Hello Everyone
My name is Dave and middle name Rex...thus D Rex
A nickname my office girls gave to me as a play on 'T Rex'

It was quite a process to get signed up on this forum
But it appears I finally on

I'm in the process of buying a 1971 914
It was hit in the R front fender and now
Sat for > 40 years in a barn but was covered up
(see pic)

I own a '62 VW Beatle and had a '71 911 at one time
So am familiar with air cooled engines

Before the accident, it was apparently a running car
I know its hard to tell without a thorough inspection
But assuming it does not have much rust
How much should I be offering for it?

Thanks for all your expect advise

Drex

Given it's been in an accident, have you verified that the frame is straight?

Hi Robert

No, I cannot verify if it has a straight frame
I figure this would make a big difference

It's a 914-4

I need to look at it again
But the temp outside is -10 F right now
So may be a few weeks

I'm just looking for ballpark values
I know that it depends on condition
Searching this forum here's what I've come up with:

30,000 if in excellent shape
15,000 if in fair shape and runs good
7,500 if in poor shape but running
3,500 if in poor shape and not running

Are these accurate prices?

thanks for your help

Drex

You've come to the right place.

First of all welcome! You’ll get all kinds of interesting answers, starting with, more pics!

Without many more pictures or info I’d say free up to your 3500 range, no more, and I’m being nice…

Between welding and paint you’ll be underwater on that car when done. Due to the damage, unless you can really make it invisible, that will never be a top tier car.

Unless the aluminum vin tag was swapped to the original, you’ll already have two vins with different numbers… easily fixed, but will raise questions…

Right front damage
Sitting for 40+ years in a barn(with critters, no doubt)

Honestly, I would find another car.

Depending on the amount of rust, especially in the longs, I would keep evaluating it. How do the front suspension settings (strut tops) look? Same on both sides? Either one pushed to the extreme (left/right or front/rear)? Can you see any damage or even wrinkling in the frunk floor pan?

If there is rust in the hell hole or longs that would be a deal breaker unless it were virtually free.

You can find underbody reference dimensions in a couple places:
http://www.914world.com/specs/underdims.php

Or look at Jeff Hails thread - lots of info buried in there somewhere around pages 9-11
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=76791

You want to find the graphic like this one. I used Jeff’s measurements as reference and they matched my chassis within a couple mm here and there (disregard my chicken scratch) you just want his clean graphic as reference since OEM measurements reference an imaginary center line that isn’t easily measured to.
Click to view attachment

thanks for all your help

i know it is a questionable car
but it was a friend's who died suddenly in October
so it is special to me and especially to his family
and we both would like to see it restored

i'm not much of a Concours restoration guy
my specialty is WW II Jeeps
and most of the Jeeps that win prizes are 'over restored'

here is a picture of the rear trunk area
again, it probably doesn't tell one much

it is -7 F here in central Iowa with winds up to 45 mph
so not good weather to be inspecting an old car

thanks again



Drex

So since you know the family, has it been in their ownership the entire life of the car? If so, can you then verify the original mileage and the story of it having been in dry storage for 40 years? This would make a difference to me. Given the answers to those questions, it is likely to be a very low mileage car with minimal rust.

I would ask to remove the rockers(you might need to drill out the pop rivets on the top...you might also need some PB Blaster and an impact driver on the bottom screws). As previously mentioned you need to check out the hell hole, floor pans, and areas behind seats. In a perfect world, they would allow you to remove the seats and back pad to check out those areas.

Does it still have factory FI? That along with the fact that it looks like Willow Green would also go a long way with me. Also, does it run? Does it turn over? Does it spin freely? I personally think you might have a diamond in the rough here....especially knowing up front that it's gonna take some time & money to get it back to the way you want it. Bonus: you helped bring an old friend's car back to its former glory.

yes,
1st chance i get, i plan to go see it again
it's about a 4 hr drive away

i think my friend bought it in '74
and was in accident in '79

he had several cars
so maybe didn't drive this one much

i'll check this all out next trip
hopefully it will warm up some

thanks

Drex

Based on what you’ve shown and written, it’s a $1-2k project car.
Running when parked 40 years ago doesn’t mean anything.
Repair looks fitted but not complete.
Rust is unknown
Parts may be missing.
Interior could be mouse infested, moldy or missing.

People have done more with less and achieved stunning results but that’s up to you.

I am the crazy guy that would love a project like that. Probably a couple grand is the value as of now.

wen i went and saw it
it was 5 F
so didn't send much time inspecting

are advantages of living in warm climates
but i've lived in Iowa my whole life
and kinda like it here

will update when i get down there

here's the panel

Drex

With Craigers17 .

I would like to start with I mean no offense. Just an opinion.
I find it a little amusing people are quick to say walk away from certain cars. While you look at all the builds here, half of them are cars that had issues. Some major.
To be clear, I completely understand bodywork, rust issues will get either time consuming, and/or expensive. In most cases both. But if everyone just looked for another car, 5% of these cars would be resurrected, the rest would be parts cars or scrap. Very, very few of these cars don’t have some sort of rust issue. The major questions are how much, and how bad is it really.
Nobody wants to be upside down on a build. Unfortunately, with most project cars, hard to be on the upside, really depends on your particular skill set, budget, time available.
I agree further inspection would be important to understand the amount of money and effort will be needed to get the car to a level you will be happy with.

