd try to replace every fluid (and fluid carrying line) before doing anything. Pulling and draining the tank would be a good first step. At least, if it was stored with fuel in the tank, I don't think ethanol was added back when it was stored, so you may be lucky and not have a gelled substance in the fuel lines.

Good luck!

No way there won't be critters living in their somewhere. When you get into it, you'll find many interesting little "homes" with various skeletal remains...

When I started my car after it sat for years, the fuel injector elbows started leaking gas all over the engine. That was scary. They should be changed along with all the other fuel lines.