Good luck on whatever you decide. Try to save it! Just be honest with yourself about it’s condition what it will need.
Looks like it could very well be a prime candidate to build and let the family see it it get on the road again. It could be a very rewarding project. Willow Green! Yes please!
Just my opinion.

I agree, it could be a diamond. Based on what’s shown, it’s still coal but there could be more to the story. Just gotta check things out when the weather is acceptable.

A couple years back, we got a call about a rusty Porsche, under a tarp, under a carport. Owner wanted it gone. A well known restoration shop didn’t bother showing up when promised so the owner sold it cheap to my buddy. It was a ‘64 911.

The problem is you and I are from the same part of the country and see the same rust buckets brought back from the dead just like in my build thread

Buy it it’s green ! The color of money

Welcome Drex. That looks like Willow Green to me and is a great color. These cars can be expensive to bring back after sitting for >40 years. This one needs the right front correctly repaired so it is straight and true. Then you can begin looking for other rust compromised areas. Just because it was indoors and covered does not mean rust was not busy working away on the car. I understand the connection to the car and that is admirable and cool. I would discuss all of the work needed to get her back on the road with the family and offer them $1,500 with a promise to get her running, driving and then take them for a ride when done.

First of all.

and B: did anyone mention the car is Willow? Very cool color. Always wanted a Willow car.

Another thing. Is the original front section still there someplace it the garage? If you notice the bright colored aluminum tag on the reinforcement belongs to the donor car not the Willow car. You need that tag to be reinstalled when the car is repaired as it has the VIN# on it.

and lastly I hope you have a good shop space and are really devoted to the restoration. If not post it in the classifieds so I can buy it. LOL! Otherwise be prepared to put on your man pants and get busy.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...&hl=Juergen

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=104128&hl=

As Hawkeye now living in AZ (and who actually used to work at your hospital, with another doc who had, or still has a nice WWII jeep) welcome to 914 world.

Trying to figure out from that one picture what the deal is with those horns on the front panel "coming" from the LF wheelwell?????? Don't think it came from the Karmann factory looking like that!

I know all about sentimentality relating to cars and families, etc so it would be neat to restore it if the rust isn't too bad...

Is it an option to restore? Might be just what the doctor ordered. Have you ever driven one? Mucho fun, and if you are a car guy and have a heated shop, go for it. As far as value how she sits, I would guess a couple grand tops. GLWS if you decide to go that route

As another former Iowawegian - welcome. I saw those horns, too - someone's been in there!

I was THIS close to retrieving the 914 I had growing up in Eastern Iowa and completely understand the sentimental side of things. No real price tag on that. I say go for it....many have done more with much less...

This looks like it could be a fun project. Hopefully the weather warms up a bit so you can get a better look at it.

If the 914 has history, that alone speaks to ensuring it's brought back to life.

-Dan

Yet another Iowegian here! Sounds like potentially a great find.

40 years stored means it was on the road for about 10 years. It has suffered some ravages but escaped others. You will have dried shrunken, rotted rubber, and seals. Fluids will have disintegrated and become varnish/gunk.

Minimum: You will want to go through the engine. It will need new body rubber, which is quite extensive on this car (but available as a kit for savings). It will need all new high pressure fuel lines, including stainless steel from the front to the fuel pump (4 pieces).

Paying shop rates to people who aren’t experienced in special cars usually ends disaster. Whether its economically viable will likely depend on your skill, ambition, and willingness to learn. Many have gone before you. I did quite a bit of tinkering on a Beetle and a 356C back in the day and I’m not finding it difficult, although being mid engined, it is more cumbersome. YouTube, 914World, Jack Raby engine building DVDs, personal web sites, and a lot of great people and vendors are out there for you. Spend this cold winter looking through previous built threads.

Many reproduction parts, plus paint and sealers are of much better quality than the original.

You can tow one home behind many mini-vans and pick-ups with a Uhaul Car Dolly. Do not attempt to back up though. The pushing the rope analogy comes into play.

Love the color!

We bought a 914 locally many years ago that looked much worse, and because of the sentimentality we restored it to new condition. We love the car.

Welcome to the 914World, Sorry for the loss of your friend. The good news is you have time to work this out as it was a friend. Take your time and clean it up just a little and take lots of pictures. Everyone wants to help you out and at the same time we love being a detective on cars. Clean out the front and rear trunks and really take a lot of pictures.

with the pictures of the front end, can't tell if it has been welded back together it just looks like they’re butted up to each other with no welding yet with maybe some welding near the cowl. The stamped body Vin looks to be intact and even if you can't find the original aluminum one there are reproductions made. The horns where favorites of lots of guys because Weeany cars need loud horns. That is no Biggy.

The color on this car is one of the favorites of everybody.

Take your time if the family is not forced to clean out the garage because of a situation.

Good luck welcome to world.

Bob B

thanks for all your welcomes and kind replies

i have a heated garage and to date have restored

'62 VW beatle
'42 GPW WW II ford jeep
'42 MB 'Slat Grill' WW II willys jeep
'44 WLA HD motorcycle
'42 L4 Piper airplane

so am not afraid of taking on a 914

the only thing is i had planned to do another willys jeep
and also have a '53 MG to do

weather is looking up this coming week
so may take another look this coming wed or thursday

thanks again for all your help

Drex

Willow green is a most awesome color, although I'm a little biased as my '72 is willow green (auf Deutsch: weidengrün). As far as I know, it was only offered for the 914 in 1971 & 1972.

However, please listen to the commenters. The damaged front right with a potentially sketchy fix & rust should be carefully assessed along with potential mechanical problems.

If issues look significant, it might be best to pass on this one and look for another one. It took us almost 7 years to find the right 968 cab. So, free advice: take your time and be careful. First glances look like this one can be potentially saved, but that doesn't mean it has to be by you.

Best wishes & welcome to the World!

Willow

Welcome. Others with more experience have already commented. Sorry for the loss of your friend. Original color does make a difference. A color like willow, if original, will add to the value later. That one pic makes it look like the interior is in very good shape possibly. That adds to the value as it sits if the vinyl parts are crack free, carpet in good shape, etc. What options does the car have? What wheels? It looks like you have all of the experience to tackle this. Best of luck!

hello
haven't been back to see car yet
maybe tomorrow or Friday
to take a few more pictures

here is a picture of the left front wheel

turns out that my friend had no will
so the family will have to take my offer before a judge
to have the sell approved
this will happen after the 1st of the year
no telling how long this will take
or how the judge will want to handle my friend's assets

will let you all know how it turns out

Drex

You need to make a deep, DEEP, assessment of this car before you leap. Fixing items will have 3 0s, not 2, most of the time. I imagine everything could change when the estate goes to probate. Someone will think that Porsche has great value. They would be mistaken.

looked at this 914 again yesterday
wow...temp was 63 F
big change from the below zero we've had lately here in Iowa

my friend's sister was a big help
we found the original VIN plate for the L front fender area!

here is picture of the 'Hellhole'
looks like the battery tray is toast
but i think the area under it isn't too bad

also, a picture of the rear trunk floor
looks pretty good

i did push up on the under the body
it had been undercoated
but unfortunately, felt a little spongy in places
old man rust may have invaded

but...
if the judge permits
i'm still going to buy it

thanks for all your help

Drex

I know this car has some sentimental value to you and that’s OK.

That battery tray is just the tip of the iceberg. By the time they are that rusted, there is significant damage to the wheelhouse inner, and the hell hole below that you can’t even see with the ECU in place. All that acid that caused the battery tray corrosion is also down in the passenger side longitudinal eating away at metal 25/7 for the last 40 years.

Don’t let a judge con you into paying much more and a couple thousand dollars for this car. As stated previously, he will likely only see PORSCHE and think it’s worth big $$

This car is will be a time and money pit - you’ll be doing the family a favour by fixing it!

Most likely true, true and true. The repair tag or your hours will not be a cheap date.

hello
here are two pictures of my VW
it was a basket case
but was my very 1st car
so i saved it

i plan to do the same thing to my friend's 914

today is new year's eve
have a good one!!

Drex

sorry
i'd like to edit the above post
to insert smaller pictures

how do i do this?

Go to "edit" and then go to Full edit.

Perfect! So you know what you’re getting into !

I love seeing the rust buckets saved having done one myself. Have at it. Just don’t overpay for the privilege.

there is no "edit'
under this post

but it is on my later posts?

Drex

Very nice early '60's bug.

Drex, I sure hope you can get this car and bring it back to its glory, obviously from your pics of your prior resto's you have the skills to do it.

Don't let these people scare you away. In my 30 years of mucking with old cars I have never met a group of eyores as bad as the 914 folk. But don't worry, as soon as you start tearing it apart they will all be on your side willing to help in any way they can and rooting you on.

i'm neither worried or deterred

if it works out, i'm ready to go
if not, i'll restore another 1941 wwii slat grill jeep

you all were right about 914 costs
i took a look parts prices...WOW

my goal would be a nice looking
running 914

we'll see what this new year brings

thanks again for all your help

Drex

You can do it! Looking forward to seeing your journey.

I'm back to central Iowa quite a bit. In the spring I'll get my buddy and we'll come over in his 914 and visit!

Shop around for parts, as prices on some bits vary quite a bit. Lots of used/like new parts out there in the forums. Lots of awesome vendors.

Based on what I saw on you Bug, Buy the car, It needs your help to put it back right!
This place will be tons of help !!

Take Tom up on his offer. If I was still back in IA I'd tag along with he and Ted (the mutual friend who now has a 914 back in his garage in Des Moines after many years) and check out your project, assuming the judge doesn't throw a wrench in the works... I know from experience there are some good 914 roads around Guthrie Center.

(as an aside, I'll never forget actually working at the Guthrie County Hospital the morning of 9/11 and watching the planes hit the towers...)

my son bought me the 914-4 Haynes Repair Manual for Christmas
been looking through it

is there a single best reference book on 914 restorations?

Drex